PLAYER OF THE WEEK | Puerto Rico FC Forward Giuseppe Gentile
Puerto Rico FC forward Giuseppe Gentile was named North American Soccer League (NASL) Player of the Week after scoring a goal and adding an assist in his club’s 3-0 win over FC Edmonton at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium on Saturday night.
Puerto Rico entered its Week 11 contest against the Eddies looking to earn its long-awaited first win of the season, and the club did it in emphatic fashion. Gentile asserted himself early, finding the back of the net midway through the first half and assisting on another goal just three minutes later.
The 24-year-old forward collected the ball just inside the Edmonton half in the 25th minute, and dribbled it all the way into the penalty area before sneaking a shot past visiting goalkeeper Chris Konopka at the near post. The score was 2-0 shortly thereafter when another long driving run through midfield by Gentile set up teammate Pito Ramos. The Puerto Rican international trailed Gentile’s run and fired his pass into the back of the net from 18 yards out.
Gentile, who was born in Miami, has been in good form in recent weeks after scoring his first goal for Puerto Rico in a 4-3 loss to the New York Cosmos on May 14. The club’s play has steadied under interim head coach Marco Velez, who took over the coaching reins in late May.
A former standout at UNC-Charlotte, Gentile signed his first professional contract with the Chicago Fire of MLS in 2014. Outside of a stint in Switzerland (where he holds dual citizenship) with FC Chiasso in 2015, he has played for several teams in the USL and NASL, most recently Ottawa last season.
Puerto Rico remains home in Week 12 to host the San Francisco Deltas on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game can be seen live on beIN SPORTS USA and beIN SPORTS CONNECT.
