PLAYER OF THE WEEK | North Carolina FC Forward Renan Gorne

There have been several top performances from young Brazilians in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 2017 and forward Renan Gorne provided the latest one for North Carolina FC. He scored twice and added an assist as his club routed Indy Eleven, 5-0, on Sunday afternoon, earning NASL Player of the Week honors.  

Against Indy, it took Gorne just nine minutes to open the scoring at Sahlen’s Stadium. Kareem Moses whipped in a low cross that the Brazilian stooped low to deflect the ball into the back of the net with his chest. After a solo effort from Nazmi Albadawi doubled the lead, Gorne provided an assist in the 35th minute to Steven Miller.

The 21-year-old forward, who is on loan from Botafogo, wasn’t done yet in the first half. He added his second tally of the game from the penalty spot after Albadawi was taken down in the box.

North Carolina went on to complete the scoring when another rising star, Dre Fortune, scored on a fantastic free kick just before the final whistle.

Gorne, who joined the club for his loan spell in August, has been making an impact in North Carolina’s push to reach The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament. In nine appearances, the native of Campo Grande, Brazil, has scored five times with two assists.

The Brazilian came up through the Botafogo Academy and made one first-team appearance before coming to the NASL on loan.

North Carolina currently sits in third place in the Combined Standings, which is a position that would net the side a postseason berth, and it’s still chasing the Fall Season title as the club is four points back of first-place Miami FC. Next up is a matchup with Puerto Rico FC that will take place at Sahlen’s Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and can be seen live on ESPN3 (U.S.) and NASL.com (Canada).