What's the best avenue to win MLS Player of the Week?
Answer: Play against Minnesota United.
Since Minnesota joined MLS at the start of the 2017 season, eight different players have won the award after field days against the Loons. That's 17.7 percent of the honors distributed during that time frame.
The next-most frequent victim is the New York Red Bulls, with four opponents winning the award.
Portland's Alvas Powell is the reigning Player of the Week award winner after the Timbers right back scored a goal and assisted on another in a 3-2 win over Minnesota at Providence Park on Saturday. He joined New York Red Bulls striker Bradley Wright-Phillips and San Jose forward Danny Hoesen to win the honor against the Loons this season.
The Loons were hoping Powell would receive some comeuppance for his studs-up challenge to Loons midfielder Darwin Quintero's right leg in the 59th minute Saturday. But the MLS Disciplinary Committee's report issued Thursday did not include punishment for Powell.
Last year, Minnesota saw five opponents win the weekly award against them: Portland's Diego Valeri in the Loons' debut MLS game, Atlanta's Josef Martinez in the snowy home opener as well as New England's Juan Agudelo, Red Bulls' midfielder Daniel Royer, who won it against two teams, and San Jose's Chris Wondolowski in a season-ending performance that propelled the Earthquakes into the playoffs.
But Minnesota also had its own Player of the Week winner a year ago. Midfielder Kevin Molino's assist and then late game-winning goal were the difference in a 3-2 comeback win over Atlanta last October.
Over the last year-plus Minnesota has been in MLS, five other teams have watched an opposing player win the POTW award three times; five clubs have seen it happen to them twice; and eight clubs have been on the short side once. Three teams avoided it altogether.
NOT YET FOR MAXIMIANO
Defensive midfielder Maximiano, a loanee from Brazil, said he has cleared the club's guidelines for his rehab from an ACL tear he suffered in his right knee last June. While he's training in full this week, United coach Adrian Heath said it's probably premature to see his MLS debut come against the Seattle Sounders on Sunday.
"Just feel like the last two or three weeks, he's been working so hard and it might have caught up with him," Heath said. "He does give us something to work with."
NO CENTERBACK CHANGES COMING
After conceding some "cheap" goals in the 3-2 loss to Portland, Heath ruled out changes to his center back pair of Francisco Calvo and Michael Boxall.
"We want to keep (Calvo) and Boxy together," Heath said. "We feel as though they've been together, we've been a lot better."
Fullbacks Tyrone Mears (calf) and Marc Burch (knee) did not train with the club Tuesday through Thursday, possibly setting up rookie Carter Manley's second MLS start opposite regular starter Jerome Thiesson.
GOMEZ DELAYED
New loanee Alexi Gomez has obtained his visa and passport and will travel from Peru to Minnesota, with a revised expectation that he will train with the Loons on Tuesday, a club spokesman said. After Gomez's addition was announced April 11, the original hope was that the speedy and versatile player would arrive in Minnesota yet this week, possibly Thursday. Fullback appears to be the first position Gomez will try for Minnesota.
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