9/19 - Matchday 26

Player of the Matchday

Julián Bazán

Julián Bazán was outstanding for Red Bulls as they shut out New York City in the Hudson River Derby. Equally impressive defending in open space as in his own box, Bazán ended many an NYC attack. His partnership with Tim Parker has been fearful for oppositions, leading the Red Bulls into a playoff position.

Photo via Vaughn Ridley

Young Player of the Matchday

Peyton Miller

Peyton Miller torched Orlando's defense with his lightning quick runs in behind and a pair of clinical finishes. It was Miller's first professional brace, including a stoppage time game winner that sees the Revs move into second in the Eastern Conference. Naturally a left back, Miller is still honing his attacking instincts, and he continues to get better and better each week.

Photo via Yahoo! Sports

Goal of the Matchday

André Luiz

André Luiz has made quite the introduction to Major League Soccer. For the second week in a row, the Brazilian winger has scored the best goal of the week. This time, he received the ball at half field, deftly settling a cleared ball with his thigh. He turned out to the right sideline, where he slowed down slightly to bait in the Union defender who was chasing him. Once Jovic was drawn in, Luiz burst past the midfielder, heading down the ride side with pace. He left Nathan Harriel, a very solid defender, in his wake with a liquid smooth stepover. Now fully past the Philly backline, Luiz drove into the box and found the bottom corner from a tight angle, capping off a truly incredible solo goal.

Assist of the Matchday

Alexandru Matan

Alexandru Matan is becoming a regular in this segment. It's another a beautiful, defense-splitting through ball from the Romanian that saw St. Louis City open the scoring in what would be a 3-1 win. Matan's vision and ability measure the weight of pass to perfection is what has made him one of the best creators in MLS since he joined St. Louis. As he was cutting in from the left side touch line, Matan dissected Toronto's back 4 with an assist so good, it set up not one, but two City players for a strike on goal. Ultimately it was Carlo Holse who finished it off, registering his third goal for the club.

Statistic of the Matchday

104 Touches

Carles Gil recorded a staggering 104 touches in a 4-2 win over Orlando. Two of those touches put the ball in the back of the net, highlighting an impressive performance by the Revs captain. It's extremely rare for an attacking player to get triple digit touches in MLS. It shows how important Gil is for his side, and reflects how dominant New England were in the match. If Gil can continue to have this level of influence on the game, New England are going to keep continue to score goals.

Team of the Matchday

LW: Peyton Miller

CF: Son Heung-Min

RW: André Luiz

CM: Carles Gil

CM: Alexandru Matan

CM: Ashley Westwood

LB: Bryan Ramírez

LCB: Reid Roberts

RCB: Julián Bazán

RB: Andy Nájar

GK: Brad Stuver

Team of the Matchday photos via MLSSoccer.com

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