Kansas City, MO (My Sportsbook) - Kansas City Wizards forward Scott Sealy has been named Major League Soccer Player of the Week for week 24 following a two- goal performance in a 3-2 dramatic comeback win against the Columbus Crew Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.
"It's always a good feeling to be recognized," Sealy said. "The most important thing is that we won the game and gave our home fans a lot to cheer about."
Sealys first goal came in the 31st minute to put Kansas City ahead 1-0 on a play he created and finished. Sealy was fouled outside the 18-yard area and then stood over the ball with defender Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. Both players started their approach, with Burciaga stopping and Sealy bending a right- footed free kick over the wall and into the upper-left corner past Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer for his third goal of the season.
Sealy then provided the game-winner to cap a historic Wizards comeback in minute 94th minute. Sasha Victorine played the ball out of the back, finding Eddie Johnson with his back to goal 25 yards out. He turned, then spun the ball wide for streaking midfielder Eloy Colombano before Johnson and Sealy continued their runs toward goal. Colombano took a touch then served in a hard, right-footed cross for Sealy at the near post. The Trinidad and Tobago international hit a snap header past Hesmer from six yards out for his second goal of the match and first-game winner of the season. The Wizards became just the third team in MLS history to erase a stoppage-time deficit to win a match.
"Our team is not a desperate team, but we were at home and we didn't want to disappoint the fans," Sealy said. "We went into the half one-nil and then they got two goals and we had two options, either give up or come back and our team has shown that we can come back and tonight was a perfect example."
"Scoring in the 90-plus minutes shows that our team is a fit team and a team that doesn't give up and we have been talking all week that it might take 90 minutes to win this game and it was a great ending," Wizards coach Curt Onalfo said.
Sealy has now won Player of the Week twice during his three-year MLS career, the first came in week 12 of last season after a two-goal performance against the Chicago Fire.
Below are the 2007 Player of the Week Winners:
Week 1: Jeff Cunningham (Real Salt Lake)
Week 2: Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards)
Week 3: Maykel Galindo (Chivas USA)
Week 4: Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Week 5: Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo)
Week 6: Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
Week 7: Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls)
Week 8: Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards)
Week 9: Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards)
Week 10: Ben Olsen (D.C. United)
Week 11: Luciano Emilio (D.C. United)
Week 12: Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)
Week 13: Nicholas Addlery (D.C. United)
Week 14: Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo)
Week 15: Juan Toja (FC Dallas)
Week 16: Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew)
Week 17: Ante Razov (Chivas USA)
Week 18: Luciano Emilio (D.C. United)
Week 19: Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls)
Week 20: Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls)
Week 21: Maykel Galindo (Chivas USA)
Week 22: Ben Olsen (D.C. United)
Week 23: Luciano Emilio (D.C. United)
Week 24: Scott Sealy (Kansas City Wizards)