HERRIMAN, Utah (Monday, July 12, 2021) – Real Salt Lake midfielder Damir Kreilach has been named the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for Week 12 following his two-goal performance in the team’s 4-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC on July 7.
Kreilach is recognized for having scored the third-fastest goal in Club history when his chip over the goalkeeper just 43 seconds into the match gave RSL the early lead. You can view Kreilach’s historic goal here. Kreilach struck again in the 57th minute of the match when his headed effort from a Justin Meram cross marked his second goal of the match and his third-career brace since joining RSL ahead of the 2018 season.
In addition to his two-goal performance, he created the chance that lead to Anderson Julio scoring the fourth and final goal in the 4-0 victory over Whitecaps FC.
The brace was the second of the season for Kreilach – and both have come against the Whitecaps, also netting a pair in RSL’s 3-1 win on June 18. Kreilach now sits tied for third with Sporting Kansas City’s Daniel Sallói in the race for the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi, with seven goals for the season. With seven goals thus far in 2021, Kreilach has surpassed his 2019 goal total and sits one goal away from equaling his total from the 2020 season.
Kreilach was previously recognized as Player of the Week in 2018 for his hat trick against LA Galaxy.
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
Real Salt Lake returns to competition when they travel to take on LAFC at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday, July 17 at 8:30 p.m. MT. Fans can view the match live on KMYU and the KSL TV app. RSL returns to Sandy to face the LA Galaxy on Wednesday, July 21 at 8:00 p.m. MT. Tickets can be purchased by visiting RSL.com.
