Major League Soccer on Monday named Sounders FC midfielder João Paulo to the Week 15 Team of the Week following his starring role in Seattle’s comprehensive win against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Additionally, midfielder Cristian Roldan, who put in an excellent two-way shift on Saturday night, was named to the TOTW bench.
Since joining the Rave Green as a Designated Player in the offseason, João Paulo has quietly established himself as one of the premier two-way midfielders in Major League Soccer. The Brazilian offers a unique mixture of effortless technical quality and relentless defending on a week-in, week-out basis. And while the majority of his contributions don’t hit the stat sheet, he’s quietly amassed two goals and four assists from just 10 starts.
Roldan has seen his offensive production explode in Seattle’s latest victories over LA and Vancouver. While he didn’t officially get on the box score, Roldan’s pinpoint service from the right channel forced an own goal against Vancouver and created that chance from which João Paulo scored.
The Sounders return to action on Wednesday night as they host Real Salt Lake at CenturyLink Field (7:00 p.m. PT; JOEtv, Prime Video, 950 KJR, El Rey 1360 AM).
