After spending much of the season in the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia Union had a golden opportunity to leapfrong a team ahead of them in the standings, and that's is exactly what they did this week.
In two games against Toronto FC the Union conceded no goals and collected all six points, placing them in fifth place in the East and three points ahead of the Canadian side, and their defensive prowess this week is reflected in the selection.
North of the Union on I-95, another team is just hitting their stride at the right time. The New England Revolution have now won four games in a row after losing eight in a row in the middle of the season. Spurred by the addition of Jermaine Jones and the play of MVP candidate Lee Nguyen, the Revolution beat Sporting Kansas City and the Chicago Fire on their way to a six point week.
Meanwhile, Timbers maestro Diego Valeri kept up his torrid pace with three assists against the San Jose Earthquakes helping key an important comeback.
Who else earned a spot on the latest Team of the Week? Read on to find out.
GK: Bill Hamid (D.C. United) – His play has been a big part of D.C.'s resurgence and it was no different Saturday as he helped his team collect a point in Vancouver.
D: Sheanon Williams (Philadelphia Union) – Two games, two clean sheets. Williams showed some attacking flair as well, assisting on both of the Union's goals on Saturday afternoon.
D: Maurice Edu (Philadelphia Union) – Solid in both games against Toronto despite playing out of position. His composure and athleticism were on full display as the Union beat Toronto 2-0 on Saturday.
D: Jamison Olave (New York Red Bulls) – Solid and strong. New York blocked six shots and he was responsible for half as the Red Bulls beat SKC 2-1.
M: Diego Valeri (Portland Timbers) – Pulled all the strings for Portland, having a hand in all three Timbers goals--see his lofted ball ot Liam Ridgewell above--and working his magic to almost create a few others as the Timbers drew 3-3 with the Earthquakes.
M: Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution) – Had a solid 45 minutes against SKC but really showed his ability against Chicago, setting up the game-winning goal.
M: Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution) – Put his name in the MVP discussion with two goals against SKC before adding to his assist total against the Fire on Sunday night.
M: Justin Meram (Columbus Crew) – Despite a poor first half, he turned it on in the second half and put away two nicely weighted goals as the Crew dismantled Chivas USA 3-0.
F: Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo) – The team needed him real badly, as Will Bruin was out injured, and he came through with two goals to lead the Dynamo over the Impact 3-2.
F: Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy) – Two good goals, earned the Galaxy’s second PK, and a threat all evening as the Galaxy pulverized the Rapids 6-0.
F: Obafemi Martins (Seattle Sounders) – Scored two goals against Chivas USA as the Sounders put together one of the most impressive halves in recent memory. The Sounders eventually won the game 4-2.
Coach: Jim Curtin (Philadelphia Union) – Has had the Union firing on all cylinders since taking over earlier this year and topped off this week by climbing above TFC into a playoff spot.
Bench:Jon Busch (San Jose Earthquakes), Nat Borchers (Real Salt Lake), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Baggio Husidic (LA Galaxy), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls)
