Week 11 in is the books in Major League Soccer and the standout player of that round of matches has been named. Justin Meram, Columbus Crew SC winger, was selected as the Alcatel MLS Player of the Week after his excellent performance during Columbus' 3-2 away win over the Montreal Impact.
This is the first time that the Iranian international has been awarded Player of the Week honors and it was well-deserved after his hat-trick against the Impact, which included a 91st minute winner to seal all three points for the Crew. His first goal came in the 14th minute when his pass was deflected back to him and he finished well from just outside the box. He then added his second of the day in the 20th minute with two deft touches to lob the ball over a defender and then nutmeg the goalkeeper before tapping the ball home into an empty net.
It was his third goal that he will receive all the plaudits for not just to the fact that it was the game-winner but it was also the nature of the goal itself that made it all the more dramatic. With Columbus looking at a draw, the attack broke forward quickly and Meram was on hand to finish well at the near post and give his team the victory late in the game and with no time for Montreal to recover.
Meram's three goals now have him tied for third in the Golden Boot table with seven goals overall this season and has him in early season conversations for the MLS' Most Valuable Player award should he continue in this form.
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from NASR. The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.