NASL: Team of the Week (Week 1)
By Daniel Garza
The 2017 North American Soccer League season kicked off this past weekend as six clubs were in action. Here’s the team of the week for week one.
These are the best 11 players from week one of NASL action, with the Indy Eleven well represented with three players.
Goalkeeper
Jimmy Maurer (New York Cosmos)
The Cosmos goalkeeper was fantastic in net on Saturday night and played a big part in helping the club earn a point on the road. He made a total of five saves on five shots faced.
Defenders
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Reiner Ferreira (San Francisco Deltas)
Reiner had a strong showing for the Deltas as he won three tackles, caused eight turnovers and won five of his six duels.
Connor Tobin (North Carolina FC)
It was a well-deserved selection for Tobin this week. The North Carolina defender had four interceptions and won four of his five duels.
Carlos Mendes (New York Cosmos)
Mendes played well for the Cosmos as the Puerto Rico attack was very active on Saturday night, the defender won two of his three tackles and had a total of six clearances.
Daniel Keller (Indy Eleven)
Keller was aggressive and accurate for the Eleven against the Deltas, he won five of his seven duels and completed 40 of his 44 passes on the night.
Midfielders
Ben Speas (Indy Eleven)
The Eleven midfielder created four chances and had four successful crosses, including an assist on the club’s first goal of the season.
Yuma (Puerto Rico FC)
Yumas was a presence in the midfield for most of the match against the Cosmos, he won eight of his 14 duels and won three of his four tackles.
Kyle Bekker (San Francisco Deltas)
Bekker had the honor of scoring the Deltas first goal in club history. The midfielder also created two chances.
Next: NASL: Week 1 Recap and Updated Standings
Forwards
Matt Fondy (North Carolina FC)
Two of Fondy’s three shots hit the target and one found the back of the net.
Tanner Thompson (Indy Eleven)
Thompson scores the first goal of the season for the Eleven, scoring on one of his two shots on the night.
Kwadwo Poku (Miami FC)
The former New York City FC player scored his first goal of the 2017 season against North Carolina on Saturday.