CJ Sapong Voted MLS Player of the Week

Report From Philadelphia Union

CHESTER, Pa. (May 9, 2017) – Philadelphia Union forward CJ Sapong was voted the Alcatel MLS Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for the 10^th week of the 2017 MLS season.

Sapong registered the first hat trick of his MLS career and the third three-goal performance in Philadelphia Union history on Saturday, scoring in the 74^th, 81^st and 85^thminutes en route to a 3-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls.

WATCH: CJ Sapong’s hat trick against the Red Bulls

The 11-minute hat trick was tied for the eighth-fastest hat trick in league history, tied with Zack Schilawski’s trio of goals for New England on April 10, 2010. It was also the third hat trick in Philadelphia Union history, with Sapong joining Sebastien Le Toux (4/10/10 vs. DC) and Roland Alberg (6/22/16 vs. CHI) as the only players to record three-goal games for Philadelphia.

This marks the eighth time in Union history that a Philadelphia player has been named MLS Player of the Week. It is the first such honor for Sapong, who becomes the seventh different individual to receive the award as a member of the Union, along with Le Toux (2x), Justin Mapp, Jack McInerney, Chris Pontius, Alberg and Ilsinho.

It is also the second all-time MLS individual award for CJ Sapong, who was previously named the MLS Rookie of the Year in 2011. Sapong’s hat trick was the third this season in MLS, with both other three-goal scorers (Josef Martinez, Week 2; Erick Torres, Week 5) also winning that week’s MLS Player of the Week award.

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.

The Union next play when they travel to Washington, D.C. to take on D.C. United this Saturday, May 13 (7:00 p.m. ET / The Comcast Network).

2017 MLS Players of the Week:

Week 1: Diego Valeri, POR

Week 2: Josef Martinez, ATL

Week 3: Maxi Urruti, DAL

Week 4: Juan Agudelo, NE

Week 5: Erick Torres, HOU

Week 6: Albert Rusnak, RSL

Week 7: Nemanja Nikolic, CHI

Week 8: Sebastian Giovinco, TOR

Week 9: Jack Harrison, NYC

Week 10: CJ Sapong, PHI

 

All-Time Philadelphia Union Players of the Week:

2010: Sebastien Le Toux (2x, Weeks 3 and 16)

2011: Justin Mapp (Week 11)

2013: Jack McInerney (Week 8)

2016: Chris Pontius (Week 14), Roland Alberg (Week 16), Ilsinho (Week 18)

2017: CJ Sapong (Week 10)

 

Fastest Hat Tricks in MLS History:

1. 5’: Harut Karapetyan, LA, 6/04/1998 (82’, 85’, 87’)

2. 8’: Alejandro Moreno, LA, 5/19/2004 (35’, 39’, 43’)

T3. 9’: Dwayne De Rosario, DC, 9/24/2011 (22’, 27’, 31’)

T3. 9’: Vitalis Takawira, KC, 5/16/1998 (76’, 79’, 85’)

T3. 9’: Jose Vasquez, LA, 9/21/1997 (71’, 76’, 80’)

T3. 9’: Sebastian Giovinco, TOR, 7/12/2015 (34’, 40’, 43’)

7. 10’: Stern John, CLB, 8/16/1998 (71’, 79’, 81’)

T8. 11’: CJ Sapong, PHI, 5/6/2017 (74’, 81’, 85’)

T8. 11’: Zack Schilawski, NE, 4/10/2010 (47’, 51’, 58’)

10. 14’: Abdul Thompson Conteh, DC, 5/09/2001 (34’, 44’, 48’)