PLAYER OF THE WEEK | Gyasi Zardes voted MLS Player of the Week after two-goal performance vs. CF Montreal

Columbus Crew forward Gyasi Zardes has been voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for Week 27 of the 2021 MLS season.

Zardes scored both Crew goals in their 2-1 win vs. CF Montréal at Lower.com Field on Saturday evening.

Zardes put the Crew ahead just before the end of the first half. From a turnover in midfield, the Crew set off on a quick counter, Derrick Etienne Jr. freed down the left flank. He curled a low cross into the area and Zardes ran behind a defender to get onto the end of it, side-footing home a sublime volley from the top of the six-yard box.

The U.S. international then doubled the Crew lead in the 62nd minute. Again from a quick turnover in the midfield, Zardes collected a pass from Darlington Nagbe before turning and racing toward goal. He let fly from outside the penalty area, ripping a curling drive which left the goalkeeper flat-footed as it went off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net in the upper left corner of the goal

Zardes now has seven goals for the season, with three in his last two league games. It was the 14th multiple-goal game of his MLS career and his second this season, also netting a brace in a 2-0 win against Chicago Fire FC on June 19. Zardes was named MLS Player of the Week for the fourth time, his first such honor since the final week of the 2018 season.

Zardes and the Crew will face CD Cruz Azul of Mexico in the 2021 Campeones Cup – the annual clash between the reigning MLS and Liga MX champions – on Wednesday evening at Lower.com Field (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2; Univision / TUDN; TSN / TVA Sports). The Crew return to league play on Sunday, Oct. 3, when they take on the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. (4 p.m. ET, ESPN+).

Zardes is the second Crew player in 2021 to be named MLS Player of the Week after Lucas Zelarayan received the recognition in Week 6 of the season following the Argentine’s two-goal performance against New York City FC on May 22.

The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.