In the Chicago Fire's huge two-win Week 11, no player shined brighter than Nico Gaitan. Turns out no one across the league did, either. Gaitan, with two goals and two assists across wins over New England and Minnesota, earned Player of the Week honors for Week 12.
On Wednesday, Gaitan's virtuoso performance easily lifted the Fire over the Revs 5-0, assisting the first two goals with precise set-piece delivery. In the second half Gaitan got a goal of his own, tapping into an empty net. He also had four chances created.
Gaitan picked up right where he left off at the weekend, helping lead Chicago to an early lead over the Loons. He finished off a devastating counter-attack by dribbling around Vito Mannone for his second goal of the week and season. The Fire would win 2-0.
Unfortunately for the 31-year-old, though, Gaitan exited Saturday's match just 12 minutes later with an apparent leg injury. The timetable for his return is not yet known.
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.
