For the first time in 2017, MLS Goal of the Week is headed to the Pacific Northwest.
Timbers star Diego Valeri ran away with the Week 5 award for his sensational strike in Portland’s 1-1 draw against New England last Sunday, winning 65 percent of the vote to take home the honor.
Valeri put the Timbers up 1-0 in the 12th minute of Sunday’s match against the Revolution, latching onto a poor headed clearance and smashing a spectacular volley inside the left post from 15 yards out. The Timbers held the lead for most of the rest of the match, but an 84th minute equalizer from Lee Nguyen gave New England a surprise road point.
Valeri won Goal of the Week by a wide margin, finishing 54 percentage points ahead of second-place finishers New York City FC midfielder Tommy McNamara and Chicago Fire striker Luis Solignac, who both took home 11 percent of the vote. Vancouver midfielder Matias Laba and LA attacker Romain Alessandrini rounded out the field with eight and four percent of the vote, respectively.
Valeri now has two assists and five goals this season, good for second in the league behind Houston’s Erick “Cubo” Torres. He and the Timbers will return to action on Saturday, when they’ll play at the Philadelphia Union(7 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
Click here for the full results of Week 5 Goal of the Week voting and to watch all five nominated strikes.
