SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Jamiro Monteiro was voted Major League Soccer’s Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire for Week 12 of the 2022 MLS season. Monteiro scored two goals, including the game-winner, during Wednesday’s 3-2 home victory over the Portland Timbers. Monteiro was also selected to MLS’s Team of the Week along with teammate Jackson Yueill, who scored San Jose’s first goal on Wednesday.
Portland got on the board first before San Jose scored two unanswered goals through Yueill (highlight) and Monteiro (highlight) to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. The Timbers answered early in the second half, but the Quakes regained the lead on Monteiro’s second of the night in the 80th minute (highlight). The multi-goal performance was the first of Monteiro’s MLS career and gives him three goals and an assist in the last two matches (1G, 1A at VAN on 5/14).
The MLS Player of the Week honor is the first of Monteiro’s career. He is the second Earthquakes player to win the award this year following Cristian Espinoza’s hat-trick vs. Seattle (Week 8). San Jose becomes the first team to claim multiple MLS Player of the Week honors in 2022.
The MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire 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.
MLS TEAM OF THE WEEK FOR WEEK 12
Forwards: Lucas Cavallini (VAN), Raul Ruidiaz (SEA), Daniel Salloi (SKC)
Midfielders: Xherdan Shaqiri (CHI), Jamiro Monteiro (SJ), Hany Mukhtar (NSH), Sebastian Driussi (ATX)
Defenders: Alexander Callens (NYC), Damion Lowe (MIA), Ruben Gabrielsen (ATX)
Goalkeeper: Brad Stuver (ATX)
Coach: Josh Wolff (ATX)
Bench: Drake Callender (MIA), Yeimar Gomez Andrade (SEA), Alex Muyl (NSH), Alfredo Morales (NYC), Jackson Yueill (SJ), Emanuel Reynoso (MIN), Omir Fernandez (RBNY)
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER JAMIRO MONTEIRO (MAY 18)
On his performance tonight and his growing comfort level:
“From my first game, my first training, I was really connecting [with his teammates]. I was talking with the guys. But now I feel like it’s getting better and better. Today, I think we could have done more, we could have scored more goals. It didn’t happen but we have another game Sunday and I hope we do that on Sunday.”
On what’s led to the team becoming more dangerous offensively recently:
“Yeah, the coach talks a lot about that. From transition, we need to go forward quickly. That’s a positive thing and we’re doing well and scoring goals. The negative thing is we’re giving up too many easy goals against us. We talk about it, and we try to do it better, so we’re really working on that. That needs to be better. Like today, we gave up two goals from corners. I think we need to be sharper in those moments to make it easier for ourselves.”
