No MLS team collected as many points during the month of July as Sporting Kansas City's 13 from a 4-0-1 league record, and no player proved more pivotal to the reigning MLS Cup champions than midfielder Benny Feilhaber. As such, the 29-year-old is one of five nominees for MLS Player of the Month for July.
VOTE NOW: MLS Player of the Month
After recovering from a sprained left shoulder suffered on June 6 -- and becoming a father on June 26 -- Feilhaber played every minute for Sporting Kansas City in the month of July and was instrumental in extending the team's unbeaten streak to seven straight games, including wins in each of the past four. He earned MLS Player of the Week recognition in Week 19 and earned MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week honors for a second straight time in Week 20.
VIDEO: Feilhaber stuns Crew
Feilhaber contributed to both goals in a 2-1 win at the Columbus Crew mid-month, setting up C.J. Sapong for the opening goal in the 42nd minute before scoring the game-winning goal in the 93rd minute. He followed that performance with a superbly taken free kick goal against the LA Galaxy three days later to hand the four-time MLS champions their only loss in the past 10 games.
While outside of MLS play, Feilhaber's name was again on the scoresheet with an assist against reigning English Premier League Champions Manchester City in an international friendly at Sporting Park on July 23. Feilhaber flighted a perfectly placed pass for Sapong to level the score at 1-1 in the Champions Shield match-up.
Poised for his 100th MLS regular season appearance tomorrow, Feilhaber currently leads the team with five assists and ranks second among Sporting KC players with four goals in all competition this season. In addition, he has suffered the second most fouls among all MLS players this season (51).
A member of the United States Men's National Team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Feilhaber is in his fourth MLS season and second with Sporting KC after being acquired in a trade from the New England Revolution in December 2012. The Brazilian-born playmaker contributed the game-winning assists in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and Eastern Conference Championship en route to the 2013 MLS Cup championship.
Voting for MLS Player of the Month will be open until 1:59 a.m. CT on Monday, August 4. Sporting Kansas City forward Dom Dwyer (May) and goalkeeper Eric Kronberg (June) have claimed each of the last two MLS Player of the Month awards.
