(October 22, 2007) – Kansas City Wizards forward Scott Sealy earned his third career MLS Player of the Week honor with a two-goal performance Saturday that helped the Wizards clinch their first playoff appearance since the 2004 season. Sealy’s goals propelled the Wizards to a 2-0　road victory over FC Dallas. Sealy finished the regular season ranked second on the team in 2007 with seven.
Sealy’s first goal came in the 39th minute off a pass from midfielder Davy Arnaud. Arnaud collected an FC Dallas clearance on the right wing and cut inside toward the penalty area. Arnaud found Sealy in the center of the pitch, lofting a short pass over and behind the defense. Sealy brought the ball down and neatly finished against goalkeeper Ray Burse with his right foot from inside the penalty area. The goal turned out to be his second game-winning goal of the season and the sixth game-winner of his career.
Sealy then cemented the victory in the 55th minute when he tapped in a close-range shot to put the Wizards ahead 2-0. Arnaud again began the play, slotting a pass between two defenders for right back Jack Jewsbury inside the 18-yard area. Jewsbury then played a ball across the face of goal for Sealy at the back post for the Trinidad and Tobago international’s second multi-goal game of the season.
The Wizards have now won five Player of the Week awards this season. Sealy’s strike partner Eddie Johnson captured the first three (Weeks 2, 8 and 9). Johnson is one of two players to have won the award three different times this season. Sealy becomes the eighth different player to win two or more Player of the Week awards this year. Kansas City’s five Player of the Week awards put them behind only D.C. United (7) for most in 2007.
Thirteen different players have won Player of the Week awards in Wizards history (29 total awards). Sealy is the seventh player to win the award more than once and the fifth player to win the award more than once in a season. The Wizards have now surpassed their total for Player of the Week Awards won in 2006 (4) and tied the team record for most awards in a season (5, set in 2003).
The Major League Soccer Player of the Week award is selected each week of the MLS regular season by a panel of journalists from the Professional Soccer Reporters Association (PSRA).
2007 Player of the Week Winners
Week 1: Jeff Cunningham (Real Salt Lake)
Week 2: Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards)
Week 3: Maykel Galindo (Chivas USA)
Week 4: Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Week 5: Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo)
Week 6: Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
Week 7: Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls)
Week 8: Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards)
Week 9: Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards)
Week 10: Ben Olsen (D.C. United)
Week 11: Luciano Emilio (D.C. United)
Week 12: Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)
Week 13: Nicholas Addlery (D.C. United)
Week 14: Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo)
Week 15: Juan Toja (FC Dallas)
Week 16: Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew)
Week 17: Ante Razov (Chivas USA)
Week 18: Luciano Emilio (D.C. United)
Week 19: Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls)
Week 20: Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls)
Week 21: Maykel Galindo (Chivas USA)
Week 22: Ben Olsen (D.C. United)
Week 23: Luciano Emilio (D.C. United)
Week 24: Scott Sealy (Kansas City Wizards)
Week 25: Ante Razov (Chivas USA)
Week 26: Fred (D.C. United)
Week 27: Abe Thompson (FC Dallas)
Week 28: Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew)
Week 29: Scott Sealy (Kansas City Wizards)
2007 Total Team Player of the Week Awards
# TEAM (Players)
7 D.C. United (Luciano Emilio 3, Ben Olsen 2, Nicholas Addlery 1, Fred 1)
5 Kansas City Wizards (Eddie Johnson 3, Scott Sealy 2)
4 Chivas USA (Maykel Galindo 2, Ante Razov 2)
3 Houston Dynamo (Dwayne De Rosario 1, Brad Davis 1, Stuart Holden 1)
3 New York Red Bulls (Juan Pablo Angel 2, Josmer Altidore 1)
2 Columbus Crew (Guillermo Barros Schelotto 2)
2 FC Dallas (Abe Thompson 1, Juan Toja 1)
1 Los Angeles Galaxy (Landon Donovan 1)
1 New England Revolution (Taylor Twellman 1)
1 Real Salt Lake (Jeff Cunningham 1)
Kansas City Wizards All-Time Player of the Week Winners (28)
1996- Preki (Week 8), Mark Chung (Week 12)
1997- Preki (Weeks 12 & 14)
1998- Vitalis Takawira (Week 10)
1999- Chris Klein (Week 19)
2000- Peter Vermes (Week 10), Tony Meola (Week 15)
2001- Chris Klein (Week 2), Chris Brown (Week 3)
2002- Chris Klein (Week 4), Tony Meola (Week 21)
2003- Chris Klein (Weeks 2 & 27), Preki (Weeks 9 & 12), Igor Simutenkov (Week 15)
2004- Davy Arnaud (Week 14)
2005- Josh Wolff (Weeks 7 & 20)
2006- Scott Sealy (Week 12), Davy Arnaud (Week 24), Josh Wolff (Week 27), Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. (Week 28)
2007- Eddie Johnson (Weeks 2, 8 & 9), Scott Sealy (Weeks 24 & 30)
The Kansas City Wizards will host the first leg of a two-game, aggregate-goal playoff series against Chivas USA Saturday, October 27 at p.m. CT at Arrowhead Stadium. The Wizards will provide a safe and fun trick-or-treat festival prior to the match, beginning at 5:30. Families with children of all ages are encouraged to attend.
