Martinez, Acosta and Opara headline MLS Best XI for Week 10

Ives Galarcep

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Martinez, Acosta and Opara headline MLS Best XI for Week 10 image

It took him a while, but reigning MLS MVP Josef Martinez has made his way onto Goal's MLS Best XI for the first time in 2019.

The 2018 MLS Golden Boot winner notched a pair of goals in Atlanta United's 3-0 win against Sporting Kansas City, securing his Best XI nod with his first multi-goal effort of the season.

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The New York Red Bulls knocked off the LA Galaxy without stars Bradley Wright-Phillips and Kaku, as they turned to Marc Rzatkowski to provide the necessary spark to pull off the upset on Sunday.

San Jose's Nick Lima scored his first goal of the season, and put in another strong defensive shift, helping the Earthquakes record their third-straight win and boosting his chances of being part of the U.S. national team's Gold Cup squad.

Here is this week's Goal MLS Best XI for Week 10:

GFX MLS Best XI Week 10 05062019

Goalkeeper

Portland goalkeeper Steve Clark made six saves in the Timbers' 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake, none bigger than his full-stretch stop to deny Albert Rusnak's first-half penalty kick. That save helped set the tone for Portland's third straight win.

San Jose's Daniel Vega posted his second straight shutout, making three saves to help the Earthquakes top FC Cincinnati and earn Honorable Mention this week. Toronto FC's Quentin Westberg made just two saves in Saturday's 2-0 win against Orlando City, but both were excellent stops to preserve the shutout.

Defenders

 

Minnesota United's Ike Opara has settled in comfortably with his new team since being traded by Sporting Kansas City, and Saturday he delivered his best match of the season, scoring a goal and dominating defensively in a 1-1 draw with the Seattle Sounders.

San Jose's Nick Lima continues to improve since his move to left back, and Saturday he provided the winning goal in the Earthquakes' 1-0 win against FC Cincinnati. He also chipped in three key passes to show his evolution since the shift away from his natural right-back position.

It took a combination of tireless defending and some poor finishing by Los Angeles FC, but the Chicago Fire's surprising shutout of LAFC's high-powered attack was still impressive and no defender played a bigger role in that shutout than Przemyslaw Frankowski. The Polish defender registered a jaw-dropping 15 recoveries, six clearances and five tackles to help keep Diego Rossi relatively quiet and preserve a draw for the Fire.

There were several defenders who played well enough to crack the Best XI this week, including Toronto FC's Chris Mavinga, who was instrumental in TFC's shutout in Orlando. New York City FC's Maxime Chanot, Atlanta United's Miles Robinson and Philadelphia's Jack Elliott all had solid weeks to merit a mention.

Midfielders

Atlanta United's Ezequiel Barco has been living up to the hype in 2019, and his showing against Sporting KC was the latest sign he's ready to be his team's lead playmaker. He had a hand in all three goals on Sunday, including a blast from the top of the box.

Houston's Memo Rodriguez is in the midst of a breakout season, and has been one of the keys to the Dynamo's surprising start. He played provider in Saturday's 2-0 Texas Derby in against FC Dallas, delivering four key passes, including the assist on Mauro Manotas' second goal.

Red Bulls midfielder Marc Rzatkowski was instrumental in New York's upset of the LA Galaxy, with his defensive energy helping disrupt the Galaxy going forward, and his equalizer breathing life into the Red Bulls attack.

Philadelphia's Alejandro Bedoya has been one of the key pieces in the Union's surprising start to the season, and he was outstanding in both the Union's wins last week, including the 6-1 thrashing of New England.

D.C. United's Luciano Acosta was back to his Best XI-caliber ways on Saturday, providing a goal while also contributing more defensive work than you would normally expect to help D.C. top Columbus.

 

Union midfielder Ilsinho narrowly missed out on Best XI honors this week and is joined on the Honorable Mention list by Minnesota United's Jan Gregus, Toronto FC duo Jonathan Osorio and Alejandro Pozuelo along with Seattle's Nicolas Lodeiro.

Forwards

Atlanta United's Josef Martinez notched a pair of goals, including the winner, in Sunday's 3-0 win against Sporting Kansas City. It has been a tough season so far for the MLS MVP, but he looked like his old self on Sunday, with a pair of clinical finishes.

Philadelphia's Kacper Przybylko has made a smooth transition to the Union starting lineup, scoring in all three matches he has started, including goals in both of the Union's victories last week.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic delivered a goal and assist in the Galaxy's 3-2 loss to the Red Bulls to earn Honorable Mention honors, and is joined by Philadelphia's Sergio Santos, Vancouver's Fredy Montero, Houston's Mauro Manotas and NYCFC's Ismael Tajouri-Shradi. 

Ives Galarcep

Ives Galarcep Photo