Indy Eleven’s Eamon Zayed Named NASL Player of the Week
Eamon Zayed is named NASL Player of the Week after leading his side with a hat trick over the Carolina RailHawks that allowed for Indy to be crowned NASL Spring Season Champions. The Dublin native sits atop the NASL scoring chart with six goals as Indy Eleven prepare for its next match against Chicago Fire in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Soccer News: If Indy Eleven’s win on Saturday night was to ever make it to the big screen, the movie would be called “The Miracle at The Mike” and Irish forward Eamon Zayed would be cast in the lead role.
The Boys in Blue did just enough to bring home the North American Soccer League (NASL) Spring Season Championship, and much of the achievement can be attributed to the performance of Zayed, who was named NASL Player of the Week after scoring a hat trick in the 4-1 victory over the Carolina RailHawks.
“It’s a nice honor to get personally, but it was achieved by a total team effort, a never-say-die attitude and thousands of unbelievable fans on Saturday night.” Zayed said. “The teamwork we’ve shown since the first game of the Spring Season through the last game is what allowed us to earn a trophy for those tremendous supporters. I’m just glad to have played a part in it.”
More than 9,300 fans witnessed history at Michael A. Carroll Stadium – affectionately known as “The Mike” – on Saturday, cheering the Eleven on to the exact result the club needed to overcome the then-first place New York Cosmos. Needing to score four goals and win by at least three, Zayed found the net in the 16th, 65th, and 85th minutes to help Indy clinch its first piece of NASL silverware and guarantee itself a home semifinal game in The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament, in November.
Zayed, 32, now sits atop the NASL scoring chart with six goals – one above Minnesota United’s Christian Ramirez and Rayo OKC’s Michel. The Irish forward, who represents Libya at the international level, scored Indy’s biggest goals of the Spring Season. He was the one that delivered both tallies in the Eleven’s all-important 2-1 win over the Cosmos back on May 16, and on Saturday, his hat trick – plus Justin Braun’s key goal just before halftime – sent Indy to its most significant win in club history.
“Saturday’s team effort across the board is what earned the incredible result, but there’s no denying that Eamon was a catalyst for the squad,” said Indy head coach Tim Hankinson. “While we depend upon him to score, he does so many other things to help our attack and his teammates across the field. All of those attributes were on display for the full 90 minutes to help our club earn the Spring Season title.”
The 6-foot-2 forward joined the Boys in Blue prior to the 2016 Spring Season after spending last year in the Malaysian Premier League with Sabah. Prior to that stint, Zayed was a prolific goalscorer in the League of Ireland. The Dublin native starred for the likes of Bray Wanderers, Drogheda United, Sporting Fingal, and Derry City, among others. A Leicester City youth product, Zayed has also played at the professional level in England, Norway, and Iran.
Zayed was the only NASL player to take home Player of the Week honors more than once during the 10-game Spring Season.
Indy won’t be able to celebrate their Spring Season Championship for too long, as they head to Toyota Park to meet the Chicago Fire in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday. Kickoff is set for 8:30 ET.
Source/Photo Credit: North American Soccer League
