Come to Pappa: Guatemalan star named MLS Player of the Week

Marco Pappa is Major League Soccer’s Player of the Week. The Chicago Fire midfielder scored a hat trick in a midweek win over Real Salt Lake. He earned the award after the votes from the membership of the North American Soccer Reporters were counted. With a win and a draw this week, the Fire has pulled to within three points of both the Portland Timbers and New York Red Bulls, who are currently tied for the 10th and final playoff spot. The Fire has three games left on its schedule, and is recovering from a brutal start to the season that saw it mired at or near the league basement for more than half the season. How The 11 voted: Despite Pappa’s remarkable feat in midweek, he didn’t get the vote. It went to Fredy Montero, the Seattle Sounders’ striker who scored twice against the New England Revolution. A couple of factors here: Pappa actually played twice during the week — he was great in one game, but came on as a late sub in the other. He wasn’t consistent over both matches. (But, it does need to be noted that Pappa scored his three in the exhausting high-altitude conditions of Salt Lake City’s Rio Tinto Stadium, which usually eats road teams alive). Meanwhile, Montero struck twice for a team that will scare the heck out of a lot of opposing coaches come playoff time — and his goals come for a club that’s playing meaningful game after meaningful game. Right now, Chicago’s playoff hope is still a pipe dream.