RSL’s Alexandre named player of the week for his performance against the Whitecaps

In what was a low-scoring week across Major League Soccer, Real Salt Lake’s Jean Alexandre stood out.

Alexandre scored and made the pass to free Fabian Espindola for the second goal as RSL beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0. His performance earned him top spot in the Player-of-the-Week vote from the North American Soccer Reporters.

Ironically, Alexandre would not even be in uniform had RSL been at full strength; but, with heavy losses due to injuries and the Gold Cup, Alexandre was able to prove what most MLS followers have known all year long — that RSL is the deepest team in MLS.

Remember that RSL sent out a reserve squad earlier this year against the New England Revolution when it was in the running for the CONCACAF Champions League title and needed to give its troops some needed rest for the big midweek match. RSL beat New England handily. It was more of the same when a depth-player-populated squad got the better of the Whitecaps.

How The 11 voted: It was a tough week to pick out one player as the standout, but Alexandre got the nod.

You can debate whether or not Alexandre was offside or not before he scored the opening goal in Real Salt Lake’s 2-0 win over the Whitecaps. But, offside or onside, he still had a hell of a lot to do. He took the ball at the top of the box with his back to goal and was able to turn, beat two defenders and then slot the ball past ‘Caps keeper Joe Cannon from an angle that wasn’t the best.

And, his pass was inch-perfect to set up the insurance goal from Espindola.

With so many regulars out of the lineup — Canada’s Will Johnson and Costa Rica’s Alvaro Saborio are away at the Gold Cup, and midfield general Javier Morales is out with a broken angle — Alexandre was able to help right an RSL club that has looked somewhat out of sorts since it lost the CONCACAF Champions League final to Monterrey at the end of April.