Giorgos Giakoumakis was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for his performance in Atlanta United's most recent match, a 3-3 draw on the road to Chicago Fire. The striker came off the bench at halftime to score two goals, his first career brace in MLS.
Giakoumakis, who signed as a a designated player for Atlanta United this offseason, has proven to be an impact player in MLS in a short amount of time. In just 10 appearances, the 28-year-old has scored eight goals, which leads the team. He's also scored in every match he's started for Atlanta, a streak that can continue when he next makes the starting XI.
Per MLS, after scoring twice in Saturday's match, Giakoumakis became just the seventh player in MLS history to score a goal in seven of his first 10 career MLS appearances.
The brace on Saturday capped off a three-goal week for the striker. Giakoumakis was one of four different goal scorers for the 5-Stripes in the 4-0 win over Colorado Rapids in a midweek matchup Wednesday. The goal from Giakoumakis, scored in the 90th minute, was also voted AT&T Goal of the Matchday.
It's the first Team of the Matchday honors for Giakoumakis. He follows Luiz Araújo and Brooks Lennon, who were on the midweek edition of the list for Atlanta United announced on May 18. Giakoumakis appeared on the league's list on the bench for that week.
“[Giorgos Giakoumakis] is a great guy in the locker room. He's a leader. He's a guy that leads not with words, but with actions that show his intensity, his desire, and his hunger to score goals and help the team in any possible way. That is what I love about Giorgos," head coach Gonzalo Pineda said.
