Artur named to MLS Team of the Week

For the second week in a row, a member of the Columbus Crew SC has his name on the MLS Team of the Week. After attacking midfielder Lucas Zelarayan earned the honors last week, Crew defensive midfielder Artur was named to the Team of the Week for Week 2 following his strong showing in the Crew’s 1-1 draw on the road against the Seattle Sounders. Like Zelarayan, Artur was named to the bench, and was Crew’s lone representative after Saturday night’s draw.

In the game, one in which the Black & Gold led until conceding a late penalty kick, Artur was a presence on both sides of the ball against the Sounders. With a game-high eight tackles and three clearances, he helped prevent an otherwise sound offensive unit in Seattle from getting consistently good offensive opportunities. In what should’ve been a challenging match against the defending MLS Cup winners, Artur, along with fellow central midfielder Darlington Nagbe, brought stability to a defensive side missing a key player in injured center back Vito Wormgoor.

Offensively, Artur was an impact as well, helping to create the chance that led to Gyasi Zardes’ lone goal for the Crew and earning a secondary assist. The Brazilian also created good chances that hopefully point towards more offensive production in the future. In Massive Reports game grades Game Grades: Columbus Crew vs. Seattle Sounders Artur had the highest grade, tied with captain Jonathan Mensah at 8.

Additionally, for a second time in a row, a current Crew player is joined by a former Crew player with current Portland Timbers goalkeeper Steve Clark earning a spot on the bench. Clark was a steady presence in the net for the three years he started for Columbus, including the 2015 run to the MLS Cup final.

Crew players earning league recognition two weeks in a row reflects the solid start to a highly-anticipated season for the Black & Gold.