Team of the Week

Team of the Week (Wk 3): Stinginess the name of the game as defenders, d-mids dominate Week 3

Team of the Week: Defenders dominate after hard-fought Week 3

It wasn't a goalfest in MLS this weekend, but one team in particular showed their class in Week 3.


After a week off, the New York Red Bulls faced their long hated rivals, D.C. United, in their home opener. And the Red Bulls completely outclassed Ben Olsen's team en route to a 2-0 win at Red Bull Arena.


Dax McCarty, Lloyd Sam, and Bradley Wright-Phillips all showed their class throughout the match as Jesse Marsch's squad look to prove they can be still be a top team in the Eastern Conference.


Who else earned a spot on the latest Team of the Week? Read on to find out.

Team of the Week (Wk 3): Stinginess the name of the game as defenders, d-mids dominate Week 3 -

GK: Tyler Deric (Houston Dynamo) - Rebounded well from his gaffe against Orlando City, notching three saves, and stepped up to preserve the 1-1 result when his team needed him most.


D: Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps) – Was his usual beastly self as he helped to stifle the Orlando City attack, helping the 'Caps capture the 1-0 win in Central Florida.


D: Ty Harden (San Jose Earthquakes) – Scored his first-ever MLS goal (only took him 7500 minutes or so) and backstopped the Quakes defense for an important, and historic, home win.


D: Ike Opara (Sporting Kansas City) – Gave Fanendo Adi little space and was dangerous on set pieces once again as SKC drew 0-0 with Portland.


D: Marcel de Jong (Sporting Kansas City) – Created four chances, tied for the most of any player in Week 3, and was solid defensively in his second consecutive start.


M: Lloyd Sam (New York Red Bulls) – Doing his best Thierry Henry impression, Sam was dangerous all night in the Red Bulls' win over United.


M: Matias Laba (Vancouver Whitecaps) – Helped shut down Kaká all night, resulting in five interceptions and five tackles, as the Whitecaps escaped Orlando with all three points.


M: Dax McCarty (New York Red Bulls) – Served a great pass on BWP's goal, made a key defensive clearance and was solid overall with his play and positioning.


M: Fabian Castillo (FC Dallas) – Was again the catalyst to several of FC Dallas’ more promising plays. Castillo was exciting to watch and he delivered the assist on the insurance goal as Dallas are now perfect through three games.


F: Bradley Wright-Phillips (New York Red Bulls) –  Showed some great hold-up play while contributing a goal and an assist at RBA on Sunday


F: Octavio Rivero (Vancouver Whitecaps) – The Uruguayan hit his third goal in three games as Vancouver escaped with a win thanks to his daring 96th-minute strike.


Coach: Jesse Marsch (New York Red Bulls) – Had his team ready to go for the home opener, and his lineup allowed the Red Bulls to dominate the midfield.


Bench:Josh Saunders (New York City FC), Alvas Powell (Portland Timbers), Aurelien Collin (Orlando City SC), Laurent Ciman (Montreal Impact), Mauro Diaz (FC Dallas), Harry Shipp (Chicago Fire), Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas)