Week #13 NASL Players of the Week: Brad Rusin & Pascal Millien

Carolina RailHawks captain Brad Rusin has been named the NASL Defensive Player of the Week for Week 13, the league announced on Tuesday.

This is the third time this season Rusin has earned the award.

“I couldn’t be happier to receive this award,” Rusin said. “I want to thank my teammates and coaches who made it easy for me to perform. I give all the credit to them.”

Rusin led a defensive effort in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Montreal that held the Impact to just three shots on goal en route to the team’s fifth shutout of the season. With the clean sheet, the RailHawks lowered their league-leading goals against average to 0.786.

“Brad has consistently performed at a high level since he’s been with us, and Sunday’s game was just another example of that,” said RailHawks coach Martin Rennie. “He’s a tremendously gifted defender and I am happy that does not go unnoticed.”

Tampa, Florida – 7-5-11

FC Tampa Bay midfielder/forward Pascal Millien has been named the North American Soccer League Offensive Player of the Week for week 13.

Pascal Millien scored his second goal of the year and assisted on two others in FC Tampa Bay’s 4-2 victory over Ft. Lauderdale on Monday night at Al Lang Stadium. Millien now ranks second on the club with seven points in 2011 and his three assists are tied for the team lead this season.

Millien put a perfectly placed corner kick on the head of defender Andres Arango, who gave FC Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute. Millien then gave FC Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead in the 55th minute when he scored off an assist from midfielder Tsuyoshi Yoshitake. He then assisted on forward Aaron King’s game-winning goal in the 63rd minute as FC Tampa Bay snapped Ft. Lauderdale’s seven-match unbeaten streak.

“I want to thank all of my teammates who support me and give me the confidence to work hard and do more,” said Millien. “Last night was an amazing win. It was important for us to close out the victory and the fans really supported us for the entire 90 minutes. It was a special night for me and the entire team.”