Week #19 NASL Players of the Week: Andy Herron & Bryan Arguez

MIAMI, Fla. (Aug. 13, 2012) – The North American Soccer League has named Fort Lauderdale Strikers forward Andy Herron Offensive Player of the Week. The award is the third of the season for the first-year Striker who scored the lone goal in Fort Lauderdale’s 1-0 win against the Carolina RailHawks on Saturday at Lockhart Stadium.

“It was a very close game and Andy would probably tell you he left a couple more goals out there as well,” said Strikers head coach Daryl Shore. “The win required a full team effort and Andy was a big part of it.”

Herron’s goal came in the 65^th minute of the match when Mark Anderson found him with a pass along the right side of the field. Herron fired a shot from just outside the corner of the penalty area which dipped under the diving reach of Carolina goalkeeper Ray Burse and inside the far post. The goal was Herron’s eighth of the season putting him in a tie for fourth in the NASL.

Already the recipient of two previous player of the week awards, Herron’s third is the most by any Striker in the franchise’s history. Herron spent five seasons in Major League Soccer with the Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew and has been capped 25 times for the Costa Rica national football team.

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FC Edmonton midfielder Bryan Arguez has been named the North American Soccer League Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced Monday.

In FC Edmonton’s match against the Puerto Rico Islanders on Sunday, Arguez was responsible for breaking up multiple attacking moves and maintaining possession for FC Edmonton. It was Arguez’s defensive work that played a critical role in the buildup to his team’s goal. Arguez made an interception in midfield before passing the ball to Kenny Caceros who assisted on Shaun Saiko’s match winning goal.

This past Wednesday, Arguez played a full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw versus the league-leading San Antonio Scorpions. Arguez played a key role in sheidling the back four and limiting the opportunities the potent Scorpions attack had on goal. For the week Arguez played all 180 minutes as Edmonton earned four important points in the playoff race.

Despite joining FC Edmonton on loan from the Montreal Impact of Major League Soccer just last month, Arguez has wasted no time cementing his place as the fulcrum of FC Edmonton’s midfield. He has played every minute of the six matches since his arrival.

Since returning to NASL (Aruguez played the 2011 season with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers) his defensive holding midfield mindset and confidence on the ball immediately added a strong defensive and offensive presence in the middle of the pitch. Edmonton has only allowed five goals and lost just two matches since his arrival on July 9.

“It’s a nice compliment,” said Arguez. “I’m still getting comfortable with my new team but it’s always nice to get an individual honor.”

This is Arguez’s first Player of the Week award and the Eddies’ fifth league honor of the season.