Nkosi Tafari included in Team of the Week Bench
FRISCO, Texas (August 2, 2021) - FC Dallas head coach Luchi Gonzalez and Homegrown Paxton Pomykal were named to MLSsoccer.com's Team of the Week for Week 16, while defender Nkosi Tafari was named to the TOTW bench following the 2-1 win against Western Conference foes Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, July 31 at Children’s Mercy Park. This is Pomykal’s first Team of the Week honor for the 2021 season and Gonzalez's second honor as head coach for Team of the Week this season.
Pomykal, 21, scored his first goal of the season in the third minute of the match after he fired a right-footed shot from outside the box and past a diving Tim Melia to give Dallas an early lead on the road. The FC Dallas Homegrown started in his fifth consecutive match and played 77 minutes. He also had two key passes and recorded a 77.4 passing accuracy. This is Pomykal’s eighth career Team of the Week appearance since 2019 where he was named to five starting lineups and made two bench appearances.
Tafari, 24, makes his first appearance in MLSsoccer.com’s Team of the Week bench after recording a career-high of 16 clearances against Sporting Kansas City.
Gonzalez is named head coach for MLSsoccer.com's Team of the Week for the second time this season after being named four times during the 2019 MLS Season. He was named head coach of TOTW after FC Dallas’ 2-1 win against New England Revolution on June 27 at Toyota Stadium.
MLSsoccer.com's Week 16 Team of The Week
F – Cristian Dajome (VAN), Gonzalo Higuain (MIA), Thiago Andrade (NYC)
M – Nani (ORL), Carles Gil (NE), Emanuel Reynoso (MIN), Paxton Pomykal (DAL)
D – Kai Wagner (PHI), Robert Castellanos (NSH), Julian Araujo (LA)
GK – JT Marcinkowski (SJ)
Coach – Luchi Gonzalez (DAL)
Bench – Bill Hamid (DC), Nkosi Tafari (DAL), Rayan Raveloson (LA), Keaton Parks (NYC), Silvester van der Water (ORL), Michael Barrios (COL), Adam Buksa (NE)
