D.C. United's Charlie Davies Named MLS Player Of The Week After Hat Trick Vs. Chivas USA

Charlie Davies' hat trick Saturday night against Chivas USA saw the New Hampshire native named MLS Player of the Week for the first time in his career. Davies received 12 of the 18 first-choice votes cast by members of the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) after scoring all three United goals in the 3-0 win, which saw the Black-and-Red ascend into the last MLS wild-card playoff spot with at least one game in hand on all their fellow contenders. 

United winger Chris Pontius, who assisted on all three Davies goals, received four first-choice votes. Unfortunately for Pontius and United, the 24-year-old will likely miss the rest of this season after suffering a broken fibula in a second-half challenge with David Junior Lopes. Lopes was sent off for the tackle, but the damage was done. Sebastien Le Toux of the Philadelphia Union and Teal Bunbury of Sporting Kansas City split the other two first-place votes.

The match against Chivas was Davies' first start since August 18 against Chicago and the first time he had gone the full 90 minutes since August 13 against Vancouver. The three goals brought Davies' total to 11 for the season to go with one assist in 20 appearances, 14 starts and 1,266 minutes.

The voting for this week's award by NASR took into account games between August 29 and September 11 due to the relative lack of league games played between August 29 and September 4.