Vancouver Whitecaps' Octavio Rivero wins MLS Player of the Month award
Octavio Rivero's explosive start to Major League Soccer isn't going unnoticed as he received the season's first MLS Player of the Month award Thursday.
Octavio Rivero wins the #EtihadPOTM for March: http://t.co/9xsEh0QUN8 #vwfc pic.twitter.com/24UeaPcIf5
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 2, 2015
Rivero, a Young Designated Player who joined the Vancouver Whitecaps ahead of the season from Chilean side O'Higgins FC, notched three goals in four appearances throughout March and co-leads the MLS scoring chart.
The 23-year-old Uruguayan forward required all of 19 minutes to score in his inaugural MLS fixture, slotting home the Whitecaps' lone goal in their season-opening 3-1 loss to Toronto FC.
Week 2 saw Rivero notch the game-winning goal in the Whitecaps' 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire. His third goal of the month came in sublime fashion, as he scored a 95th-minute header at Orlando City in Week 4 to lead his side to another 1-0 victory.
Here are the final results for Player of the Month voting:
- Octavio Rivero (Vancouver Whitecaps) 26.6%
- Kaka (Orlando City SC) 26.2%
- Ike Opara (Sporting Kansas City) 19.0%
- Bradley Wright-Phillips (New York Red Bulls) 15.8%
- Blas Perez (FC Dallas) 12.3%