After scoring the first hat trick of his career, Union forward C.J. Sapong was named Major League Soccer's player of the week in voting conducted by the North American Soccer Reporters.
Sapong scored all three goals in a 3-0 victory over the visiting New York Red Bulls on Saturday, providing the Union with their first win of the season. The goals were scored in an 11-minute span in the second half, beginning with his first in the 74th minute.
It marked the eighth time in the Union's eight-year history that they have had a player of the week, and it is the first time Sapong, 28, has earned the honor.
It is Sapong's second MLS individual award, with the other coming in 2011, when he was named rookie of the year while playing for Sporting Kansas City.
Saturday's victory also snapped a 15-game winless streak for the Union dating back to last season. The Union (1-4-4) have earned points in three straight games and will visit D.C. United on Saturday.
Sapong, who wasn't a starter at the beginning of the season, has seven goals. That is two shy of his career high of nine, which he achieved in 2015 with the Union and 2012 with Sporting Kansas City.
In other news, Union midfielder Derrick Jones has been named to the 21-player roster for the 2017 FIFA under-20 World Cup in South Korea, which will run May 20 to June 11.
A portion of the team will depart for training camp in Japan on Wednesday, and a Union official confirmed that Jones is among that group.
Jones, who turned 20 in March, has appeared in eight of nine games for the Union. He started the first five, didn't play in a 2-0 loss to New York City FC, and has been a reserve in the last three games.
He played 27 minutes and had a strong effort in the win Saturday over the Red Bulls.
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