NEW YORK(Monday, June 5, 2017) – Chicago Fire forward Nemanja Nikolic was voted the Alcatel MLS Player of the Month by members of the media for the month of May of the 2017 Major League Soccer season.
WATCH: Nikolic's First 10 Goals for Chicago Fire
The 29-year-old scored six goals and added one assist in May, leading Chicago to an unbeaten 4-0-1 record over the month. Nikolic paces the Golden Boot race with 11 goals scored this season with the Fire siting in second place in the Eastern Conference standings (7-3-4, 25 points). Chicago ended May on a four-game winning streak, the club’s longest mark since 2012.
Nikolic began the month with a goal in Chicago’s 2-2 draw on the road against the LA Galaxy on May 6, calmly beating goalkeeper Brian Rowe with a right-footed shot from the left side of the box in the 16th minute.
A week later, Nikolic led Chicago to its highest scoring outing of the season with two goals and an assist in a 4-1 victory at home over Seattle Sounders FC on May 13. The Hungarian National Team player opened the match with a penalty kick goal in the 25th minute before recording his first assist of the season in the 73rd minute on a Luis Solignac score. Nikolić capped his night with his second goal of the match in the 76th minute with a shot from the center of the box to complete Chicago’s victory.
Nikolic recorded his second consecutive multi-goal performance in Chicago’s 3-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids at Toyota Park on May 17, putting the Fire on the board with a header from the center of the box in the 15th minute. The Designated Player then completed his brace with a left-footed shot from close range to extend the Fire’s lead in the 74th minute. Following a 1-0 Chicago victory over D.C. United on May 20, Nikolić closed the month by redirecting Brandon Vincent’s entry pass with a right-footed finish in Chicago’s 2-1 home victory over FC Dallas on May 25.
The Chicago Fire next host Atlanta United at Toyota Park on Saturday, June 10 (3 p.m. CT, UniMás /Facebook.com).
The Alcatel MLS Player of the Month is voted upon by a panel of select national media members in a process conducted by MLS Communications.
