Sporting Kansas City's late-summer resurgence has coincided with the emergence of defender Graham Smith.
The 23-year-old center back has played every minute during a three-game winning streak that has Sporting within five points of the seventh and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and on Saturday he delivered perhaps his best performance yet.
MLSsoccer.com took notice, selecting Smith to the MLS Team of the Week for the first time after he spearheaded a 1-0 shutout victory over the Houston Dynamo and assisted Johnny Russell's early game-winner with a lovely cross from the endline.