Former Spanish international Marcos Senna scored a decisive low free kick through the FC Edmonton defensive wall to give the visiting New York Cosmos a 1-1 draw, which earned him the North American Soccer League Player of the Week honors.
“It’s an honor to be named NASL Player of the Week,” said Senna, who has played every minute this season with the Cosmos. “It was fortunate that the free kick goal could help us earn a valuable point in the draw with Edmonton and I’m looking forward to playing in New York again this weekend, back in front of our great fans.”
After assisting on the Cosmos dramatic game-winner last week, Senna followed with a stellar midfield performance on Sunday against the NASL’s best defensive side, FC Edmonton.
Down 1-0 with 11 minutes remaining, New York had a direct free kick just outside Edmonton’s penalty area and Senna stepped up to score a low shot that crept under the wall and found the far corner beating the goalkeeper Lance Parker for his first goal in a Cosmos jersey.
“We’re fortunate to have a player of Senna’s status on our team,” said Cosmos coach Giovanni Savarese. “He helps everyone around him and really compliments our team well. It’s great that he is recognized with this individual honor for helping our team pick up a very important point in this competitive league.”
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Senna began his career with Rio Branco Esporte Clube in 1997. After playing for a number of different Brazilian clubs, he moved to the Spanish side Villarreal CF in 2002, where he was recognized as one of the top midfielders in La Liga, Spain’s top league. He helped the team reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in 2005–06, while gaining the club’s captaincy.
Senna was granted Spanish citizenship in early 2006 and then competed at the FIFA World Cup in Germany. Two years later, he was an integral part of the Spanish team that won the European Championship in Austria and Switzerland (Euro 2008).
Senna has made 28 international appearances with the Spanish side and scored one goal.
