With back-to-back clean sheets heading into a busy stretch of games and climbing to second in the Western Conference, MNUFC once again is represented in the league awards. Defender Ike Opara makes his club-record sixth appearance in the MLS Team of the Week this season for his efforts in Week 22.

Opara continues the trend of Loons in the Team of the Week for the sixth-consecutive week, last making an appearance in Week 19. He has helped the Loons shut out opponents in the last three games at Allianz Field, and has taken part in seven of the team’s eight clean sheets this season. He made nine clearances, four of those with his head, made a pair of interceptions and blocked a shot to keep the Portland Timbers off the board on Sunday.

The 2016 Defender of the Year also earned the game-winning penalty kick for MNUFC, heading a corner kick service into the arm of Timbers’ forward Brian Fernandez in the 90th minute.

See the full MLS Team of the Week for Week 22 below:

F: Akindele (ORL), Kamara (COL), Savarino (RSL)
M: Atuesta (LAFC), Fabian (PHI), Gutierrez (SKC), Price (COL)
D: Harvey (LAFC), Robinson (ATL), Opara (MIN)
GK: Robles (RBNY)

Bench: Room (CLB), Besler (RSL), Hwang (VAN), Gaitan (CHI), Bedoya (PHI), Kaku (RBNY), Hurtado (SKC)

Coach: Jim Curtin (PHI)