UC Irvine junior Brad Evans recorded a game-winning goal and a game-winning assist in two Anteater victories to be selected the Big West Men's Soccer Player of the Week.
This Saturday's MLS Cup between the New York Redbulls and Columbus Crew has a distinct Big West shade as the Crew has several ties to the conference.
Former two-time Big West Offensive Player of the Year Brad Evans and three-time conference Defensive Player of the Year Andy Iro are key contributors to the Columbus side. Evans was one of the top players in program history at UC Irvine from 2003-06, while Iro was four-time All-America and led UC Santa Barbara to the 2006 national championship.
In addition to those two standout players, the Crew head coach Sigi Schmid has several connections with the UC Irvine program. Schmid's son Kyle is a senior defender for the Anteaters, while another son Kurt is one of UCI's assistant coaches.
Columbus also has Duncan Oughton, a former Cal State Fullerton great, and Kenny Schoeni, another former UC Irvine player on its roster. Oughton competed at CSF from 1997-2000 while the Titans were in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), while Schoeni played the 2006 season at UC Irvine after transferring in from Vanderbilt. He was named Co-Goalkeeper of the Year that season to go along with first team All-Big West honors.
The Crew and Redbulls will battle for the MLS title Saturday at 12:30 pm (PDT) at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The match will broadcast live on ABC and Telefutura.