Wisconsin Soccer Central

Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) has been one of the most prolific offensive players in Major League Soccer over the past year.

On Saturday night, he had the first two-goal game of his career and added an assist as host Columbus Crew SC routed the Philadelphia Union 4-1. On Tuesday, Finlay was named MLS Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters.

The 24-year-old has 13 goals and 11 assists in his three-year professional career, all since May 17, 2014, and has at least a goal or an assist in 19 of his past 30 regular-season games. Finlay is second in the league with four assists this season.

Since Finlay scored his first goal, only six MLS players have more goals: Bradley Wright-Phillips, Obafemi Martins, Dominic Dwyer, Gyasi Zardes, Robbie Keane and Lee Nguyen. And since he picked up his first assist May 31, only the now-retired Landon Donovan, Marcelo Sarvas and Pedro Morales have set up more goals in MLS play.

Against the Union, Finlay assisted Kei Kamara's goal in the 21st minute, then scored his first goal of the season with a one-touch finish off a cross from defender Waylon Francis. Finlay added another in the 73rd, racing past defender Fabinho to get to a through ball from Kamara and finishing past Philadelphia goalkeeper John McCarthy. (Watch highlights below)

"It felt great," Finlay said of his performance. "Some might call it a relief, but I knew (the goals were) coming and it just feels good to get them, getting the first one and the second one out of the way."

The Crew leads MLS with 12 goals in seven matches. "I think we’re one of the best offenses in the league," Finlay said. "I think we're a team that no one wants to play when we're all clicking."

On Twitter: @EthanFinlay13

• Midfielder Calum Mallace (Marquette) and the Montreal Impact play host to Mexican side Club América in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final Wednesday. Mallace played all 90 minutes as the teams drew 1-1 in the first leg last Wednesday night at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. A sellout crowd of 61,000 – the largest crowd in Canadian soccer history – is expected for the match, which kicks off at 7 p.m. and will be televised on Fox Sports 2 and UniMás. Mallace, who was born in Scotland before moving to Minnesota as a child, was profiled by BBC Sport Scotland ahead of the match (Read full article). On Twitter: @CMallace10
• Keeper Ryan Onwukwe (UW-Milwaukee) and forward Carlos McCrary, teammates with the Madison 56ers in the National Premier Soccer League the past three seasons, both played as German sixth-division side 1. FCA 04 Darmstadt faced Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt in a friendly Tuesday in Egelsbach. Onwukwe played the full 90 minutes and made several saves in the 4-1 loss, while McCrary came on at halftime and had a chance to score only to be denied on a fine save by Eintracht Frankfurt keeper Emil Balayev. U.S. international defender Timothy Chandler played the second half for Eintracht Frankfurt, which is 11th in the 18-team Bundesliga. On Twitter: @OnkBiggs @CarlosMcCrary
• Center back Eric Pothast has missed the first four matches of the Superettan season for Swedish club Ängelholms FF because of a back injury, he wrote via Twitter direct message. Ängelholms (1-3-0) has been outscored 7-1 and is at the bottom of the 16-team, second-tier league. On Twitter: @Eric_Pothast
• J.C. Banks (Milwaukee Riverside/UW-Green Bay) saw his first action for North American Soccer League club Minnesota United FC, playing the final 5 minutes of a 2-2 draw against the San Antonio Scorpions on Saturday night in Blaine, Minn. Banks, 25, joined Minnesota United in the second-division NASL after four seasons with the Rochester Rhinos in the third-tier USL. On Twitter: @jcbanks11
• Andrija Novakovich (Muskego) scored the opener as host Reading blanked Stoke City 3-0 in an Under-21 Premier League Division 2 match Monday night, extending its winning streak to six. (Watch goal below) The 18-year-old Novakovich, who started and logged 76 minutes, has three goals in 12 appearances for the Royals' Under-21 team and also had nine goals for the Under-18 side this season. On Twitter: @AndrijaNovakov3