LA Galaxy forward Edson Buddle enjoyed perhaps the best month of his career in April, and his team’s unbeaten record isn’t the only reward he has to show for it.
Buddle was voted the MLS Player of the Month by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) on Thursday, capping an impressive stretch in which the 28-year-old forward went on a record-setting goal-scoring spree and helped launch the Galaxy to the top of the Western Conference.
Buddle scored an MLS-record seven goals in his first four matches of 2010 as the Galaxy surged to a 4-0-0 start. He scored multiple goals in three of those matches, including both of the Galaxy’s goals in a 2-1 win over defending MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake on April 17 at the Home Depot Center.
The numbers are already a drastic improvement from 2009, when Buddle scored just five goals while battling injuries that limited him to 19 matches. He scored a career-high 15 goals for Los Angeles in 2008.
Buddle received 40 of 42 first-place votes, while Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts and Toronto FC forward Dwayne De Rosario each received one.
