Chinedu “Bright” Dike was voted the Player of the Round for the second round of the 2010 US Open Cup after netting three goals against the PDL’s Kitsap Pumas. Dike torched the middle third of the match, scoring his first goal 37 minutes into the game, and netted two more in the opening 20 minutes of the second half to give the Timbers a 4-0 lead and seal a game that ended 4-1.
The award is voted on by the staff of TheCup.us and a selected panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters (www.soccerreporters.com).
After a rough 0-5-3 stretch in the USSF Second Division, the Timbers have used Open Cup play to propel themselves on a four game winning streak, with Dike scoring 4 goals in the last two games. However, he was quick to credit team chemistry for his success.
“The difference is really the team effort, not just about me,” said Dike, who goes by his middle name. “I think we’ve been playing together recently after we had several games when we ended up with losses or draws when we should have won. But when we are playing together better they have given me more chances to score, and that’s been the difference.”
The Timbers will host longtime rival Seattle Sounders FC in the Third Round on Wednesday, June 30, in their last match before Portland joins Seattle in MLS next year. The recent win streak has given Dike and his teammates plenty of confidence heading into the game.
“We’ve played well recently after having a series of results when we think we could have done better so this is a good time to be playing this match.”
Our thanks to Allison Andrews of SoccerCityUSA.com for interviewing Bright Dike for this story.