The Kansas City Wizards have come out of the gate on fire in this early stage of the MLS season, thanks in large part to the vastly improved play of young Eddie Johnson. He rightly earned Player of the Week honors for scoring three goals including the winner against then-league leader New England Revolution in a thrilling 4-3 victory for the underdogs. Johnson now becomes the first player this season to receive the prestigious award twice (week 2 and week 8).

The hat trick, his first in MLS, took Johnson's haul for the season to six goals and three assists in eight games-already three times better than the 23-year-old's dismal 2006 total, where he completed just 19 games in an injury-hit season. Incidentally, Johnson's was the first hat-trick of the MLS season, and only the fourth in Wizards history.

"I'm really happy to receive this award," said Johnson. "Once you get your mind focused on one thing, great things are going to happen. None of this would have been accomplished without everyone's hard work." Wizards Coach Curt Onalfo said that Johnson's play is a major reason for the team's success. "We have been able to perform consistently the past couple months, and the results have been encouraging for us as a team and Eddie [Johnson] individually."

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