Brazilian veteran tallies goal, assist in postseason-clinching victory over Strikers

For the second straight year, Minnesota United is headed for the postseason, and forward Pablo Campos played a big part in helping the club get there. The Brazilian notched a goal and an assist in the Loons’ 2-1 win over Fort Lauderdale on Saturday – a performance that earned him NASL Player of the Week honors.

Campos, 32, set the pace for United over the weekend, finding the net in the 6th minute before dishing a pass to fellow Brazilian Daniel Mendes for the club’s second in the 27th minute. The win gave the Loons the result they needed to book their ticket to The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament, for the second year running.

"It's an honor to receive such an award because it means that I helped my team,” Campos said. “I’m accepting this award on behalf of my teammates because without their great play, this award would not be possible."

Earning the start up top against the Strikers on Saturday, Campos didn’t waste any time putting his name on the scoresheet. Defender Justin Davis sent in a cross that Strikers goalkeeper David Meves could only palm away, and fortunately for Campos, the ball fell right to him for an easy finish. Later in the half, Campos’ driving run and precision pass set up Mendes for what would prove to be the game-winning goal.

The victory extended the Loons’ unbeaten streak to 11 games and put them within three points of league-leading Ottawa Fury FC, which played to a 1-1 draw in Tampa Bay. The three-point margin with three games to play means Minnesota still has a very legitimate shot at raising the Fall Season Championship trophy.

"I'm very excited for Pablo," Minnesota head coach Manny Lagos said. "He was a real bright spot for us on Saturday, and it was great to see him excel offensively with his positioning and speed. Pablo’s movement and pace throughout the game were huge factors in both of our goals, and he put the defense on their heels all night."

With the goal on Saturday, Campos brought his total to six in 2015. The 6-foot-3 forward is the NASL Modern Era’s all-time leading scorer, with 51 league goals since 2011. He has played for three NASL clubs – Carolina RailHawks, San Antonio Scorpions, and Minnesota United – and has been a reliable goalscorer at each one.

Campos and his teammates will look to extend their unbeaten streak to 12 games when they visit struggling Indy Eleven this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game can be seen live on ESPN3 in the U.S. and on NASL.com in Canada.