Ex-Red Pedro Mendes Earns NASL Honors

Former Reds striker Pedro Mendes scored a pair of goals over the weekend to help lead his current team – the Atlanta Silverbacks – to a 4-2 win over Ft. Lauderdale. (Photo: Rhode Island Reds FC)

Former Rhode Island Reds forward Paulo Mendes earned NASL Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday after scoring two goals for the Atlanta Silverbacks in a 4-2 win over Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday.

The 22-year-old Brazilian forward has scored three goals in three games for the Silverbacks, who signed him and his twin brother Paulo, on Jul. 13.

“It feels great to be honored by the league because I’ve been working extremely hard each and every day,” Pedro Mendes said in a statement. “My teammates did a great job of putting me in a position to have success the other night, and I think that this award is just motivation for me to keep working hard and improving my game.”

Mendes played in two games and scored three times for the Reds during their inaugural campaign. He also spent time with the Eric Wynalda-led Cal FC, who shocked the Portland Timbers in the third-round of the U.S. Open Cup tournament with a 1-0 win May 31. Wyndalda was named interim Silverbacks coach on Jul. 2.

Meanwhile, Silverbacks’ assistant coach Brian Haynes was effusive in his praise for Mendes.

“As a coach, it’s always good to see a player rewarded for all of their hard work,” Haynes said in a statement. “Pedro has been putting forth a tremendous amount of effort, so to see him reap the benefits of his hard work with a few great goals and a win is fantastic. I can only hope that this will motivate him even more to keep doing what he’s been doing.”