Ex-RI Reds Pedro Mendes Wins NASL Honors
- Updated: August 10, 2015
Photo credit: Rhode Island Reds FC
Former Rhode Island Reds forward Pedro Mendes was named NASL Player of the Week after scoring three goals and notching an assist in two games for the Atlanta Silverbacks during Week 6 of the Fall season.
Mendes, who played for the Reds in 2012 along with his twin brother, Paulo, scored two goals in a 2-1 win over the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers on Aug. 5. He scored again on Saturday and also assisted on Jaime Chavez’s goal in a 3-3 draw against the San Antonio Scorpions.
“I’ve been working hard; all of our guys have been working at such an elite level in training and in matches,” Mendes said in a team release. “The goals that have been scored are not because of just one person — the build up that creates the goal comes from all 11 guys on the field.”
Mendes originally joined the Silverbacks shortly after his stint with the Reds in 2012. He was named NASL Player of the Week twice in two seasons with Atlanta before departing at the end of the 2013 season. During the 2014 season, he played in 13 games for the Indy Eleven and Minnesota United.
He rejoined the team ahead of the 2015 Fall season, and has been an offensive force early on. To date, he’s scored five goals and added two assists in seven games, helping the Silverbacks go 4-2-1 during that span.
“I came in with something to prove,” Mendes said. “It can be difficult for players to come in to a team that’s already set up, but my mindset was to put my head down and work hard and hopefully the games would show some production. It’s worked out very well to this point, and although everything is working right now, it can be a long season and we have specific goals as a team (like making the playoffs) — I’m just trying to do my part to accomplish them.”
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