Nemanja Nikolic was one happy camper after scoring two goals in Chicago’s win over Colorado May 17. (Mike DiNovo/USA TODAY Sports)
NEW YORK – Chicago Fire forward Nemanja Nikolic Monday was voted the Major League Soccer player of the month by members of the media for May.
The Hungarian international scored six goals and tallied one assist in May, leading the Fire to a 4-0-1 record. Nikolic leads the Golden Boot race with 11 goals. The Fire, which is in second place in the Eastern Conference, finished the month on a four-game winning streak, the club’s longest since September 2012.
Nikolic began the month with a goal in the Fire’s 2-2 road draw against the LA Galaxy May 6, beating goalkeeper Brian Rowe with a right-footed shot from the left side of the box in the 16th minute.
A week later on May 13, Nikolic led Chicago to its highest scoring outing of the season with two goals and an assist in a 4-1 victory at home over Seattle Sounders FC. The 29-year-old opened the match by converting a penalty kick in the 25th minute before recording his first assist of the season in the 73rd minute on a Luis Solignac score. Nikolic capped his night with his second goal of the match in the 76th minute with a shot from the center of the box.
Nikolic recorded his second consecutive multi-goal performance in a 3-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids at Toyota Park May 17, putting the Fire on the board with a header from the center of the box in the 15th minute. The Designated Player then completed his brace with a left-footed shot from close range to extend the lead in the 74th minute.
Following a 1-0 Chicago victory over D.C. United May 20, Nikolic closed the month by redirecting Brandon Vincent’s entry pass with a right-footed finish in Chicago’s 2-1 home victory over FC Dallas May 25.
The Fire returns home to host Atlanta United at Toyota Park Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.
