USL Championship announces 2019 All-League teams
TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League honored standout performers from the 2019 USL Championship regular season on Tuesday with the unveiling of the 2019 Championship All-League Teams. Four clubs – Louisville City FC, Nashville SC, Phoenix Rising FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC – saw multiple players earn First Team honors, while 10 clubs overall had players selected among the 22 honorees.
Four players overall earned selection from Phoenix Rising FC, whose remarkable regular season performance saw forwards Solomon Asante and Adam Jahn named to the First Team. Asante set Championship records with 17 assists and a combined 39 goals and assists, while Jahn posted 17 goals in the regular season. They were joined by defender A.J. Cochran and goalkeeper Zac Lubin, who earned Second Team selection.
Riverhounds SC also earned four selections, with defender Joe Greenspan and midfielder Kenardo Forbes being rewarded for their standout contributions that led Pittsburgh to a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference. Hounds defender Thomas Vancaeyezeele and forward Neco Brett were also honored with Second Team selections.
Asante and Greenspan were among four players to be named in the All-League First Team for a second consecutive season. They were joined by Nashville SC forward Daniel Rios – who became the first player in Championship history to record 20 goals in a regular season in back-to-back campaigns – and defender Forrest Lasso.
Louisville City FC midfielder Magnus Rasmussen – whose game-winning goal in extra time lifted LouCity into the USL Championship Final this past Saturday – and defender Oscar Jimenez each earned First Team selection for the first time.
The 2019 USL Championship All-League Team was voted on by club management and a league-wide media panel that included representation from every USL market.
The finalists for the 2019 Championship Awards will be announced on Wednesday, preceding the 2019 USL Championship Final, which will air live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes in the United States on Sunday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET as Louisville City FC of the Eastern Conference and Real Monarchs SLC of the Western Conference meet at Lynn Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky.
2019 USL Championship All-League First Team
GK – Matt Pickens, Nashville SC: Pickens claimed the Championship’s Golden Glove with a 0.64 goals-against average and posted a league-high 14 shutouts during the regular season on a 79.8 save percentage.
D – Neveal Hackshaw, Indy Eleven: Hackshaw ranked in the top 10 among outfield players with 231 recoveries, won 65.8 of duels – 10th in the league among players to win at least 175 duels in the regular season – and won 29 of 39 tackles.
D – Joe Greenspan, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Greenspan led a defensive line that recorded a league-best 17 shutouts as he finished fourth in the league in clearances with 151, made 44 interceptions, won 69.4 percent of duels and 75 percent of aerials while also chipping in four goals and two assists.
D – Forrest Lasso, Nashville SC: Lasso provided a major boost to Nashville’s defense after his midseason arrival as he recorded 60 clearances and 61 recoveries while NSC posted a 0.43 goals-against average with him on the field over the second half of the season.
D – Oscar Jimenez, Louisville City FC: Jimenez finished tied for second in the league with 90 chances created, posted seven assists and made 191 recoveries while completing 1,498 passes at an accuracy rate of 81.6 percent.
M – Jared Stroud, New York Red Bulls II: Stroud recorded 15 goals and nine assists to lead the Red Bulls II back to the postseason for a fifth consecutive year, and finished tied for second in the league with 90 chances created and tied for third with 18 Big Chances Created.
M – Magnus Rasmussen, Louisville City FC: Rasmussen led Louisville with 13 goals, including three tallies from outside the penalty area, while also completing 1,003 passes at an accuracy rate of 80 percent and recording three assists and 33 chances created.
M – Kenardo Forbes, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Forbes recorded nine assists on 74 chances created, led outfield players with 291 recoveries and completed 1,513 passes at an accuracy rate of 82.8 percent to sit in the upper echelon of the league’s playmakers.
F – Daniel Rios, Nashville SC: Rios became the first player in Championship history to record back-to-back 20-goal seasons as he averaged a goal every 123.5 minutes to provide attacking punch as NSC finished second in the Eastern Conference.
F – Adam Jahn, Phoenix Rising FC: Jahn recorded 17 goals and five assists on 35 chances created as he helped Phoenix’s attack set a new Championship record for goals in a regular season while also posting a 70.4 passing accuracy rate leading the Rising FC line.
F – Solomon Asante, Phoenix Rising FC: The Ghanaian standout set Championship records for assists in a regular season (17) and combined goals and assists in a regular season (39) as he helped drive Phoenix to a league-record streak of 20 consecutive wins and the regular season title.
2019 USL Championship All-League Second Team
GK – Zac Lubin, Phoenix Rising FC: Lubin recorded 79 saves and a save percentage of 75.7 on the way to posting 13 shutouts and a goals-against average of 0.86 during Rising FC’s run to the regular season title.
D – Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Vancaeyezeele ranked seventh in the Championship with 62 interceptions, made 160 recoveries and won 52 tackles at a success rate of 71.2 percent in a stout Hounds defense.
D – Pape Diakite, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Diakite ranked fifth in the league with 149 clearances, won 65.5 percent of duels and made 162 recoveries as he helped the Rowdies record 11 shutouts to earn a return to the USL Championship Playoffs.
D – Paco Craig, Louisville City FC: Craig recorded 108 clearances, 192 recoveries and 47 interceptions, had a tackle success rate of 80.7 percent and a passing accuracy rate of 81.7 on 1,267 completed passes, and notched a pair of goals.
D – A.J. Cochran, Phoenix Rising FC: Cochran won 66.2 percent of duels, won 71.9 percent of tackles and made 33 interceptions and 116 recoveries defensively, and also recorded four assists for Rising FC in the attacking end.
M – Santi Moar, New Mexico United: Moar recorded 11 goals and five assists for the first-year club, tied for third in the league with 93 completed dribbles at a success rate of 60.4 percent and recorded 51 chances created, 45 shots on goal and 14 Big Chances Created.
M – Chris Lema, New York Red Bulls II: Lema led the Championship with 94 chances created in the regular season, while also finishing third among outfield players with 263 recoveries, as he notched five goals and six assists in the middle of New York’s attacking lineup.
M – Rodrigo Da Costa, Tulsa Roughnecks FC: Da Costa ranked second in the Championship with 13 assists and also notched nine goals as the former Florida Soccer Soldiers player broke into the league impressively, also notching 78 chances created.
F – Sebastian Guenzatti, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Guenzatti set a modern-era Rowdies record with 18 goals to finish tied for third in the league and notched six assists on 31 chances created while captaining the side to a return to the postseason.
F – Corey Hertzog, Reno 1868 FC: Hertzog earned the fourth All-League selection of his career, posting a single-season best 18 goals to move into fourth place all-time on the league’s scoring chart while also notching six assists in Reno’s attack.
F – Neco Brett, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Brett recorded 13 goals and five assists on a shot conversion rate of 22 percent while recording 36 shots on target and 33 chances created for the first-place Hounds.