PDL News Release
Thursday, May 31, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. – The PDL announced its Team of the Week for the fourth week of the 2012 season today, honoring Austin Aztex forward Kekuta Manneh as Player of the Week after his four-goal performance led the Aztex to a 7-0 victory against the Texas Dutch Lions this past Thursday at House Park.
Manneh, pictured right, entered the game with a pair of goals, with the 17-year-old native of the Gambia having opened his account in the Aztex’s first game of the season, also against Texas. Thursday, he scored late in the first half to give Austin a 2-0 lead, then bagged a hat trick in 25 minutes after the break, his final goal coming in the 70th minute.
Considered a top college prospect for the Class of 2013, Manneh still has one more year of high school remaining to complete before he moves on, but thanks to his standout play in the PDL, colleges are getting a chance to see how he could quickly adapt to the rigors of the college game.
It was a standout weekend for strikers in the PDL, with Manneh being joined on the Team of the Week by Ventura County’s Travis Bowen, who scored a hat trick in the Fusion’s 4-1 win against the Southern California Seahorses on Saturday night after being brought on as a halftime substitute. Also selected was CFC Azul striker Ryan Kinne, as the former New England Revolution player had four goals in two games to lead his side to its first two wins of the season.
Thunder Bay’s Sicelo Buthelezi led the defensive contingent as the 2011 Central Conference champions opened the season with a pair of shutout victories, while the Portland Timbers U-23s’ Eric Miller put in a standout performance as his side remained perfect with a 4-0 win against the Kitsap Pumas. Goalkeeper Jose Silva of the Worcester Hydra was also recognized for his shutout in his side’s 1-0 win against the Western Mass Pioneers.
The PDL season continues this weekend with 46 games scheduled from Friday through Sunday. Among the key games are Friday morning’s Northwest Division encounter between the Portland Timbers U-23s and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 at JELD-WEN Field, as both teams continue their pursuit of the playoffs, and the Thunder Bay Chill’s visit to the Real Colorado Foxes in the Heartland Division. There’s also a key game in the Southeast Division, as Orlando City U23 visits the Ocala Stampede on Saturday night, while Jersey Express travel to face the Ocean City Nor’easters on Sunday night at Carey Stadium.
Stay up to date with all of the action through the PDL’s Twitter feed and Facebook page, which will provide nightly updates of scores from across North America, and links to news, previews and game reports.
PDL Team of the Week
| Pos | Player | Team | Highlights |
| GK | Jose Silva | Worcester | Had a five-save shutout as the Hydra jumped into third in the Northeast |
| D | Eric Miller | Portland | Contained a powerful Kitsap attack in the Timbers U-23s 4-0 victory |
| D | Sicelo Buthelezi | Thunder Bay | Played big role in pair of shutouts as Chill opened season with two wins |
| D | Ray Estrada | Orange County | Played key two-way game in Blue Star’s victory against Seahorses |
| D | Assane Keita | Fredericksburg | Had strong performance as Hotspur took 1-0 win at Carolina |
| M | Phil Buffington | Mississippi | Had a goal and three assists as the Brilla defeated FC Jax |
| M | Alfredo Queseda | Springfield | Continued the Demize’s strong start with a goal and assist vs. Kansas City |
| M | Charles Rodriguez | Nashville | Strong two-way performances as Metros took two wins over weekend |
| F | Kekuta Manneh | Austin | Scored four goals as Austin bolstered division lead vs. Dutch Lions |
| F | Travis Bowen | Ventura County | Sparked attack off bench, scoring second-half hat trick vs. Seahorses |
| F | Ryan Kinne | CFC | Had four goals in two games as Azul took first two victories in history |
Honorable Mention – Austin: Jesus Cortes; Baltimore: Chris Somerville, Hugh Roberts; Brooklyn: Stefan Manz; El Paso: Ernesto Bolivar; FC London: Martin Lange; Fredericksburg: Don Smart, Colin Newcity; Kitsap: Matt Freisen; Laredo: Greg Mulamba, Horacio Leal; Long Island: Keith Detelj, Tom Wharf; Michigan: Anthony Grant, Tom Catalano; Mississippi: Chris Ochieng; Nashville: Iyassu Bekele, Andrew Nkurunungi; New Jersey: Paul Killian, Samson Malijani; New Orleans: Patrick Mullins; North Sound: Claudio Lazar; Orange County: Miles Byass; Orlando: David Graydon; Palmetto: Mike Mangotic; Panama City Beach: Matthew Friesen; Portland: Clark Phillips, Steven Evans, Cam Vickers; Reading: Pedro Ribeiro, Ryan Finley; Real Maryland: Bush Yormie; Sounders FC U23: Aodhan Quinn; Southern West Virginia: Harry Sherwood; St. Louis: Dean Lovegrove, Martin Clayes; Thunder Bay: Juan Velez, Stephen Paterson; Vancouver: Long Tan; Ventura County: Francisco Lopez; Victoria: Elliot Mitrou; VSI Tampa: Kenny Hogg; Washington: Nik Besagno, Eli Gordley; West Texas: Kal Herbert; Worcester: Alencar Junior.