USL PRO News Release
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
TAMPA, Fla. – USL PRO named its Team of the Week for Week Six of the season on Tuesday, with Harrisburg City Islanders forward Sainey Touray earning Player of the Week honors after recording a goal and an assist in his side’s 5-1 victory against the Rochester Rhinos. The win was Harrisburg’s 100th in franchise history, and came in the home opener of its 10th anniversary season.
Touray was outstanding throughout the contest, challenging the Rhinos defense with his speed. He had a pair of chances to open his account in the first half, hitting the post moments after Jimmy McLaughlin had opened the scoring. It wasn’t until the second half that he was able to add his name to the score sheet, using his speed to get in behind the defense before firing home in the 80th minute. Touray then added an assist, putting Lucky Mkosana through for his second goal of the night to cap the scoring.
Joining Touray on the Team of the Week from the City Islanders was Don Anding, who had a strong performance both defensively and moving up-field in Saturday’s victory. Anding placed a perfectly-weighted pass that found the run of Mkosana for the City Islanders’ third goal of the game, and was strong defensively down the left side.
Orlando City also had a pair of players named to the Team of the Week, with Dom Dwyer chosen after taking the lead in the Golden Boot race with three goals in two games. Dwyer had a goal in Orlando’s 1-1 draw against Charlotte this past Tuesday, and added a pair of finishes in a 4-0 win against Dayton on Saturday night.
Rob Valentino also earned a berth on the team, putting in two strong performances while assisting on Dwyer’s first goal against the Dutch Lions. He was joined in the Team of the Week defense by Anding, Phoenix FC’s Netinho, who put in a strong two-way performance in the Wolves’ 3-1 win against Wilmington, and Alex Freitas, who was dangerous throughout VSI Tampa Bay FC’s 1-0 defeat against Dayton.
Charlotte goalkeeper Eric Reed and midfielder Christian Meza both earned berths on the team, with Reed conceding one goal in two games while making eight saves during the week. Reed has conceded one goal in four games so far this season. Meza, meanwhile, shone in the Eagles’ 2-0 win against Pittsburgh on Friday night, recording a goal and an assist.
Rounding out the selections were midfielders Mike Azira of Charleston, who scored a pair of goals for the Battery in their 2-0 win against the Riverhounds, and Mershad Momeni of Los Angeles, who drove home an outstanding finish for the Blues in their victory against Wilmington. Dayton forward Brandon Swartzendruber was also acknowledged for his game-winning goal for the Dutch Lions against VSI Tampa Bay FC.
The 2013 USL PRO season continues on Tuesday night as Orlando City hosts VSI Tampa Bay FC at 7:30 p.m. ET in the first meeting between the Florida rivals. Wednesday night sees another big game, with the Harrisburg City Islanders welcoming the Charleston Battery to Skyline Sports Complex at 7 p.m. ET.
Friday night brings four games, with the Richmond Kickers visiting the Wilmington Hammerheads at 7:30 p.m. ET. Charleston continues its trip as it visits Dayton at 7 p.m., while Antigua Barracuda FC returns to league action against VSI Tampa Bay FC at 8 p.m. ET. The night ends with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds visiting Phoenix FC at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Saturday night sees a return match as the Rochester Rhinos host the Harrisburg City Islanders in their home opener at Sahlen’s Stadium at 7:05 p.m. ET. Also on Saturday night, the Richmond Kickers face the Charlotte Eagles at City Stadium at 7 p.m., while Antigua completes its trip to Florida with a visit to face Orlando City at 7:30 p.m. ET. The week concludes on Sunday as Pittsburgh visits the Los Angeles Blues at Titan Stadium at 7 p.m. ET.
Every game of the USL PRO season can be seen on USLNation.com, with live updates also available via Twitter (@USLPRO), Facebook and Google+.
USL PRO Team of the Week
| Pos | Player | Team | Highlights |
| GK | Eric Reed | Charlotte | Made eight saves as Eagles took win, draw |
| D | Rob Valentino | Orlando | Defensively strong, had assist in win against Dayton |
| D | Netinho | Phoenix | Had a goal, solid defensive performance in victory |
| D | Alex Freitas | Tampa Bay | Defended well, almost grabbed late equalizer vs. Dayton |
| D | Don Anding | Harrisburg | Strong in defense, had excellent assist to cap night |
| M | Mike Azira | Charleston | Had two goals joining Battery’s attack vs. Pittsburgh |
| M | Christian Meza | Charlotte | Led Eagles past Pittsburgh with goal and assist |
| M | Mershad Momeni | Los Angeles | Outstanding strike punctuated Blues’ win vs. Wilmington |
| F | Dom Dwyer | Orlando | Three goals in two games to take lead in Golden Boot |
| F | Sainey Touray | Harrisburg | Pressured Rochester defense all night, earned goal, assist |
| F | Brandon Swartzendruber | Dayton | Had only goal as Dutch Lions handed Tampa Bay defeat |
Honorable Mention: Charleston – Zach Prince, Dane Kelly; Charlotte – Nate Thornton, Christian Ramirez; Dayton – Eric Kissinger, Matt Williams; Harrisburg – Yann Ekra, Lucky Mkosana, Colin Zizzi; Los Angeles –Shay Spitz, Allan Russell; Orlando – Dennis Chin, Jamie Watson; Phoenix – Diego Faria, Anthony Obodai; Pittsburgh – Andrew Marshall, Kevin Kerr; Rochester – Mike Reidy; Tampa Bay –J.T. Noone; Wilmington – Kyle Greig, William Heaney.