USL PRO named its Team of the Week for Week 10 of the 2014 season on Tuesday as Orlando City midfielder Kevin Molino was named Player of the Week after his hat trick led the Lions to a 3-1 victory against the Charlotte Eagles in a rematch of the 2013 USL PRO Championship.
Already in the middle of a career season for the Lions, Molino continued to shine as he scored twice in the first half and again in the second against the Eagles. The opening goal in the 11th minute came off a rebound from fellow Team of the Week selection Bryan Burke, and the Trinidad & Tobago international scored again 20 minutes later before a crisp first-time finish of Mikey Lopez’s cross with 16 minutes to go capped another standout performance.
Molino now leads USL PRO with eight goals, but is being hotly pursued in the race for the Golden Boot by two other Team of the Week selections in Richmond’s George Davis IV and LA Galaxy II’s Chandler Hoffman, who both sit one back with seven.
Davis IV scored both goals in Richmond’s 2-0 win against Charlotte as he continued a run of form that has seen him named to the Team of the Week on four successive occasions. Davis IV was joined by defender Conor Shanosky, who was excellent at the heart of the Kickers’ defense in the side’s third shutout in its past four games.
Hoffman also bagged a pair of goals as the Galaxy II claimed a 5-0 victory against OKC Energy FC on Sunday night. He was joined on the Team of the Week by Los Dos Homegrown Player Bradford Jamieson IV, who also had a pair of goals, his first as a professional.
Sacramento Republic FC and the Wilmington Hammerheads also earned a pair of selections, with Sacramento’s Thomas Stewart being named after scoring the game-winner in Republic FC’s 1-0 win against Rochester on Friday night. Goalkeeper Dominik Jakubek also earned selection after he recorded six saves in two wins on Republic FC’s east-coast trip.
Wilmington’s Jordan Hamilton earned his second selection in as many weeks as he recorded a goal and two assists in the Hammerheads’ 5-1 win against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Friday. Defender Christian Davidson was also named as he was solid defensively as the Hammerheads took a third consecutive victory, while the Charleston Battery’s Amadou Sanyang completed the lineup as his goal proved the game-winner in a 1-0 win against Pittsburgh.
USL PRO sides are set to compete midweek in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup, with games against MLS opposition on the line in an exciting week of action. The Rochester Rhinos open the action on Tuesday night as they host top PDL side Reading United at Sahlen’s Stadium, and the action continues on Wednesday with games between Orlando City and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Sacramento Republic FC and the Fresno Fuego, and Arizona United and OKC Energy FC all games to watch.
The 2014 USL PRO season resumes this weekend, with the Rochester Rhinos set to host the Richmond Kickers on Friday night in key game for two strong playoff contenders. Saturday night sees Arizona United visit the Orange County Blues in a big west-coast clash, while Sunday brings the first game in this season’s Keystone Derby as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds host the Harrisburg City Islanders.
Every game of the 2014 USL PRO season can be seen live on YouTube, with live updates also available via Twitter (@USLPRO), Facebook and Google+. Stay up to date with news, previews and match reports from throughout the league via USLPROSoccer.com.
USL PRO Team of the Week:
Pos Player Team
GK Dominik Jakubek Sacramento
D Conor Shanosky Richmond
D Bryan Burke Orlando
D Christian Davidson Wilmington
M Kevin Molino Orlando
M Amadou Sanyang Charleston
M Geroge Davis IV Richmond
M Bradford Jamieson IV LA Galaxy II
F Thomas Stewart Sacremento
F Jordan Hamilton Wilmington
F Chandler Hoffman LA Galaxy II
Honorable Mention- Arizona: Joey Dillon; Charleston: Haviel Cordoves, Odisnel Cooper; Charlotte: Richard Dixon, Giuseppe Gentile; Dayton: Aaron Schoenfeld, Sebastian Thriere; LA Galaxy: Andre Auras, Jack McBean; Oklahoma City: Peabo Doue; Orlando: Mikey Lopez, Adama Mbengue; Pittsburgh: Collins John; Richmond: Mike Callahan, Sascha Gorres; Rochester: Lance Rozeboom; Sacremento: Octavio Guzman, Rodrigo Lopez; Wilmington: Sammy Ochoa, Steven Miller