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USL United Soccer League Championship

2018 USL Awards Finalists Unveiled

November 6, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - The finalists for the 2018 USL Awards were announced by the United Soccer League on Tuesday, with standout performers in five categories earning nominations after the biggest season in the league's history. The award winners will be announced during USL Awards Week between Monday, Nov. 12 and Wednesday, Nov. 14.

The 2018 USL Awards were voted on by team management and a league-wide media panel that included representation from every USL market.

2018 USL Award Finalists

2018 Goalkeeper of the Year Finalists - Winner announced Monday, Nov. 12

Josh Cohen, Sacramento Republic FC: Cohen posted 12 shutouts and his 78.52 save percentage was the highest in the league among goalkeepers with at least 40 saves as he finished second in the regular season with 117 stops.

Maxime Crepeau, Ottawa Fury FC: The Canadian international set a USL single-season record with 15 shutouts for Fury FC and posted 82 saves - good for eighth in the league - at a 72.6 save percentage.

Matt Pickens, Nashville SC: Pickens finished second in the league with 14 shutouts while posting 89 saves at a 76.07 save percentage to help lead Nashville to the second-best defensive record in the league and a postseason berth.

2018 Defender of the Year Finalists - Winner announced Monday, Nov. 12

Paco Craig, Louisville City FC: Craig finished second among defenders with 239 duels won at a success rate of 66.8 percent, ranked in the top five among defenders with 133 aerials and 171 possession recoveries and led Louisville with 69 interceptions.

Joe Greenspan, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Greenspan was a key figure in the best defense in the regular season that tied the USL single-season record with 17 shutouts as he posted 176 clearances while winning 67.1 percent of duels and 76.2 percent of aerial duels over the season.

Forrest Lasso, FC Cincinnati: Lasso led the league with 223 clearances while finishing second in the league with 32 blocked shots and 172 aerials at an 82.7 percent success rate as he helped the club claim the 2018 USL Regular Season Championship.

2018 Coach of the Year Finalists - Winner announced Tuesday, Nov. 13

Braeden Cloutier, Orange County SC: In his first season at the helm, Cloutier led Orange County to its second first-place finish in the Western Conference in its history while setting new club records for wins (20) and points (66).

Alan Koch, FC Cincinnati: Koch led FCC to the 2018 USL Regular Season Championship in record-setting style as his side recorded USL regular-season marks in wins (23) and points (77) while also setting new highs with a 23-game undefeated streak and a 10-game winning streak.

Bob Lilley, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Lilley led the Hounds to their best season in more than a decade, taking the side to the USL Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2015 with a third-place finish in the Eastern Conference that saw it host a postseason game for the first time at Highmark Stadium.

2018 Young Player of the Year Finalists - Winner announced Tuesday, Nov. 13

Efrain Alvarez, LA Galaxy II: In his first full season as a professional, Alvarez became the youngest player to record a hat trick in the USL's history at just 15 years of age and finished the year with 12 goals and three assists.

Andrew Carleton, ATL UTD 2: The United States U-20 international impressed throughout his first full season in the USL as he registered two goals, two assists and 29 chances created in 14 appearances for expansion side ATL UTD 2.

Wan Kuzain, Swope Park Rangers: Kuzain had a standout year in helping the Rangers return to the USL Cup Playoffs for a third consecutive season as he recorded four goals and posted the fourth-highest passing accuracy rate in the league among players with more than 800 passes at 89.24 percent.

Hassan Ndam, New York Red Bulls II: Ndam continued to be one of the top young defenders in the league as he recorded 57 interceptions, 109 clearances and won 165 duels and 94 aerial duels for New York as it returned to the postseason for a fourth consecutive year.

2018 Most Valuable Player Finalists - Winner announced Wednesday, Nov. 14

Thomas Enevoldsen, Orange County SC: Enevoldsen helped produce the best season in Orange County SC's history as he finished tied for second in the league with 20 goals at a chance conversion rate of 28.99 percent, while also recording nine assists and 63 chances created as he played every minute of the regular season.

Cameron Lancaster, Louisville City FC: Lancaster led Louisville to a fourth consecutive top-two finish in the Eastern Conference as he set a USL single-season record with 25 goals to claim the USL Golden Boot. Lancaster scored at a rate of a goal every 80.16 minutes while registering seven of his tallies from outside the penalty area.

Emmanuel Ledesma, FC Cincinnati: Ledesma powered FC Cincinnati to the USL Regular Season Championship as he set a single-season record with 16 assists in the regular season, and with 16 goals also became the first player in the USL's history to record at least 15 goals and 15 assists in the same campaign.

Aodhan Quinn, Orange County SC: Quinn played every minute of the regular season to lead OCSC to a first-place finish in the Western Conference as he recorded 11 goals and 14 assists. Quinn led the league with 103 chances created and finished second among outfield players with 289 possession recoveries.

FOLLOW THE 2018 USL CUP

Defending USL Cup champion and Eastern Conference champion Louisville City FC will play host to Western Conference champion Phoenix Rising FC and legendary forward Didier Drogba in the 2018 USL Cup on Thursday, November 8 at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 in the United States and on ESPN International in more than 50 countries around the rest of the world from Lynn Stadium in Louisville, Ky.

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