Sports stats



USL Birmingham Legion FC

Crognale and Kasim Named to USL Team of the Week

June 7, 2022 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Birmingham Legion FC News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - The USL Championship announced the Team of the Week for Week 13 of the 2022 regular season on Tuesday, with Legion FC defender Alex Crognale and attacker Prosper Kasim earning spots in the team thanks to their efforts in Birmingham's 1-0 win at Phoenix over the weekend.

Crognale helped Legion FC earn the shutout on the road by winning five of six duels and three of four aerial duels while making seven clearances and a key late game block to preserve a 1-0 win. The Columbus, Ohio native now leads the team in clearances (44) and interceptions (19) this season, and the honor is the center back's first TOTW nod this season.

Kasim scored the only goal in his club's win at Wild Horse Pass on Saturday and ended the night with four shots and four chances created while completing four of six dribbles and winning five of nine duels. Despite leading the club in goals (four) and shots (24), this is the first time this season the Ghanaian was named to the TOTW.

Indy Eleven's Manuel Arteaga was named USLC Player of the Week after putting up a first half hat-trick in his team's 4-3 win over Charleston Battery. Atlanta United 2's Robbie Mertz finished second after recording three goals across two outings for his side against Rio Grande Valley FC and Memphis 901 FC last week.

The Championship's Player of the Week is selected by the USL National Media Panel, which is made up of representatives from each media market in the Championship.

USL Championship Team of the Week - Week 13

GK - Austin Wormell, FC Tulsa: Making his first two starts of the season, Wormell made 10 saves on 11 shots on target faced as Tulsa drew with both the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Miami FC, posting a cumulative -2.53 Goals Minus Expected Goals rate across the two contests.

D - Rece Buckmaster, Memphis 901 FC: Buckmaster recorded a pair of assists and six chances created overall while making five interceptions and six recoveries and winning 2 of 2 duels defensively in Memphis' 5-2 victory against Atlanta United 2.

D - Matt Mahoney, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: Mahoney scored the third goal of the night to cap a strong performance overall as he completed 67 of 75 passes, won 3 of 3 aerial duels and made nine recoveries and two interceptions in Colorado Springs' 3-0 win against Las Vegas.

D - Alex Crognale, Birmingham Legion FC: Crognale helped Legion FC earn a shutout victory on the road in Phoenix, winning 5 of 6 duels and 3 of 4 aerial duels while making seven clearances and a key late game block to preserve a 1-0 win at Wild Horse Pass.

M - Robbie Mertz, Atlanta United 2: Mertz shone individually in Atlanta's two outings, recording three goals and eight chances created while completing 57 of 74 passes and recording three interceptions and five recoveries for the week.

M - Prosper Kasim, Birmingham Legion FC: The Ghanaian scored the only goal as Birmingham earned victory against Phoenix Rising FC at Wild Horse Pass and ended the night with four shots and four chances created while completing 4 of 6 dribbles and winning 5 of 9 duels.

M - Michee Ngalina, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: Ngalina recorded one goal on three shots, had two chances created and completed 4 of 6 dribbles while winning 6 of 10 duels defensively in the Switchbacks' 3-0 victory against Las Vegas Lights FC.

M - Robert Coronado, Rio Grande Valley FC: Coronado came off the bench to lead the Toros to a dramatic 4-3 victory against Atlanta United 2 on Wednesday night, scoring the final two goals including the winner in the second minute of stoppage time on four shots while completing 10 of 13 passes.

F - Manuel Arteaga, Indy Eleven: Arteaga scored a first-half hat trick the span of 12 minutes to get off the mark this season and recorded six shots overall, all of which were on target, to lead Indy to a 4-3 victory against the Charleston Battery on Saturday.

F - Luiz Fernando, Memphis 901 FC: The Brazilian notched a pair of assists and had six chances created overall while recording two shots, completing 5 of 7 dribbles and winning 10 of 15 duels in Memphis' 5-2 victory against Atlanta United 2 on Saturday.

F - Ottar Magnus Karlsson, Oakland Roots SC: Karlsson scored a pair of goals, including a stoppage-time winner against Orange County SC on Wednesday night, and then notched an assist in Oakland's win in Monterey Bay on Saturday to guide a six-point week for Roots SC.

Bench: Alex Tambakis (NM), Jimmy Ockford (COS), Adrian Diz Pe (TUL), Leo Fernandes (TBR), Solomon Asante (IND), Phillip Goodrum (MEM), Thomas Amang (SD)

The Three Sparks are back at Protective Stadium tomorrow, Wednesday, June 8 at 7:00pm for the next edition of the heated rivalry versus Memphis 901 FC! Gates open at 6:00pm for fans to enjoy drink deals and games, so grab your tickets today!

For team updates, news and more, follow @bhmlegion on social media, sign up for Legion FC's Newsletter, or visit bhmlegion.com.

Check out the Birmingham Legion FC Statistics

• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board...

United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 7, 2022


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Birmingham Legion FC Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central