Los Angeles' Fondy Named Player of the Week
Published on July 16, 2013 under United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release
TAMPA, Fla. - USL PRO named its Team of the Week for Week 17 of the season on Tuesday, with Los Angeles Blues forward Matt Fondy earning Player of the Week honors after recording two goals and two assists as the Blues took a pair of victories to move into third place in the USL PRO standings.
Fondy returned to the Blues in late June, and has been on a hot streak ever since. Against the Harrisburg City Islanders, he came off the bench as a halftime substitute and scored within a minute of his arrival to give the Blues a 3-1 lead. He then added an insurance goal with six minutes to play, giving him five goals in three games. On Saturday against Antigua Barracuda FC, Fondy recorded assists on the Blues' opening two goals as they cruised to victory and opened up the opportunity for a home game in the quarterfinals of the USL PRO Playoffs.
Fondy was joined on the Team of the Week by his teammate Duach Jock, who scored for the Blues and played the full 90 minutes in both of LA's victories. Also selected were Phoenix FC's Donny Toia, who set up Thomas Ramos for the Wolves' winning goal against Antigua on Thursday night, and VSI Tampa Bay FC's Josh Rife, who scored and had a solid all-around performance in his side's 4-2 win against Charleston. Richmond Kickers goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra also earns selection after recording a league-best seventh shutout in his side's 1-0 win against Harrisburg.
Richmond is also represented by Stanley Nyazamba, who put in a standout performance for the Kickers and set up Michael Seaton's game-winning goal against the City Islanders on Saturday night. Joining Nyazamba and Fondy in the forward line is Dayton's Brandon Swartzendruber, who scored an 89th-minute equalizer to give his side a 3-3 draw with Orlando City on Sunday night.
Orlando's Jamie Watson leads the midfield contingent, meanwhile, after his two goals gave the Lions a 2-1 victory against Charleston Thursday night. The quartet also includes Rochester's Gabe Latigue, whose cross set up Andrew Hoxie for the game-tying goal against Richmond on Friday night, and Tampa Bay's Tony Donatelli, who scored against his former side Charleston in VSI's win on Saturday. Charlotte Eagles standout Jorge Herrera completes the group after his goal and assist lifted his side to a 3-2 victory against the Wilmington Hammerheads on Saturday night.
The USL PRO season continues on Wednesday night as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds play host to Orlando City at Highmark Stadium at 7 p.m. ET. Friday night brings four games, highlighted by the Charleston Battery looking to get back on track at home to Dayton and the Wilmington Hammerheads visiting the Rochester Rhinos at Sahlen's Stadium.
Saturday night sees a rematch of the 2011 USL PRO Championship Game as Orlando City hosts the Harrisburg City Islanders at the Florida Citrus Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET, while Sunday sees the return fixture between the Rochester Rhinos and Montreal Impact Reserves in a renewal of a traditional USL rivalry. Also on Sunday, the Richmond Kickers face off against the Los Angeles Blues in a clash between two of the top three teams.
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 Andrew Dykstra Richmond Recorded his league-leading seventh shutout of the season
D Josh Rife Tampa Bay Had a goal, and led VSI's defense well against Charleston
D Duach Jock Los Angeles Played all 180 minutes, and had a goal, as the Blues took two wins
D Donny Toia Phoenix Set up Tommy Ramos' winning goal as Wolves downed âCudas
M Jamie Watson Orlando Pair of goals lifted Lions past Battery
M Tony Donatelli Tampa Bay Had the opening goal in VSI's victory against Charleston
M Jorge Herrera Charlotte Scored a goal, added assist as Eagles continued undefeated streak
M Gabe Latigue Rochester Provided game-tying assist as Rhinos drew with Kickers
F Stanley Nyazamba Richmond Strong all-around game, assist as Kickers defeated Harrisburg
F Matt Fondy Los Angeles Had two goals, two assists as Blues took pair of victories
F Brandon Swartzendruber Dayton Scored game-tying goal for Dutch Lions against Orlando
Honorable Mention: Charleston - Jose Cuevas, Heviel Cordoves; Charlotte - Christian Meza, Paul Islas; Dayton - Joel DeLass, Eli Garner; Harrisburg - Sainey Touray; Los Angeles - George Davis IV, Gabriel Gonzalez; Orlando - C.J. Sapong, Renan Boufleur; Phoenix: Thomas Ramos, Cyprian Hedrick; Richmond - Michael Seaton, Conor Shanosky; Rochester - Andrew Hoxie; Tampa Bay - Sallieu Bundu; Wilmington - Kyle Greig, Daniel Steres.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 16, 2013
- Riverhounds Set for Three Games at Highmark Stadium this Week - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Dayton Dutch Lions FC vs. FA Cup winner Wigan Athletic FC is Tonight - Dayton Dutch Lions
- Los Angeles' Fondy Named Player of the Week - USL
- Prodigal Partners with ADG to Build Soccer Specific Stadium in OKC - OKC Energy FC
- Orlando Ends Road Swing in Pittsburgh Wednesday Night - Orlando City SC
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