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USL Hartford Athletic

Michee Ngalina and Emmanuel Samadia Named to USL Championship Team of the Week

August 20, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release


Michee Ngalina and Emmanuel Samadia have been named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 24, and Mamadou Dieng earned a spot on the bench. The three selections are Hartford's 13th, 14th, and 15th of the season.

Ngalina, Samadia, and Dieng were excellent in the attacking third on Saturday night, contributing to a goal apiece in Hartford's 2-1 comeback victory over Las Vegas at Trinity Health Stadium. Samadia and Dieng connected to bring Hartford level in the 25th minute, as the Sierra Leonean midfielder looped a quality cross into the box that was headed perfectly to the upper left corner from Dieng. The build up play was started by a lead ball from Ngalina up the left side.

In the second half, it was a determined individual effort from Ngalina that gave his side the lead. The winger pressed high in the visitors' half and took the ball off the foot of an unsuspecting Grayson Doody, then beat Raiko Arozarena to the bottom right corner with a clinical finish. The two goals were Ngalina's eighth and Dieng's fourth, and the comeback win snapped an 11-match undefeated streak for Las Vegas.

This week's lineups mark's Ngalina's third selection of the season, Samadia's second, and the 19 year old Dieng gets the nod for the first time.

USL Championship Team of the Week - Week 24

GK - Hugo Fauroux, Loudoun United FC: Fauroux recorded a three-save shutout and posted a -1.1 Goals Prevented mark as Loudoun recorded its first victory in club history on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies with a 2-0 result at Al Lang Stadium.

D - Robby Dambrot, Loudoun United FC: Dambrot notched one assist and completed 42 of 49 passes overall while defensively he won 3 of 4 tackles and 7 of 12 duels while recording two clearances and six recoveries in Loudoun's victory against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

D - Jared Timmer, Sacramento Republic FC: The veteran defender scored his first goal in the USL Championship in his 134th appearance in the league to cap a great defensive display that saw him win 2 of 2 tackles and 8 of 11 duels while making 13 recoveries and two interceptions.

D - Emmanuel Samadia, Hartford Athletic: Samadia notched one assist in Hartford's victory against Las Vegas Lights FC and had a stellar game defensively, recording two interceptions, four clearances and nine recoveries while winning 3 of 4 tackles and 6 of 7 duels.

M - Alvaro Quezada, Memphis 901 FC: The 25-year-old helped lead Memphis to a pair of victories over the week, recording a goal and assist against Miami FC before a sterling defensive display over 90 minutes against FC Tulsa that saw him win 13 of 16 duels and 7 of 7 tackles across his two appearances.

M - Nick Ross, Sacramento Republic FC: The Scottish veteran notched one assist and was desperately unlucky to not find the net in Sacramento's victory against El Paso, hitting the woodwork three times as he also completed 19 of 23 passes and had two chances created.

M - Mukwelle Akale, New Mexico United: Akale led the way as New Mexico took a 3-2 victory against Monterey Bay F.C. on Saturday night, scoring a brilliant early free kick and adding an assist while completing 24 of 28 passes and notching three chances created and three shots overall.

M - Taylor Davila, Louisville City FC: Davila put in a superb two-way display in LouCity's 3-1 victory against the Charleston Battery, recording one assist and three chances created and completing 25 of 33 passes while winning 3 of 3 tackles and 7 of 9 ground duels at Lynn Family Stadium.

F - Harry Swartz, New Mexico United: Swartz provided the spark off the bench to rally New Mexico to a 3-3 draw against FC Tulsa on Wednesday night, scoring a pair of goals on three shots and completing 8 of 9 passes while also winning 4 of 6 ground duels in just 45 minutes of action.

F - Michee Ngalina, Hartford Athletic: The Congolese forward led Hartford to an essential victory against Las Vegas Lights FC, scoring once, recording three shots on target and two chances created while also winning 4 of 5 tackles and 10 of 16 ground duels and recording seven recoveries and two interceptions defensively.

F - Jansen Wilson, Louisville City FC: The 23-year-old scored his sixth goal of the season as LouCity took victory against the Charleston Battery and also hit the woodwork as he notched a game-high six shots overall while completing 14 of 17 passes and recording two chances created.

Coach - Danny Cruz, Louisville City FC: Cruz's side took a decisive 3-1 victory against the Charleston Battery before a crowd of 13,526 at Lynn Family Stadium to move four points clear in the race for the Players' Shield with two games in hand on its closest rival in the Eastern Conference.

Bench - Raiko Arozarena (LV), Brett Levis (DET), Sean Suber (PIT), Bruno Lapa (MEM), Eric Calvillo (ELP), Samuel Careaga (MEM), Mamadou Dieng (HFD)

Check out the Hartford Athletic Statistics

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