Week 3 pro honors announced
Published on April 28, 2009 under USL First Division (USL-1) News Release
TAMPA, FL -- United Soccer Leagues announced the Team of the Week honors for the third week of the USL season, honoring Austin's Eddie Johnson as the USL First Division Player of the Week and Harrisburg's Chad Severs as the USL Second Division Player of the Week.
The expansion Austin Aztex posted their first victory in franchise history Saturday evening, downing the visiting Cleveland City Stars 3-0. English striker Eddie Johnson played a role in all three goals.
In the 13th minute, Aztex midfielder Yordany Alvarez found the former England youth international streaking up the right side. Johnson dribbled the ball, and then lofted it up over hard-charging Cleveland goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrip for the early 1-0 lead.
In the 71st minute Austin added to its lead when Johnson made a run up the right side with the ball before making a precise pass back to the center of the field to an awaiting Sullivan Silva. Silva never hesitated and fired the ball on goal. Cleveland's Gilstrip didn't have much of a chance as the ball hooked into the upper-left corner of the net to give the home squad a 2-0 lead.
Defender Zack Pope, who had come in just a minute earlier for A.J. Godbolt, took the ball up the right wing where he found and distributed the ball toward a fast-charging Johnson. Johnson gathered the ball off a Cleveland defender deflection, and then drove a shot into the back of the net for the game's final tally.
The Harrisburg City Islanders have gotten off to a quick start to the season, drawing 2-2 in Richmond last week and downing the Western Mass Pioneers 3-1 courtesy of Chad Severs.
Severs got the City Islanders off to quick starts in each half, notching the opener five minutes into the affair and doubling the lead four minutes into the second.
The two-goal effort marked the return to his 2005 form that saw him finish with 13 goals and 31 points before moving on to the Rochester Rhinos of the USL First Division for the next three years.
USL First Division Stories from April 28, 2009
- Rhinos To Face USL-1 Expansion Cleveland on FSC - Rochester Rhinos
- Whitecaps and Save-On-Foods Launch KicksmartT Program - Vancouver Whitecaps
- RailHawks add defender Rusin - North Carolina FC
- Plotkin and Gilkerson First Division Team of the Week - North Carolina FC
- Week 3 pro honors announced - USL-1
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