Fernandes, Guillen Earn USL Team of the Week Spots
October 18, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla – Two Tampa Bay Rowdies players were named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for the final week of the regular season. Leo Fernandes and Aaron Guillen both picked up the league-wide honor after helping the Rowdies record wins over El Paso Locomotive FC and New York Red Bulls II.
Fernandes made his final case for taking home the 2022 USL Championship MVP award with another three goals, bringing his season total up to 19 goals. Fernandes also leads the Rowdies with nine assists on the season. Now in his sixth season with the Rowdies, Fernandes is the longest tenured player on the roster and enters the playoffs with 152 appearances for the Green & Gold under his belt.
Guillen is making his first appearance on the Team of the Week this season. The Rowdies stalwart completed 120 out of 137 passes, won 15 of his 19 duels, and made 15 total recoveries across both of Tampa Bay’s games. Guillen has proven to be one of Tampa Bay’s most dependable players since he joined the club. For the third straight season, Guillen leads the Rowdies in minutes played.
The Rowdies host Miami FC in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal on Saturday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Tampa Bay heads into the matchup as the highest scoring team from the regular season with 73 goals., while Miami enters tied for the most clean sheets in the league (17).
Tickets for the match can be purchased here or by calling the Rowdies sales office at 727-222-2000.
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 32
GK – John Berner, Memphis 901 FC: Berner posted a four-save shutout as Memphis claimed the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 3-0 victory on the road against FC Tulsa on Saturday night.
D – Jonathan Dean, Birmingham Legion FC: Dean recorded one assist and four chances created while completing 49 of 57 passes overall and winning 3 of 4 duels and 4 of 4 aerial duels in his side’s 3-1 victory against Indy Eleven last Wednesday night.
D – Akeem Ward, Rio Grande Valley FC: Ward scored once and had two shots overall while completing 50 of 54 passes and winning 2 of 2 duels as Rio Grande Valley clinched a playoff berth with a 4-1 victory against Monterey Bay F.C. on Saturday night.
D – Aaron Guillen, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Guillen put in two sterling displays as the Rowdies took victories against El Paso Locomotive FC and the New York Red Bulls II, completing 120 of 137 passes, winning 15 of 19 duels and making 15 recoveries.
M – Harry Swartz, New Mexico United: Swartz recorded a pair of goals to lead New Mexico to a 3-2 victory against the LA Galaxy II on Wednesday night that clinched the club’s return to the postseason, while also notching two chances created and winning 9 of 11 duels.
M – Aaron Molloy, Memphis 901 FC: Molloy scored his eighth goal of the season in 901 FC’s 3-0 victory against FC Tulsa on Saturday night and completed 67 of 72 passes – including 7 of 9 long passes – while winning 3 of 4 tackles and 6 of 9 duels and making 15 recoveries.
M – Marcus Epps, FC Tulsa: Epps recorded his first two-goal game in the Championship to lead Tulsa to a 2-0 victory against Monterey Bay F.C. on Wednesday night and ended the game with four shots overall while winning 2 of 2 tackles and 2 of 3 aerial duels and completing 34 of 45 passes.
M – Marlon, Birmingham Legion FC: Marlon scored once, and had three shots and three chances created in Legion FC’s 3-1 victory against Indy Eleven on Wednesday night that sealed a top-four finish in the Eastern Conference while winning 10 of 15 duels defensively.
M – Gabriel Torres, Phoenix Rising FC: Torres recorded a goal and assist as Phoenix wrapped up its campaign with a 3-1 victory against Atlanta United 2 on Saturday night while also notching two chances created, winning 3 of 3 tackles and 4 of 6 duels, and completing 29 of 37 passes overall.
F – Russell Cicerone, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Cicerone notched a goal and assist as the Hounds rallied from an early deficit to take a 3-1 victory against Oakland Roots SC at Highmark Stadium on Saturday, sealing a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference.
F – Leo Fernandes, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Fernandes recorded three goals across a pair of games to lead Tampa Bay to victories against El Paso Locomotive FC and the New York Red Bulls II and a four-game winning streak to close the regular season.
Bench: AJ Marcucci (NY), Callum Chapman-Page (MIA), Kenardo Forbes (PIT), Bolu Akinyode (MIA), Aodhan Quinn (PHX), Rodrigo Lopez (SAC), Cristian Nava (NM)
• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board…
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.
