Two Legion FC Players Named to All-League Teams
November 1, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Birmingham Legion FC News Release
TAMPA, Fla. – The USL Championship announced the 2022 USL Championship All-League Teams on Tuesday, honoring players for their standout regular season performances. Birmingham Legion FC attacker Enzo Martinez landed on the All-League First Team, and defender Jonny Dean was named to the All-League Second Team.
In his first season with the club, Martinez has become a legend in Birmingham. Martinez’s feature in the USL First Team surely comes as a surprise to no one across the Championship, with the main man earning six USL Team of the Week appearances and twice being named USL Player of the Week in 2022.
He led the Three Sparks in goals (15), assists (eight), chances created (70), shots (68), and shots on target (37). His 23 combined goals and assists were good for fifth-most in the USLC and accounted for exactly half of Legion FC’s 56 goals in the regular season.
“Hotlinks” Dean is known league-wide for his pace and diligence, and with six Team of the Week appearances on the season, the speedy right-back rightfully earned a place in the USL Second Team. The Georgia boy impressively was second on the team in chances created (56) a tally good for first place in the league amongst defenders. He was also first on the team in crosses (91), third in assists (five), and scored two goals.
On the defensive side of the things, Dean was second on the team in blocks (22), third in clearances (74), third in interceptions (47), and tied for third in tackles (60). Finally, Dean was the only outfield player in the USLC regular season to play every minute of every match, and after his full 90 in the playoff game, finished the year on 3,180 minutes played.
Seven first-time selections were voted to the Championship’s All-League First Team, including the San Antonio duo of goalkeeper Jordan Farr and defender Mitchell Taintor, who helped the side equal the league’s single season record of 17 shutouts in the regular season. Louisville City FC’s Sean Totsch was the lone player to return to the First Team from 2021 as he earned a third consecutive selection overall, while the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Aaron Guillen earned First Team honors after being voted to the All-League Second Team in 2021.
Guillen was joined in the First Team by first-time honoree and Tampa Bay teammate Leo Fernandes, who led the Championship with 28 combined goals and assists in a career year that saw him pass 150 overall appearances in Rowdies colors. Memphis 901 FC midfielder Aaron Molloy and forward Phillip Goodrum were also first-time honorees, but there was also room for returning veterans with Birmingham Legion FC’s Enzo Martinez earning a First Team nod for the first time since 2017, and Sacramento Republic FC’s Rodrigo Lopez for the first time since 2014.
Seven players voted to the 2022 USL Championship All-League Team could be in action this weekend in the 2022 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Hisense, with No. 1 seed Louisville City FC hosting the No. 3 seed Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET and No. 1 seed San Antonio FC hosting No. 3 seed Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in the Western Conference Final on Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The 2022 USL Championship All-League Team was voted on by club management and a league-wide media panel that included representation from every USL market.
2022 USL Championship All-League First Team
GK – Jordan Farr, San Antonio FC (1st selection) – A new arrival in San Antonio this season, Farr equaled the Championship’s individual single-season shutout record with 15 clean sheets while posting a save percentage of 75.8 percent and a 0.78 goals-against average.
D – Aaron Guillen, Tampa Bay Rowdies (2nd selection) – Guillen built on a stellar 2021 campaign as the anchor to the Rowdies’ defense, playing all-but 25 minutes of the regular season while posting a duel success rate of 66.4 percent, an aerial duels success rate of 68.7 percent, and ranking second in the league with 1,819 passes completed.
D – Edgardo Rito, Oakland Roots SC (1st selection) – The Venezuelan wingback was a stellar two-way performer as Roots SC reached the postseason for a second consecutive season, recording five goals and seven assists and making 33 interceptions defensively.
D – Mitchell Taintor, San Antonio FC (1st selection) – The Connecticut native was central to San Antonio equaling the Championship’s single-season shutout record with 17 in the regular season as he won 85 of 128 aerial duels (66.4 percent) and made 72 interceptions while recording five goals as a set piece threat.
D – Sean Totsch, Louisville City FC (3rd selection) – The three-time title winner set a Championship single-season record for defenders with nine goals in the regular season and was key in LouCity’s center of defense, posting a 68 percent success rate on aerial duels and recording 34 interceptions.
M – Enzo Martinez, Birmingham Legion FC (3rd selection) – The veteran earned his third First Team selection after a gap of five years from his second after leading Legion FC in both goals (15) and assists (8), which ranked Martinez fifth in the league in combined goals and assists, while also recording 177 recoveries in midfield.
M – Aaron Molloy, Memphis 901 FC (1st selection) – Nominated for the 2021 USL League One MVP award last season, Molloy made an impressive step up a level as he tied for second in the league with 10 assists and posted 72 chances created while winning 206 duels at a success rate of 64.4 percent and ranking second in the league with 258 recoveries.
M – Rodrigo Lopez, Sacramento Republic FC (3rd selection) – The Republic FC legend proved a catalyst for the club’s success both in the league and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Lopez finished tied for the club lead with seven goals in the regular season while also notching eight assists and 59 chances created.
F – Leo Fernandes, Tampa Bay Rowdies (1st selection) – The Rowdies stalwart produced a career season that saw him lead the Championship with a combined 28 goals and assists, including a team-best 19 goals, while recording a 29.2 shot conversion rate, a 58.8 percent shooting accuracy mark, and 54 chances created in the attacking third.
F – Phillip Goodrum, Memphis 901 FC (1st selection) – The Tennessee native finished second in the Championship with 21 goals in his first season at 901 FC, setting a club record while averaging a goal every 121 minutes, and also notched five assists on 24 chances created and 48 shots on target.
F – Milan Iloski, Orange County SC (1st selection) – The California native claimed the Championship’s Golden Boot with 22 regular season goals, tying the league’s single-season mark for goals outside the penalty area with eight, as he led the league with 107 shots and averaged a goal every 118.1 minutes.
2022 USL Championship All-League Second Team
GK – Kyle Morton, Louisville City FC (1st selection) – Formerly a two-time nominee for Goalkeeper of the Year, Morton claimed the Championship’s Golden Glove with a goals-against average of 0.74 and notched 13 shutouts and a 72.2 save percentage in 28 regular-season appearances.
D – Wahab Ackwei, Rio Grande Valley FC (1st selection) – The Ghanaian center back played a key role in the Toros’ advancing to the postseason for a second consecutive year, winning 62.1 percent of duels and recording 41 interceptions and 81 clearances while notching two goals and four assists.
D – Paco Craig, Miami FC (5th selection) – The veteran earned his fifth selection in the past six seasons as he helped Miami equal the Championship’s single-season record with 17 shutouts, recording 111 clearances and winning 67.6 percent of duels and 65.7 percent of aerial duels.
D – Jonathan Dean, Birmingham Legion FC (1st selection) – Now in his third season in Birmingham, Dean was the lone outfield player in the league to play every minute of the regular season this campaign as he recorded two goals, five assists and 56 chances created in attack and made 45 interceptions and 67 clearances defensively.
D – Graham Smith, Memphis 901 FC (1st selection) – The Colorado native ranked fourth in the Championship with 134 clearances, posted a 59.9 duel success rate and scored four goals to help lead Memphis defensively to its best regular season in the club’s history and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
M – Alejandro Guido, San Diego Loyal SC (1st selection) – A San Diego native, Guido provided a driving two-way force in SD Loyal’s best regular season yet, recording five goals, three assists and 35 chances created while recording 176 recoveries and completing 78 percent of his passes in the center of the park.
M – Cam Lindley, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (1st selection) – A new arrival for the Switchbacks, Lindley led the Championship with 94 chances created as his influence in open play and on set pieces resulted in nine assists and an 80 percent pass completion rate. Lindley also recorded 205 recoveries and 36 interceptions in a solid all-around campaign.
M – Kenardo Forbes, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (6th selection) – Earning his fifth consecutive All-League selection, the Jamaican finished tied for second in the Championship with 10 assists while passing 50 regular-season helpers for his career. Forbes also recorded 216 recoveries and had a passing completion rate of 80 percent as he appeared in every game of the regular season.
F – Hadji Barry, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (3rd selection) – The Championship’s MVP a season ago, Barry was in the middle of another stellar campaign before his league-record transfer to Future FC in the Egyptian Premier League with 16 goals, nine assists and a 26.7 shot conversion rate.
F – Ottar Magnus Karlsson, Oakland Roots SC (1st selection) – The Icelandic forward – on loan from Italian club Venezia F.C. – recorded 19 goals for Roots SC at a strike rate of a goal every 135.7 minutes and had a shooting accuracy rate of 53.2 percent. Karlsson led the league with 12 second-half goals, including five in the final 15 minutes or stoppage time of games.
F – Augustine Williams, Charleston Battery (2nd selection) – The Sierra Leone international was a bright spot for the Battery in 2022 as he recorded an individual best 16 goals and ranked second in the league with 104 shots overall. Williams’ 16 tallies were the most regular season goals by a Battery player in the club’s USL Championship era.
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