TEAM OF THE WEEK | Fall Season Week 17

Tampa Bay Rowdies midfielder Richard Menjivar, New York Cosmos defender Ayoze, and Ottawa Fury FC midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic all scored key goals in the race to The Championship in Week 17 of the Fall Season. For their scores and overall performances, they were named to the Team of the Week.

The other standout performers from Week 17 are below:

GK: Matt Pickens (Tampa Bay Rowdies) – The Rowdies picked up a crucial three points against the Carolina RailHawks and Pickens held strong in Tampa Bay’s goal. The native of Missouri made three saves in the 1-0 win.

DEF: Johnny Borrajo (Fort Lauderdale Strikers) – Borrajo helped the Fort Lauderdale Strikers keep a clean sheet in a midweek draw with the San Antonio Scorpions. The New Jersey native then put in another solid shift against Indy Eleven, despite the 2-1 loss.

DEF: Mallan Roberts (FC Edmonton) – With time running out in the Eddies’ season, the Canadian international headed in the equalizer as Edmonton closed out its season with a point in a 1-1 draw. He helped limit the Armada FC attack, while the Eddies played the majority of the match a man down.

DEF: Ayoze (New York Cosmos) – With the Cosmos chasing the top seed in The Championship, the Spanish defender put in a top-class performance. Strong at the back, Ayoze scored a stunner from a set piece, which proved to be the winner, as New York defeated the San Antonio Scorpions, 2-1.

DEF: Colin Falvey (Ottawa Fury FC) – A key cog in Ottawa’s well-oiled defensive machine, the Irish defender was influential once more. He helped neutralize Jacksonville’s attack in a 3-1 win as Fury FC claimed the Fall Season title.

MID: Richard Menjivar (Tampa Bay Rowdies) – The Salvadorean international scored his first goal for the Rowdies at an important time of the season. Striking from distance, Menjivar’s tally lifted Tampa Bay to a 1-0 win and into the fourth and final postseason spot heading into the final weekend. He was also named Player of the Week.

MID: Billy Forbes (San Antonio Scorpions) – The Turks and Caicos international caused problems for the Cosmos back line and got on the scoresheet after picking up a ball in the box and slotting it past Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer.

MID: Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Ottawa Fury FC) – With Fury FC on the cusp of claiming the club’s first silverware, the Bosnian midfielder tallied the game-winner against Jacksonville Armada FC. While a draw would have been enough, Ubiparipovic helped put the game to bed with a chipped effort to give Ottawa a 2-1 lead in a match that ended 3-1.

MID: Kalif Alhassan (Minnesota United) – The Ghanaian midfielder was a spark plug for the Loons again in a 1-0 win against the Atlanta Silverbacks. Alhassan drew the penalty that teammate Christian Ramirez converted, and was a tireless worker down the left flank for Minnesota.

FWD: Brian Brown (Indy Eleven) – For the second straight week the Jamaican international added a goal in an Indy victory. Brown nodded in Dylan Mares’ cross for the game-winner to imperil the Fort Lauderdale Strikers’ postseason hopes.

FWD: Jemal Johnson (Jacksonville Armada FC) – Johnson wreaked havoc on the FC Edmonton defense throughout the match, and he helped the Armada FC get on the scoresheet in the draw with the Eddies. It was the native of New Jersey’s cross that was deflected in off Edmonton defender Albert Watson.