ST. PETERSBURG, FL – On Tuesday, the USL Championship announced two Tampa Bay Rowdies players were named to the league’s Team of The Week for their performance in the club’s 2-0 win against Memphis 901 FC at Al Lang Stadium over the weekend. Up front, attacker Jake LaCava bagged two goals to earn the league-wide honor, while Laurence Wyke was recognized with a Team of the Week selection for his shift on the back line in Week 17’s clean sheet victory.
LaCava went two for two with his only shots of the night against Memphis to carry the Rowdies to victory – burying his first just three minutes into the match before adding a second in the 19th minute. With the brace, LaCava now leads the Rowdies with 9 goals on the season and is three back of the current league leader, Orange County SC’s Milan Iloski.
Wyke played an integral role in Tampa Bay’s defense limiting Memphis to just one shot on target all night. Playing on the right side of the back line, Wyke won 9 of 12 duels and recorded eight recoveries as the Rowdies posted their fifth shutout of the season. Saturday’s match versus Memphis was Wyke’s 50th appearance for the Rowdies in all competitions since he joined the club at the start of the 2021 season.
This is Wyke’s second Team of the Week selection of the 2022 campaign and LaCava first. Leo Fernandes, Lewis Hilton, Juan Tejada, and CJ Cochran have all earned a spot on the Team of the Week this year, as well.
The Championship’s Player of the Week is selected by the USL National Media Panel, which is made up of representatives from each media market in the Championship. View the full USL Championship Team of the Week below.
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 17
GK – Connor Sparrow, Miami FC: Sparrow recorded a five-save shutout to preserve a 1-0 victory for Miami on the road against Indy Eleven while producing a -1.13 Goals minus Expected Goals mark to send his side into the playoff positions in the Eastern Conference.
D – Laurence Wyke, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Wyke helped the Rowdies’ back line contain Memphis 901 FC’s attack in a 2-0 victory at Al Lang Stadium, winning 9 of 12 duels and recording eight recoveries while completing 2 of 2 dribbles and 39 of 50 passes.
D – Owen Lambe, LA Galaxy II: Lambe earned his second consecutive selection as he recorded one assist, had two chances created, completed 53 of 56 passes and 2 of 2 dribbles, and made three clearances in Los Dos’ 3-1 victory against Oakland Roots SC on Friday night.
D – Joshua Wynder, Louisville City FC: The 17-year-old U.S. youth international scored his first professional goal and completed 44 of 50 passes while making seven clearances and six recoveries in LouCity’s 2-1 victory against Birmingham Legion FC.
M – Robbie Mertz, Atlanta United 2: Mertz recorded both assists on Tristan Trager’s goals against El Paso Locomotive FC on Saturday night and completed 31 of 32 passes while winning 7 of 10 duels in the 2-2 draw at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
M – Alejandro Guido, San Diego Loyal SC: The San Diego native scored both goals, recorded three shots overall and completed 15 of 20 passes to lead SD Loyal to a 2-1 victory against Orange County SC on Wednesday night.
M – Kenardo Forbes, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Forbes became the first player to reach 50 regular season assists in the USL Championship’s history and played a role in the Hounds’ second goal as well while making five interceptions and seven recoveries in Pittsburgh’s 3-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls II.
M – Andre Lewis, Hartford Athletic: Lewis bagged a goal against former club Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and had three shots and two chances created overall while completing 37 of 46 passes in a 2-0 victory for Hartford at Trinity Health Stadium.
F – Tristan Trager, Atlanta United 2: The 22-year-old recorded four goals across two games, scoring twice against both the Charleston Battery and El Paso Locomotive FC as Atlanta picked up four points across the week’s action.
F – Jake LaCava, Tampa Bay Rowdies: The 21-year-old scored both goals as the Rowdies earned a 2-0 victory against Memphis 901 FC on his two shots for the game to remain in the hunt for the Eastern Conference lead.
F – Milan Iloski, Orange County SC: Iloski scored three goals across two games to move into the lead in the USL Championship’s Golden Boot race and had four shots and two chances created while completing 3 of 6 dribbles over the two outings.
Bench: Javier Garcia (RGV), Fabien Garcia (SA), Josh Drack (LA), Daniel Petersen (OC), Hadji Barry (COS), Russell Cicerone (PIT), Cameron Dunbar (LA)
