ST. PETERSBURG, FL – On Tuesday, the USL Championship announced the Team of the Week for Week 21 of the season, with two Tampa Bay Rowdies making the cut. Rowdies midfielder Charlie Dennis and defender Forrest Lasso both earned Team of the Week honors for their performances in the club’s 3-0 win over FC Tulsa.
This is Dennis’ sixth selection to the Team of the Week so far in 2023. The English midfielder bagged an assist and a goal in Tampa Bay’s victory versus Tulsa while also completing 32 of his 35 pass attempts on the night. Dennis has now recorded two assists and seven goals for the Rowdies, putting him behind only JJ Williams and Cal Jennings, who each have eight goals.
Lasso makes his first appearance on the Team of the Week this season. The three-time USL Championship Defender of the Year opened the scoring for Tampa Bay against Tulsa for his first tally of 2023 with a header off a corner-kick delivery from Dennis. Lasso was a persistent aerial threat throughout the match, winning all eight of his aerial duels and registering four headers on target off of set pieces.
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 21
GK – Paul Blanchette, Oakland Roots SC: Blanchette recorded 12 saves across two games, conceding only once for a -2.26 goals-minus-expected goals mark, as Oakland took four points to move into third place in the Western Conference.
D – Oscar Jimenez, Louisville City FC: The veteran defender recorded a pair of assists – surpassing 30 regular season assists for his career – and had five chances created overall while completing 7 of 13 crosses in LouCity’s 2-0 victory against Indy Eleven on Saturday night.
D – Forrest Lasso, Tampa Bay Rowdies: The three-time Championship Defender of the Year scored the opening goal in Tampa Bay’s 3-0 victory against FC Tulsa and had four shots overall as a set piece threat while winning 8 of 8 aerial duels and completing 51 of 58 passes.
D – Derek Dodson, Charleston Battery: Dodson scored the stoppage game-winner as the Battery rallied for a 2-1 victory against Birmingham Legion FC on Saturday and completed 28 of 35 passes and made four clearances and five recoveries defensively.
M – Jorge Hernandez, San Antonio FC: The 2021 All-League selection recorded two assists and seven chances created in San Antonio’s 5-2 victory against Hartford Athletic while completing 31 of 38 passes overall, winning 6 of 11 duels, and recording two interceptions and six recoveries.
M – Taylor Davila, Rio Grande Valley FC: Davila scored a pair of goals to lead the Toros to a 5-2 victory against Copa Tejas rival El Paso Locomotive FC while recording five shots overall and completing 31 of 36 passes at H-E-B Park.
M – Charlie Dennis, Tampa Bay Rowdies: The English midfielder recorded a goal and assist to help lead the Rowdies to a 3-0 win against FC Tulsa and completed 32 of 35 passes overall while recording three chances created and two shots while winning 3 of 5 duels defensively.
M – Jack Gurr, Sacramento Republic FC: Gurr recorded one goal and one assist in Sacramento’s 4-0 victory on Wednesday night against Phoenix Rising FC and across two games completed 37 of 55 passes while helping the side claim a pair of victories.
F – Tani Oluwaseyi, San Antonio FC: Oluwasyi recorded a four-goal game in San Antonio’s 5-2 victory against Hartford Athletic on Saturday night, the first since the 2019 season, and recorded 10 shots overall while notching three chances created and completing 4 of 4 dribbles.
F – Russell Cicerone, Sacramento Republic FC: Cicerone recorded two goals and one assist across two victories for Republic FC against Phoenix Rising FC and Las Vegas Lights FC while recording four shots on target and four chances created overall.
F – Augustine Williams, Charleston Battery: The Sierra Leone international notched both assists as Charleston rallied for a 2-1 victory against Birmingham Legion FC while completing 15 of 17 passes in a solid all-around display.
Bench: Rocco Rios Novo (PHX), Paco Craig (MIA), Joe Farrell (PIT), Rida Zouhir (SA), Keko (SAC), Milan Iloski (OC), Wilmer Cabrera Jr. (RGV)
