ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (April 30, 2024) – The USL Championship announced the Team of the Week for Week 8 of the regular season on Tuesday, with Rowdies forward Cal Jennings earning his second selection of the season for his shift in the club’s 3-0 win over New Mexico United at Al Lang Stadium this past Saturday.
Rowdies forward Manuel Arteaga was also named to the Team of the Week bench for his performance versus New Mexico. Arteaga notched his fifth goal of the campaign in the 58th minute after assisting on Jennings’ second goal of the evening.
Jennings continued his hot start to the year with two goals within the first 20 minutes against New Mexico. In the 7th minute, a corner kick sent to the far post by midfielder Lewis Hilton was headed back across goal by defender Forrest Lasso and Jennings pounced on the delivery with a sliding finish past a crowd of defenders on New Mexico’s goal line.
In the 16th minute, Jennings and Arteaga combined to swarm the visitors into a giveaway that lead to another goal. Jennings pressured keeper Alex Tambakis into a short pass to the corner and then Arteaga swooped in to intercept the defender’s attempted clearance. Collecting the ball, Arteaga looked up to find an unmarked Jennings for a one-timed finish in the box.
Jennings now leads the Rowdies with six goals on the season. The Atlanta, Georgia native has bagged 25 total goals in 39 league appearances for the Rowdies since joining the club ahead of last season.
This Saturday, the Rowdies are on the road to face Memphis 901 FC. Kickoff is set for 4 pm ET, with the match available to stream on ESPN+ and SiriusXM FC Channel 157.
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 8
GK – Colin Shutler, Orange County SC: The 25-year-old posted a six-save shutout as Orange County took a 2-0 win against California rival Monterey Bay F.C., posting a Goals Prevented mark of -1.84 at Championship Soccer Stadium.
D – Mark Segbers, Charleston Battery: Segbers recorded one assist and completed 46 of 53 passes in the Battery’s victory against Las Vegas while defensively he notched 13 recoveries and three interceptions.
D – Pat Hogan, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: The center back scored the opening goal in the Hounds’ 2-0 victory against Detroit City FC and won 8 of 9 aerial duels while making six recoveries in a solid all-around display.
D – Ashish Chattha, Orange County SC: The 24-year-old recorded one assist and two chances created while completing 30 of 34 passes and defensively won 2 of 3 tackles and made three interceptions and 11 recoveries in OCSC’s victory against Monterey Bay F.C.
M – Jake Morris, Louisville City FC: The 25-year-old recorded two assists and had four chances created overall in LouCity’s 6-0 win against Hartford Athletic while also winning 2 of 3 tackles and 8 of 12 duels and completing 31 of 40 passes overall.
M – Aaron Molloy, Charleston Battery: The Irish standout scored a highlight-reel goal to cap Charleston’s victory against Las Vegas and completed 60 of 63 passes and had three chances created while winning 3 of 4 tackles and making 14 recoveries.
M – Emilio Ycaza, Charleston Battery: The 26-year-old had one assist, won a penalty kick and hit the woodwork while completing 23 of 27 passes and winning 8 of 10 duels in the Battery’s victory against Las Vegas.
M – Bruno Lapa, Memphis 901 FC: The Brazilian scored twice against former club Birmingham Legion FC on his two shots in the game and completed 32 of 39 passes as 901 FC claimed its first Southern Harm victory since September, 2021.
F – Nick Markanich, Charleston Battery: The 24-year-old became the first Battery player to record a four-goal game in the USL Championship era and the second to record four goals and one assist in a single game in Charleston’s 6-0 win against Las Vegas.
F – Cal Jennings, Tampa Bay Rowdies: The 26-year-old scored a pair of goals on four shots and completed 11 of 14 passes while winning 1 of 1 tackle and 2 of 2 duels defensively in the Rowdies’ 3-0 win against New Mexico United.
F – Kieran Phillips, Sacramento Republic FC: The English forward scored a pair of late goals after coming on with 17 minutes remaining to push Sacramento to a 3-1 victory against Loudoun United FC in his home debut for Republic FC.
Coach – James Chambers, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: Chambers earned his first victory as a Head Coach as the Switchbacks put in a flawless performance to pick up a 2-0 victory against Oakland Roots SC on Saturday night.
Bench: Tyler Deric (MEM), Lucas Turci (MEM), Callum Chapman-Page (IND), Danny Griffin (PIT), Emil Cuello (PHX), Maalique Foster (COS), Manuel Arteaga (TBR)
