ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (October 21) – The USL Championship revealed the Team of the Week for Week 33 of the regular season on Tuesday, with Tampa Bay Rowdies midfielder earning a spot for his stellar showing in the club’s 3-2 win over Hartford Athletic.
This mark’s Mendez’s first inclusion on the Team of the Week since the California native signed with the Rowdies in September. Mendez has been a key figure in the resurgence of the Rowdies attack over the last month. Since his debut seven matches ago, the Rowdies have recorded 18 goals. Prior to that, the Rowdies had only registered 24 goals through 22 league matches.
Mendez helped break open the scoring for the Rowdies in a must-win match against Hartford last week, picking out Manuel Arteaga in the 8th minute with long pass from deep within Tampa Bay’s defensive end. The assist is Mendez’s third for the Rowdies, tying him for the second most on the squad.
In the second half, Mendez nabbed his first goal for the Rowdies in world-class fashion to seal the victory. After intercepting a pass from Hartford, the midfielder lined up and delivered a strike from over 30 yards out from goal that clipped the inside of the far post before nestling into the back of the net.
Tampa Bay’s win against Hartford set the stage for a dramtic regular season finale against Detroit City FC this Saturday, October 25 at Al Lang Stadium. To secure a playoff spot, the Rowdies must beat Detroit by two goals or more and have Indy Eleven lose or draw in their finale against Orange County SC. Kickoff for the Rowdies showdown with Detroit is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 33
GK – Colin Shutler, Orange County SC
D – Sean Suber, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
D – Gagi Margvelashvili, Oakland Roots SC
D – Jonathan Ricketts, Miami FC
M – Alex Méndez, Tampa Bay Rowdies
M – Aaron Molloy, Charleston Battery
M – Marcus Epps, Lexington SC
M – Jackson Wälti, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
F – Michee Ngalina, Hartford Athletic
F – Peter Wilson, Oakland Roots SC
F – Bruno Rendón, Indy Eleven
Coach – Ben Pirmann, Charleston Battery
Bench – Koke Vegas (RI), Guillaume Vacter (PIT), Duke Lacroix (COS), Blaine Ferri (LEX), Jansen Wilson (LOU), Diego Mercado (MIA), Mukwelle Akale (NM)
