2013 USL PRO Championship Awards
The 2013 USL PRO Championship Award ceremony was held this afternoon at the Amway Center in Orlando. Officials and representatives of USL PRO together with both teams and coaches from Orlando City Soccer Club and Charlotte Eagles ahead of the USL PRO Championsip match to be played tomorrow night at the Citrus Bowl.
USL President Tim Holt (pictured above left) started proceedings before Orlando City President Phil Rawlins (pictured above right) and Charlotte Eagles President Patrick Stewart (pictured top left picture) addressed the audience as they recapped their respective seasons. Mark Steffans, Head Coach of the Charlotte Eagles and Adrian Heath, Head Coach of Orlando City (pictured below left)then held court and paid respects to the performances of both teams over the season in reaching the Championship match. An award for outstanding service was then given to Eagles’ General Manager Tom Engstrom (pictured below right) before Chris Economides, Senior Director of USL PRO handed out the 2013 awards.
The awards included Coach of the Year, Defender of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year and 2013 Most Valuable Player. Voting for the awards was conducted by USL PRO team management and went as follows:
Most Valuable Player – Jose Angulo, Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Angulo had a standout season for the Riverhounds as he led the league with 34 points and finished tied for the league lead with 15 goals. The first player to score at Pittsburgh’s new Highmark Stadium, Angulo had a role in more than half the Riverhounds’ 36 regular-season goals as he led the side to the USL PRO Playoffs.
Rookie of the Year – Nate Robinson, Richmond Kickers
A trialist at the Kickers’ preseason combine, Robinson quickly became a key figure in the regular-season champions’ success as he finished his rookie season with four goals and a team-high nine assists. Robinson’s delivery from the flanks and on set pieces provided outstanding service to Richmond’s front-runners as the Kickers scored 50 goals in a regular season for the first time since 2006.
Defender of the Year – Colin Falvey, Charleston Battery
The Battery’s captain was instrumental in Charleston’s strong performances in USL PRO, with the club conceding just 29 goals in 26 games. Named the team’s Most Valuable Player, Falvey appeared in every game of the season, missing just 34 minutes of action, while also scoring two goals and adding an assist. He also scored the game-winning goal in the Battery’s victory against defending MLS Supporter’s Shield holder the San Jose Earthquakes in the U.S. Open Cup.
Goalkeeper of the Year – Andrew Dykstra, Richmond Kickers
Dykstra was at the heart of a Kickers defense that conceded the fewest goals in USL PRO throughout the season. The league-leader in goals-against average and shutouts, Dykstra made 75 saves in 21 appearances on loan from D.C. United, with a number of them allowing the Kickers’ historic 22-game undefeated streak to continue as Richmond won the USL PRO Regular Season Championship.
Coach of the Year – Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers
In the first season of the club’s partnership with D.C. United, Cowlishaw did a masterful job of combining a veteran core with a new crop of youngsters that shone throughout the season. The Kickers set a new USL PRO record by going 22 games without defeat, with contributions coming from all over the field. Richmond scored more than twice the number of goals it conceded, and clinched the club’s sixth regular-season championship with a game to spare.
USL PRO then honored the top performers from the 2013 regular season today, naming the All-League First and Second Teams as chosen through a vote of team management. Orlando City and the Charlotte Eagles were both represented on the All-League teams with Orlando having three players on the first team, led by forward Dom Dwyer (pictured above right), who shared in the league’s Golden Boot with fellow first-teamer Jose Angulo of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Defender Rob Valentino (pictured above left) and midfielder Jamie Watson (pictured above center) also represented Orlando City on the first team, while Charlotte midfield star Jorge Herrera earned second-team honors.
The regular-season champion Richmond Kickers lead all teams with four players selected to the All-League teams, with Orlando City, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and the Harrisburg City Islanders next in line with three selections each. The Charleston Battery and Los Angeles Blues each had two players honored, while the Eagles, Dayton Dutch Lions, Rochester Rhinos, Wilmington Hammerheads and VSI Tampa Bay FC had one each.
2013 USL PRO All-League First Team
GK – Andrew Dykstra, Richmond Kickers
D – Colin Falvey, Charleston Battery
D – Henry Kalungi, Richmond Kickers
D – Rob Valentino, Orlando City
D – William Yomby, Richmond Kickers
MF – Matt Dallman, Pittsburgh Riverhounds
MF – Joseph Ngwenya, Richmond Kickers
MF – Jamie Watson, Orlando City
F – Jose Angulo, Pittsburgh Riverhounds
F – Dom Dwyer, Orlando City
F – Sainey Touray, Harrisburg City Islanders
2013 USL PRO All-League Second Team
GK – Nick Noble, Harrisburg City Islanders
D – Danny Earls, Rochester Rhinos
D – Josh Rife, VSI Tampa Bay FC
D – Andrew Marshall, Pittsburgh Riverhounds
D – Daniel Steres, Wilmington Hammerheads
MF – Michael Azira, Charleston Battery
MF – George Davis IV, Los Angeles Blues
MF – Jorge Herrera, Charlotte Eagles
F – Gibson Bardsley, Dayton Dutch Lions
F – Matt Fondy, Los Angeles Blues
F – Lucky Mkosana, Harrisburg City Islanders
More photos from the event at www.FloridaLeisurePhotography.com and here’s some video…
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