TAMPA, Fla. – USL League One today announced the Team of the Week for Week 5 of the 2024 regular season with Greenville Triumph SC midfielder Lyam MacKinnon named Player of the Week presented by Konami eFootball with his brace against Northern Colorado.
The League One leader in goals (3) and shots (10) following a special outing against Northern Colorado, Lyam MacKinnon bagged a brace - his second in as many matches for Greenville across all competitions - to confirm Triumph SC's return to the top of the table. The highest-scoring Swiss player in league history, the 24-year-old winger scored twice and won a penalty just three days after recording a brace against One Knoxville SC in U.S. Open Cup play. MacKinnon - who developed at FC Lausanne-Sport and Villanova University - has been named USL League One Player of the Week for the third time since his debut professional campaign a season ago.
"This team has an unbelievable mentality, you can see it every day in training; we have great leadership," MacKinnon said. "Guys that have been here before understand the culture and they give it to us, the younger guys, and we try to learn it and keep it up."
"Winning is always better than losing," Greenville Head Coach Rick Wright said. "At the same time, I think they have adapted well to the fact that we do have a great process and a great culture, and they believe that we're doing the right thing. When they've got belief, anything is possible. Someone's going to win a championship this year, why not us?"
South Georgia's big 3-0 victory over Lexington earns the Ibises a week-high four starters named to the Team of the Week; Greenville's 3-1 victory over Northern Colorado earned Triumph SC a league-leading six players named to the Team of the Week and Team of the Week bench. Dominated by players from the three winning clubs in Week 5 - Greenville, South Georgia and Richmond - five of six clubs in action earned representation on the Team of the Week.
COACH - Ian Cameron, South Georgia Tormenta FC: South Georgia dismantled Lexington, 3-0, on Saturday evening at Tormenta Stadium. Despite accruing the fewest touches on the week (547), Ian Cameron's Ibises led the league in expected goals (2.01) and goal differential (+3), registered the lowest expected-goals-against value (0.46) and were the only team to keep a clean sheet in Week 5.
GK - Ford Parker, South Georgia Tormenta FC: The only goalkeeper to record a clean sheet in Week 5, the league's leader in saves completed 80% of his passes, tallied 10 recoveries and made one save in a shutout victory against Lexington. Parker led all six goalkeepers with a -0.03 goals-minus-expected-goals mark and a 0.21 goals-added value on the week, per American Soccer Analysis.
D - Simon Fitch, Richmond Kickers: The 25-year-old Richmond native tallied his first assist of the season on the Kickers' first goal of the match. Fitch also earned three recoveries, created a pair of chances and completed 78% of his passes.
D - Jake Dengler, South Georgia Tormenta FC: Dengler recorded his first assist since September 2022 with a corner kick service to Sebastián Vivas for South Georgia’s third goal of the match. The defender also contributed to Tormenta FC's clean-sheet victory with five clearances, five recoveries, three duels won, a league-leading two blocks and an 83% passing completion rate.
D - Lucky Opara, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC: After opening the scoring for the Hailstorm in the U.S. Open Cup, the Nigerian defender netted Northern Colorado's first goal in league play with a 64th-minute goal in Greenville. Opara completed 84% of his passes, reeled in three recoveries, won two duels and registered one chance created.
D - Jamie Smith, Greenville Triumph SC: The Walsall FC youth product and North Carolina State University standout was tied for the league lead in duels won with 12 and led all players with eight clearances. Smith helped his side limit Northern Colorado to just one goal with an additional three recoveries and two tackles won.
M - Adrian Billhardt, Richmond Kickers: Billhardt was integral to Richmond's come-from-behind victory over Central Valley on Saturday, scoring the match-winning goal - his second score of the season - in the 61st minute at City Stadium. The BFC Dynamo and 1. FC Union Berlin youth product completed 90% of his passes, won 11 duels, tallied six recoveries, completed four dribbles, won three tackles and won three fouls. Billhardt's 0.36 goals added were tied for the most on the week, according to American Soccer Analysis.
M - Pedro Fonseca, South Georgia Tormenta FC: Fonseca won a penalty and subsequently scored his first goal of the season to help South Georgia to a big home victory over Lexington. The Fluminense FC youth talent and University of Louisville star won three duels and registered a clearance, interception and recovery across 63 minutes of action.
M - Lyam MacKinnon, Greenville Triumph SC: Greenville's young Swiss star is off to a stellar start to 2024, recording back-to-back braces across Triumph SC's last two matches. MacKinnon helped Greenville return to the top of the table with one penalty won, eight duels won, five recoveries and three fouls won. MacKinnon's 0.36 goals added were tied for the most on the week, according to American Soccer Analysis.
M - Chandler O’Dwyer, Richmond Kickers: Just five matches into his third professional season, O'Dwyer has already surpassed his career-high two goals scored a season ago after bagging a brace in Richmond’s 3-2 victory against Central Valley. The 25-year-old midfielder won seven duels, won three fouls and created two chances.
F - Leo Castro, Greenville Triumph SC: Castro's 81st career goal confirmed Greenville's 3-1 victory over Northern Colorado on Saturday. The 34-year-old completed 79% of his passes, won eight duels, and registered a pair of recoveries and clearances.
F - Gabriel Rodríguez, South Georgia Tormenta FC: After spending the majority of his career in USL League Two with South Georgia Tormenta FC 2, Des Moines Menace and South Carolina United FC, Rodríguez's first professional season has gotten off to a hot start with two goals and one assist in five league matches. The 27-year-old Colombian scored South Georgia's match-winning goal against Lexington on Saturday and completed 83% of his passes in his second consecutive League One start.
BENCH: Christian Garner (GVL), Nick Akoto (TRM), Tyler Polak (GVL), Jackson Khoury (TRM), Nil Vinyals (RIC), Zion Scarlett (GVL), Zahir Vazquez (CV)