August 29, 2022 – United Soccer League One (USL1) News Release
TAMPA, Fla. – USL League One today announced the Team of the Week for Week 22 of the 2022 regular season with Richmond Kickers midfielder Jonathan Bolanos named Player of the Week for the second time this season. Picking up a goal and two assists in Richmond’s victory over Omaha, Bolanos helped lead the Kickers back to the top of the table.
“I think having that aggressiveness helped in my approach tonight,” Bolanos mentioned. “That mentality of going forward every time I have the ball, to beat my defender and create a chance for the team. It’s what I have been trying to do every game coming back from that second injury. That’s been the mentality ever since I came back and to continue producing on the stats sheet.”
In the first match in which he recorded both a goal and assist, Bolanos got started early as he raced down the pitch in the 20th minute and stabbed the ball into the middle of the box. Moments later, Bolanos gathered the rebounded ball and tapped it home for the opening score. Bolanos wrapped up the big Kickers win with a pair of assists dished out to Emiliano Terzaghi in the 70th and 75th minute which the Argentine attacker easily converted.
“We wanted to play soccer tonight, we wanted to play through the lines, and we proved that we could do that against a very good team that’s won a championship,” Kickers Chief Sporting Officer and Head Coach Darren Sawatzky said. “We’re going to build on that complete game and move on to the next because in this league anything can happen.
“I told the guys to enjoy the win, they deserve it. But this is only the beginning, not the end. We’ve been working very hard to put a complete game together and this is the closest we’ve been to that. This is just the start of things. We have at least seven games left to take care of and hopefully more to go.”
The Richmond Kickers fittingly place three players on the Team of the Week after downing Union Omaha 3-0 and ending the Owls’ record-breaking 11-match unbeaten streak. South Georgia Tormenta FC and Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC place two on the Team of the Week following an impressive 2-0 victory, respectively. North Carolina FC, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, the Charlotte Independence and FC Tucson round out the list with one player each.
GK – Will Pulisic, North Carolina FC: Across a pair of Week 22 draws, Pulisic racked up eight saves and conceded just one goal in the process. Pulisic led the league…