Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Edward Kizza earns Player of the Week award after one goal, one assists in Hounds’ first win of season

TAMPA, Fla. – The USL Championship announced the Team of the Week for Week 7 of the 2024 regular season on Tuesday, with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC forward Edward Kizza voted the Championship Player of the Week presented by Konami eFootball after he recorded a goal and assist to lead the Hounds to a 3-1 victory against Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday night to claim their first win of the campaign.

Currently in his second full season with the Hounds, the Ugandan forward played the leading role as the 2023 Championship Players’ Shield winners visited 2023 Championship title winner Rising FC. Kizza set up Pittsburgh’s opening goal in the 26th minute with a brilliant heel-flick inside the penalty area that dropped the ball into the path of Kazaiah Sterling for the opening goal of the game. He then scored what proved to be the game-winning goal just past the hour-mark, tucking home a close-range finish after a clever move into the penalty area.

Kizza originally joined the Hounds on loan from the New England Revolution late in the 2022 season and memorably scored twice as Pittsburgh earned victory on the road against Birmingham Legion FC in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of that season’s USL Championship Playoffs. The 25-year-old has started all six games of the current season as the Hounds look for a seventh consecutive trip to the postseason after a slow start to the campaign.

“I think our movements and ideas are much better,” said Hounds Head Coach Bob Lilley of his side’s breakout performance. “We showed that against Tampa Bay and showed it this weekend against Phoenix. At some point this year, every team will go through a stretch where they go four or five games when they struggle to score goals. Clearly, we’re playing better in the last three games than the first three, and that’s the journey we’re on, to try and be better in the next three games.”

Kizza earned 45 percent of the ballot to claim the award. The Charleston Battery’s MD Myers finished second on 36 percent after scoring a pair of goals as the Battery took a 4-1 victory against FC Tulsa to remain undefeated at the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

The Championship’s Player of the Week is selected by the USL National Media Panel, which is made up of representatives from each media market in the Championship.

USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 7

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