May 14, 2024 – United Soccer League One (USL1) News Release
TAMPA, Fla. – USL League One today announced the Team of the Round for Round 2 of the 2024 USL Jägermeister Cup with Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC midfielder Bruno Rendón named Player of the Round presented by Konami eFootball with his two goals and one assist.
After kicking off the season with just two wins across all competitions, Northern Colorado finally started to look like the Hailstorm of old with a 5-1 dismantling of One Knoxville SC on Saturday thanks in large part to a three-goal-contribution day from Bruno Rendón. While typically playing defensively as a fullback, Rendón has taken advantage of a recent shift higher up the pitch into more of an attacking role. While unable to notch a goal contribution across his first six matches of the season, Rendón has recorded four across his last 180 minutes of play.
“I’m just trying my best to help the team, but I’m really enjoying playing further forward,” Rendón said.
In Knoxville, Rendón registered goals in the 22nd – the eventual match-winner – and 32nd minute to confirm a 10-minute brace before assisting Haruki Yamazaki’s goal in the 63rd minute. The Cuban’s two-goal, one-assist outing matched the most goal contributions across his three-year professional career since recording an identical stat line in Knoxville on July 11, 2023. With four goals in four meetings with Knoxville, no player has scored more goals against the club than Rendón across its three years of existence.
“I definitely saw the results coming,” Hailstorm Head Coach Éamon Zayed said. “This is the biggest winning margin in club history; obviously, it’s fantastic and shows what this group is capable of.
“It’s not about individuals tonight. It’s about the whole group, the whole team. Everybody pulling together, and once we come together you’ll see more results like that.”
In total, 10 of the 12 teams in action earned representation on the Team of the Round. Northern Colorado led all teams with five players earning a spot on the Team of the Round, while Spokane, Greenville and Omaha saw multiple players recognized.
COACH – Éamon Zayed, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC: After starting his third season at Northern Colorado with a 2-3-3 record across all competitions, Zayed and his squad finally grabbed their first win in USL competition – a 5-1 thrashing of Knoxville which serves as Northern Colorado’s largest win in club history and Knoxville’s largest loss in…