June 18, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla – The USL Championship revealed the Team of the Week for Week 15 of the 2024 season on Tuesday, with Tampa Bay Rowdies midfielder Pacifique Niyongabire earning a spot for his performance in the club’s dramatic 3-2 win over Louisville City FC.
With the match level heading into added time, the Rowdies needed a special moment to take all three points off of first-place Louisville. Niyongabire delivered with his second assist of the season, sending a pinpoint cross from the right edge of the box to set up attacker Damian Rivera for a right-footed volley into the back of the net. The Burundi international created two chances overall while completing 23 of 30 passes and winning 3 of 3 tackles and 10 of 13 ground duels defensively for the Rowdies versus Louisville.
This is the first Team of the Week selection for Niyongabire, who joined the Rowdies via transfer from Canadian Premier League side Valour FC in the offseason. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for the Rowdies in his first season, logging 719 minutes on the pitch for the Rowdies in 13 league appearances. Niyongabire missed out on Tampa Bay’s trip to North Carolina back in Week 3 of the campaign due to international duty with Burundi.
Born in Burundi, Niyongabire emigrated to Australia with his family at a young age. Two months before his 18th birthday in 2018, the creative winger made his professional debut for Adelaide United after developing in the A-League side’s youth system. Following several seasons with Adelaide United, he moved to Perth Glory FC for a two-season stint before moving to Canada to sign for Valour FC in 2023.
After the win over Louisville, the Rowdies sit fourth in the Eastern Conference standings with 25 points. The club heads to Connecticut this Friday to battle Hartford Athletic at Trinity Health Stadium. The match match will be available to stream on CBS Sports Golazo and SiriusXM FC Channel 157.
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 15
GK – Hunter Sulte, Indy Eleven: The 22-year-old goalkeeper recorded a key early penalty kick save as part of a two-save shutout that registered a -1.61 Goals Prevented mark as Indy won its eighth consecutive league outing with a 1-0 victory against San Antonio FC.
D – Triston Hodge, Hartford Athletic: The Trinidad and Tobago international notched one assist in his side’s 2-0 victory against…