Swope Park Rangers defender James Musa has been named to the USL Team of the Week for Week 2. Musa led the Rangers defense to their first shutout of the 2017 season with their 1-0 victory over Portland Timbers 2 last Wednesday.
While the Rangers took all three points behind Kharlton Belmar’s early strike, it was Musa and the SPR defense that kept Timbers 2 off the board for the remainder of the game. The 25-year-old posted eight clearances and four interceptions while completing 90.4 percent of his passes from the backline.
Musa spent the last two seasons in the USL playing with Saint Louis FC before joining the Rangers in the offseason. He was making his first appearance for the side last Wednesday, having made a return from an injury suffered in preseason.
The Rangers are off this weekend but are back in action on Saturday, April 15 when the side takes on fellow 2-0-0 side Sacramento Republic FC at Swope Soccer Village. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT with a live stream on SportingKC.com and tickets available via SeatGeek.
USL Team of the Week
Courtesy of USLSoccer.com
GK – Kendall McIntosh, Portland Timbers 2: McIntosh recorded 13 saves across two contests, a number of which were highlight-reel material, as T2 visited Swope Park and Seattle.
D – Forrest Lasso, Charleston Battery: Lasso recorded his second goal in as many games, and helped the Battery record their first shutout in a 2-0 win against Charlotte.
D – Brenton Griffiths, Reno 1868 FC: Griffiths scored the first goal in Reno’s history and led the side defensively as it earned its first point in a 1-1 draw with Vancouver.
D – James Musa, Swope Park Rangers: Musa was solid throughout, recording eight clearances and four interceptions, as the Rangers took a 1-0 win against Portland.
M – Michael Nanchoff, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Nanchoff recorded two assists and also hit the crossbar as Tampa Bay defeated Toronto FC II 4-0.
M – Billy Forbes, San Antonio FC: Forbes had a goal and assist as San Antonio took a second consecutive win to start the season by defeating the LA Galaxy II 3-0.
M – George Davis IV, Louisville City FC: Davis had a goal and assist in a strong all-around performance that led Louisville to a victory against Orlando.
M – Chase Minter, Real Monarchs SLC: Minter created two chances and earned the penalty kick that put the Monarchs ahead in a 2-0 victory against Phoenix.
F – Sammy Ochoa, Sacramento Republic FC: Ochoa scored a pair of goals on three shots on goal as Sacramento took a 4-0 victory against Orange County.
F – Christian Volesky, Saint Louis FC: Volesky recorded a goal and assist, and also played a key role in Saint Louis’ late game-winner, in a 3-2 win against Ottawa.
F – Wilson Kneeshaw, Sacramento Republic FC: Kneeshaw had a goal and assist and provided a consistent treat to Orange County’s defense with his speed in a 4-0 win.
Bench: Tyler Miller (SEA), Wal Fall (ROC), Adam Moffat (SAC), Vincent Bezecourt (NY), Djiby Fall (CIN), Romario Williams (CHS), Seyi Adekoya (SEA)
