Delicate and Burke Players of the WeekTAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced the USL First Division and USL Second Division Teams of the Week for the ninth week of the season, honoring Rochester’s Matthew Delicate and Richmond’s Mike Burke as the Players of the Week, respectively. After starting the season goalless through the first eight games, Rochester Rhinos forward Matthew Delicate is scoring nearly every game to help lead the Rhinos to first place Sunday night with a 5-2 explosion against the Charleston Battery to extend their current unbeaten run to six games. Delicate opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when he drove into the penalty area and eight yards from goal on a difficult, narrow angle just three yards from the endline, he put a shot past goalkeeper Dusty Hudock that was headed over the line when a charging Battery player was unable to clear and sent into the back of the net. The Battery would level courtesy Byron Alvarez and defenders Scott Palguta and Tenywa Bonseu put the Rhinos up again on a corner for a 2-1 halftime lead. Delicate would set up what proved to be the winner in the 66th when he connected with Hamed Diallo, who beat three Battery players in the box before sending a shot past Hudock. Delicate has scored five goals over the past six league games and is on a three-game goal scoring streak in league play. He also scored the winner in a 1-0 US Open Cup win over the PDL Long Island Rough Riders Tuesday. Although they sit second having played two fewer games than Charlotte, the Richmond Kickers continue to dominate the league with an unbeaten 7-0-2 record and after a run of close contests where the team seemed to struggle to find the back of the net, they broke the slump against Bermuda, 4-0, with Mike Burke playing a large role. A leader on the team, Burke double his goal total on the season 18 minutes into to give the home side the lead Sunday. Up 2-0 midway through the second half, he helped 2006 league MVP and scoring champion Robert Ssejjemba climb back into the scoring race with a pair of goals in the 63rd and 73rd minutes, giving him three in the last two games after a five-game drought. The 2006 USL-2 MVP Finalist now sits tied for first in the league in assists with five for the year and is tied for fifth in points.
USL First Division Team of the Week |
| Pos | Name | Team | Highlights |
| G
| Chris Eylander
| Seattle
| Seven saves in 1-0 win at Carolina
|
| D
| Tenywa Bonseu
| Rochester
| Goal in 5-2 win over Charleston
|
| D
| JP Rodrigues
| Miami
| Led team in 1-1 draw at Minnesota
|
| D
| Danny Jackson
| Seattle
| Assist in 1-0 win at Carolina
|
| D
| Luis Aguilar
| California
| Led team in 0-0 draw at Atlanta
|
| M
| Aaran Lines
| Rochester
| Assist in 5-2 win over Charleston
|
| M
| Sebastian Le Toux
| Seattle
| Goal in 1-0 win at Carolina
|
| M
| Eric Vasquez
| Miami
| Assist in 1-1 draw at Minnesota
|
| F
| Aaron Paye
| Minnesota
| Goal in 1-1 draw against Miami
|
| F | Matthew Delicate | Rochester | Goal, assist in 5-2 win over Charleston |
| F
| Byron Alvarez
| Charleston
| Two goals, assist in win and loss on road
|
USL Second Division Team of the Week |
| Pos | Name | Team | Highlights |
| G
| Hunter Gilstrap
| Cleveland
| Four saves in 4-0 win over Western Mass
|
| D
| Steven Wolfe
| Richmond
| Led team in 4-0 win over Bermuda
|
| D
| Andrew Peterson
| Cleveland
| Led team in 4-0 win over Western Mass
|
| D
| Shintaro Harada
| CP Baltimore
| Led team in 2-1 win over Bermuda
|
| M
| George Corrie
| Wilmington
| Goal in 1-1 draw against New Hampshire
|
| M | Mike Burke | Richmond | Goal, two assists in 4-0 win over Bermuda |
| M
| Steve Shak
| Charlotte
| Goal, assist in 2-0 win over New Hampshire
|
| M
| Nathan Micklos
| Cincinnati
| Goal in 3-3 draw against Western Mass
|
| F
| Charlie Sheringham
| CP Baltimore
| Two assists in 2-1 win over Bermuda
|
| F
| Robert Ssejjemba
| Richmond
| Two goals in 4-0 win over Bermuda
|
| F
| Everson Maciel
| Western Mass
| Goal, assist in 3-3 draw at Cincinnati
|
* Players of the Week