Gbeke earns Player of the Week
TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced the USL First Division Team of the Week for the 19th week of the season, honoring Montreal’s Charles Gbeke as the Player of the Week.
It just may be that Charles Gbeke has a little something against his former club. With Montreal and Rochester squaring off for the second time in four late season meetings on Friday, the pair of playoff-bound clubs were looking for the advantage in the battle for the top seeds in the league.
With the match at a stalemate, Montreal brought Gbeke off the bench in the 68th minute. It proved an immediate success within two minutes. Gbeke, posted deep in the 18-yard zone, scored his eighth goal of the season, deviating with a header the centering pass from midfielder Leonardo Di Lorenzo. It was Gbeke’s fourth game-winning goal this season.
It took just another three minutes before Gbeke would put his new club in a commanding position when he redirected a 25-yard Joey Gjertsen pass towards defender Gabriel Gervais, who in turn beat Rhinos goalkeeper Scott Vallow with a shot in the top of the net.
Gbeke also scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win against the Rhinos nearly three weeks prior in their first showdown of the season. With his eight goals, Gbeke now sits second with Byron Alvarez, David Hayes and Andrew Gregor, one goal back of Rochester’s Hamed Diallo in the goal scoring table.
USL First Division Team of the Week | ||||
Pos | Name | Team | Highlights | |
G | Chris Eylander | Seattle | Two shutout wins over Atlanta, Charleston | |
D | Justin Thompson | Portland | Goal in 1-0 win over Charleston | |
D | David Hayes | Atlanta | Goal in 3-2 win at Minnesota | |
D | Marco Velez | Puerto Rico | Led team in 1-0 win over Portland | |
D | Taylor Graham | Seattle | Goal, led team to two shutout wins | |
M | Dale Weiler | Minnesota | Assist in 3-2 loss to Atlanta | |
M | Jeff Clarke | Vancouver | Goal in 1-0 win over Charleston | |
M | Andrew Gregor | Portland | Goal, assist in 2-1 win at Miami | |
M | Kupono Low | Carolina | Goal in 1-0 win over Montreal | |
M | Leighton O'Brien | Seattle | Assist in 3-0 win over Atlanta | |
* | F | Charles Gbeke | Montreal | Goal, assist in 2-0 win at Rochester |