CARSON, Calif. – USL PRO has announced the finalists for its 2014 regular season awards, honoring the Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Defender of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year and Coach of the Year from the 2014 season and LA Galaxy Homegrown Player Bradford Jamieson IV has been selected as a finalist for the 2014 USL PRO Rookie of the Year.
Sacramento Republic FC, which will host the Harrisburg City Islanders in Saturday night’s USL PRO Championship Game at Bonney Field (10:30 p.m. ET, YouTube) has finalists in four categories after finishing second in the regular season table in its inaugural USL PRO season. Orlando City SC and the Richmond Kickers, both dispatched from the postseason by Harrisburg, also have finalists in four categories.
The award winners will be announced at 4:30 p.m. ET Friday at the 2014 USL PRO Championship Press Conference at the Citizen Hotel in Sacramento, California. Participants will include USL President Tim Holt and the management, coaches and players from both teams.
Votes for the USL PRO honors are submitted by USL PRO team management and select media from each market, and finalists are determined based on total All-League votes.
2014 USL PRO Award Finalists
Most Valuable Player
Matthew Delicâte, Richmond Kickers
Rodrigo Lopez, Sacramento Republic FC
Kevin Molino, Orlando City SC
Coach of the Year
- Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers
- Adrian Heath, Orlando City SC
- Bob Lilley, Rochester Rhinos
- Preki, Sacramento Republic FC
Defender of the Year
- Luke Boden, Orlando City SC
- Nemanja Vukovic, Sacramento Republic FC
- William Yomby, Richmond Kickers
Goalkeeper of the Year
- Jake Gleeson, Sacramento Republic FC
- John McCarthy, Rochester Rhinos
- Joe Willis, Richmond Kickers
Rookie of the Year
- Bradford Jamieson IV, LA Galaxy II
- John McCarthy, Rochester Rhinos
- Tyler Turner, Orlando City SC
The 2014 USL PRO Championship Game can be watched live on the USL PRO YouTube channel, with live updates also available via Twitter (@USLPRO). For news, match previews and reports from throughout the league, follow USL PRO on Facebook, Google+ and Instagram.
USL PRO
USL PRO is the strongest U.S. men’s professional soccer league on and off the field below and in support of Major League Soccer (MLS). Focused on league stability and franchise performance longevity, USL PRO features 14 teams, including 2014 expansion teams in Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and Sacramento. Teams have already been announced for 2015 in Austin, Charlotte, Colorado Springs, Louisville, St. Louis and Tulsa, with more additions expected soon. Through aggressive and deliberate growth in adding teams fully capable of meeting USL and US Soccer standards, USL PRO is building a robust, national professional soccer league in a format that promotes the benefits of regional league play. In 2013 USL PRO began a groundbreaking, multi-year partnership with MLS that features individual team affiliations, inter-league play, and the opportunity for MLS clubs to field a second team in USL PRO. In addition to league play, USL PRO teams compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well as various domestic and international exhibitions. USL PRO is the longest-standing pro league affiliate member of US Soccer.
USL PRO Public Relations - Jay Preble / Stacy Shanks / Nicholas Murray - Tampa, FL - 813.963.3909 - Twitter: @USLPRO
