Three players from El Paso Locomotive FC made the USL Championship’s Team of the Week for Week 27 following the 3-0 and 4-0 victories over Austin Bold FC and OKC Energy FC this past week. Defender Macca King earned his fourth appearance on the shortlist in 2021 while Midfielder Dylan Mares made his second and Forward Aaron Gomez made his first.
Through the two games, Macca King continued to prove himself as a set-piece specialist, adding two goals to his 2021 total on Sunday night against OKC Energy FC by getting on the corner kick opportunities. The two goals make his season total six – all of which have come at the end of set-pieces. On the defensive half, King contributed to Sunday’s clean sheet, winning three of three duels in the night with a 91% passing accuracy.
Dylan Mares performed as a midfield maestro for El Paso Locomotive in Week 27, making massive contributions to two straight wins and two straight clean sheets to close out the 2021 USL Championship regular season home campaign. Mares recorded three assists over the two games, pushing him to the club’s all-time leading assister in the regular season. Throughout the week, Mares made eight key passes to set up meaning chances towards goal, while completing 80% of his passes and recovering possession an incredible 11 times.
Aaron Gomez makes his triumphant return to the USL Championship Team of the Week for the first time since 2019, following his contributions to an offensive front that saw Locomotive outscore its opponents 7-0 over two games. The Borderlands native added three goals to his season tally over the two games, pushing his total for the year to 10 while extending his grasp as the club’s all-time leading goal scorer with 21 in the regular season since 2019. Gomez also added two assists to his name, finding Diego Luna against Austin Bold and adding a small touch to Mares’ corner kick to help find Macca King against OKC Energy. Over the two games, Gomez recorded five key passes while winning 11 of 19 duels.
Gomez finished second in the vote for the USL Championship’s Player of the Week, earning 31 percent of the vote. Louisville City FC’s Cameron Lancaster claimed the award, finishing with 46 percent of the vote.
The Championship’s Player of the Week is selected by the USL National Media Panel, which is made up of representatives from each media market in the Championship.
See below for the full USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 27:
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 27
GK – Jeff Dewsnup, Real Monarchs SLC: The 17-year-old recorded a nine-save performance, including a penalty kick save to deny current Championship Golden Boot leader Hadji Barry late in the first half, as the Monarchs held Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC to a 1-1 draw on Friday night.
D – Macauley King, El Paso Locomotive FC: The English full-back recorded a pair of goals off set pieces in Locomotive FC’s 4-0 win against OKC Energy FC on Sunday night while also winning 3 of 3 duels and completing 30 of 33 passes as Locomotive FC completed an undefeated home slate this regular season at 13-0-3.
D – Mandela Egbo, New York Red Bulls II: Mandela Egbo scored once and had three shots overall in the Red Bulls II’s 3-0 win against Loudoun United FC on Wednesday night and defensively won 2 of 2 tackles and 7 of 12 duels and made three clearances.
D – Jonathan Gomez, Louisville City FC: The 18-year-old standout recorded one assist and two key passes in LouCity’s 3-1 win against Memphis 901 FC on Saturday night while recording three interceptions and six recoveries defensively and completing 38 of 45 passes.
M – Bruno Lapa, Birmingham Legion FC: The Brazilian playmaker recorded two goals and one assist, and three key passes in Legion FC’s 6-0 victory against Sporting Kansas City II on Sunday evening while completing 33 of 40 passes overall and making four recoveries defensively.
M – Christian Sorto, Rio Grande Valley FC: The El Salvador international recorded both assists as Rio Grande Valley FC took a 2-0 victory against New Mexico United on Saturday night to keep its playoff chances alive and finished the game with four key passes while completing 26 of 30 passes overall and recording eight recoveries.
M – Chris Wehan, New Mexico United: Chris Wehan powered a 4-2 victory against San Antonio FC on Wednesday night with an individual performance that saw him score twice and register a single-game career-best nine shots and five shots on target to play a role in all four goals at Isotopes Park.
M – Dylan Mares, El Paso Locomotive FC: Dylan Mares recorded three assists across two victories for Locomotive FC during the week while finishing with eight key passes overall. He also completed 74 of 92 passes and made 11 recoveries over the two outings.
F – Cameron Lancaster, Louisville City FC: The English standout recorded the second hat trick of his career in the Championship, notching all three goals in LouCity’s 3-1 win against Memphis 901 FC to reach 20 goals for the regular season while also completing 14 of 18 passes.
F – Josue Aaron Gomez, El Paso Locomotive FC: The Mexican forward reached double-digits for the season with three goals in two games and added a pair of assists while recording five key passes overall and winning 11 of 19 duels across two victories.
F – Marlon Vargas, Tacoma Defiance: The 20-year-old recorded three assists in the Defiance’s 3-2 victory against the LA Galaxy II on Sunday afternoon, becoming the 22nd different player to do so in the league’s regular season, while also completing 18 of 22 passes and 4 of 6 dribbles and winning 7 of 11 duels.
Bench: Elliot Panicco (ATX), Kevin Garcia (TUL), Logan Gdula (CHS), Todd Wharton (PIT), Zach Herivaux (BHM), Sebastian Guenzatti (TBR), Ronaldo Damus (OC)