USL Western Conference Best XI - Week 16

This week belonged to the goal scorers as seven players hit the 3000 point mark this week. Three players even cracked 4000 points, which set a USL West record for this season. A 9-0 win for Reno, a 4-0 win for Swope Park and an aggregate 7-2 win for Real Monarchs set the pace, but other teams were able to steal some of the spots this week.

Goalkeeper: Adrian Zendejas – Swope Park Rangers, 2220 pts

Zendejas had a pair of punches in his shutout victory of Rio Grande Valley and added in over twenty passes out of the backfield as Swope Park continues to roll.

Defender: Roy Meeus – Orange County SC, 2731 pts

Meeus scored the only goal for Orange County in a draw against Phoenix. He also added a 70% duel win rate and recorded nearly all of his team’s total interceptions.

Defender: Parker Maher – Swope Park Rangers, 3034 pts

Maher won 70% of his duels, completed over 80% of his passes and added in four tackles in a shutout victory over the Toros.

Defender: Jordan Murrell – Reno 1868 FC, 4485 pts

Murrell recorded a brace during the dismantling of Los Dos at home, as the Reno defense added in the scoreless draw to top it all off.

Midfielder: Karsten Hanlin – Real Monarchs SLC, 2743 pts

Through two matches Hanlin scored a goal, and added one assist from four created chances in a week that saw the Monarchs reassert their dominance and take home six points.

Midfielder: Adrian Vera – Los Angeles Galaxy II, 2868 pts

While a part of the horrible loss to Reno, Vera was the only Los Dos player that seemed to show any signs of life on the offensive end of the pitch. He followed up that energy against Portland where he recorded a brace in a come from behind victory.

Midfielder: Lebo Moloto – Swope Park Rangers, 3795 pts

Moloto scored a goal with four total shots and added in a pair of assists to be a direct part of three of the four goals that Swope Park hung on Rio Grande Valley in a shutout victory.

Midfielder: Chris Wehan – Reno 1868 FC, 5480 pts – Player of the Week

Wehan had an absolute monster game as Reno ran Los Angeles off the pitch. He had a brace, two assists and a total of six created chances. If the attack can come through Wehan, a very potent offense can become that much more dangerous.

Forward: Antonie Hoppenot – Reno 1868 FC, 3330 pts

Hoppenot recorded a goal on five total shots, and added two assists in a match that Reno was in control of from the opening moments.

Forward: Chandler Hoffman – Real Monarchs SLC, 3703 pts

Hoffman scored three goals from five shots on goal in 135 minutes of play while adding four created chances in a week that saw the Monarchs take home six points

Forward: Sebastian Saucedo – Real Monarchs SLC, 4508 pts

In his first appearance for the Monarchs, the 20 year old scored a brace from seven total shots taken. The young player also added four created chances, as the Monarchs may now have yet another potent component to their attack.

Honorable Mentions:

Goalkeeper: Matt Bersano – Reno 1868 FC, 1960 pts

Defender: Reagan Dunk – Real Monarchs SLC, 2608 pts

Midfielder: Joey Calistri – Tulsa Roughnecks. 2699 pts

Forward: Kevin Oliveria – Swope Park Rangers, 2557 pts

Thoughts:

At the half way point of the season the offense decided to show up for multiple teams in a big way and the power rankings reflected it. The big teams continue to be dominant though, as with their current hot streaks both Reno and Swope Park have joined the Monarchs on the list of teams that you consistently expect to see featured.

What teams will be the standouts in the coming week? Will any other young players suddenly jump onto the scene? Let us know in the comments!