Iwasa and Cohen named to USL All League Second Team

The United Soccer League (USL) announced yesterday that Sacramento Republic FC forward Cameron Iwasa and keeper Josh Cohen had been named to the USL All-League Second Team. Both players had record-setting years and were key to the Republic’s success. The All-League Teams were voted on by club management and a league-wide media panel that represented every USL market.

As stated in my Season in Review post, Cohen was arguably the Quails Most Valuable Player. He played every USL minute (3,150 minutes), was second in the league in saves with 117, fifth in the league with 12 clean sheets, and posted a 0.94 percent goals-against average.

Iwasa had a season to remember himself, notching 17 goals, which easily smashed the club’s (and his own) prior single-season goal record of 12 goals in a season. It seems only fitting that he broke his own record set back in 2016. Iwasa also added six assists.

Equally impressive, he set the new club all-time goals record (30 USL goals and 34 goals against all competitions) surpassing the previous records held by Rodrigo Lopez.

I think what impressed me most about Iwasa outside of his scoring prowess was his commitment to doing the little things off the ball that contributed to the overall success of the team. It’s something that Manager Simon Elliott repeatedly praised him for during the season.

Congratulations to both Cohen and Iwasa on their fantastic seasons. It’s certainly nice to see them get the recognition they deserve. Onward!