TULSA – FC Tulsa forward Phillip Goodrum capped a pair of stellar USL Week 16 performances with USL Team of the Week honors, the USL announced Tuesday.
Goodrum, who helped FC Tulsa to a 2-1 victory over Miami FC and a 0-0 draw versus Sacramento Republic FC, collected his third USL Team of the Week appearance of the season after being named a starter in Week 2 and as a bench nod in Week 9.
The 27-year-old opened the week with a commanding comeback effort against Miami FC on June 19. After trailing 0-1 for 50 minutes of play, Goodrum parted through four defenders for a diving header that came just outside the box, to tie the match. Ten minutes later, the Nashville, Tennessee native found himself in action again, assisting forward Diogo Pacheco in what marked the match’s game-winning goal.
Goodum, who tied the club’s most goals in a season with 12 last season, ended his five-match scoring drought in his effort versus Miami FC while also generating five chances, four shots overall and wins in five of nine ground duels defensively.
For head coach Mario Sanchez, Goodrum’s spark marked a major turning point in play.
“For him to tie the game was nice,” Sanchez said. “I think for him, that relief of getting a goal and a really nice goal, always helps. You could see after that, the momentum was really in our favor, and it was nice to get that second goal and put it away.”
Goodrum’s strong play rolled into the weekend as he attempted three shots on goal, including one on target against Sacramento FC on June 22. Goodrum squeaked a goal past goalkeeper Danny Vitiello in the 23rd minute, however, it was deemed offside.
The complete lineup for the Week 16 USL Championship Team of the Week is below:
GK – Colin Shutler, Orange County SC: Shutler posted an eight-save shutout as Orange County SC earned a 1-0 victory on the road against Indy Eleven, posting a minus-1.46 goals prevented mark to hold the Boys in Blue scoreless for the first time this season.
D – Stephen Turnbull, Rhode Island FC: The right back recorded two assists in RIFC’s 5-2 victory against Louisville City FC and defensively won 6 of 8 tackles and 12 of 20 duels as the visitors won their second game of the season.
D – Jesus Enriquez, Monterey Bay F.C.: The left back came on as an 18th-minute substitute and played a key role as MBFC defeated NorCal rival Oakland Roots SC, recording one assist and four chances created while completing 4 of 5 dribbles and winning 6 of 9 duels.
D – Jojea Kwizera, Rhode Island FC: The Rwanda international scored once, won 3 of 3 tackles and 9 of 14 ground duels, and recorded four clearances as Rhode Island recorded a 5-2 victory on the road against Louisville City FC.
M – Walmer Martinez, Monterey Bay F.C.: The El Salvador international recorded one assist and completed 24 of 32 passes in his side’s 2-1 victory against Oakland Roots SC while also winning 4 of 4 tackles and 7 of 9 duels and recording six clearances and two interceptions defensively.
M – Dawson McCartney, Birmingham Legion FC: The 25-year-old recorded four shots and three chances created while completing 43 of 51 passes and winning 4 of 5 ground duels and one tackle in Legion’s 3-0 victory against San Antonio FC.
M – Abdellatif Aboukoura, Loudoun United FC: The Egyptian youth international scored a spectacular goal to spark Loudoun’s comeback to take a 2-2 draw against Miami FC while also completing 39 of 46 passes and winning 8 of 14 ground duels.
M – Pacifique Niyongabire, Tampa Bay Rowdies: The Burundi international earned his second consecutive selection after another stellar all-around display in his side’s 1-0 win against Hartford Athletic in which he won 4 of 4 tackles, 11 of 17 ground duels and recorded four chances created and three shots.
F – Tyler Pasher, Birmingham Legion FC: The Canadian forward scored one and had four shots and five chances created while completing 36 of 39 passes overall in a 3-0 victory against San Antonio FC on Wednesday night.
F – Khori Bennett, Las Vegas Lights FC: The Jamaican forward scored in each of Las Vegas’ contests in the week and recorded five shots in 98 minutes overall as the Lights earned draws with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and Memphis 901 FC.
F – Phillip Goodrum, FC Tulsa: Goodrum recorded a goal and assist to lead Tulsa’s comeback 2-1 victory against Miami FC last Wednesday night and recorded five chances created and four shots overall while winning 5 of 9 ground duels defensively.
Coach – Khano Smith, Rhode Island FC: Smith’s Rhode Island side claimed a remarkable 5-2 victory on the road against Louisville City FC for its second win of the season as RIFC became the first visiting team to score five goals against Louisville on its home turf in USL Championship history.
Bench – Alex Tambakis (NM), Alex Crognale (BHM), Talen Maples (NM), Zach Duncan (MEM), Joe Brito (RI), Frank Lopez (MIA), Ethan Zubak (OC)
Up next, FC Tulsa heads on the road for its next pair of matches. The club will first travel to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on July 4 and then shift efforts to Monterey Bay FC on July 13. FC Tulsa returns home on Saturday, July 20, to take on Memphis 901 FC. For tickets, visit fctulsa.com/tickets.
