TULSA – FC Tulsa goalkeeper Johan Peñaranda kept Monterey Bay F.C. out of the net in Week 19 to notch USL Team of the Week honors, the USL announced Tuesday.
Peñaranda, who helped FC Tulsa to a 0-0 draw versus Monterey Bay F.C. on July 13, collected the accolade after holding Monterey Bay F.C. scoreless across 16 shot attempts while saving all five shots on target. The USL Team of the Week nod marks Peñaranda’s first of his career and makes him the club’s 10th player to receive the honor this season.
A native of Long Beach, New York, Peñaranda fended off a pair of shots in the first 10 minutes of action and silenced Monterey’s five first-half shot attempts. In the 75th minute, he stuffed Alex Dixon on the right side of the box, meeting him at the ball for a save before clearing it away.
The game rested on Peñaranda in the 90th minute as, after Bradley Bourgeois committed a foul in the box, Monterey Bay F.C. was awarded a penalty kick. Peñaranda prevailed on the potential game-winner, laying out and deflecting a low drive to the right of the goal. Off of the rebound, he saved another shot that floated near the top of the goal.
Peñaranda’s performance etched his second clean sheet across four starts with the club. The 24-year-old joined FC Tulsa on a short-term contract last month before signing for the remainder of the season on June 26.
The complete lineup for the Week 19 USL Championship Team of the Week is below:
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 19
GK – Johan Peñaranda, FC Tulsa: The 24-year-old posted a five-save shutout that included a stoppage-time penalty kick save to earn Tulsa a point on the road against Monterey Bay F.C. in a scoreless draw at Cardinale Stadium.
D – Junior Etou, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: The left back scored a pair of goals as the Hounds broke their scoreless streak in a 5-0 victory against Oakland Roots SC and won 6 of 7 duels while making three clearances and one interception defensively.
D – Jordan Doherty, Tampa Bay Rowdies: The Irish defender had a strong all-around performance in the Rowdies’ 2-0 win against Orange County SC, winning 3 of 3 tackles and 4 of 5 ground duels while completing 47 of 59 passes and notching three chances created.
D – Sean Suber, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: The first-year pro recorded his first goal in the Championship in the Hounds’ victory against Oakland Roots SC and also won 4 of 4 aerial duels and made three clearances defensively.
D – Derek Dodson, Birmingham Legion FC: The 25-year-old recorded six chances created and completed 39 of 46 passes overall while winning 5 of 8 duels and recording five recoveries in Legion’s 2-1 victory against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Protective Stadium.
M – Aaron Molloy, Charleston Battery: The Irish midfielder equaled the most chances created in a game this season with nine and had four shots while completing 55 of 68 passes overall as the Battery rallied for a 2-2 draw on the road at Hartford Athletic.
M – Bradley Sample, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: The central midfielder recorded the first two assists of his professional career, completed 21 of 27 passes and 5 of 5 long passes, and made six recoveries in Pittsburgh’s victory against Oakland Roots SC.
M – Bruno Lapa, Memphis 901 FC: The Brazilian scored the late game-winning goal in 901 FC’s 1-0 victory against Detroit City FC and recorded four shots and five chances created overall, completing 8 of 8 crosses and 17 of 24 passes overall.
F – Cal Jennings, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Jennings scored both goals, surpassing 60 regular season goals in the Championship for his career in the process, and had four shots and one chance created in the Rowdies’ 2-0 victory against Orange County SC.
F – Albert Dikwa, Rhode Island FC: The 2023 Golden Boot winner notched a pair of goals on his two shots in the game and completed 9 of 12 passes as Rhode Island continued its undefeated streak with a 3-2 win against Miami FC.
F – Michee Ngalina, Hartford Athletic: The Congolese winger recorded a goal and assist, had two shots and two chances created overall, and completed 3 of 4 dribbles and 19 of 24 passes in Hartford’s 2-2 draw against the Charleston Battery at Trinity Health Stadium.
Coach – Bob Lilley, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Lilley’s squad broke out with a five-goal display against Oakland Roots SC at Highmark Stadium while limiting Roots to only two shots overall to end a 10-game winless run in the league for the Hounds.
Bench: Raiko Arozarena (LV), Ben Ofeimu (IND), Shawn Smart (LV), Robbie Mertz (PIT), Nick Markanich (CHS), Wesley Leggett (LDN), Coleman Gannon (LV)
FC Tulsa Team of the Week Selections:
Week 2: Phillip Goodrum, Blaine Ferri, Milo Yosef (bench)
Week 5: Alexis Souahy, Justin Portillo, Edwin Laszo
Week 6: Patrick Seagrist (bench)
Week 9: Phillip Goodrum (bench)
Week 14: Diogo Pacheco and Owen Damm
Week 16: Phillip Goodrum (bench)
Week 19: Johan Peñaranda
Up next, FC Tulsa returns to ONEOK Field, Saturday, July 20, at 7:30 p.m. CT against Memphis 901 FC. The match will feature a hot dog eating contest at halftime. FC Tulsa remains home Friday, July 26, to take on Indy Eleven at 7:30 p.m. for Dollar Beer Section Night. For tickets visit, fctulsa.com/tickets.
