Ryden came up big in two games to help secure four points across two games to help Real Monarchs clinch the 4th spot in the Western Conference. Across the 2-2 draw with Austin Bold FC and the 3-0 win over Sacramento Republic FC, Ryden completed 89% of his passes and made an outstanding 10 clearances and 10 recoveries while winning over half his duels. Ryden’s perseverance also provided the defender with the opening goal against Republic FC after his first header hit the crossbar, but his second found the net.
The performance from Kalen Ryden over the final week of the USL Champions Regular Season earned him a spot in the Top XI, having previously been selected on the bench in 2019.
Below is the full list of players on the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 33:
USL Championship Team of the Week
GK – Trey Muse, Tacoma Defiance: Muse recorded 17 saves across two outings – including tying a Championship record with 13 saves on Wednesday against New Mexico United – as Tacoma ended the season with four points from its final two outings.
D – Kalen Ryden, Real Monarchs SLC: Ryden made 10 recoveries and 10 clearances, completed 85 of 95 passes across two games and scored the opening goal in the Monarchs’ victory against Sacramento to clinch the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.
D – Joe Greenspan, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Greenspan recorded four interceptions, made 11 recoveries, completed 40 of 51 passes and notched the assist on the Hounds’ game-winner against Birmingham that earned the side the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
D – Duke Lacroix, Reno 1868 FC: Lacroix won 8 of 11 duels, completed 40 of 49 passes and had three key passes as Reno took a 3-0 victory on the road against Tulsa to set a club record for wins in a regular season.
M – Bolu Akinyode, Nashville SC: Akinyode won 15 of 15 duels and 9 of 10 tackles, had one assist and two key passes and completed 47 of 52 passes overall in Nashville’s 3-0 victory against ATL UTD 2 on Saturday night.
M – Josue Gomez, El Paso Locomotive FC: Gomez scored a pair of goals on six shots and completed 20 of 24 passes as Locomotive FC clinched a place in the playoffs with a 4-1 win against the Portland Timbers 2 at Southwest University Field.
M – Zeiko Lewis, Charleston Battery: Lewis recorded one goal and two assists as the Battery swept a pair of contests against Memphis 901 FC and Bethlehem Steel FC to earn a place in the USL Championship Playoffs.
M – Enzo Martinez, Charlotte Independence: Martinez scored two goals in the final two minutes to lift the Independence to victory against Ottawa and cap a performance that saw him win 16 of 20 duels and complete 5 of 5 dribbles.
M – Kai Koreniuk, LA Galaxy II: Koreniuk recorded assists on both goals, had four chances created overall and won 8 of 12 duels and 2 of 2 tackles to help lead Los Dos to victory against El Paso on Saturday night and into the postseason.
F – Kyle Murphy, Loudoun United FC: Murphy scored two goals and had one assist as well as three chances created as Loudoun recorded a club-record seven goals in its 7-3 victory against the New York Red Bulls II on Saturday night.
F – Adam Jahn, Phoenix Rising FC: Jahn scored a pair of goals and recorded five chances created while completing 23 of 28 passes to lead Phoenix to victory against OKC Energy FC as the club set regular season Championship records for victories (24) and points (78) on Friday night.
Bench: Justin vom Steeg (LA), Dre Fortune (NC), Ryan Williams (HFD), Niall McCabe (LOU), Harry Forrester (OC), Arthur Bosua (CHS), Corey Hertzog (RNO)
