Swope Park Rangers defender Oumar Ballo has been named to the USL Team of the Week for Week 25. The Baltimore, Md. native earns his second Team of the Week inclusion after shutting out Tulsa Roughnecks FC and dangerous forward Sammy Ochoa (10 goals, 6 assists) in Saturday’s 3-0 victory.
The 25-year-old center back was named to the Team of the Week in Week 18 after helping shut out Orange County Blues FC on July 23, before being named to the bench for Week 22 following the 1-1 draw with Saint Louis FC at Children’s Mercy Park on Aug. 21. Ballo has made 18 appearances for SPR this season, adding one assist.
Ballo has struck up a solid defensive partnership with Amer Didic, with the Swope Park Rangers going 7-0-2 this season when the two start together at the back – including wins in the last three games they’ve started alongside one another.
Ballo and the Swope Park Rangers are back in action this weekend when they head to Oklahoma City to face Jimmy Nielsen and OKC Energy FC at Taft Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and a live stream will be available on SportingKC.com.
USL Team of the Week (Courtesy of USLSoccer.com)
GK – John Berner, Charlotte Independence: Berner recorded a seven-save shutout as the Independence took a 4-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
D – Brent Richards, Portland Timbers 2: Richards scored the only goal as T2 took a victory against Rio Grande Valley FC, snapping the Toros’ 10-game undefeated streak.
D – Bruno Perone, Wilmington Hammerheads FC: Perone scored twice as Wilmington took a 3-0 victory against Orlando City B last Wednesday to boost his side’s playoff hopes.
D – Oumar Ballo, Swope Park Rangers: Ballo helped limit Tulsa to only three shots on goal in the Rangers’ 3-0 victory against the Roughnecks on Saturday night.
M – Jimmy-Shammar Sanon, FC Montreal: Sanon’s first professional goal lifted Montreal to a 2-1 victory against Charleston last Wednesday, the side’s third win in four games with the Battery.
M – Vincent Bezecourt, New York Red Bulls II: Bezecourt had three goals and an assist in two games as the Red Bulls II claimed the 2016 USL Regular Season Championship.
M – Luke Vercollone, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: Vercollone notched both goals as the Switchbacks took a victory on the road against Vancouver in a key Western clash.
M – David Estrada, Charlotte Independence: Estrada scored a pair of goals as the Independence took a 4-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday night.
M – Magnus Rasmussen, Louisville City FC: Rasmussen’s first goal of the season highlighted a strong all-around performance in Louisville’s 2-0 win against Richmond.
F – Sean Okoli, FC Cincinnati: Okoli had three goals in two games as Cincinnati took victories against Saint Louis and Wilmington to move back into third place in the East.
F – Irvin Herrera, Saint Louis FC: In his return from international duty with El Salvador, Herrera had a hat trick to lead STLFC to a 3-1 win on the road against San Antonio.
Bench: Mark Pais (STL), Kyle Hyland (OKC), Jordan Schweitzer (SEA), Cameron Lancaster (LOU), Trevin Caesar (OC), Noah Powder (NY), Maikel Chang (CHS)
