Sporting Kansas City midfielder Jake Davis has earned USL Championship Team of the Week honors after scoring two superb goals in Sporting KC II's wild 4-3 loss at Central Division leaders Louisville City FC on Saturday night.
Davis, a 19-year-old Michigan native who signed an MLS contract for Sporting as a Homegrown Player in August, ignited a remarkable Sporting KC II comeback at Lynn Family Stadium with the first brace of his professional career. He bagged his first goal of the game on the brink of halftime, cutting his team's deficit in half with a stunning long-range strike, and drew SKC II level on 84 minutes with another impressive effort from distance.
Davis' equalizer paved the way for Jamil Robert to hammer home an excellent goal of his own in the 85th minute as SKC II turned a 2-0 hole into a 3-2 lead, only for Louisville to score twice in the final moments to emerge 4-3 victors.
In addition to notching two goals, Davis commanded the midfield by completing 29 of 35 passes and winning four of eight duels.
The USL Championship Team of the Week is selected by the USL National Media Panel, which is made up of representatives from each media market in the league.
Davis and Sporting KC II (4-17-8, 20 points) will return to Children's Mercy Park on Wednesday for their 2021 home finale against Atlanta United 2 (7-12-10, 31 points). The contest will kick off at 7 p.m. CT and stream live on ESPN Plus.
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 25
GK – Danny Vitiello, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: 2020’s Championship Golden Glove winner recorded a four-save shutout as the Hounds ended the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ nine-game winning streak on Sunday, including a key penalty kick save early in the second half to keep the hosts ahead at Highmark Stadium.
D – Emrah Klimenta, Oakland Roots SC: The veteran scored the decisive goal against former club Sacramento Republic FC on Wednesday night in a 2-1 win for Roots SC and over two contests complete 100 of 122 passes, won 12 of 19 duels and made 22 recoveries.
D – Gaoussou Samake, Loudoun United FC: Gaoussou Samake put in a strong display on the back line for Loudoun in its 3-2 upset of Miami FC on Sunday, winning 10 of 14 duels and making 10 recoveries while in attack completing 5 of 6 dribbles and completing 52 of 56 passes.
D – Mikey Lopez, Birmingham Legion FC: Mikey Lopez put in a stellar display with 10 recoveries and three tackles while winning 6 of 9 duels and completing 51 of 60 passes in Birmingham’s 3-1 victory against Indy Eleven on Sunday evening.
M – Alejandro Guido, San Diego Loyal SC: The San Diego native recorded a goal and assist to lead SD Loyal to a 2-1 comeback victory against Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday night and finished the night with three shots and seven key passes while completing 34 of 36 passes overall.
M – Jake Davis, Sporting Kansas City II: The 19-year-old shone with a pair of goals against Louisville City FC on Saturday, which served as the centerpiece of an overall performance that saw Davis complete 29 of 35 passes and win 4 of 8 duels.
M – Paolo DelPiccolo, Louisville City FC: LouCity’s captain recorded the opening goal, had three key passes and completed 20 of 27 passes overall while also winning 6 of 7 duels and making eight recoveries in LouCity’s 4-3 win against Sporting Kansas City II.
M – Jake Areman, Charlotte Independence: Jake Areman recorded one assist and six key passes while completing 37 of 40 passes overall, serving as one of the key players in the Independence’s 2-1 comeback victory against the New York Red Bulls II on Saturday night.
F – Samuel Adeniran, Tacoma Defiance: The Texan forward scored the second hat trick in Defiance history – and first since their inaugural season – as the side snapped out of its recent losing run with a 4-1 win against Orange County SC on Saturday night.
F – Nathan Fogaca, San Antonio FC: The Brazilian forward recorded his fourth two-game performance of the season in San Antonio’s 4-2 victory against Memphis 901 FC on Sunday night and recorded seven shots and three key passes overall while also completing three dribbles.
F – Cameron Lancaster, Louisville City FC: The English striker scored the winner in second-half stoppage time for his second goal of the game as LouCity rallied to claim a 4-3 victory against Sporting Kansas City II while finishing the night with eight shots and completing 15 of 17 passes overall.
Bench: Christian Herrera (TAC), Eder Borelli (ELP), Leo Fernandes (TBR), Marcus Epps (SA), Kyle Murphy (MEM), Ted Ku-DiPietro (LDN), Sebastian Guenzatti (TBR)
