ST. PETERSBURG, FL – On Tuesday, the USL Championship unveiled the All-League Teams for the 2023 regular season, with the Tampa Bay Rowdies Cal Jennings and Charlie Dennis earning First Team honors for their stellar contributions throughout the year. The Rowdies are one of three teams this year to have multiple players selected to the All-League First Team.
This the first All-League selections for Jennings and Dennis, who helped guide Tampa Bay’s attack to a conference best 60 goals.
Dennis arrived in Tampa Bay via transfer from Oakland and quickly emerged as a vital piece in the midfield after the loss of 2022 USL Championship MVP Leo Fernandes to injury in the preseason. It was a career year for the 28-year-old Englishman, as he ranked third in the league with 64 chances created in the regular season while notching 11 goals and three assists. Dennis also won 71.4 percent of his tackles and made 150 recoveries in 34 appearances during the regular season.
Jennings also enjoyed a career-best season in his first year with the Rowdies. The 26-year-old attacker led the Rowdies and finished second in the league overall with 19 goals, posting a shooting accuracy rate of 66.7 percent and shot conversion rate of 33.3 percent along the way.
The 2023 USL Championship All-League Team was voted on by club management and a league-wide media panel that included representation from every USL market.
2023 USL Championship All-League First Team
GK – Danny Vitiello, Sacramento Republic FC (1st selection) – In his second season in Sacramento, Vitiello earned the second Championship Golden Glove of his career with a 0.83 goals-against average while recording 11 shutouts and a save percentage of 76.2 percent, the highest mark among regular starters this season.
D – Conor Donovan, Sacramento Republic FC (1st selection) – Donovan was the anchor for the best defensive unit in the Championship’s regular season, recording 39 interceptions and 119 clearances while winning 59.5 percent of overall duels and 63.9 percent of aerial duels while marshaling the back line.
D – Jack Gurr, Sacramento Republic FC (1st selection) – The English defender was a two-way star for Republic FC as he recorded five goals and six assists in the regular season while making 160 recoveries and 19 interceptions and winning 28 tackles defensively on the right side of Sacramento’s lineup.
D – Arturo Ordoñez, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (1st selection) – The Spanish center back had a remarkable season in the center of the Hounds defense, ranking second in the league in aerial duels won (106) and recoveries among outfield players (238) and third in interceptions (63) while also recording five goals joining the attack.
M – Taylor Davila, Rio Grande Valley FC (1st selection) – Davila was a two-way standout for the Toros, recording six goals and five assists and sitting second in the league with 66 chances created, while posting a passing accuracy rate of 84.4 percent and making 203 recoveries and 49 tackles at a success rate of 73.1 percent.
M – Charlie Dennis, Tampa Bay Rowdies (1st selection) – An offseason arrival with the Rowdies, Dennis led the Rowdies with 64 chances created – good for third in the league’s regular season – and recorded 11 goals and three assists while winning 71.4 percent of tackles and making 150 recoveries in a career-best campaign.
M – Jorge Hernandez, San Antonio FC (2nd selection) – Hernandez added to his 2021 honor after claiming the Championship’s Golden Playmaker award with 10 assists in the regular season and 55 chances created. Hernandez also won 21 tackles at a success rate of 67.7 percent and made 185 recoveries defensively.
M – Aaron Molloy, Memphis 901 FC (2nd selection) – The Irish midfielder earned his second consecutive First Team selection after recording eight assists and two goals while leading the Championship with 76 chances created and 2,032 completed passes. Molloy also won 46 tackles at a success rate of 65.7 percent, while making 234 recoveries, tied for third among outfield players.
F – Albert Dikwa, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (1st selection) – The Cameroonian forward built on his first campaign with double-digit goals in 2022 by becoming the 13th player to record a 20-goal season and claim the Championship’s Golden Boot. Dikwa had a shooting accuracy rate of 49.2 percent and shot conversion rate of 33.9 percent in an outstanding campaign.
F – Cal Jennings, Tampa Bay Rowdies (1st selection) – Jennings produced his best season so far in the Championship with 19 goals and three assists to lead the Rowdies’ attack, posting a shooting accuracy rate of 66.7 percent and shot conversion rate of 33.3 percent. Jennings also became the fastest player to reach 50 regular season goals in league history, reaching the mark in just his 90th appearance.
F – Danny Trejo, Phoenix Rising FC (1st selection) – Trejo continued his ascent among the best forward in the Championship as he recorded 17 goals and seven assists to finish tied for the league-lead in goal contributions in his first campaign with Rising FC. Trejo had a shooting accuracy rate of 55.1 percent, while also recording 27 chances created.
USL Championship All-League Second Team
GK – Paul Blanchette, Oakland Roots SC (1st selection) – Blanchette led the Championship with 114 saves in the regular season while also posting nine shutouts and save percentage of 70.2 percent while helping keep Oakland in the playoff chase during the season with a Goals Prevented mark of -4.57.
D – Adrián Diz Pe, Indy Eleven (1st selection) – The Cuban center back was one of the most well-rounded defenders in the league throughout the campaign, recording 49 interceptions and 142 clearances while posting an overall duel success rate of 64.1 percent and an aerial duels success rate of 71.8 percent while also notching three goals.
D – Mitchell Taintor, San Antonio FC (2nd selection) – The veteran center back put together another impressive season in the middle of SAFC’s back line to earn his second consecutive selection, recording 88 clearances and 46 interceptions while ranking in the top five in recoveries with 230. Taintor’s overall duel success rate sat at 59.9 percent, while his tackle success rate was 63.3 percent.
D – Sean Totsch, Louisville City FC (4th selection) – The LouCity veteran earned his fourth consecutive selection after playing every minute of the regular season – one of only two outfield players to do so – as he recorded six goals and made 86 clearances and 44 interceptions while winning 66.4 percent of aerial duels and 55.2 percent of duels overall.
M – Fidel Barajas, Charleston Battery (1st selection) – The Mexico U-17 international phenom was an integral part of the Battery’s turnaround, sitting tied for third in the Championship with nine assists in the regular season while also scoring four times. Barajas was named to The Guardian’s Next Generation 2023 list in October after a stellar year for club and country.
M – Kenardo Forbes, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (7th selection) – The Jamaican veteran remained at the top of his game to earn a seventh All-League nod – the most in the USL Championship era – as he recorded 10 assists and 54 chances created to power the Hounds’ attack while also making 185 recoveries and posting a tackle success rate of 67.7 percent on 21 tackles.
M – Cam Lindley, Indy Eleven (2nd selection) – Lindley earned his second consecutive selection after an offseason transfer brought the Indiana native home to the Boys in Blue. The central midfielder recorded eight assists and 57 chances created while recording 186 recoveries and winning 33 tackles at a 68.8 percent success rate.
M – Enzo Martinez, Birmingham Legion FC (4th selection) – The veteran playmaker earned his second consecutive selection after another standout season for Legion FC in which he recorded 10 goals and seven assists while also recording 37 chances created while winning a team-high 40 tackles at a 66.7 percent success rate.
F – Russell Cicerone, Sacramento Republic FC (1st selection) – An offseason arrival at Republic FC, Cicerone posted the club’s first individual double-digit regular season of goals since 2019 with 15 tallies while also adding four assists. The 28-year-old posted a shooting accuracy rate of 64.6 percent while also recording 41 chances created.
