Week 18 pro honors announced

USL News Release

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

TAMPA, FL — United Soccer Leagues announced the Team of the Week honors for the 18th week of the USL season, honoring Portland’s Mandjou Keita as the USL First Division Player of the Week and Real Maryland’s Kevin King as the USL Second Division Player of the Week.

The Portland Timbers extended their unbeaten run to 20 (11-0-9) with a 3-1 thumping of the league-leading Battery Saturday night to move past Charleston along with Carolina to share the top spot in the league. Mandjou Keita was a dominant presence on the night with a goal and two assists.

Keita broke open the scoring in the 12th minute with a header from eight yards out. From a re-start just outside the box, Alex Nimo received the ball inside the penalty area and served a pin-point cross to Keita near the spot. Keita leapt over the crowd and drilled a shot just under bar for his first goal since July 11.

Keita and Nimo linked up once again in the 41st minute to double the Timbers’ lead 2-0. Portland worked the ball into the box to Keita high on the right side with his back to goal. Keita sent a pass out wide to Nimo down the right side. After slipping by his defender, Nimo curled a shot past Battery goalkeeper Keith Wiggans and inside the left post for his first goal as a member of the Timbers. It also marked the first time the Battery had allowed two goals in a game on the season.

Ryan Pore capitalized on a second chance at an open look inside the box in the 81st minute. Steve Cronin started the play at the back, finding Keita near midfield, who then fed Pore on a run up the left wing. Pore out-ran a Battery defender tracking back and then rattled a shot off the near post and into the back of the net to sealing a 3-1 win for the Timbers with his sixth strike of the season.

The Real Maryland Monarchs posted a much-needed win over the visiting Bermuda Hogges in a 4-3 thriller in which the hosts went up two on a pair of Jamie Holmes tallies before seeing the visitors score three straight for the advantage.

Then newcomer Kevin King came into the picture. It took a little time for the new forward from Jamaica to make his mark having entered just after the break, but it would be historic as his two goals would clinch a playoff berth, based on tiebreakers, to send the Monarchs to the postseason for the first time.

A minute after Bermuda’s go-ahead goal in the 77th, the Monarchs marched right down to the other end and answered with a brilliant goal by King from Jeff Carroll. Four minutes later, King found the back of the net again from a nice assist from Cecil Lewis.

In his debut USL-2 season last year with Crystal Palace, King only tallied two assists in 12 appearances for Baltimore after having won two championships in Jamaica with Harbour View.

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