TAMPA – The USL Championship announced the 2020 teams of the season with two Tampa Bay Rowdies players earning honors. Defender Forrest Lasso was named to the first-team and fellow defender Jordan Scarlett was named to the second-team.
Fellow USL Championship finalists, Phoenix Rising also received two honorees but Louisville City led the way with four players added to the first-team.
Lasso was rewarded for the fourth season in a row, leading the way for the league with only two other members of the 22 honorees receiving honors for the second time in a row. He managed a league-leading 86 clearances along with 25 interceptions. He was able to comfortably take on his opponents, managing to win 61.6 percent of duels and fared even better in the air, winning 66.3 percent of aerial duels.
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The Rowdies back-line was phenomenal this season and that was backed up with a second player as Scarlett earned his place in the second team. He closely followed Lasso with 63 clearances and 34 interceptions. His contribution wasn’t limited to defense, managing a goal and creating four big chances thanks to his runs into the box on set-pieces. Scarlett also led the way in minutes played, managing 1440 in this shortened season to top the lead.
Both players showed how well the Rowdies recruited for their back-line this season with both players in their first season at Saint Petersburg.
Earning two places on the all-league teams matches Tampa Bay’s effort from last year. But this is an improvement on 2019, when both selections, Pape Diakite and Sebastian Guenzatti were named to the second team.
Photo: Forrest Lasso
Florida Soccer Report 