Ngalina had an efficient night in Hartford’s 2-2 draw against Charleston last Friday. He started off his performance by assisting Mamadou Dieng on his first goal for the club in the 20th minute. As the ball was taken over by Younes Boudadi with a long kick toward the goal, Ngalina took a bounce off his head directly to Dieng to smash it into the net. The 23-year-old winger had the ball at his feet quite a bit in the duration of the first half, taking three shots in total and eventually scoring one of them. Catching a clean pass from Anderson Asiedu, he dribbled it down towards Charleston goaltender Adam Grinwis, and chipped it right over to bring the Green and Blue to 2-0.
Michee Ngalina is now at two assists and six goals in the season, making him the top scorer for the club.
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 19
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 19 GK – Johan Peñaranda, FC Tulsa: The 24-year-old posted a five-save shutout that included a stoppage-time penalty kick save to earn Tulsa a point on the road against Monterey Bay F.C. in a scoreless draw at Cardinale Stadium.
D – Junior Etou, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: The left back scored a pair of goals as the Hounds broke their scoreless streak in a 5-0 victory against Oakland Roots SC and won 6 of 7 duels while making three clearances and one interception defensively.
D – Jordan Doherty, Tampa Bay Rowdies: The Irish defender had a strong all-around performance in the Rowdies’ 2-0 win against Orange County SC, winning 3 of 3 tackles and 4 of 5 ground duels while completing 47 of 59 passes and notching three chances created.
D – Sean Suber, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: The first-year pro recorded his first goal in the Championship in the Hounds’ victory against Oakland Roots SC and also won 4 of 4 aerial duels and made three clearances defensively.
D – Derek Dodson, Birmingham Legion FC: The 25-year-old recorded six chances created and completed 39 of 46 passes overall while winning 5 of 8 duels and recording five recoveries in Legion’s 2-1 victory against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Protective Stadium.
M – Aaron Molloy, Charleston Battery: The Irish midfielder equaled the most chances created in a game this season with nine and had four shots while completing 55 of 68 passes overall as the Battery rallied for a 2-2 draw on the road at Hartford Athletic.
M – Bradley Sample, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: The central midfielder recorded the first two assists of his professional career, completed 21 of 27 passes and 5 of 5 long passes, and made six recoveries in Pittsburgh’s victory against Oakland Roots SC.
M – Bruno Lapa, Memphis 901 FC: The Brazilian scored the late game-winning goal in 901 FC’s 1-0 victory against Detroit City FC and recorded four shots and five chances created overall, completing 8 of 8 crosses and 17 of 24 passes overall.
F – Cal Jennings, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Jennings scored both goals, surpassing 60 regular season goals in the Championship for his career in the process, and had four shots and one chance created in the Rowdies’ 2-0 victory against Orange County SC.
F – Albert Dikwa, Rhode Island FC: The 2023 Golden Boot winner notched a pair of goals on his two shots in the game and completed 9 of 12 passes as Rhode Island continued its undefeated streak with a 3-2 win against Miami FC.
F – Michee Ngalina, Hartford Athletic: The Congolese winger recorded a goal and assist, had two shots and two chances created overall, and completed 3 of 4 dribbles and 19 of 24 passes in Hartford’s 2-2 draw against the Charleston Battery at Trinity Health Stadium.
Coach – Bob Lilley, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Lilley’s squad broke out with a five-goal display against Oakland Roots SC at Highmark Stadium while limiting Roots to only two shots overall to end a 10-game winless run in the league for the Hounds.
Bench: Raiko Arozarena (LV), Ben Ofeimu (IND), Shawn Smart (LV), Robbie Mertz (PIT), Nick Markanich (CHS), Wesley Leggett (LDN), Coleman Gannon (LV)
