USL News Release

Wednesday, May 28

TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced today the Premier Development League Team of the Week for the sixth week of the USL calendar honoring Michigan Bucks midfielder, Nate Jafta as Player of the Week.

Jafta rose to the top of the North American best-eleven list by picking out six teammates for goals in a period of three matches for the Bucks. He also tallied a goal of his own in a 5-0 win over the Fort Wayne Fever on Saturday, May 24.

The most impressive match of the three-game set the Bucks handled last week was their 2-1 win over the Cleveland Internationals on Memorial Day. In a winner-take-all match for U.S. Open Cup qualification Jafta showed best, collecting assists on both of Michigan’s goals. The Bucks have now qualified a record eight times in their thirteen-year existence for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. They will face the Cleveland City Stars in the first round of the tournament.

With the exception of the Bucks and the Bradenton Academics, the PDL teams entering the competition are from the other end of the U.S. Open Cup food-chain. Yakima, St. Louis, Fredericksburg, Brooklyn, Austin and Los Angeles are all newcomers thanks to the performances of their top stars.

That list is highlighted by forward Junior Garcia of the Yakima Reds, who attributed two goals and an assist this past week to push his side into the Open Cup for the first time in their 14-year history. A Team of the Week nomination for consecutive weeks, Garcia also netted two goals and one assist in a 3-1 win over Tacoma in week five.

The Reds best performance this week came on Friday, May 23 against BYU. Yakima’s Open Cup dreams were in serious trouble after the Cougars were awarded a penalty kick in the 89th minute that forward Zachary De Francis nailed to draw even at 1-1, but a magical ending turned factual in stoppage time as Alonso Rojas found the back of the net to retake the lead for good, 2-1. The Reds have been awarded a date with the defending champions of the USL Second Division, the Harrisburg City Islanders, on Tuesday, June 10.

A younger franchise, the Fredericksburg Gunners needed just two chances to qualify. They are led by a defense and goalkeeper combination that has yet to concede a goal to PDL opponents. The Gunners will face the USL-2 Richmond Kickers in the Open Cup. Highlighting that backline was Henry Kalungi, a coaching staff consensus pick as the team’s top defender.

“It is great having him back there to lead by example,” said Gunners General Manager Brian Shumate. “He is a quiet leader who deserves a lot of credit in our great start. He has really proven himself by leading a defense that has not allowed a goal all season.”