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Who Would Be in Your Championship FIFA Squad?

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 08/02/19, 4:00PM EDT

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With former Phoenix forward Drogba awarded Icon status in FIFA, we open some player packs


Phoenix Rising FC co-owner and former player Didier Drogba was named as one of the new 'Icons' in FIFA 20 this week, but who would make the cut on your Championship FUT squad? | Photo courtesy Michael Rincon / Phoenix Rising FC

EA Sports announced this week that the newest edition of the FIFA series – FIFA 20, to be released worldwide on September 27 – would include some new faces in the Icons category, adding to the long list of soccer legends that have featured in the game in the past.

Among those new additions is legendary forward – and current Phoenix Rising FC co-owner and former player – Didier Drogba, whose presence was announced this week alongside that of former England legend Ian Wright and former Italy legend Andrea Pirlo.

It got us at USL Digital thinking about the Championship’s current players, and what things would look like if the league was part of the game. (We know, we’d love to make it happen for real.)

So, we picked out 11 players from across the league to make up a representative Championship FUT 11, complete with rankings compiled with input from clubs and in some cases the players themselves as well as our own assessments of where each player stands alongside his Championship counterparts.

You can find out more about each player ranking below, but we’re also interested to see what your FIFA Ultimate Team of USL Championship players would be for this season. We used an online calculator to devise each player’s overall rating, and an online card builder to create each image. You can download player headshots and team logos from the USL’s Photo Library.

There's the complete lineup, now let's meet the team one-by-one.

GK – ALEX TAMBAKIS
NORTH CAROLINA FC

Tambakis’ reflexes get his highest rating between the sticks, while his consistently good positioning has helped him earn a place as one of the Championship’s top goalkeepers in recent years.

LB – AYOZE
INDY ELEVEN

The Spaniard’s wand of a left foot – which has seen him record 36 key passes and complete 83.3 percent of 55.5 passes/90 minutes – get his highest ranking, but Ayoze’s good defensive numbers – 59.5 percent duel success, 59.4 percent aerial duel success – also earn a solid mark.

CB – AJ COCHRAN
PHOENIX RISING FC

A solid central presence, Cochran obviously get his highest marks for defense – he’s won 14 of 17 tackles this season – and has won 64 percent of duels and 66 percent of aerial duels for a strong physical mark as well.

CB – JORDAN SCARLETT
NEW YORK RED BULLS II

Scarlett’s strength – which has seen him win 66 percent of duels and 69 percent of aerial duels this season – is a major asset, but don’t sleep on his solid recovery speed at the back.

RB – CARL HAWORTH
OTTAWA FURY FC

The Fury FC captain’s strong campaign is reflected in his impressive all-around scores. Haworth has put 13 of 19 shots on target this season, recorded five assists and 35 key passes and has won 30 tackles and made 35 interceptions.

CM – LEWIS HILTON
SAINT LOUIS FC

Hilton ranks in the top 15 among Championship midfielders in passes completed this season at an accuracy rate of 81.7 percent while delivering 38 key passes to earn his highest rating.

CM – SETH CASIPLE
RENO 1868 FC

With 66 key passes – second-most in the league – and 56.8 passes/90 minutes at an accuracy rate of 79 percent, Casiple gets high marks for his distribution, and he’s held his own in the middle of the park defensively to get solid marks there as well.

LW – LEO FERNANDES
TAMPA BAY ROWDIES

Fernandes’ balanced game is reflected in his solid defensive rating, he’s won 56.8 of his duels in 2019, while his 54.8 dribble success rate and 36 key passes also give him solid numbers going forward up the flank.

CAM – SOLOMON ASANTE
PHOENIX RISING FC

Asante’s passing ability – which sees him lead the league in assists and sport an 80.3 accuracy rate overall – rates highly, as does his shooting, where he’s put a league-leading 37 shots on target and boasts a 23.7 percent shot conversion rate.

RW – SANTI MOAR
NEW MEXICO UNITED

Moar’s combination of speed and accuracy – 31 of 49 shots this season have hit the target – get him high ratings while his 66 completed dribbles rank second in the Championship and boost those marks.

ST – DANIEL RÍOS
NASHVILLE SC

Currently the second-leading scorer in the Championship, Ríos’ conversion rate of 26.5 percent and shot accuracy rate of 44.9 percent earns him high marks, and he’s also completed 23 of 38 dribbles this season to add to his attacking threat.

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