Going into Week 6 of the 2022 regular seasons, get the details as one of the USL Championship’s major figures reaches the top of the coaching tree, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC gets a chance to equal the best start in the league’s history on home turf this weekend, and a remarkable Rowdies run comes to an end.

We’ve also got your watchlist for upcoming landmarks around the league, and the weekly Discipline Report.

NEWS AND NOTES

HOUNDS’ BOB LILLEY BECOMES CHAMPIONSHIP’S ALL-TIME WINS LEADER
One of the most respected individuals in the United Soccer League’s history, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Head Coach Bob Lilley this month became the winningest coach in the USL Championship’s regular season as he passed longtime contemporary Mike Anhaeuser for the top spot in the list. Across his time with the Rochester Rhinos (2011, 2014-17) and Riverhounds SC (2018-present) Lilley has now accumulated a regular-season record of 132-52-78 in the Championship, adding to his prior success in the USL A-League and First Division with the Hershey Wildcats, Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps and Rhinos.

Most Head Coaching Victories in USL Championship History
1. Bob Lilley – 132 (ROC 2011, 2014-17, PIT 2018-present)
2. Mike Anhaeuser – 130 (CHS 2011-21)
3. John Wolyniec – 88 (NY 2015-21)
4. Leigh Cowlishaw – 85 (RIC 2011-18)
5. Mike Jeffries – 81 (CLT 2015-18, 2019-21)
6. Rick Schantz – 78 (PHX 2017, 2018-present)

SWITCHBACKS CAN EQUAL BEST START IN LEAGUE HISTORY
 

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC has the chance to accomplish something for the first time in a decade in the USL Championship on Saturday when the side goes for its sixth consecutive victory to start the regular season against Memphis 901 FC at Weidner Field. The Switchbacks’ five wins from five games are one shy of the league’s best start to a campaign, achieved by the Richmond Kickers and Rochester Rhinos in the first two seasons of the Championship’s history.

Four of the Switchbacks’ five victories have come via a single goal, including this past Saturday’s 3-2 victory against Las Vegas Lights FC, which marked the first time the side had trailed this season. By contrast, the Rhinos didn’t trail once during their streak – and in fact didn’t concede a goal – during its six-game run in 2012, while the Kickers rallied twice for victories during their run.

Should they tie the record, the Switchbacks will be hoping for a better continuation of the season than either Richmond or Rochester accomplished following their hot starts. The six wins earned by both the Kickers and the Rhinos ended up as half of their final win total for the season, as both teams finished with 12 victories in the regular season overall.

Longest Winning Streak to Start a USL Championship Season
Richmond Kickers – 6 games, 2011
Rochester Rhinos – 6 games, 2012
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – 5 games, 2022*
Tampa Bay Rowdies – 5 games, 2021
Indy Eleven – 4 games, 2020
Louisville City FC – 4 games, 2018
Real Monarchs SLC – 4 games, 2018

SOLOMON ASANTE RETURNS, BRINGING PROLIFIC HISTORY

Indy Eleven’s announcement on Monday of the signing of Solomon Asante will bring the most prolific player in attacking terms back to the USL Championship when he returns to the field. Over the past four regular seasons, the two-time Championship Most Valuable Player has delivered at a higher rate in terms of overall goals + assists per 90 minutes than any other player with at least 40 goal actions in league history with a regular season mark of 0.94 G+A/90 over his career so far.

Asante does have company at the top of the leaderboard, with two of the league’s most prolific goalscorers also notching high marks individually. Current Louisville City FC forward Cameron Lancaster comes in at 0.90 G+A/90 in second place, while current Charlotte FC forward Daniel Rios isn’t far behind at a rate of 0.88 G+A/90, a mark accomplished as the Mexican forward became the first – and so far, only – player to record back-to-back 20-goal regular seasons in the league in 2018 and 2019.

Highest Goals+Assists per 90 Minutes in USL Championship Regular Season
(Minimum 40 combined Goals+Assists)
1. Solomon Asante – 0.94 (49 goals, 41 assists, 8,655 minutes)
2. Cameron Lancaster – 0.90 (71 goals, 7 assists, 7,769 minutes)
3. Daniel Rios – 0.88 (40 goals, 6 assists, 4,690 minutes)
4. Matt Fondy – 0.81 (37 goals, 7 assists, 5,253 minutes)
5. Dane Kelly – 0.76 (103 goals, 26 assists, 15,156 minutes)
T-6. Brian Brown – 0.75 (38 goals, 22 assists, 7,172 minutes)
T-6. Thomas Enevoldsen – 0.75 (35 goals, 17 assists, 6,234 minutes)
T-8. Junior Flemmings – 0.74 (57 goals, 23 assists, 9,749 minutes)
T-8. Romario Williams – 0.74 (40 goals, 7 assists, 5,728 minutes)
T-10. Foster Langsdorf – 0.73 (32 goals, 12 assists, 5,398 minutes)
T-10. Kevaughn Frater – 0.73 (30 goals, 13 assists, 5,280 minutes)

ROWDIES SHUT OUT IN CONSECUTIVE GAMES FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2018
At some point each season, a team is going to be held scoreless. For the Tampa Bay Rowdies, however, that was something that until this past Saturday hadn’t happened in consecutive contests in almost four years. Tampa Bay’s 1-0 loss to Miami FC brought to an end a streak of 106 contests across the USL Championship’s regular season and playoffs in which the side had not been held without a goal in back-to-back games, a run that dated back to a three-game scoreless streak, the third game of which occurred on August 11, 2018 against North Carolina FC.

Tampa Bay’s run of avoiding back-to-back shutouts wasn’t the longest current streak in the Championship. That currently belongs to Phoenix Rising FC, which hasn’t been held scoreless in consecutive regular season or playoff games since July 2017, a run of 146 consecutive contests. Other current streaks include San Antonio FC (81 games), Louisville City FC (77 games), Orange County SC (75 games), and FC Tulsa (73 games).

Upcoming Player Milestones

Appearances
Approaching 200 regular-season appearances
Aodhan Quinn (PHX) – 197

Approaching 150 regular-season appearances
Sebastian Dalgaard (TBR) – 148
Joe Farrell (PHX) – 147

Approaching 100 regular-season appearances
Lindo Mfeka (OAK) – 99
Sean McFarlane (MIA) – 98
Nick Hinds (ELP) – 98
Elijah Martin (SD) – 97
Jesus Enriquez (OAK) – 97
Tobi Adewole (IND) – 97

Minutes
Approaching 10,000 regular-season minutes
Christiano Francois (ELP) – 9,968
Sebastian Dalgaard (TBR) – 9,954
Santi Moar (PHX) – 9,950
Modou Jadama (HFD) – 9,919
Christian Volesky (MB) – 9,886
Aaron Guillen (TBR) – 9,846
Chris Wehan (NM) – 9,814

Goals
Approaching 75 regular-season goals
Cameron Lancaster (LOU) – 71

Approaching 50 regular-season goals
Solomon Asante (IND) – 49

Assists
Approaching 50 regular-season assists
Kenardo Forbes (PIT) – 47

Approaching 30 regular-season assists
Chris Wehan (NM) – 29
Santi Moar (PHX) – 28
Oscar Jimenez (LOU) – 28

Saves
Approaching 200 regular-season saves
Jeff Caldwell (COS) – 194

Shutouts
Approaching 30 regular-season shutouts
Joe Kuzminsky (CHS) – 29
Matt VanOekel (BHM) – 28

Discipline Report – Week 6

TAMPA, Fla. – The following is the USL Championship’s discipline report for Week 6 of the 2022 USL Championship season:

Atlanta United 2’s Darwin Matheus and Nigel Prince have each been suspended for one game following their red cards for abusive language and serious foul play, respectively, in Atlanta’s contest against Detroit City FC on April 9. Both Matheus and Prince will be unavailable for selection in Atlanta’s contest against Indy Eleven on Saturday night.

Monterey Bay F.C.’s Robbie Crawford has been suspended for one game following his red card for two cautionable offenses against El Paso Locomotive FC on April 9. Crawford will be unavailable for selection in Monterey Bay’s contest against the LA Galaxy II on Saturday night.