TAMPA, Fla. – San Antonio FC forward Tani Oluwaseyi was announced as the USL Championship’s Player of the Month for July on Thursday after a superlative month in which the 23-year-old recorded eight goals overall, including the first four-goal game in the Championship’s regular season since 2019.

“I mean, grateful for it,” said Oluwaseyi. “We put in a lot of hard work every day and when you see the fruits of that labor then it kind of pays off, it feels like all the hard work has paid off. It’s good to get the award but eyes on the next challenge this weekend and just continue to keep the ball rolling.”

An early-season arrival in April on loan from Minnesota United FC of Major League Soccer, Oluwaseyi is currently putting together one of the most prolific goalscoring campaigns in the USL Championship’s history. He began July with a goal and assist in San Antonio’s 3-1 victory against Birmingham Legion FC before recording his second hat trick of the season the following week in a 4-0 win against Memphis 901 FC.

Oluwaseyi then capped the month with a four-goal performance against Hartford Athletic to move into the lead for the Championship’s Golden Boot while also helping propel the side into second place in the USL Championship’s Western Conference. He has been backed by Jorge Hernandez, who was also nominated for July’s award, with the duo helping drive the highest-scoring attack in the Championship so far this season.

“I think it bodes well for the team if we have multiple guys being nominated for player of the month,” said Oluwaseyi. “That means we’re doing something right and that things are going the way we want them to go. So hopefully we just keep it up. Jorge has picked up right where he left off and hopefully, we can continue to just build on that relationship and just continue to grow things as the game goes on.”

A native of Nigeria, Oluwaseyi is in his second professional season having previously competed for St. John’s University and Manhattan SC in USL League Two. His 14 goals in 13 regular season games put him at a strike rate of a goal every 72.1 minutes, which currently ranks third in league history among players with at least 10 goals in the regular season. As San Antonio defends its Championship title, Oluwaseyi is focused on continuing to deliver for the side.

“Every week provides a different challenge, not just for me but for different guys,” he said. “You know, you’re coming up against different matchups and different formations and things like that. It’s just having the right mentality and just being able to lock in and adjust when it’s needed. As long as you’re putting your best foot forward, I think things will always fall the way they’re supposed to.”

Oluwaseyi received 60 percent of a weighted poll that included the USL Championship Technical Committee, a national panel of independent media representing every USL market and an online fan vote held at USLChampionship.com. New Mexico United goalkeeper Alex Tambakis finished second on 12 percent after a stellar month in which he posted a goals-against average of 0.60 with three shutouts and 18 saves for a save percentage of 85.7 percent.

USL Championship Player of the Month – July 2023