There are few players as decorated in the USL Championship’s history as Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Kenardo Forbes.

The Players’ Shield and USL Championship title winner has been one of the mainstays in the league for a decade and is now on the verge of taking hold of one of its landmark records. In this week’s edition of the USL Championship News & Notes we take a look at the upcoming records the player known as King Kenny has on the horizon.

We also check in with Birmingham Legion FC’s Enzo Martinez, who continues to stand on his own as one of the great creators and finishers in the Championship’s history, and the players who have been the first name on the teamsheet for clubs in the league since the start of the 2022 season. There’s also our regular look at upcoming landmarks for players around the league, and the Week 7 Discipline Report.

Let’s begin.

NEWS & NOTES

KING KENNY WITHIN RANGE OF ALL-TIME MINUTES RECORD
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Kenardo Forbes is within range of becoming the USL Championship’s All-Time leader in regular season minutes this week, with the veteran Jamaican having moved into second place in the league’s all-time list this past weekend against Rhode Island FC.

The 35-year-old currently sits on 21,167 minutes played in the Championship’s regular season. That places him 70 minutes behind current Charlotte Independence defender Hugh Roberts on 21,237 minutes, who became the league’s all-time leader a season ago before joining League One’s Independence last offseason.

Forbes is currently in his 10th season in the Championship, having spent his career with two clubs and one Head Coach. He joined the Rochester Rhinos in 2015 and helped the side win both the Championship’s Players’ Shield and USL Championship Final that season, and remained alongside Head Coach Bob Lilley when he joined the Hounds for the 2018 season.

Forbes’ current mark of 267 regular season appearances also places him second in the league’s history. He currently sits 10 appearances behind current all-time leader Yann Ekra’s 277 regular season appearances.

Most Regular Season Minutes in USL Championship History
1. Hugh Roberts – 21,237
2. Kenardo Forbes, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC – 21,167*
3. Josh Suggs – 21,126
4. Aodhan Quinn, Indy Eleven – 20,906*
5. Taylor Mueller – 20,077
6. Sean Totsch, Louisville City FC – 19,391*
7. Alex Dixon, Monterey Bay F.C. – 18,919*
8. Phanuel Kavita, Birmingham Legion FC – 18,901*
9. Justin Portillo, FC Tulsa – 18,517*
10. Enzo Martinez, Birmingham Legion FC – 18,273*
* - active player

LEGION’S ENZO MARTINEZ REACHES 70 REGULAR SEASON GOALS

Birmingham Legion FC midfielder Enzo Martinez became the eighth player to reach 70 regular season goals in the USL Championship on Sunday evening during his side’s 1-1 draw with North Carolina FC. The 33-year-old became the first player in league history to have recorded at least 70 goals and 45 assists in the Championship’s regular season.

Martinez is now firmly in second place in the Championship’s all-time list for combined goals and assists with 116 in 225 regular season appearances. He is pursuing Championship all-time goalscoring leader Dane Kelly, who sits on 132 goal contributions in his career with 106 goals and 26 assists across 251 appearances during his career.

Most Combined Goals and Assists in the Championship’s regular season
1. Dane Kelly – 132
2. Enzo Martinez – 116
T-3. Neco Brett – 107
T-3. Jorge Herrera – 107
5. Solomon Asante – 106
6. Aodhan Quinn – 104
T-7. Hadji Barry – 103
T-7. Corey Hertzog – 103
9. Alex Dixon – 95
10. Sebastian Guenzatti – 94

SEAN TOTSCH’S CONSECUTIVE STARTS STREAK ENDS FOR LOUCITY

Louisville City FC center back Sean Totsch saw his run of consecutive starts in the Championship’s regular season end at 46 games last Tuesday night as he was rested for the side’s contest against the Charleston Battery at Patriots Point. The 32-year-old had last been absent from LouCity’s lineup in a regular season contest on August 31, 2022 against Indy Eleven.

The longest active starts streak in the Championship is that of Monterey Bay F.C.’s Morey Doner, who has started in every contest since the club’s inaugural game in 2022 for 74 consecutive starts. Doner’s Monterey Bay teammate Kai Greene ranks second in overall starts since the start of the 2022 season with 71 starts.

Most Starts for one club in the Championship’s regular season (2022-present)
1. Morey Doner, Monterey Bay F.C. – 74
2. Kai Greene, Monterey Bay F.C. – 71
3. Phanuel Kavita, Birmingham Legion FC – 70
T-4. Nathan Steinwascher, Detroit City FC – 69
T-4. Enzo Martinez, Birmingham Legion FC – 69
T-4. Aaron Guillen, Tampa Bay Rowdies – 69

Quick Hits
- Indy Eleven’s Sebastian Guenzatti moved into a tie for sixth place in the Championship’s history with his 72nd regular season goal in the league against the Charleston Battery on Saturday night. Guenzatti is now tied with former Charlotte Independence forward Jorge Herrera.

- Monterey Bay F.C.’s Alex Dixon moved into sole possession of a top-five place in the Championship’s all-time regular season appearances list as he made his 257th appearance against Las Vegas Lights FC on Saturday night. Dixon broke a tie with former Louisville City FC midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo.

- The Tampa Bay Rowdies moved their regular season winning streak to four games against in-state rival Miami FC with a 5-2 victory in South Florida last Thursday night. It is the longest winning streak either side has held in the series’ history.

- Sacramento Republic FC set a new mark for the most games without defeat against a single opponent in the Championship’s history on Saturday night following its 1-1 draw with FC Tulsa. Sacramento is undefeated in 13 all-time regular season meetings between the clubs, sitting at 9-0-4 in the series.

- El Paso Locomotive FC’s Yuma became the 86th player to record 100 appearances for a single club in the USL Championship’s history as he came on as a second-half substitute against Oakland Roots SC. He could be joined this weekend by the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Jordan Doherty, who enters the side’s contest against El Paso this Saturday on 99 regular season appearances in the Rowdies’ colors.

Upcoming Player Milestones

Appearances
Approaching 200 regular-season appearances
Augustine Williams (IND) – 199
Niall McCabe (LOU) – 198

Approaching 150 regular-season appearances
Shannon Gomez (SA) – 148
Jack Blake (IND) – 148
Lindo Mfeka (OAK) – 147
Matt VanOekel (BHM) – 146

Approaching 100 regular-season appearances
Jordan Doherty (TBR) – 99
Emilio Ycaza (CHS) – 99
Phillip Goodrum (TUL) – 98
Tyler Deric (MEM) – 98
Patrick Seagrist (TUL) – 98
Alex Villanueva (DET) – 97

Minutes
Approaching 15,000 regular season minutes
Neveal Hackshaw (OAK) – 14,612

Approaching 10,000 regular season minutes
Danny Griffin (PIT) – 9,889
Collin Martin (NC) – 9,664

Goals
Approaching 70 regular season goals
Augustine Williams (IND) – 67

Approaching 60 regular season goals
Romario Williams (HFD) – 58
Russell Cicerone (SAC) – 57

Approaching 50 regular season goals
Rodrigo Da Costa (NC) – 48

Assists
Approaching 50 regular season assists
Brian Ownby (LOU) – 46
Rodrigo Lopez (SAC) – 46
Enzo Martinez (BHM) – 46

Approaching 40 regular season assists
Christiano Francois (LDN) – 38

Approaching 30 regular season assists
Niall McCabe (LOU) – 29
Rodrigo Da Costa (NC) – 29
Cam Lindley (IND) – 27

Saves
Approaching 300 regular season saves
Paul Blanchette (OAK) – 299
Kendall McIntosh (SA) – 278

Approaching 250 regular season saves
Jordan Farr (TBR) – 240

Approaching 200 regular season saves
Nathan Steinwascher (DET) – 189

Discipline Report – Week 7

TAMPA, Fla. – The following is the USL Championship’s discipline report for Week 7 of the 2024 USL Championship season:

FC Tulsa’s Edwin Laszo has been suspended for one game following his red card for two cautionable offenses against Sacramento Republic FC on April 13. Laszo will be unavailable for selection in Tulsa’s contest against the Charleston Battery on Saturday night.

Las Vegas Lights FC’s Emrah Klimenta has been suspended for one game following his red card for two cautionable offenses against Monterey Bay F.C. on April 13. Klimenta will be unavailable for selection in Las Vegas’ contest against Rhode Island FC on Saturday night.

Miami FC’s Manuel Botta has been suspended for one game following his red card for two cautionable offenses against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on April 11. Botta will be unavailable for selection in Miami’s contest against Birmingham Legion FC on Saturday.