TAMPA, Fla. – The USL Championship today announced FC Tulsa goalkeeper Johan Peñaranda had been voted the league’s Player of the Month for July as the 24-year-old recorded three shutouts in four appearances and a 93.3 save percentage to help Tulsa push back into the race for the postseason.

Peñaranda returned to the professional ranks with Tulsa on June 7 having previously made three appearances this year in USL League Two with AC Miami. A native of Long Beach, N.Y., he had spent the past two campaigns in USL League One with Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, winning the 2022 League One Save of the Year award while with the club, but upon his arrival in Tulsa he made an immediate impact between the sticks.

Since his debut in a 2-1 win against Miami FC on June 19, Peñaranda has established himself as the starter for the club. Over four appearances in July, he conceded only once and recorded 14 saves including a penalty stop in a 0-0 draw against Monterey Bay F.C. on July 14. Overall, Peñaranda posted a Goals Prevented mark of -4.22, the best mark among the Championship’s goalkeepers for the month.

“This is a huge honor, especially considering what the past couple of months have looked like for me,” said Peñaranda. “From playing in League Two, getting signed here on a 25-day contract and then being signed for the remainder of the season, it's been a journey. Thankfully, those clean sheets and these past performances have come with good results for us, so I think it's great for both myself and the team to continue carrying that momentum, pushing for a playoff spot and achieving that.”

Peñaranda is the first FC Tulsa player to earn the Championship’s Player of the Month award since its creation at the start of the 2017 season. In seven appearances this season, he has posted a save percentage of 88 percent while posting four shutouts and a goals-against average of 0.43. Tulsa Head Coach Mario Sanchez believes his presence on the field has been key to the defensive improvement the side has seen in a current four-game undefeated streak.

“He commands his box really well, and his presence is something that top, top goalkeepers have,” said Sanchez. “Through his confidence in himself, and through his communication, he makes the game easier for other players. Good goalkeepers have to make saves, but they actually make the game look easy. They organize ahead of the game so, hopefully, they don't have to make that many saves. That’s what I can say about him, he commands his box, he commands his teammates, and he has a very strong presence on the field.”

Peñaranda earned 37 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. Charleston Battery forward Nick Markanich finished second on 35 percent after extending his lead in the race for the Championship’s Golden Boot with six goals in five appearances, posting a strike rate of a goal every 72 minutes.

USL Championship Player of the Month – July 2024