NEWS & NOTES

BRACE YOURSELF, CAL JENNINGS IS HERE
Cal Jennings scored his first two goals in the Charleston Battery’s colors on Saturday night to lead the side to a 2-0 victory against Rhode Island FC in the first meeting between the clubs since the Eastern Conference Final of the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs.

The two-goal performance was Jennings’ 12th in the USL Championship’s regular season – tied for third in the league all-time – but also moved him into second place in multi-goal games in the league’s history. Jennings now sits four multi-goal games behind all-time scoring leader Dane Kelly in that category, with Lexington SC’s Cameron Lancaster and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Augustine Williams also part of the Top 5 all-time.

Notably, Jennings has reached 15 multi-goal performances in just under half the regular-season appearances (125) that Kelly logged in his career in the USL Championship (251).

Most Multi-Goal Games in the USL Championship Regular Season
1. Dane Kelly – 19 (4 hat tricks)
2. Cal Jennings – 15 (3 hat tricks) *
T-3. Cameron Lancaster – 14 (2 hat tricks) *
T-3. Chandler Hoffman – 14 (2 hat tricks)
T-5. Corey Hertzog – 13
T-5. Augustine Williams – 13 (1 hat trick) *
T-5. Neco Brett – 13 (2 hat tricks)

* - Active Player

KING KENNY STEPS AWAY A LEGEND

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Kenardo Forbes announced his retirement last Thursday, concluding a decade-long career in the USL Championship that had seen the Jamaican midfielder become one of the league’s iconic figures. Forbes stands with a league-record seven USL Championship All-League selections, while also having won the USL Championship title in 2015 with the Rochester Rhinos and the Players’ Shield with the Rhinos in 2015 and the Hounds in 2023.

Forbes also currently sits atop three of the USL Championship’s six major individual categories, ranking first in regular season appearances (295), minutes (22,224) and assists (66). Currently in the 21,000s in minutes played, both Louisville City FC’s Sean Totsch (21,989) and Indy Eleven’s Aodhan Quinn (21,859) could pass Forbes in the coming weeks, while he currently stands 17 ahead of Monterey Bay FC’s Alex Dixon (278) in regular season appearances.

The 36-year-old’s longest standing record, then, is likely to be his assists mark, where he currently stands 15 helpers ahead of Birmingham Legion FC’s Enzo Martinez (51) among active players in the USL Championship.

Most Regular Season Assists in the USL Championship Regular Season
1. Kenardo Forbes – 66
2. Solomon Asante – 58
3. Danny Barrera – 55
4. Enzo Martinez – 51*
5. Aodhan Quinn – 50*
6. Antoine Hoppenot – 47
T-7. Rodrigo Lopez – 46*
T-7. Brian Ownby – 46*
9. Christiano Francois – 40
10. Maikel Chang – 38

* - Active Player

EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE, PHOENIX RISING EQUAL LEAGUE’S HIGHEST-SCORING DRAW

El Paso Locomotive FC and Phoenix Rising FC’s dramatic 4-4 draw on Saturday night at Southwest University Park equaled the highest-scoring draw in the USL Championship’s regular season history. It marked the ninth time in the Championship’s regular season two teams had ended in a 4-4 scoreline, and the first since a contest between Locomotive and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on August 12, 2022 at Weidner Field.

Only three teams in USL Championship history have been involved in multiple 4-4 draws in the Championship’s regular season, with the Switchbacks also having ended all square with Austin Bold FC during the 2020 season. Previously, the Charleston Battery had played to 4-4 draws with both Louisville City FC (6/3/17) and the New York Red Bulls II (8/25/18).

USL CHAMPIONSHIP, LEAGUE ONE PLAYERS CALLED FOR INTERNATIONAL DUTY

Twenty-five players from across the USL Championship and USL League One have been called up for international duty this week, with players set to compete in 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying in Africa, the final stage of 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Qualifying ahead of this summer’s tournament, and international exhibitions around the globe.

Notably, four of the five 2025 USL League One expansion clubs have had players called up. Among them are Texoma FC’s Donald Benanma, who is set to represent the Central African Republic in World Cup Qualifying against Madagascar and Mali, and both AV ALTA FC’s Denzil Smith and Portland Hearts of Pine’s Nathanial James, who have been called into Trinidad and Tobago’s squad to face Cuba in Gold Cup Qualifying.

USL Championship & League One – Senior National Team Call-Ups – March 2025

Burundi (1) – Pacifique Niyongabire (Tampa Bay Rowdies)

Central African Republic (1) – Donald Benanma (Texoma FC)

Cuba (1) – Raiko Arozarena (Las Vegas Lights FC)

Dominican Republic (1) – Noah Dollenmeyer (El Paso Locomotive FC)

Haiti (2) – Duke Lacroix (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC), Carl Sainte (Phoenix Rising FC)

Jamaica (1) – Jahmali Waite (El Paso Locomotive FC)

Martinique (1) – Patrick Burner (North Carolina FC)

Philippines (2) – Zico Bailey (New Mexico United), Javier Mariona (AV ALTA FC)

Puerto Rico (8) – Joel Serrano (FC Naples), Rodolfo Sulia (FC Naples), Nicolás Cardona (Miami FC), Colby Quiñones (Portland Hearts of Pine), Steven Echeverria (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC), Gerald Diaz (Miami FC), Jaden Servania (North Carolina FC), Beto Ydrach (Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC), Ricardo Rivera (Miami FC)

Rwanda (1) – Jojea Kwizera (Rhode Island FC)

Sierra Leone (1) – Emmanuel Samadia (Hartford Athletic)

Somalia (1) – Mohamed Omar (San Antonio FC)

St. Vincent and the Grenadines (1) – Oalex Anderson (North Carolina FC)

Trinidad and Tobago (3) – Shannon Gomez (San Antonio FC), Nathanial James (Portland Hearts of Pine), Denzil Smith (AV ALTA FC)

Quick Hits

- Louisville City FC’s Sean Totsch is set to become only the second player to reach 22,000 regular season minutes in the USL Championship this Saturday, sitting 11 minutes from the mark as LouCity hosts its home opener against Loudoun United FC at Lynn Family Stadium.

- Lexington SC’s Marcus Epps became the 30th player in the USL Championship’s history to have recorded at least 35 goals and 20 assists in the regular season as he recorded the 35th goal of his career on Saturday against Orange County SC. Epps reached the mark in his 200th regular season appearance.

- Loudoun United FC’s second consecutive comeback victory to start the 2025 season against North Carolina FC this past Saturday marked the first time the club had rallied to win in back-to-back games since victories against Saint Louis FC (Oct. 9) and the Charleston Battery (Oct. 13) in its inaugural 2019 season.

- El Paso Locomotive FC’s four-goal game against Phoenix Rising FC marked the club’s first such outing since its 4-4 draw with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on August 12, 2022. With six goals in two games this season, Locomotive is 22.2 percent of the way to equaling its league-low 27 goals in the 2024 regular season.

Upcoming Player Milestones

Appearances
Approaching 250 regular-season appearances
Bolu Akinyode (MIA) – 247
Speedy Williams (LEX) – 246

Approaching 200 regular-season appearances
Luiz Fernando (NM) – 198

Approaching 150 regular season appearances
Dariusz Formella (PHX) – 147
JJ Williams (RI) – 146
Tumi Moshobane (ELP) – 146   

Approaching 100 regular-season appearances
Greg Hurst (NM) – 99
Jake McGuire (NC) – 98
Christian Herrera (COS) – 97
Michael Bryant (DET) – 97
Adrian Rebollar (MB) – 97
Mohamed Traore (PHX) – 97

Minutes
Approaching 20,000 regular season minutes
Alex Tambakis (NM) – 19,967
Kai Greene (OAK) – 19,863

Approaching 15,000 regular season minutes
Matt VanOekel (BHM) – 14,754
Mark Segbers (CHS) – 14,709

Approaching 10,000 regular season minutes
James Murphy (IND) – 9,764
Laurence Wyke (TBR) – 9,724
JJ Williams (RI) – 9,658
Sam Gleadle (LOU) – 9,655
Justin Dhillon (COS) – 9,646
Romario Williams (IND) – 9,642
Ben Ofeimu (IND) – 9,632

Goals
Approaching 80 regular season goals
Augustine Williams (PIT) – 77

Approaching 70 regular season goals
Cal Jennings (CHS) – 67

Approaching 50 regular season goals
Phillip Goodrum (LOU) – 48
Manuel Arteaga (TBR) – 47

Approaching 40 regular season goals
Brian Ownby (LOU) – 39
Ronaldo Damus (BHM) – 39
Rodrigo Lopez (SAC) – 38
Ethan Zubak (OC) – 37
Dariusz Formella (PHX) – 37
Justin Portillo (SAC) – 37
Tyler Pasher (BHM) – 37

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

Approaching 30 regular season assists
Niall McCabe (LOU) – 29
Cam Lindley (IND) – 28
Robbie Mertz (PIT) – 27  

Saves
Approaching 300 regular season saves
Christian Herrera (COS) – 289

Approaching 250 regular season saves
Hugo Fauroux (LDN) – 235

Approaching 200 regular season saves
Eric Dick (PIT) – 184

Shutouts
Approaching 50 regular season shutouts
Matt Van Oekel (BHM) – 48

Discipline Report – Week 3

TAMPA, Fla. – The following is the USL Championship’s discipline report for Week 3 of the 2025 USL Championship season:

Monterey Bay FC’s Joel Garcia has been suspended for one game following his red card for violent conduct against Oakland Roots SC on March 15. Garcia will be unavailable for selection in Monterey Bay’s contest against Orange County SC on Saturday night.

El Paso Locomotive FC’s Frank Daroma has been suspended for one game following his red card for two cautionable offenses against Phoenix Rising FC on March 15. Daroma will be unavailable for selection in El Paso’s contest against New Mexico United on Saturday evening.