CINCINNATI – Three FC Cincinnati players were voted to the USL All-League Teams, as announced by the USL today. Defender Forrest Lasso and midfielder Emmanuel Ledesma were both voted to the All-USL First Team, while midfielder Corben Bone was voted to the All-USL Second Team.
FC Cincinnati – which won the USL Regular-Season Championship in record-setting fashion – led all clubs with three selections to the all-league squads, and was one of three teams to place two players on the first team. The 2018 USL All-League Team was voted on by club management and a league-wide media panel that included representation from every USL market.
Lasso is a repeat All-USL First-Team honoree after earning the same honors in 2017 as a member of the Charleston Battery. Ledesma and Bone made their first appearances on the all-league squads.
The full USL All-League First Team included: GK – Maxime Crepeau (Ottawa Fury FC), D – Paco Craig (Louisville City FC), D – Joe Greenspan (Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, D – Forrest Lasso (FC Cincinnati), M – Tah Anunga (Charleston Battery), M – Solomon Asante (Phoenix Rising FC), M – Emmanuel Ledesma (FC Cincinnati), M – Aodhan Quinn (Orange County SC), F – Thomas Enevoldsen (Orange County SC), F – Cameron Lancaster (Louisville City FC), F – Daniel Rios (North Carolina FC)
The full USL All-League Second Team included: GK – Josh Cohen (Sacramento Republic FC), D – Ayoze (Indy Eleven), D – Darnell King (San Antonio FC), D – Denso Ulysse (Seattle Sounders FC 2), M – Kyle Bekker (North Carolina FC), M – Corben Bone (FC Cincinnati), M – Kenardo Forbes (Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC), M – Lebo Moloto (Nashville SC), F – Hadji Barry (Swope Park Rangers), F – Ataulla Guerra (Charleston Battery), F – Cameron Iwasa (Sacramento Republic FC)
Lasso appeared in 29 of FCC’s regular-season games, starting 28 at center back. His 2,572 minutes led all Cincinnati defenders and were third most on the team. The 6-foot-5 defender led the USL with 223 clearances on the year, and finished second in the league with 32 blocked shots and 172 aerial duel wins for an 82.7 percent success rate. On the attack, Lasso netted three goals – all off set pieces. He was a two-time USL Team of the Week honoree, picking up the weekly accolades in Week 13 and Week 19. Lasso also started both of FCC’s USL Cup Playoffs matches and two of the team’s U.S. Open Cup contests.
Ledesma posted one of the USL’s most dynamic seasons in league history, becoming the first player in USL history to score at least 15 goals and record at least 15 assists. Appearing in 31 league contests – starting 30 – Ledesma was the USL Assist Champion with a league-record 16 assists in 2018. He also added 16 goals. On the season, he posted four multiple-goal games and three multiple-assist efforts. Four of his goals were game-winners, while five of his assists set up the game-winning goal. He also finished inside the league’s top 10 in chances created. Ledesma was a two-time USL Player of the Month (June, September) and was a nine-time member of the USL Team of the Week, including a Player of the Week nod in Week 10. Additionally, he was the USL’s fan-voted Midseason MVP.
Bone posted his best-ever professional season in 2018, netting a career-high 11 goals and four assists. He appeared in 32 of 34 games, starting 30 in the midfield. His 2,600 minutes played paced the Orange and Blue. Five of his 11 goals were game-winning strikes, while he also added one game-winning assist. Additionally, Bone set a torrid pace in the season’s final seven games, scoring six of his 11 goals in that span. In a three-game span between Sept. 11 and Sept. 22, Bone scored four goals – including all three game-winning goals at Louisville City FC (Sept. 11), Toronto FC (Sept. 16) and at Penn FC (Sept. 22). He also played the entire season while only committing eight fouls and was not shown a card all year. Bone was a four-time member of the USL Team of the Week. He also started both of FCC’s USL Cup Playoff matches – scoring a goal against Nashville SC in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal – and also appeared in the team’s first U.S. Open Cup match of the campaign.
FC Cincinnati finished the 2018 season with a 23-3-8 overall record, setting USL records for points (77) and wins in a season, as well as regular-season undefeated streak (23 games) and winning streak (10 wins), en route to the USL Regular-Season title. FCC also advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the first time in club history.
The next time FC Cincinnati takes the field, it will be as an expansion team in Major League Soccer. FCC will begin as the league’s 24th team in 2019. The club will unveil its MLS brand identity on Monday, Nov. 12, in a ticketed event at the Woodward Theater in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.
Season tickets for the 2019 season are now on sale at fccincinnati.com/tickets. For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. For more information about FC Cincinnati tickets - including 2019 season tickets - call 513-977-KICK (5425) or visit fccincinnati.com/tickets.
