TAMPA, Fla. — USL League One announced on Monday that Richmond Kickers defender Ivan Magalhães has been named to the Cleer Audio Team of the Week for Week 20 after Sunday’s 0-2 road win over reigning league champs, Greenville Triumph SC.
This marks the second time in 2021 that the club co-captain has been named to the Cleer Audio Team of the Week after previously receiving the honor for his performance in Week 5.
“It felt great to get a win and keep a clean sheet against a tough opponent on the road,” Magalhães said. “I’m proud of all the guys that really put out an amazing effort to secure the win.
“I am happy with the recognition, but more importantly I am happy that we got all three points to put ourselves in a good position for the playoff race.”
Magalhães was a force on the Kickers’ backline against Greenville as the Kickers earned their sixth clean sheet of the season. In one-on-one situations, the Brazilian dominated his space as he won nearly 82 percent of his duals and 78 percent of his aerial duels. Perhaps his signature play of the match was a patient shadowing of Greenville’s Jesús Ibarra before pouncing and poking the ball out of play with a perfectly-timed slide tackle.
Magalhães would finish all 90 minutes without conceding a foul while winning a foul. He would also rack up six (6) clearances, one (1) block, and (1) tackle.
Furthermore, he would finish the night as the Reds’ top passer with the most passes and successful passes. He completed 37 good passes and crosses as well as finishing third on the team with 14 passes in the Greenville half.
As a team, the Kickers only allowed one (1) of Greenville’s 18 shots on target while blocking 10 of them.
I can’t think of a more deserving player to be recognized for his performance on Sunday,” First Assistant Coach Mika Elovaara said. “There’s a reason why Ivan wears the armband and why he has played more than 50 games for our club in the past three seasons. He is a fearless warrior who embodies our culture.”
Magalhães and the Kickers return home to City Stadium to host regional rivals, North Carolina FC, on Saturday, August 28. The match is presented by Impawsible Pups and fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to the stadium to enjoy the event. Kickoff for the match is 6:30 p.m.
GK – Andreas Vaikla, Toronto FC II: Vaikla made seven saves, three of which were on shots inside the box, to help his side earn an away point against Forward Madison FC on Wednesday night.
D – Kaelon Fox, FC Tucson: Fox made two tackles, won four duels and made four clearances to help Tucson to a clean sheet against Fort Lauderdale.
D – Eddie Munjoma, North Texas SC: Munjoma scored North Texas’ lone goal in its 1-1 away draw against Chattanooga last Tuesday, and also won five duels and made five recoveries.
D – Jason Ramos, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC: Ramos was excellent in both of Chattanooga’s games last week, a 1-1 draw with North Texas and a 1-0 win over Union Omaha which saw the Red Wolves take over top spot in the table.
D – Ivan Magalhães, Richmond Kickers: The Brazilian center back put in a shift to help Richmond beat Greenville 2-0 on the road, winning 9 of 11 duels and making six clearances while creating one chance.
M – Aaron Molloy, Forward Madison FC: Molloy was dominant in Madison’s Wednesday night meeting with North Texas, scoring a goal, winning 10 duels, making four tackles and completing two dribbles.
M – Charlie Dennis, FC Tucson: Dennis registered a goal, an assist, and three chances created in Tucson’s big Sunday night win. He also won eight duels.
M – Ricky Ruiz, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC: Ruiz recorded the only goal of Saturday night’s top-of-the-table clash, firing a smart finish to the near post in the 79th minute to help Chattanooga defeat Union Omaha and move into first place.
M – Marco Micaletto, South Georgia Tormenta FC: Micaletto led all players in Tormenta’s 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution II with five chances created. He also won two tackles and passed at an 86 percent success rate.
F – Giovanni Calixtro, FC Tucson: Calixtro’s Sunday night hat trick showed the bright future ahead for the 21-year-old attacker.
F – Thibaut Jacquel, North Texas SC: Jacquel was quite the impact substitute in North Texas’ 1-1 draw with Forward Madison on Saturday, scoring a brilliant free kick in second half stoppage time to steal a point for his side.
