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Phoenix Rising captain Solomon Asante wants to defend his Most Valuable Player crown of the USL Championship, but has his sights set on the upcoming final against Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Asante has been nominated once again for the league’s second-tier Most Valuable Player award following another incredible performance for the Arizona-based team in the season under review.
The Ghana international, who is the current MVP of the league, is set to battle with Cameron Lancaster of Louisville City FC and Dane Kelly of Charlotte Independence for the prestigious gong.
The forward has insisted that defending his crown would be one of the proudest moments of his career.
“Winning, as we know, is sometimes easy, but staying on top is the most challenging thing and therefore I would be delighted to defend my crown,” Asante told GHANASoccernet.com.
“I think I’ve done enough to keep the award, but the work of the other nominees can’t be discredited either because we’re all here based on merit.”
Asante is expected to lead his lead in the USL Championship final against Tampa Bay Rowdies on Sunday.
A victory against Tampa Bay would be the first major state soccer championship in Arizona history.
“We know the stakes, but I am confident that my team will emerge victorious. The Rowdies have only lost once at home this season so it will definitely be a daunting task, but like I said before, we will be in good shape to face them. . “
Asante earned his second consecutive MVP nomination after winning it in 2019, becoming the first player in championship history to claim the best assist provider with 9 assists in the regular season.
He scored on six goals and led the championship with 42 chances as Phoenix Rising FC finished the regular season tied for the league record with 43 goals.
Asante has also been named to the first league team of the USL Championship All-League, which is his third consecutive inclusion.
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