Minnesota Thunder’s Lawrence Olum Named to USL All-League Second Team

The United Soccer League announced today that the Minnesota Thunder’s Lawrence Olum was named as a midfielder to the All-League Second Team.

Lawrence Olum wins All 2nd Team honors - Photo by Jeremy Olson -www.digitalgopher.net

The honor is given to 11 of the top 22 players in the league and voted upon by league coaches and general managers. The All-League First Team and additional awards will be announced Wednesday.

Midfielder – Lawrence Olum (Minnesota Thunder)
Olum came to Minnesota this year from Portland. The Nairobi, Kenya native quickly found a place as a central midfielder for the Thunder doing the dirty work of winning balls and starting attacks.

Lawrence logged in 3rd in minutes played for the team behind Jeremiah Bass and Nic Platter. He became an important part of the midfield almost from day one and ended the season with 5 goals and 3 assists for 13 pts. This made Olum the fourth highest Thunder player for points in 2009, following closely behind veterans Ricardo Sanchez (22 pts), Melvin Tarley (17 pts) and rookie Marco Terminesi (16 pts).

Olum could often be seen winning and keeping balls for his team with the use of skillful moves in tight spaces.

Other all 2nd Team Players:

Goalkeeper – Bill Gaudette (Puerto Rico Islanders)
The Goalkeeper of the Year last year, Gaudette had another fantastic season for the Islanders. He finished fifth in the league in goals against average at 0.74, but was tied for first in wins (15) with Steve Cronin, tied for first in shutouts (12) with Dusty Hudock while playing in the CONCACAF Champions League as well as logging the fourth most minutes at the position in the league.

Defender – Stephen deRoux (Montreal Impact)
A First Team selection last year with the Minnesota Thunder, the defender joined the Impact during the offseason and has become a key figure in the new look of the famous Impact back line. He saw action in 22 games for Montreal with one assist on the year. He missed seven games midseason due to a fractured bone in the cheek, but returned triumphantly to lead the club down the stretch despite having to play with a mask to protect the injury.

Defender – Cameron Knowles (Portland Timbers)
Knowles was recognized for the third consecutive year despite seeing his season cut short due to injury after 20 games. He helped lead the Timbers through part of its 24-game league record unbeaten streak and was a regular starter on a back line that finished tied for the league lead in fewest goals allowed at 19. He was previously a Second Team selection last year and a First Team honoree in 2007.

Defender – John Krause (Puerto Rico Islanders)
Krause was one of two players on the club (Cristian Arrieta) to play in 28 games on the season, and was part of the Islanders’ defensive unit that was particularly difficult to penetrate at home, allowing just 11 goals in 15 games. He also proved to be a contributor offensively with five goals on the season, eclipsing the three total he had in his previous two campaigns with the Islanders.

Defender – Mark Schulte (Carolina RailHawks)
It is the second time Schulte has received All-League honors in USL-1, having previously been named to the Second Team in 2002 as a member of the Minnesota Thunder. The past two years, he was honored as a First Team selection in the USL Second Division while also capturing the Defender of the Year honor as a member of the Cleveland City Stars. He helped lead Carolina to its best season in the club’s brief history and a second-place finish in the league, finishing tied for the league lead in fewest goals allowed at 19. He played 2,500 minutes in 28 games with a goal and an assist.

Midfielder – Martin Nash (Vancouver Whitecaps)
The leader of the club, Nash became the 12th player in league history to earn All-League honors a fifth time. He was previously recognized on the First Team in 2007 and 2008 and was on the Second Team while playing for Rochester in 2000. He was also an All-League selection for Vancouver in 1996, his second season in the league. The team captain played in 25 games with four goals and three assists before suffering a hamstring injury at the tail end of the season, but returned for the playoffs.

Midfielder – Jonathan Steele (Puerto Rico Islanders)
The league MVP a year ago, Steele helped lead the Islanders back to the postseason with a third place finish in the table and the league’s best home record. In his second year with Puerto Rico, he finished the season with four goals and three assists for the third most points on the team over the course of 23 games played.

Midfielder – David Testo (Montreal Impact)
In his sixth season in the league and third with the Impact, it is the second time Testo has been honored since his USL-1 debut with the Richmond Kickers in 2003 as a member of the Second Team. Testo proved to be a reliable figure in the Montreal midfield as the only player on the side to reach the 2,000 minute plateau with 2,235 logged over the course of 26 matches. It was the first time in his USL career he had reached that plateau. He also contributed a goal and an assist on the year.

Forward – Marlon James (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Despite missing large portions of the season due to three injuries, the new addition to the Whitecaps proved lethal when on the pitch, registering nine goals in his 17 appearances this season. His goal total ranked him eighth in the league in points and was sixth in the goals table for the year.

Forward – Eddie Johnson (Austin Aztex)
The English striker led the team in scoring in his first year in the league, finishing the season with five goals and four assists in 22 games played. He was also second on the team in minutes played for the year behind Ryan McMahen. He finished tied for 14th in the league in points.