- Only USL Championship player to be a Player of the Month finalist for April and May – the only player to earn two nominations
- Led the league in scoring with five goals on the month, including a hat trick on May 13
- Earned two Team of the Week Selections, two Goal of the Week nominations
- Fans can vote at USLChampionship.com through June 5 at 9:00 a.m. PT
Sacramento, Calif. – On Thursday, USL Championship announced that Republic FC forward Russell Cicerone has been nominated for USL Championship Player of the Month for May. Voting is open now through Monday, June 5 at 9:00 a.m. PT at USLChampionship.com. Fan voting composes 51% of the poll, and the remainder will be conducted by the USL Technical Committee and National media panel.
Cicerone was the league’s leading scorer in May with five goals, helping Republic FC tally wins in three of four games. He opened the month with his second career hat trick, netting all three scores in Republic FC’s win over Indy Eleven on May 13. The performance kicked off a run of three straight weeks that the forward would find the net. He scored again the following Saturday against Oakland Roots SC, netting the game-winner in the 51st minute, before netting the opening goal last Friday in Sacramento’s road contest at Hartford Athletic.
The Michigan native’s performance garnered league recognition throughout the month. He earned two selections to the league’s Team of the Week, first following his Week 10 hat trick and again in Week 12. Two of his five scores were nominated for the league’s Goal of the Week honor, with his 3rd minute score on May 13 and his 19th minute score on May 26 both earning nominations. With the May Player of the Month nomination, Cicerone is the only player to be up for the monthly honor in two out of the first three months of the season.
Through the first third of the 2023 season, Cicerone sits at the top of the leaderboards for the league’s attackers. His nine goals are tied for first in the league this season, and he sits atop the stats leaders with 11 scoring contributions. Through 15 appearances across all competitions in his first season with Republic FC, he is the fastest in club history to reach 11 goals and sits in the top-10 all-time in scoring for the Indomitable Club.
Cicerone and Republic FC are back in action this Saturday, visiting Eastern Conference side Tampa Bay Rowdies. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. PT and the match will be broadcast live in English and Spanish on Antenna TV 40.2, FOX40.com and the FOX40 News mobile app, and streaming on ESPN+. The club is also hosting a watch party for fans to gather and cheer on their favorite team at Nitty’s Cider in East Sacramento. More information is available at SacRepublicFC.com/WatchParty.
For the team’s full 2023 schedule, visit SacRepublicFC.com/Schedule.
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