Sacramento, Calif. – On Thursday, USL Championship announced that Republic FC forward Russell Cicerone has been named the league’s Player of the Month for May. The USL Championship’s Player of the Month award is voted upon by the USL Championship National Media Panel and the USL Championship Technical Committee, as well as an online fan vote that consists of 51% of the results. Cicerone took 39% of the weighted poll to earn his first Player of the Month honor. He finished second in April’s vote.
Cicerone was the league’s leading scorer in May with five goals, finding the back of the net in three consecutive matches. He opened the month with his second career hat trick, netting all three tallies in Republic FC’s win over Indy Eleven on May 13. He produced again the following Saturday against Oakland Roots SC, finding the game-winner in the 51st minute, before scoring the opening goal in the club’s 4-1 road win over Hartford Athletic on May 26. It marked Cicerone’s career 50th USL Championship regular season goal, making him just the 23rd player to reach the milestone. Since the start of the 2021 season, he has scored 40 goals in USL Championship (regular season and playoffs), the best mark among the league’s active players. The only player to net more goals in the same span is 2021 Most Valuable Player Hadji Barry (41).
“It’s a huge honor and I’m extremely happy, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it without all of the talented guys around me. I’m only here because of how we’ve played as a group, so this is really an award for the whole team,” said Cicerone.
“This is a well-deserved recognition for Russell that is a culmination of not just his strong performances in May, but the work he has put in all season,” said Republic FC President and General Manager Todd Dunivant. “He’s driven to win and challenges his teammates to bring that same energy, both on the training field and on gameday. His relentless work ethic sets him up for success, and we expect more moments like this for Russ as we continue our quest for silverware.”
The Michigan native’s performance earned league recognition throughout the month, securing two Team of the Week selections and two Goal of the Week nominations. Across his career, he has earned three Player of the Month nominations – including two this year, making him the only player to be up for the monthly honor twice in 2023.
Cicerone sits at the top of the leaderboards for the league’s attackers. He is currently the co-leader for the USL Championship Golden Boot with nine goals and leads the league with 12 scoring contributions. Three months into his first season with Sacramento, he sits in sixth place on the club’s all-time leaderboard for goals in a single campaign.
Cicerone and Republic FC close out their three-week road stretch tomorrow, facing SoCal rival San Diego Loyal SC. Kickoff from Torero Stadium is set for 7:00 p.m. and the match will be broadcast live in English and Spanish on Antenna TV 40.2, FOX40.com, and the FOX40 News mobile app, as well as streaming on ESPN+.
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