The Silverbacks announced on Thursday that defender Brett Sancho had been signed to a contract with the team, pending USSF and international clearance. The former Trinidad and Tobago national-team star most recently played for English Premier League squad Millwall and Scottish Division Two team Ross County. The Silverbacks believe that the 6-foot-2, 200-pound defender can help reinforce what has been statistically the worst defense in the USL. The team has scored a league-high 33 goals, but has also allowed a league-high 36. The imposing veteran played for Trinidad and Tobago from 1999-2006 and competed in the 2006 World Cup. Sancho also brings USL experience with him, as he played for the Portland Timbers and the Charleston Battery from 2000-02.
The Silverbacks also announced a trade which sent forward Nathan Knox to the Minnesota Thunder for striker Aaron Paye. Knox tallied one goal in eight games for Atlanta in 2008. Paye scored one goal for Minnesota this year in 15 games.
‘BACKS PLAY THREE
The Silverbacks won their third game in a row on Aug. 5, with a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. The home win allowed the Silverbacks to rise to fourth in the league standings. Vancouver started the scoring in the 31st minute, but the Silverbacks evened things up in the 37th on a Tony McManus goal. Silverbacks star forward Macoumba Kandji then scored in the 53rd minute and followed up with an assist in the 59th to push the lead to 3-1. That would be all the scoring the Silverbacks needed as the club held on for the one-goal win.
On Friday night, the Silverbacks hosted the Miami FC Blues at Silverbacks Park. In contrast to Atlanta’s previous three games, the teams played a controlled and methodical match. Both teams pushed forward infrequently and, as a result, had very few chances. In fact, Miami only tallied eight shots (the Silverbacks attempted 17). The game ended in a 0-0 draw. This extended the Silverbacks’ unbeaten streak to four games and also served to post notice that the team’s defense is improving.
Unfortunately, Atlanta’s unbeaten streak ended on Sunday as the team dropped a 3-2 decision at Vancouver. The Silverbacks put up a valiant effort against the first-place Whitecaps after traveling across the continent to play their fifth game in a 10-day span. Ansu Toure scored twice for Atlanta, but the team could not hold the lead.
In other news, Mac Kandji was awarded the USL Player of the Week award for Week 16, as he netted three goals during the week. The Senegalese forward is tied for the league lead in goals with 10.
Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.
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