RENO, Nev. – When two players hit double-digits in scoring and help a team become one of the strongest offensive powers in U.S. Soccer, there is no question that both deserve to be named MVP.
And that’s just happened to be the case for Reno 1868 FC as forward Dane Kelly and midfielder/forward Antoine Hoppenot were named co-MVPs on Monday.
Both players complimented each other throughout the season after Hoppenot (12 goals, 6 assists) was moved up to forward in May. The two-man attack up top accounted for 30 of Reno’s 75 goals this year.
Head coach Ian Russell moved Hoppenot up to forward in May and Hoppenot scored his first goal as a Reno player on May 24 against Tulsa Roughnecks FC.
Hoppenot was named USL Player of the Week that week as he’d score two more goals in the Saturday match against Switchbacks FC.
From that point on, it was hard to contain Hoppenot and Kelly as both formed one of the top tandems in the USL. Kelly maintained his fantastic form throughout a season in which the Jamaican international scored two hat tricks and earned a spot on the Jamaican national team.
Kelly (18 goals, 4 assists) also won the league’s Golden Boot for the first time in his career and maintained a scoring average of 111.2 minutes per goal.
The first team All-USL selection won Player of the Month in May and is a finalist for league MVP, which will be announced on Nov. 22.
Antoine Hoppenot's 2017 Stats
Dane Kelly’s 2017 Stats