When Orlando City SC’s Kevin Molino set a new regular-season high with 20 goals in the USL in 2014, outstripping the previous mark by five, people at the time wondered how soon that mark would be challenged.
They didn’t have to wait long, as both Louisville City FC’s Matt Fondy and OKC Energy FC’s Danni König surpassed the total last season, with Fondy claiming the league’s Golden Boot with 22 goals, one more than König's 21.
Now, however, it could be that Fondy’s mark could also stand for only a year thanks to the efforts of the LA Galaxy II’s Jack McBean and new Louisville City FC addition Chandler Hoffman. Through eight games apiece, the dynamic forwards have hit new heights in early-season production in front of goal.
McBean’s success might come as the more surprising of the two, with the young forward having had solid but not necessarily spectacular seasons with Los Dos over the past two years. McBean had 11 goals in his first two years in the USL, but now has nine goals in his first eight games after a hat trick against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Wednesday night. The 21-year-old captain has scored in six of his team’s eight games so far, and recorded an assist in one of the two games he was held without a goal against Orange County Blues FC on April 8.
Jack McBean is absolutely lighting it up for #LosDos so far this year. Nine goals already, in just 8 games. Kid's made a leap.
— Matthew Doyle (@MLSAnalyst) May 5, 2016
Hoffman, meanwhile, has stepped into Fondy’s shoes with Louisville and continued the form that saw him become one of the USL’s top attackers in the past two years. An All-League selection for the Galaxy II in 2014, Hoffman had scored 17 goals in 27 regular-season games over the past two seasons before joining Louisville. He too has bagged a hat trick this season, in Louisville’s thrilling 3-2 win against FC Cincinnati in front of a league-record crowd of 20,947 on April 9, and seems poised to lead the side to continued success in its second season.
7 goals in 8 games for @chandala, see how he's thriving with @loucityfc. https://t.co/NLiBlwdPQo pic.twitter.com/92BiAlc48K
— FourFourTwo USA (@FourFourTwoUSA) May 5, 2016
After the remarkable duel between Fondy and König a season ago, the USL appears poised for another thrilling race for the league’s Golden Boot. Which player do you think will come out on top in September?
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