Top 2018 Moments – Top Ten Curtain Calls
The Championship featured more highlight-reel goals than ever, SportsCenter was paying attention
The USL Championship has had its fair share of memorable goals over the years – two good examples are Rodrigo Lopez's halfway-line finish for Sacramento Republic FC in 2015, or Miguel Gonzalez's bicycle kick for OKC Energy FC in 2016 – but in terms of sheer volume of highlight-reel moments it was hard to think of a year like the 2018 Championship campaign.
From Jason Johnson's scissor-kick for Phoenix Rising FC to Kenney Walker's 50-yard volley for FC Cincinnati, Soony Saad's outrageous free kicks for Indy Eleven and Lebo Moloto's crossbar rattling finish for Nashville SC, and even the 2018 USL Fans' Choice Goal of the Year by Wan Kuzain for the Swope Park Rangers, the level of brilliance across the league shone through.
And while the level of entertainment resonated with fans across the league, it also saw the Championship catch the eye of ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10, on which 28 goals were featured in the 2018 season.
As the league moves toward the 2019 campaign, we can only imagine what's next from the Championship's top marksmen.