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Keita finished the regular season with 29 points and the USL-1 Scoring Championship. Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer |
PORTLAND, Ore. – United Soccer Leagues announced today that Portland Timbers forward Mandjou Keita was named the USL First Division Scoring Champion. He finished the regular season as the league’s leading scorer with 29 points.
Keita, 29, recorded 11 goals and seven assists in 29 games this season to reach 29 points. He becomes the second Timbers player in modern-franchise history to achieve the honor; forward McKinley Tennyson was recognized as the league’s leading scorer in 2002.
In his first season with the Timbers, Keita ranked among the USL First Division’s statistical leaders in several categories. He was tied for second in goals, third in assists and third in shots (71). Keita is the sixth Timbers player since 2001 to record 10-plus goals in a single season.
A native of N’zerekore, Guinea, Keita’s 2009 season was highlighted by key goals in back-to-back road matches against the Puerto Rico Islanders in May, two-goal performances against the Montreal Impact and Miami FC Blues at PGE Park and a four-game span in August that included four goals and four assists.
He was a five-time selection to the USL First Division Team of the Week in 2009, including three Player of the Week nominations.
Keita also scored three goals in the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament, including a strike against Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer in the third-round matchup before a sold-out crowd at PGE Park on July 1.
Prior to joining the Timbers, Keita was the Golden Boot award-winner for the Malaysia Super League in 2006, finishing that season as the league’s leading scorer while with the Perak FC.
The Timbers begin their run in the USL First Division playoffs in the semifinal round. They will host the second match of the two-game, aggregate-goals semifinal series on Oct. 4, at PGE Park at 4 p.m., presented by Spirit Mountain Casino.
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