TAMPA, Fla. – Phoenix Rising FC forward Junior Flemmings is the winner of the USL Championship Golden Boot, the league announced Wednesday.

Flemmings was suspended by the league Monday for the rest of the season after homophobic comments he made during his team’s regular-season finale against San Diego Loyal.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s goalkeeper Danny Vitiello claimed the Golden Glove and Phoenix Rising FC’s Solomon Asante securing the assists championship for a second consecutive season.

A second-year professional and a one-time player with the Massapequa Soccer Club in Massapequa, N.Y., Vitiello became the Hounds’ starter midway through the season and finished with a 0.500 goals-against average. He recorded five shutouts in eight appearances and saved two penalty kicks on four attempts with an overall save percentage of 77.8 percent.

Vitiello claimed the award by the narrowest of margins, edging out San Diego Loyal SC’s Jon Kempin, who finished with a 0.504 goals-against average in 10 appearances on loan from Columbus Crew SC.

Named the Championship’s Most Valuable Player in 2019, Asante became the first player to claim the assists champion award in back-to-back seasons. The Ghanaian standout recorded nine assists to claim the award this season and also led the Championship in Chances Created. Over the past three seasons, Asante has recorded a league-best 34 assists, to move into fourth place all-time in the Championship in assists.

The USL Championship’s statistical awards are the first to be announced, with the 2020 USL Championship All-League Teams to be announced in the week prior to the 2020 USL Championship Final Sunday, Nov. 1.

Those awards include Most Valuable Player, young player of the year, coach of the year, defender of the year and goalkeeper of the year will be announced following the final.

USL Championship Statistical Awards – Past Five Seasons
Golden Boot
2020 – Junior Flemmings, Phoenix Rising FC
2019 – Solomon Asante, Phoenix Rising FC
2018 – Cameron Lancaster, Louisville City FC
2017 – Dane Kelly, Reno 1868 FC
2016 – Sean Okoli, FC Cincinnati

Golden Glove
2020 – Danny Vitiello, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
2019 – Matt Pickens, Nashville SC
2018 – Evan Newton, FC Cincinnati
2017 – Tomas Gomez, Rochester Rhinos
2016 – Tomas Gomez, Rochester Rhinos

Assists Champion
2020 – Solomon Asante, Phoenix Rising FC
2019 – Solomon Asante, Phoenix Rising FC
2018 – Emmanuel Ledesma, FC Cincinnati
2017 – Chris Wehan, Reno 1868 FC
2016 – Villyan Bijev, Portland Timbers 2

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.