Phoenix Rising skipper Solomon Asante has refuted claims that the USL championship- America’s second tier soccer league is a ‘weak league’.

The Ghanaian winger has been playing in the second level of the American Soccer Leagues pyramid since 2018. He is the reigning USL Championship MVP and is now captaining his side.

The 29 year old has had impressive numbers as regards goals and assists. He contributed 13 goals and 9 assists in 32 matches last season and upped his stake by increasing his numbers last season. In 32 appearances, Asante scored 22 goals and contributed 17 assists.

After 6 matches this season, he has registered 4 goals and 5 assists and is well on course for a successful defence of his title as league MVP.

Many have opined that he’s been registering these numbers because the league had relatively weaker teams and therefore not really competitive and tough.

However, the former TP Mazembe and Berekum Chelsea winger has denied such claims.

“So far if you look at my career in the last 10-12 years, things have been good. I have played for effective clubs, TP Mazembe, Berekum Chelsea, I went to Burkina Faso (ASFA Yennega), I have played the national team, so it ( USL) is a strong league. It is very strong and competitive,” Solomon Asante told Adom TV in an interview.

“No one can say it is not strong, because I have played several leagues but if I look at this, I can tell tf is very strong. Almost every team is performing well, so it is a strong league”, he remarked.

Asante also reflected on his time in the USL and believes all has gone well and smoothly.

“I came here in 2018 and by God’s grace, everything has been well. In my first season everything was okay; In my second season in 2019, everything was fine, I won awards,” Asante said of his spell in the USL.