The Atlanta Silverbacks may not have made the play-offs, but two players received post-season honors. The United Soccer Leagues honored two Silverbacks in the 2005 USL First Division All-League teams: Fabian Dawkins and Rodrigo Rios. Dawkins made the All-League First Team, and Rios made the All-League Second Team. Despite being newcomers to the league, Dawkins and Rios didn't waste any time making their presence known in the USL.
Coaches and general managers from around the league voted on the top players to be honored on the All-League teams.
Fabian Dawkins started the season by scoring five goals in the first five games, finished the season with a hat trick against Minnesota, and scored many goals in between. On the season, Dawkins finished second in the league for goals scored (15) and points (34). Dawkins, Atlanta's leading scorer, came to the US from Jamaica and is a member of Jamaica's senior national team.
Rodrigo Rios scored four goals of his own, but stood out with his six assists. Setting up his teammates for goal-scoring opportunities, Rios ended up second in the league for assists. On the season, Rios led the Silverbacks in assists and finished second on the team in points (14) behind Dawkins. Rios comes to Atlanta from Chile where he represented Chile’s U-17, U-20 and U-23 National Teams.
With such significant honors in their inaugural season, Rios and Dawkins will surely have a strong presence for the Silverbacks in their 2006 season.
