“I’m back.” Those were the words San Antonio FC midfielder Billy Forbes yelled as he celebrated his first goal for the Silver and Black at Toyota Field. But Forbes’ actions have spoken louder than his words.
One month into the USL season, Forbes scored six goals and recorded three assists to lead SAFC to the top of the Western Conference. His efforts during that month earned him a spot in the USL Team of the Week on four occasions, and now, Billy Forbes is the first player in league history to be named the USL Player of the Month.
“It means a lot to see my hard work pay off,” Forbes said. “It’s the first award of its kind and I’m honored to be the USL Player of the Month. We have all put a lot of effort into the season, and at the end of the day it’s not just me out there; it’s a team effort.”
Forbes scored in all but one match during the first month of the season, contributing a goal in every match the team won in that span. But the winger also added three assists throughout those matches, which are tied for the lead in the Western Conference as well.
“I’m back.” Those were the words San Antonio FC midfielder Billy Forbes yelled as he celebrated his first goal for the Silver and Black at Toyota Field. But Forbes’ actions have spoken louder than his words.
One month into the USL season, Forbes scored six goals and recorded three assists to lead SAFC to the top of the Western Conference. His efforts during that month earned him a spot in the USL Team of the Week on four occasions, and now, Billy Forbes is the first player in league history to be named the USL Player of the Month.
“It means a lot to see my hard work pay off,” Forbes said. “It’s the first award of its kind and I’m honored to be the USL Player of the Month. We have all put a lot of effort into the season, and at the end of the day it’s not just me out there; it’s a team effort.”
Forbes scored in all but one match during the first month of the season, contributing a goal in every match the team won in that span. But the winger also added three assists throughout those matches, which are tied for the lead in the Western Conference as well.
When it comes to chances, Forbes is a capitalizer. He has scored six goals from 11 shots, scoring just over half of his attempts. In addition, he’s tied with two other players as the league’s leading scorer, but has taken nearly half of the attempts as the other two players.
For Forbes, scoring isn’t everything. The personal achievements come with a team mentality. In his mind, San Antonio FC comes before Billy Forbes, and when he plays for his team, the goals and assists come naturally on their own.
“My style of play revolves more around creating opportunities,” Forbes said. “I like creating chances for the other guys who are playing up top, but if I end up having a chance for myself then I’ll try my best to score from it.”
Forbes plays for his team and himself, but it doesn’t stop there. Since he left the Alamo City to play for the now-defunct Rayo OKC, Forbes continuously felt the love from his San Antonio fans. Since San Antonio’s inaugural season, supporters rallied on social media and made their voices heard: they wanted Billy Forbes back.
And then it happened. San Antonio FC signed Forbes during the offseason, and since then, Forbes has been determined to repay his fans’ support with quality performances on the pitch.
“The love the fans show me is mutual,” Forbes said. “They love me and I love them back, and I want to especially dedicate this award to them. They really motivate me to go out there and do my best.”
When it comes to chances, Forbes is a capitalizer. He has scored six goals from 11 shots, scoring just over half of his attempts. In addition, he’s tied with two other players as the league’s leading scorer, but has taken nearly half of the attempts as the other two players.
For Forbes, scoring isn’t everything. The personal achievements come with a team mentality. In his mind, San Antonio FC comes before Billy Forbes, and when he plays for his team, the goals and assists come naturally on their own.
“My style of play revolves more around creating opportunities,” Forbes said. “I like creating chances for the other guys who are playing up top, but if I end up having a chance for myself then I’ll try my best to score from it.”
Forbes plays for his team and himself, but it doesn’t stop there. Since he left the Alamo City to play for the now-defunct Rayo OKC, Forbes continuously felt the love from his San Antonio fans. Since San Antonio’s inaugural season, supporters rallied on social media and made their voices heard: they wanted Billy Forbes back.
And then it happened. San Antonio FC signed Forbes during the offseason, and since then, Forbes has been determined to repay his fans’ support with quality performances on the pitch.
“The love the fans show me is mutual,” Forbes said. “They love me and I love them back, and I want to especially dedicate this award to them. They really motivate me to go out there and do my best.”
For Forbes, the individual awards are something to be proud of, but the real importance lies in performing well as a team. His focus to continue helping SAFC continue their run of good form takes precedence over individual glory, and first and foremost he wants to continue earning positive results as a unit.
“Our goal is to do something special as a team,” Forbes said. “If along the way we continue to have individual success, we’ll take it, but the main goal is to do something special together. If you think about individual awards too much, it can take away from the chemistry you have as a team. Being named Player of the Week or Player of the Month is great, but we have to stay focused on winning as a team.”
For Forbes, the individual awards are something to be proud of, but the real importance lies in performing well as a team. His focus to continue helping SAFC continue their run of good form takes precedence over individual glory, and first and foremost he wants to continue earning positive results as a unit.
“Our goal is to do something special as a team,” Forbes said. “If along the way we continue to have individual success, we’ll take it, but the main goal is to do something special together. If you think about individual awards too much, it can take away from the chemistry you have as a team. Being named Player of the Week or Player of the Month is great, but we have to stay focused on winning as a team.”
