Emilio Ycaza wins USL Championship Player of the Month for June

Emilio Ycaza was named USL Championship Player of the Month for June after a stretch that did more than pad his numbers. He delivered five goal contributions across four league outings, helped Charleston Battery stay unbeaten through the month, and kept showing up where the game was decided, whether deeper in midfield or arriving higher up to finish chances.

The league made the award official on July 9 after posting its June nominees on July 2. Its monthly selection process includes both USL Championship and Prinx Tires USL Cup matches, which matters here because Ycaza’s production was spread across both competitions. In 409 minutes, he scored twice and added three assists, while creating nine chances overall. That is not just a hot attacking run from a central midfielder. It is the profile of a player who is steering possession, accelerating transitions and still landing in the box at the right moment.

Charleston’s June results tell the same story. The Battery opened the month with a 0-0 draw against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on June 6, then won the shootout 4-2 to collect the extra point in the Prinx Tires USL Cup. A week later, Ycaza had a goal and an assist in a 5-1 comeback win over FC Tulsa on June 13, a result that showed Charleston could still overwhelm opponents even when the match started out messy. Then came the 4-1 win over Loudoun United FC on June 24, when Ycaza produced one goal, two assists, four chances created, 48 completed passes in 53 attempts and 11 recoveries. Charleston’s attack kept humming at Patriots Point, with Maalique Foster, Colton Swan and Jeremy Kelly also on the scoresheet as the Battery secured their third straight league victory and stretched their home unbeaten run to 21 regular-season matches.

That Loudoun performance earned Ycaza a place in the Week 17/18 Team of the Week, and it was only the latest proof of how steady his form has been. He had already scored twice in Charleston’s 3-2 comeback over Birmingham Legion FC on March 15, a night that brought him Week 3 Team of the Week honors. He also picked up Week 14/15 recognition on June 16, then added the Week 17/18 nod after Loudoun.

The award fits a broader Battery surge that also saw Ben Pirmann named Coach of the Month for June on July 8. Ycaza entered his fourth season with Charleston having appeared in 96 matches across all competitions since joining in 2023, with 12 goals and six assists to his name. June showed why the Battery’s ceiling is tied so closely to him: when Ycaza is dictating games, Charleston looks like more than a fast start. It looks real.