Trinidad and Tobago international defender Neveal Hackshaw has earned a spot on the USL Championship Team of the Week (week 34) for his standout performance in Oakland Roots SC’s 3-0 win over Lexington SC late last month.
The USL Championship announced its Team of the Week on Tuesday, highlighting top individual performances from the final week of the 2024 regular season. FC Tulsa forward Taylor Calheira was named Player of the Week, after scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at ONEOK Field.
Among the week’s outstanding players was Hackshaw, whose dominant defensive display anchored the Roots’ back line. The 30-year-old centre back recorded 13 clearances, four interceptions, and four recoveries, while winning 10 of 11 duels and completing 44 of 51 passes to help secure the shutout win at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.
Despite already being eliminated from playoff contention, Oakland closed the season in style, putting together one of their most complete performances of the campaign. The win denied Lexington a playoff berth–Lexington needed all three points to clinch a postseason spot, but the Roots had other plans.
The match began with Lexington pressing high, trying to impose early pressure on Oakland’s defence. However, Hackshaw and his backline colleagues stood firm, absorbing the early surge and preventing any clear scoring chances.
From there, the Roots took control, eventually running out convincing 3-0 winners. Hackshaw’s return to form comes after a challenging stretch in his international career.
A key figure under former T&T head coach Angus Eve, Hackshaw was part of the Soca Warriors’ 2023 CONCACAF Nations League campaign, which included victories over Curacao, Guatemala, El Salvador, and the United States before a semi-final exit to eventual champions USA.
Once criticiced for fitness issues that cost him a national team spot, Hackshaw appears rejuvenated in 2025, showing renewed sharpness and consistency throughout the USL season.
Born in La Horquetta, Hackshaw has made 28 appearances for his country since debuting in 2015, scoring twice in CONCACAF Nations League play in 2022.
Domestically, he began his career with North East Stars before moving to the United States, where he represented Charleston Battery and then Indy Eleven for four seasons prior to joining Oakland Roots SC. He has made over 150 appearances in the USL Championship to date.