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Weekend round-up... USL Championship The 2024 campaign got underway with a pair of early kick-offs on Saturday, as New Mexico United beat Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1-0, and Memphis 901 overcame the rebuilt Las Vegas Lights 2-1 in Tennessee. Scottish striker Greg Hurst was on the mark for New Mexico in front of 11,000 fans at Isotopes Park, with the Riverhounds clearly missing the attacking options provided by the departed Albert Dikwa and Tola Showunmi, while Dennis Sanchez’s time in charge of the Lights got off to a great start when Valentin Noel put last year’s basement boys ahead. However, Sam Carreaga and Nighte Pickering grabbed 2 quick goals to give Memphis the lead at half-time, which is how it stayed. The Miami FC have also undergone something of a revolution, staff and players-wise, and it seems to be paying dividends so far, with Andrew Booth and a Manuel Botta penalty giving them a 2-0 win over a lacklustre Colorado Springs Switchbacks at FIU Stadium. No crowd was reported but attendance looked sparse again and it will be good when Miami get to play at the smaller soccer stadium next door. North Carolina started life back in the second tier with a visit from last year’s runners-up Charleston Battery and won’t be unhappy with a 0-0 draw that showed the move up isn’t beyond them. Over in Texas, San Antonio welcomed the young turks of Loudoun United to Toyota Field with a crowd of over 7,000 in attendance to see Lucas Silva give them the lead after 14 minutes. The ever-lively Zach Ryan levelled for Loudoun 4 minutes later, but the visitors were dealt a blow midway through the half when Christiano Francois was given a red card for a headbutt on Mitchell Taintor. Juan Agudelo restored the Texans’ lead 3 minutes into the second half, but Loudoun showed character and found an equaliser 4 minutes into stoppage time through Florian Valot. Across state, El Paso Locomotive started their 2024 season with the visit of Hartford Athletic, another of this year’s crop to have undergone serious surgery in the off-season. Brendan Burke has brought in a slew of players to turn the Connecticut club’s fortunes around and they got off to a great start with a 1-0-win, courtesy of a Romario Williams penalty. Reigning champions Phoenix Rising had what looked to be a straightforward home opener against Birmingham Legion, with a crowd of over 8,000 welcoming new head coach Danny Stone. However, it was the visitors who came away with the points after a strong performance from Matt van Oekel in the Legion goal kept them at bay and a John Scearce own goal midway through the second half gave Birmingham a 1-0 win. Oakland Roots began their fourth USL Championship campaign with a home opener against Indy Eleven and were 2-1 winners, with Jeciel Cedeno putting them a goal up after just 3 minutes in Hayward. Jack Blake equalised for the visitors just before half-time, but a Bryan Tamacas strike 5 minutes into the second half gave Roots the points. There was all kinds of drama in Sacramento as last year’s top 2 in the Western Conference clashed at Heart Health Park in front of the week’s biggest attendance of 11, 569. New signing Trevor Amman was making his Sacramento Republic debut and grabbed 2 goals in superb style either side of Seth Casiple’s strike for Orange County, and it looked very much like the 2-1 scoreline would give Republic the points. In the 96th minute, however, an OC corner was met by the head of goalkeeper Colin Shutler – up to try and grab a last-ditch leveller – and flew into the net to cap a fantastic display of second tier soccer. USL League One Entering a new era under head coach Rick Wright, with John Harkes stepping away, Greenville Triumph welcomed expansion side Spokane Velocity to their horrid gridiron-marked pitch at Paladin Stadium, one of 3 USL League One games on Saturday. The visitors scored first when Josh Dolling converted a 13th minute penalty, only for Zion Scarlett to head Triumph level 5 minutes later. That’s how it stayed at the break, and it was the home side who took the lead a few minutes into the second half with Evan Lee puncing on a rebound. Velocity continued to attack but Triumph settled things with a cheeky Leo Castro backheel for a 3-1 win. Also on the football markings down in Georgetown, Kentucky, Lexington SC and Northern Colorado Hailstorm drew 0-0. In the evening’s final game. South Georgia Tormenta hosted last year’s bottom side Central Valley Fuego in Stateboro and found themselves behind early on courtesy of a Ernesto Espinoza penalty. Fuego brought in new head coach Jermaine Jones in the winter, and he has completely reshaped their side to the extent that Ashkanov Apollon’s second on 21 minutes wasn’t too much of a shock. Still, Tormenta were champions in 2022 and are made of stern stuff, firing themselves back into the game through Gabriel Rodriguez 7 minutes from time, but were ultimately unable to spoil Jones’s night, the Fuegos deserved 2-1 winners.
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Mar 11, 2024 16:35
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USL League One preview USL League One was established in 2019 as a third-tier league to give the USL representation at that level after it regained division II status in 2017. 10 teams competed in its inaugural season, 3 of which were MLS reserve sides, and those clubs – and more – continued to compete alongside USL clubs until the establishment of MLS Next Pro in 2022. Of the original 7 standalone clubs, 5 still play at this level and this season will again see 12 clubs line up. Along with the National Independent Soccer Association and MLS Next Pro, it is one of three division II leagues sanctioned by US soccer and all clubs are professional and average crowds range from just 700 in Fresno for Central Valley Fuego to almost 5,000 for Richmond Kickers. Reigning champions North Carolina FC have been promoted to the USL Championship, although it wasn’t a formal promotion as such as they’d already accepted the elevation before the title was secured. To counter the loss of the champions, expansion side Spokane Velocity will begin play this season, the first Pacific Northwest club to play in the USL at this level. Central Valley Fuego began play in the 2022 USL League One season, replacing the former Fresno FC club which had moved west to Monterey, and has thus far struggled to match the bigger clubs in the East. New head coach Jermaine Jones, a former US international who spent a decade in the Bundesliga, is in for his first managerial job and will hope to corral his charges into producing some kind of form, at least at home. He’s retained just a handful of last year’s squad, with top scorer Alexis Cerritos having joined MLS Next Pro side Huntsville City, and has made 16 new signings, including goalkeeper Carlos Avilez from Chattanooga Red Wolves, midfielder Chris Hecklenberg from South Georgia Tormenta, and striker Shavon John-Brown, a former El Paso Locomotive player who has spent most of his career in New York’s Cosmopolitan League. I’m not sure it will be enough to make the play-offs but with such wholesale changes you never know! Charlotte Independence were founded in 2015, having purchased the franchise rights of Charlotte Eagles, who subsequently dropped down to the amateur leagues. After 2 seasons in the third-tier, they moved up when the USL Championship was given division II status and stayed there until the 2022 season when they moved back down to USL League One. The move saw an increase in attendances but last season they fell back to their regular level of around 1,800 per game. Coach Mike Jeffries has been with the club since 2019 and relies upon former Manchester United man Gabriel Obertan to spark his side. Finishing fourth last season, they dispatched Greenville Triumph and Union Omaha on their way to the play-off final, losing out to local rivals North Carolina on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Jeffries has retained the spine of his side, with goalkeeper Austin Pack, centre-back Nick Spielman, midfielder Miguel Ibarra, and last year’s top scorer Tresor Mbuyu providing some consistency, and has brought in defensive reinforcements in the shape of Montreye Bay’s Hugh Roberts and Anthony Sorenson from Philadelphia Union II. As always, they’ll be there or thereabouts come season’s end. Ever-presents in USL League One since its – and their – formation in 2019, Chattanooga Red Wolves had a disappointing season last year after finishing runners-up in 2022, especially with cross-city rivals Chattanooga FC topping the NISA table and accepting a sideways move into MLS Next Pro. Head coach Scott Mackenzie took over midway through last season and immediately improved their record, and has set about shaping the club to his liking with the signing of 18 players in the close season, shipping out 19 in the process. 5 of last year’s regulars have stuck around, though, including joint top-scorers Ropapa Mensah and Chevone Marsh, with midfield signings Ricky Ruiz (from the shuttered Rio Grande Valley Toros) and Lucas Coutinho (Greenville Triumph) expected to make a big difference in the centre of the park. All things being equal, Red Wolves should have a much better season than last and it wouldn’t be a shock to see them make the top four. It’s also the sixth season for Greenville Triumph but their first without head coach John Harkes, who has stepped away from soccer for the time being. Winners in 2020, and losing finalists in 2019 and 2021, last season’s exit in the first round of play-offs was relatively disappointing. They play at Paladin Stadium, a college football stadium with off-putting gridiron markings, although they have been promising a stadium of their own in nearby Maudlin for 2 years now. A number of 2023 regulars have followed Harkes through the exit, including Jared Mazzola (to USL-C heavyweights Sacramento Republic) and Allen Gavilanes (The Miami FC), but veteran top scorer Leonardo Castro has stuck around, along with Noah Pilato, Evan Lee, and Tyler Polak. Chapa Herrera has come in from El Paso Locomotive to bolster the midfield and young striker Zion Scarlett arrives from Columbus Crew, and moving out of Harkes’s shadow might be the making of former assistant Rick Wright. One Knoxville started life in the semi-professional USL League Two, moving up to League One last year when they missed out on the play-offs by 5 points but averaged over 2,000 fans at the Regal Stadium, home of the University of Tennessee’s women’s team. Goals were an issue for Mark McKeever’s side and he’s brought in Kempes Tikiela from the Luxembourg top flight, Rudi Castro from San Jose Earthquakes II, and Rwandan international Innocent Nshuti to try and arrest that, as well as bringing in Norwegian centre-back Sivert Haugli to shore things up at the back. Lexington SC are another side which plays on the hated gridiron markings, and not even in Lexington but in Georgetown, twelve miles north. This is only their second season, though, and they are building a stadium for both this side and their women’s team (which will debut in the new USL Super League in the Fall) near I-75 on the outskirts of the city. Former Inter Miami assistant Darren Powell (who managed San Antonio in USL-C from 2016-19) is in charge for 2024, replacing Spaniard Nacho Novo who failed to take the Boys in Green to the play-offs last time out. Top scorer Ates Diouf has stuck around, but it’s the capture of Cameron Lancaster that has set tongues wagging, especially after the striker scored 9 goals at USL-C level last year. With Maltese midfielder Yannick Yankam also in from Birkirkara, Lexington should be worth watching this year, if you can stand the pitch markings. Another USL-1 club playing their sixth consecutive season are Forward Madison and coach Matt Glaeser has managed to keep all but a couple of his most regular starters from 2023, when they grabbed the last play-off spot, going down to Northern Colorado Hailstorm in the first round. Top scorers Christian Chaney is back for more alongside Derek Gebhard, and newcomers include midfielders Devin Boyce and Jimmie Villalobos from One Knoxville. With average crowds of over 4,000, they’re one of the league’s top clubs but have rarely proved it on the field. Northern Colorado Hailstorm play at the soccer specific Future Legends Complex in Windsor, an hour north of Denver, and will start look to kick on this year after making the USL-1 play-off semi-finals last year. Head coach Eamon Zayed has been the club’s only coach since their formation and he was dealt a huge blow in the off-season when top scorer Trevor Amman – 26 goals last season - upped sticks for Sacramento Republic in the Championship. Utility man Arthur Rogers has also stepped up – with FC Tulsa – while Nortei Nortey has moved to Union Omaha, but goalkeeper Lalo Delgado, defender Lucky Opara, midfielder Jackson Dietrich, and striker Billy King will still provide a decent spine. Ivorian winger Brahima Ouattara has arrived from Auda in Austria, along with Chelo Martinez (Forward Madison) and Danny Garcia (North Carolina), and the Hailstorm should be there or thereabouts this season. Union Omaha’s late charge last season saw them finish top of the League One table, although they ultimately fell to runners-up Charlotte Independence in the play-off semi-finals. They began play in 2020 and call Werner Park - a baseball stadium in Papillon, Nebraska - home, although they have plans for a soccer-specific stadium in downtown Omaha. Half of last season’s regular XI have departed over the winter, with Alexis Souahy and John Scearce stepping up with FC Tulsa and Phoenix Rising, respectively, while Conor Doyle has moved on to South Georgia Tormenta, but top scorer Steevan dos Santos is still around and will look to add to the 13 goals he scored last year. Head coach Dominic Casciato has brought in 3 players with extensive USL-C experience in Haitian defender Mechack Jerome (from Indy Eleven), Brazilian playmaker PC (San Antonio), and striker Aaron Gomez (El Paso Locomotive), while the brilliantly named Nortei Nortey has switched from Northern Colorado Hailstorm, and Omaha have to be one of the favourites to pick up where North Carolina left off. The league’s oldest and best supported club – they were formed in 1993 and averaged 4,786 fans a match last year – is Richmond Kickers, with a trophy cabinet that includes the 2006 and 2009 division III titles and the 1995 US Open Cup. They are currently the sole tenants of the City Stadium in Richmond and this will be their 30th season at the ground. Of last season’s regular starters, only Akira Fitzgerald has gone, moving up to USL-C with North Carolina, with plenty of quality coming in. German midfielder Adrian Billhardt (at Detroit City last year), the former South Georgia Tormenta pair of Arthur Bosua and Pablo Jara, and English defender James Vaughan - last at Welling United in the National League South – will all add to long-time coach Darren Sawatzky’s options as he looks to improve on last year’s 11th place finish. Champions in 2022, South Georgia Tormenta failed to make the play-offs last year, which is more like regular service than an exception, but head coach Ian Cameron will be hoping that the club can weather the loss of top scorers Kazaiah Sterling and Mukwelle Akale to USL-C sides Pittsburgh Riverhounds and New Mexico, respectively. In fact, just 4 of last year’s regulars have been retained - Nick Akoto, Pedro Fonseca, Preston Kilwien, and Jackson Khoury – with Cameron bringing in a mix of youth and experience, led by Argentinian full-back Aaron Lombardi (from Chattanooga Red Wolves), former Union Omaha man Conor Doyle, and Scottish midfielder Daniel Steedman. It doesn’t look enough and it might be business as usual for the Statesboro side. First announced in Spring 2021, Spokane Velocity are the first professional soccer side in eastern Washington state and will play at the purpose built One Spokane Stadium, a 5,000 capacity arena that will also be home to Spokane Zephyr of the USL Super League. Head coach Leigh Veidman has experience of coaching OKC Energy in the USL Championship in 2021 (before that club went on hiatus) and was latterly an assistant at Charleston Battery. He’s put together a side that starts with goalkeeper Carlos Merancio from the defunct Rio Grande Valley Toros club, and a defence that includes Marcelo Lage (with Las Vegas Lights in 2023), Derek Waldeck (One Knoxville), and Belgian full-back Romain Metanire. The midfield will be built around former Hartford Athletic man Andre Lewis, Collin Fernandez (last with FC Tulsa), and Luis Gil (Union Omaha), with goals expected to come from English striker Josh Dolling, signed from New Mexico United, and ex-MLS man Kimarni Smith. It’s all a shot in the dark for the new side, especially as both 2023 debutants failed to make the play-offs, but you never know…
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Mar 12, 2024 07:26
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USL Championship preview There's just the one game in the USL Championship tonight as El Paso Locomotive welcome Monterey Bay to west Texas having already lost at home to Hartford on Saturday. Monterey Bay didn't play at the weekend but, given El Paso's dreadful home record of late, they must be eager to get started here. - - - I've also written a preview of the MLS Next Pro 2024 season, but only from the standpoint of following the independent clubs. If you're interested, it's here.
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Mar 13, 2024 18:35
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USL Championship There was just the one midweek game in the USL Championship this week as El Paso Locomotive staged their second home game in five days, this time welcoming Monterey Bay to west Texas. Monterey didn't play at the weekend, when Locomotive lost at home to a reshaped Hartford Athletic side, and the slight match-fitness advantage looked to be telling when Amando Moreno put the home side ahead after just three minutes, delighting the near-5,000 crowd in attendance at South West University Park. Still, this is El Paso at home and it inevitably couldn't last, and so few could have been surprised when Tristan Traeger fired into the top corner with three minutes left to play. Week two of the Championship begins with El Paso Locomotive's third home game in a row as they welcome Louisville City to west Texas at 7pm. The Locos have lost one and drawn one so far, while Louisville - already one of the league's heavyweights - are starting their season having recruited well in the off-season. An hour later, the youngsters of Loudoun United face promoted side North Carolina FC at Segra Field in Leesburg, VA, and it should be a treat for fans and neutrals alike. United have a good crop of young players, while the Wings made a decent start to life back in the second tier last week with a 0-0 draw at home to Charleston Battery. Also at 8pm, Memphis 901 host Indy Eleven after a win and a loss on opening day, respectively, while expansion side Rhode Island FC host the first professional soccer game in the state for thirty-three years when they welcome New Mexico United to Beirne Stadium. The newcomers have brought in some tap talent for their debut season, including 2023 USL-C MVP Albert Dikwa, and it will be interesting to see how quickly they can gel. After a winning start at home last week, The Miami FC are back at FIU Stadium again for the visit of Sacramento Republic. Miami's side is much-changed this season and will face a tough test from a Republic side that gave a debut to striker Trevor Amman last week and were rewarded with two goals. They also conceded a header from the opposition goalkeeper in stoppage time to draw their home opener, though, so mixed results. That's an 11pm kick-off, as is Pittsburgh Riverhounds' home opener with Orange County SC, scorers of that last-minute goalie goal. The Riverhounds look short on striking power, having lost Dikwa and Tola Showunmi over thw winter, but a Bob Lilley side can never be counted out. Pittsburgh's biggest rivals in the Eastern Conference last season were Tampa Bay Rowdies and they get their 2024 campaign off to a tricky start with the visit of San Antonio FC, who were held by the Loudoun kids last week,to St Petersburg at 11.30pm. Rowdies need to recapture the form they found under Neill Collins and still have Cal Jennings to score goals, and both teams will be there or thereabouts at the end of the season. Colorado Springs Switchbacks versus Detroit City is one of two games that kick off at midnight, and Le Rouge will be looking to take advantage of the home side's away defeat in Miami last week. It's the season opener for Detroit, who have new head coach Danny Dichio in charge for the first time, but the Switchbacks are usually good value in front of their own fans. The other witching hour start is FC Tulsa's season opener at Las Vegas Lights, a much-changed side from the Lights who finished bootom last season. Tulsa have a lovely new kit and have been recruiting right up to this week under their new head coach Mario Sanchez. The week's final games are 2am kick-offs from California, as Monterey Bay stage their home opener against reigning champions Phoenix Rising, and Oakland Roots (who beat Indy Eleven 2-1 on the opening weekend) welcome Charleston Battery. Monterey under Frank Yallop are always formidable opposition and Rising looked a shadow of last season's winners in their home defeat to Birmingham last week, while Charleston travel well and will give Roots a challenge in Hayward. USL League One The second week of USL League One begins tonight as Lexington SC host Chattanooga Red Wolves. It's the season opener for the visitors, while Lexington drew 0-0 at home with Northern Colorado Hailstorm on week one. It's an 11pm kick-off if you don't mind gridiron markings. There are four games on Saturday, with the pick of them being Spokane Velocity's first ever home match at 10pm. They welcome league giant Richmond Kickers to east Washington state after going down 3-1 at Greenvile Triumph last week, but they looked lively in doing so and will give the visitors - who are always well-organised and have Argentinian striker Emilio Terzaghi ready to add to his 55 goals in 94 matches - a good early test. An hour later, Charlotte Independence and One Knoxville start their 2024 campaigns in North Carolina. Independence were runners-up last time out to promoted state rivals North Carolina and still have Gabriel Obertan pulling the strings, with Steeven Dos Santos doing the same for the visitors. Having lost at home to a rebuilt Central Valley Fuegos side last week, South Georgia Tormenta will be hoping they can catch Forward Madison warming up as the latter visit Statesboro for their season opener. Although they won the title in 2022, Tormenta are more than often than not found in the lower reaches of the USL-1 table but hope springs eternal. Madison qualified for the play-offs for the first time in four season last year and have brought in some strikers to take the pressure of Chrstian Chaney up front. The weekend's final game in a 2am kick-off from Fresno as Central Valley Fuego look to capitalise on that surprise win in Georgia last week. Their opposition is Union Omaha, regular season winners last year and 2021 champions, who can never be underestimated and will be looking to find the chinks in Jermaine Jones's armour.
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Mar 15, 2024 12:01
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USL Championship The USL Championship weekend began in Texas with El Paso Locomotive's third home game in eight days, welcoming heavyweights Louisville City for the visitors' first game of the season. El Paso just can't get it together at home and so it proved again when Wilson Harris scored the only goal of the game for Louisville, despite Locomotive enjoying the better chances. Loudoun United continued their bright start to 2024 with a 3-1 win over promoted side North Carolina FC. They have two of the league's best young strikers in Kalil ElMedkhar and Zach Ryan and both found the net, either side of a Mikey Maldonado goal for the visitors. Oalex Anderson was bright for North Carolina but Abdellatif Aboukoura put the game to bed with 5 minutes remaining to put United top of the table. Memphis 901 won a scrappy game against a revitalised Las Vegas Lights team last week but found a more organised Indy Eleven a hill to far to climb at home on Saturday. A Jack Blake penalty and a Douglas Martinez strike put the visitors 2-0 up just before the half, with Oscar Jimenez seeing red for 901 in first half stoppage time. The home side did manage to pull one back right at the death through Abdoulaye Cissoko but then were reduced to 9 men just before the final whistle when Akeem Ward was sent off. Rhode Island FC opened their season - and their club history - at home to New Mexico United on Saturday and looked lively throughout in front of a capacity crowd of 5,252. After a goalless first half, it was the visitors who went ahead when Talen Maples scored from close range, but the newcomers managed to grab a draw when a dangerous cross found Chris Gloster putting through his own net, the first scorer in RIFC history being Own Goal. The Miami FC began a new era for the club in smart fashion last week with a 2-0 win over Colorado Springs Switchbacks but couldn't repeat the feat at home to Sacramento Republic. Just over a thousand were in attendance at the cavernous FIU Stadium to see Trevor Amman grab his third of the season to give Republic a 1-0 win, his step up from USL League One looking like the signing of the season already. USL Players' Shield holders Pittsburgh Riverhounds started their season with a loss in Albuquerque last week and will have cast an envious eye at their former MVP Albert Dikwa lining up for Rhode Island. They could have done with him against Orange County SC on Saturday when they simply weren't at the races, down on firepower and vulnerable at the back, Brian Ilovski and Cameron Dunbar ensuring the points went back to California with the visitors. Tampa Bay Rowdies never quite recovered from the loss of coach Neill Collins to Barnsley midway through last season but started 2024 brightly at home to San Antonio in front of 7,500, the weekend's biggest crowd in USL-C. The mercurial Cal Jennings put the Rowdies a goal up after just 3 minutes and that's how it stayed until Manuel Arteaga doubled their lead with just 18 minutes left on the clock. 2022 champions San Antonio are no easy pickings, though, and they fought back for a 2-2 draw thanks to goals from Bura Nogueira and Carter Manley. After defeat in Miami last week, Colorado Springs Switchbacks would have loved to have steady the ship with a home win over Detroit City but Le Rouge - playing their season opener - had other ideas when Elvis Amoh put them ahead in the 11th minute. Matthew Mahoney equalised for the home side just after half-time but it was City who claimed the points thanks to an 89th minute winner from Connor Rutz. Even in defeat at Memphis last week, Las Vegas Lights looked a different side to the one that finished bottom last year and their home opener - with a new stand occupying former baseball outfield territory - against FC Tulsa looked like they should continue that. However, Tulsa had other ideas and took a 3-0 lead through Stefan Stojanovic, Philip Goodrum, and Milo Yosef. Riki Alba pulled one back but the Lights revival will have to wait. The final two games on Saturday came from California, where Monterey Bay FC beat champions Phoenix Rising (who have now lost two out of two) with a first-half goal from Rafael Baca, and Oakland Roots drew 1-1 with Charleston Battery. Nick Markanich had given the visitors a 1-0 lead at half-time but Ilya Alekseev hit back to secure a point for Roots to add to last week's home win over Indy Eleven. USL League One The third-tier USL League One began their second week of games on Friday night, when Lexington SC hosted Chattanooga Red Wolves on the gridiron markings in Georgetown, Kentucky. The visitors had much the better of the game but it was the home side's Yannick Yankam who scored the game's only goal to put Lexington top at this early stage. There were four games on Saturday, starting with Spokane Velocity's home opener against Richmond Kickers, the league's newest club against its oldest. A sell-out crowd of over 5,000 were barely in their seats before former Minnesota United man Romain Metanire's cross floated into the top corner of the net to give Velocity a lead which was doubled by Ahmed Longmire's first professional goal on the quarter-hour. Adrian Billhardt grabbed one back for the Kickers five minutes later, setting up a game of cat and mouse for the remainder of the match, but Velocity withstood heavy Richmond pressure to secure their first win. A year ago, One Knoxville were the newcomers and they travelled to Charlotte Independence for the first game of their sophomore season. Heavy Knoxville pressure failed to result in a goal before the half but they didn't let up after the break and finally got a breakthrough in the 51st minute when Frank Ross curled one into the top corner. Charlotte forced an equaliser with 15 minutes left on the clock when Clay Dimwick scrambled a loose ball over the line but it was the visitors who came away with all 3 points after Angelo Kelly-Rosales's winner three minutes later. 2022 champions South Georgia Tormenta started with a defeat last week at home to Central Valley Fuego and looked to suffer a repeat of that when Devin Boyce put Forward Madison ahead after 69 minutes in Statesboro. However, Tormenta kept plugging away and finally got their reward in the 6th minute of stoppage time through Niall Watson, a 1-1 draw just about right in the end. The weekend's final game came from Fresno where a new look Central Valley Fuego opened their home season against Union Omaha. Fuego are a different prospect under Jermaine Jones this year but fell behind in the 18th minute to an acrobatic strike from centre-back Blake Malone. That's how it stayed until the 62nd minute when Omaha doubled their lead through substitute Josue Gomez, and although Fuego pulled one back through the lively Shavon John-Brown, it was the visitors who took the win. NISA The (very much) third third-tier league announced that they would delay their opening weekend - scheduled for next Saturday in Georgia - two weeks to allow the four new clubs more time to prepare for their first professional seasons.
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Mar 18, 2024 16:38
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USL Championship preview Week three of the USL Championship starts early, with a 6pm (GMT) kick-off in Connecticut as Hartford Athletic face Birmingham Legion. Legion won away in week one and sat out last week, so will be looking to continue that form, but Hartford are a different side this year under Brendan Burke this year and it should be an open game. There's a pair of games two hours later when the exciting youngsters of Loudoun United travel to Detroit City, and perennial heavyweights Lousville City open their home season against Eastern Conference rivals Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Having lost key players in the winter - one of whom, Tola Showumni, is now at Louisville - the Riverhounds looks lacklustre so far but you can never count a Bob Lilley side out. There are also two games at 11pm, with Indy Eleven opening their home season against the powerhouses of Sacramento Republic, and Tampa Bay Rowdies visiting North Carolina FC for the first time in some years after the Wings' promotion in the off-season. Half an hour after those games start, unbeaten Charleston Battery kick off against a New Mexico United team that have looked good value so far this year, which might be a game for the neutrals if you can't stand the huge jaguar occupying the Indianapolis centre circle. The stroke of midnight finds Las Vegas Lights - still looking for their first points under new owner Jose Bautista - hosting El Paso Locomotive (who have just one point from three home games so far this season), with 2022 champions San Antonio at home to Colorado Springs Switchbacks at half-past. Saturday's penultimate game comes at 2am when Orange County SC welcome The Miami FC to Irvine, with champions Phoenix Rising against Oakland Roots following at 3am. There's just the one game on Sunday this week and it comes from northern California, where Monterey Bay face expansion side Rhode Island FC, a 10pm kick-off. USL League One After almost perfectly negotiating the first round of the US Open Cup in midweek, eight USL League One clubs are in action tonight, with Richmond Kickers versus 2022 champions South Georgia Tormenta kicking things off at 10pm, while Lexington SC - the only USL-1 club to be knocked out by lower division opposition this week - travel to One Knoxville for a 10.30pm start. Greenville Triumph's horrible gridiron markings welcome Forward Madison at 11pm, with expansion side Spokane Velocity playing their second home game on the trot, hosting Northern Colorado Hailstorm and hoping for another big crowd and another good win. MLS Next Pro preview Both independent clubs are in action this week after differing fortunes in the US Open Cup in midweek. Chattanooga FC are at home tonight - a 7pm kick-off - to FC Cincinnati 2. Chattanooga were knocked out of the Open Cup by lower-league opposition in the week and will want to put that behind them as quickly as possible. Carolina Core, however, won their Open Cup tie with NoVA FC last night, their first ever home game. They're on the road again this weekend, travelling to Massachusetts to play New England Revolution II on Sunday, an 8pm kick-off.
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Mar 23, 2024 11:46
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USL Championship round-up There wasn't a single away win in the eleven USL Championship matches this weekend, although several sides did manage creditable draws on the road. The weekend's action started in Connecticut where Hartford Athletic welcomed Birmingham Legion to Trinity Health Stadium. Almost 3,000 fans were in attendance to see the reshaped Athletic side dominate the game in terms of sheer chances, their eleven shots on target dwarfing Legion's three. That meant Matt van Oekel had to be in good form in the away goal, but even his acrobatics couldn't prevent Michee Ngalina scoring the game's only goal to make it two wins from two games for Brendan Burke's side. Athletic are joined at the top of the Eastern Conference by two other sides with 100% records, both of them winning their home openers on Saturday. Detroit City faced the youngsters from Loudoun United at Keyworth Stadium and went behind after just fourteen minutes when Wesley Leggett finished a smart move for the visitors. That's how it stayed until eleven minutes into the second half, when Abdoulaye Diop levelled for Le Rouge, and Maxi Rodriguez's strike fifteen minutes later gave the home side their second straight win. Louisville City won away in El Paso last week and followed that with another win, this time over Pittsburgh Riverhounds in front of over 9,300 at the Lynn Family Stadium. There were plenty of chances in the first half but it took until the fifth minute of time added on for Wilson Harris to open the scoring for City, sending them into the break 1-0 up. Heavy Pittsburgh pressure paid off just before the hour when Edward Kizza found an equaliser but parity lasted just five minutes before Illal Osumanu fouled Ray Serrano in the box, allowing Sean Totsch to put the home side back in front with a converted penalty. Riverhounds pressed for an equaliser but wound up conceding a third from Serrano to go away 3-1 losers and with no points from three games this season. Indy Eleven also played their home opener on Saturday, welcoming the powerhouses of Sacramento Republic to the Michael A Carroll Stadium, for whom Trevor Amman has been in stunning form so far. They managed to keep Amman fairly quiet but went behind to a Callum Chapman-Page own goal just after the half-hour, meaning Augustine Williams's strike three minutes later was an equaliser, the game finishing 1-1. North Carolina FC have acquitted themselves well after stepping up from USL League One over the winter and they faced a lively Tampa Bay Rowdies at Wake Med Soccer Park in Cary on Saturday. Chances were at a premium and it took an own goal from Mikey Maldonado to give the Rowdies the lead in the 63rd minute. Rafa Mentzingen, who played for the club in USL-1 last season, fired into the top corner twelve minutes later to draw the Wings level, and that's how it stayed through to full-time. Across the border in South Carolina, Charleston Battery looked to recover from a shaky start so far this season against a New Mexico United side who have looked like title contenders. Of course, the script was flipped and Battery scored four without reply, begun by Nick Markanich in the 17th minute, with Arturo Rodriguez, Aaron Molloy, and Jackson Conway also on the scoresheet. Las Vegas Lights were taken over by former MLB star Jose Bautista in the winter and have begun a rebuilding process after a terrible 2023. Despite two losses to start the season, they've looked good value under new head coach Dennis Sanchez, and their efforts were finally rewarded on Saturday when a Javier Garcia own goal gave them a 1-0 win over El Paso Locomotive at Cashman Field. 2022 champions San Antonio FC welcomed Colorado Springs Switchbacks to Toyota Field and had the best of the game even before Lucas Silva opened the scoring in the 75th minute. Hugo Mbongue, on loan from MLS side Toronto FC, added a second in stoppage time to complete the job and send the Texans joint top of the Western Conference. Five thousand fans came to Championship Soccer Stadium to cheer Orange County SC on against The Miami FC on Saturday but were given an early disappointment after twelve minutes when Allen Gavilanes opened the scoring for the visitors, another side who have overhauled their squad in the off-season. Ashton Miles equalised just past the half-hour mark but Gavilanes found the net again in first-half stoppage time to give Miami a 2-1 lead at the break. OC poured on the pressure in the second half and were rewarded when substitute Thomas Amang scored their second leveller in the 70th minute, with Miami happy to hear the final whistle after more OC pressure, 2-2 the final result. Saturday's final game came from Arizona where reigning champions Phoenix Rising were looking for their first points of the season against Oakland Roots. Rising dominated things from the off, forcing Paul Blanchette in the Roots goal into multiple saves, and the away side didn't manage a single shot on target. In the end, Panos Armenakas's 49th minute strike was all that separated the teams. There was just a single game on Sunday, with expansion side Rhode Island FC playing their first road game, travelling to California to play Frank Yallop's Monterey Bay. Last season's USL-C MVP Albert Dikwa opened the scoring for the Seals in the 41st minute and looked to have given them a first-half lead, but the home side hit back right on half-time through Carlos Guzman to send the sides into the break at 1-1. Dikwa struck again eighteen minutes into the second-half with a close-range goal to give the visitors the lead but Monterey equalised once more, this time through Tristan Trager, setting the stage for a heady finish with twenty minutes to go. Prince Saydee missed a good chance to give Rhode Island all three points eleven minutes into stoppage time but the game ended all-square, a fair result after a good contest. USL League One round-up There were just four games in the third-tier USL League One on Saturday, starting in Virgina where Richmond Kickers hosted 2022 champions South Georgia Tormenta at City Stadium. Both sides were looking for their first wins of the season and Tormenta struck first, going ahead in the fourth minute through former Derby County and DC United man Conor Doyle. The 4,500 crowd got behind the Kickers going into the second half but it was Niall Watson - signed from Southport in the off-season - who doubled the away side's lead in a fast break goal ten minutes after the restart. Richmond pressed to get back into the game and finally got a reward when they forced Preston Kilwien to put through his own net in stoppage time, but the search for an equaliser left them vulnerable to a Tormenta third, scored by Mason Tunbridge with the final kick of the game. One Knoxville began their second season in USL-1 with a win away in Charlotte last week and followed that with a 2-0 home win over Lexington SC at the Regal Soccer Stadium. The game was goalless until the 70th minute when Rodolfo Castro Jr finished a smart move for the home side, with Stuart Ritchie - signed from Columbus Crew 2 over the winter - adding a second with two minutes to spare. Greenville Triumph are still playing on the gridiron marked pitch at Paladin Stadium, where 1,600 saw their scoreless draw with Forward Madison, during which Leandro Castro had a dubious penalty saved by visiting 'keeper Bernd Schipmann on the stroke of half-time. In the final game of the weekend, Spokane Velocity staged their second home game in eight days after last week's sell-out win over Richmond. Northern Colorado Hailstorm were the visitors this week and another good crowd of 3,376 came out to see Velocity win again, courtesy of a 35th minute penalty by Luis Gil, conceded through a foul by David Garcia on Gil. Hailstorm managed just one shot on target and will have better days, while the Velocity train pulls into Charlotte in midweek for a clash with the Independence. MLS Next Pro round-up The two non-MLS reserve sides that compete in this MLS reserve league were both in action over the weekend, with Chattanooga FC hoping to bounce back from a midweek defeat in the US Open Cup to Miami United. They faced FC Cincinnati 2 at Finley Stadium and two goals from Jesus Ibarra and a third from Mehdi Ouamri gave them their first three point win of the season in what looked like a decent crowd. Carolina Core won in midweek but were brought back down to Earth with a bang when they travelled to Georgia to play Atlanta United 2 at Kennesaw State University Stadium yesterday. A nine-minute hatrick from Luke James Brennan gave United a 3-0 lead after just 33 minutes and there was no way back into the game for Core, conceding a fourth from Karim Tmimi to cap a miserable afternoon.
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Mar 25, 2024 12:18
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USL Championship Action in the second-tier begins tonight in Cary as promoted side North Carolina FC - looking for their first win of the season - welcome the reshaped and unbeaten Hartford Athletic to WakeMed Soccer Park with an 11pm (GMT) kick-off. Saturday's action starts at 8pm when Louisville City play Birmingham Legion at the Lynn Family Stadium. City are two from two so far this season and are always good value for a tilt at the title, whereas Legion - with one loss and one win from their two games this season - are a curious orange and you never know what you're going to get. There's a pair of games at 11pm, beginning with Indy Eleven versus Detroit City at Michael J Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis, where Le Rouge will be hoping to go back to Detroit with their third win from three games this season, and continuing down in Florida as a rebuilt The Miami FC host Charleston Battery at the cavernous FIU Stadium. Also in Florida, but with an 11.30pm kick-off, is Tampa Bay Rowdies versus expansion club Rhode Island FC, and both sides have drawn both their matches so far this season; Rhode Island, however, had 2023 USL-C MVP Albert Dikwa find the net twice last week in Monterey and that's got to be ominous for the hosts. Just before the clocks change at half-past-midnight is 2022 champions San Antonio versus Frank Yallop's Monterey Bay at Toyota Field. Both sides have a win and two draws so far this season but the Texans are good value at home and can be relied upon to grab some goals in front of a decent crowd. With the closk going forward at 1am, the California games revert to their usual 3am (BST) start time and there's three of them this week as Oakland Roots host a Las Vegas Lights side who won their first match in nine last week, in-form Orange County SC welcome FC Tulsa to Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, and perennial powerhouses Sacramento Republic take on Memphis 901. The weekend's final game - at 3.30am - sees reigning champions Phoenix Rising and New Mexico United clash in the "unsuitable places for human habitation" derby. Rising beat Oakland 1-0 last week after opening their title defence with two defeats, while United were beaten badly at Charleston, but this should be a fine advert for USL-C soccer. USL League One The third-tier USL League One started its weekend early when expansion club Spokane Velocity visisted Charlotte Independence last night, where a disappointing crowd of just 686 fans at American Legion Memorial Stadium saw the home side record their first win of the season thanks to goals from Joel Johnson and Luis Alvarez, with Martin Gil having briefly restored Velocity to parity in between. There's a pair of games tonight, with Lexington SC opening the gates of their gridiron marked Toyota Stadium in Georgetown for the visit of Greenville Triumph at 11pm (GMT), and Forward Madison making the trip to Fresno, California, to face Jermaine Jones's rejigged Central Valley Fuego side, with a 2am kick-off. There should have been another two games tomorrow but Chattanooga Red Wolves versus Union Omaha is off after the Red Wolves pitch needed work. Instead, the lone game sees top of the table One Knoxville host 2022 champions South Georgia Tormenta at 8pm and the visitors are beginning to get their groove back. Should be a decent third-tier encounter. MLS Next Pro Newly arrived independent club Chattanooga FC continue to be unbeaten in regular time in MLS Next Pro, although they lost a shootout at New York City FC IIon Wednesday night and take just a point from that game to leave them on six points from three games. The newbies took the lead through Taylor Gray after eight minutes and held onto that advantage until Jonathan Shore equalised for the Baby Pigeons ten minutes into the second-half, with the game finishing 1-1. That means they have this weekend off, but the other independent side in this third-tier MLS reserve league - Carolina Core - are away at New England RevolutionII on Sunday, an 8pm kick-off if you're at all curious to see if they can earn their first win of the season.
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Mar 29, 2024 10:14
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USL Championship The USL Championship weekend started on Friday night in Cary, where North Carolina FC welcomed unbeaten Hartford Athletic to WakeMed Park. Oalex Anderson has yet to fully emerge since his elevation with the WIngs over the winter but looked lively throughout, earning a penalty when Anderson Asiedu brought him down in the box in the 24th minute. Louis Perez stepped up to convert the spot kick and give the home side the lead, which was doubled by "Goalex" himself on 35 minutes after a smart through ball by Rodrigo da Costa. Hartford were in the game throughout and got one back eighteen minutes from time through Jay Chapman, but North Carolina held on for their first win since their promotion back into USL-C. Saturday's games started in Kentucky where Louisville City met old enemies Birmingham Legion. City, perennial play-off competitors, had played two and won two so far this season and continued where they left off against Pittsburgh Riverhounds last week, opening the scoring through Jake Morris in the 13th minute. Wilson Harris added a second shortly before the break and Legion looked all at sea. That was something they never recovered from, conceding another Harris goal 11 minutes into the second-half, and then two more from Taylor Davila and Ray Serrano to complete a 5-0 rout. Like Hartford and Louisville, Detroit City had also won two out of two but faced a short trip to tough opposition when they faced Indy Eleven at the Michael A Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis. Sebastian Guenzatti put the hosts ahead midway through the first-half just after Maxi Rodriguez had a shot saved for the visitors, and it stayed 1-0 through to the 55th minute when Ali Coote levelled for Le Rouge. Rodriguez made amends for his earlier miss by giving Detroit a third win on the trot with just two minutes left on the clock, and Detroit look like they mean business this season. Charleston Battery are also looking dangerous after a shaky start, having demolished New Mexico United 4-0 last week. They travelled to the reshaped The Miami FC, who delighted the 1,100 in attendance with an opener from Allen Gavillanes in the 9th minute. That lead lasted just two minutes before Nick Markanich drew the visitors level and that's how it stayed until the 82nd minute, despite some heavy Battery pressure. Inevitably, though, Matt Myers popped up with the winner for Charleston, a close range effort following Juan Torres's saved shot. Elsewhere in Florida, Tampa Bay Rowdies were looking for their first win of the season after two draws on the last two weekends and faced a Rhode Island FC team in a similar position. 2023 USL-C MVP Albert Dikwa opened the scoring for the expansion club in the 16th minute and it looked for a while that there might be a slight upset on the cards. However, the second-half found Rowdies in full flight,scoring four unanswered goals through Manuel Arteaga, Cal Jennings, Jordan Doherty, and Damian Rivera, the last coming six minutes into stoppage time and finally ending Rhode Island's increasingly slim hopes of escaping with a point. 2022 champions San Antonio FC were at home to Monterey Bay on Saturday, with 7,500 flocking to Toyota Field for the clash. Carter Manley got the party started early for the hosts with a 7th minute shot from a corner, but Union levelled in first-half stoppage time through Mobi Fehr. The hosts were much the best side but had to wait until four minutes from time before Kevon Lambert fired past Gerald Siaha in the Monterey goal and put San Antonio joint top of the Western Conference with eight points from four games. It's a position they share with two California rivals, both of which were in action at home on Saturday. Despite the loss of Milan Illinovski in the winter, Orange County SC have looked good value this year and that was the case again when FC Tulsa visited Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, with OC taking all three points thanks to Sofianne Djeffal's 27th minute strike. With 9,488 at Heart Health Park, Sacramento Republic had the weekend's biggest crowd in USL-C but didn't have it all their own way against Memphis 901. The visitors defended with spirit but only managed one shot on target themselves, and it looked like a 0-0 draw was on the cards before Jonathan Ricketts scored a winner for Republic with just three minutes left on the clock. The other Californian side at home on Saturday night didn't have such a good time of things as Las Vegas Lights made it two wins out of two when they left Oakland Roots with all three points. Second-half goals from Coleman Gannon, Gaoussou Samake, and Valentin Noel did the damage in a 3-0 win for Jose Batista's club. The weekend's final game in USL-C came from the Phoenix Soccer Stadium where reigning champions Phoenix Rising welcomed near-rivals New Mexico United. United were hoping that last week's bad defeat at the hands of Charleston Battery was just a blip and set about the champs, overwhelming them in sheer goal attempts, if not possession. It took 16 minutes for Dayonn Harris to find the Phoenix net with a smart shot and that's how it stayed, with Dariusz Formella's saved shot two minutes after the goal Rising's only attempt on target. USL League One With Charlotte Independence beating Spokane Velocity on Thiursday night, there were just four games in the third-tier USL League One scheduled for the weekend, cut down to three when Chattanooga Red Wolves versus Union Omaha was postponed due to pitch issues in Tennessee. Friday's two games started in Georgetown, Kentucky, where Lexington SC hosted Greenville Triumph in front of 1,672 fans at Toyota Stadium. The home side took the lead in first-half stoppage time when Isaac Cano fired home, a scoreline doubled by Cameron Lancaster's first league goal for the club twelve minutes into the second-half. At that point, odds were firmly on a home victory but Triumph woke up and hit back, scoring three goals without further reply through Ben Zakowski, Lyam MacKinnon, and a 98th minute own goal, holding on for an impressive comeback away win. Jermaine Jones's rebuilding job at Central Valley Fuego is very much a work in progress and Forward Madison showed them the way to win games with a comprehensive 3-0 win in Fresno on Friday. Derek Gebhard opened the scoring in the 28th minute for the 'Mingos, who added a second through John Murphy on 42 minutes. There was still time, though, for Devin Boyce to score Madison's third, deep into stoppage time, and give the away side a 3-0 lead at half-time, something Fuego just weren't able to come back from, although they did look much better in the second-half. The weekend's final game in USL-1 came from Tennessee, where One Knoxville were looking to make it three wins out of three (plus a cup victory) so far this season. The visitors were a South Georgia Tormenta side looking to be getting their act together after a so-so start and, in the end, it was Angelo Kelly's strike for the home side after 36 minutes that separated the sides at the final whistle, delighting the majority of the 1,813 fans at Regal Soccer Stadium. MLS Next Pro With Chattanooga FC having played on Thursday night, there was just one game featuring an independent club in the third-tier MLS reserve league this weekend. Carolina Core travelled to Foxboro to play New England Revolution II in front of a handful of fans at the cavernous Gillette Stadium. The Revs pressed their home advantage as early as the second minute when Malcom Fry put them ahead, but former Barry University standout David Polanco equalised eight minutes before half-time. It was all for nought, though, as US Olympic hopeful Jack Panayotou - who played twelve times in MLS last year - got the winner for New England, leaving Core still looking for their first 90-minute win of the season.
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Apr 1, 2024 16:34
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franks posted:I enjoy your write ups and hope you continue, but I’m really curious where “the Wings” comes from for North Carolina FC. I haven’t been in a year or so, but that’s been my local team since they were the Railhawks and I’ve never heard that nickname. Possibly something I extrapolated when I couldn’t find an official nickname - should I use Railhawks from now on? superLINUS fucked around with this message at 18:20 on Apr 1, 2024 |
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Apr 1, 2024 17:41
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USL Championship preview, April 5-7 The USL Championship weekend gets underway tonight in Oklahoma as FC Tulsa face 2023 champions Phoenix Rising at ONEOK Field. The Roughnecks have won one and lost one so far this season but meet a Phoenix side that have lost three out of four in their pursuit of a second title, new head coach Juan Guerra still not getting the best out of his charges. Tomorrow's games start at 7pm (BST) with the clash of two clubs who rebuilt their sides in the off-season. Hartford Athletic won their first two games but slipped up away at North Carolina FC last week; visitors The Miami FC have 4 points from four games and have looked both impressive and dreadful so far. Saturday's games continue at 9pm with three games kicking off at the same time. Detroit City, who drew city rivals Michigan Stars in the next round of the US Open Cup, welcome North Carolina FC to Keyworth Stadium for the first time and sit top of the Eastern Conference with three wins out of three so far. New head coach Danny Dichio has got them playing with a confidence they were missing last year but every game is an adventure for the promoted visitors. Also at 9pm (and also with 9 points from three games), Louisville City host an Indy Eleven side that invested in a new attack over the winter and are yet to see proper dividends from that. City are always there or thereabouts come the end of the season but they look to be playing with a swagger this year that should be ominous for their rivals. A six-hour drive away in Memphis, Orange County SC are the visitors to Memphis 901's AutoZone Park in an all-Western Conference clash. OC sit top of the West at present, with 8 points from four games and that's 5 points more than their hosts, who narrowly lost to Sacramento Republic last week. There's a break until the next USL-C game at midnight, between a Pittsburgh Riverhounds side who have uncharacteristically lost three out of three so far and their buoyant visitors, Tampa Bay Rowdies. These two fought it out for the Players Shield last season but couldn't be having more different seasons and - on form, at least - you'd be silly to bet against the Rowdies getting a result at Highmark. Still, surely the 'Hounds have to come good at some point...? Rhode Island FC seem to be enjoying life as the USL's newest expansion club so far, with star signing Albert Dikwa starting to find the net that he troubled so much last season. Unfortunately for them, this week's visitors for the half-past-midnight kick-off at Beirne Stadium are Charleston Battery, who started quietly but have exploded into form in the last two weeks... Colorado Springs Switchbacks are a mystery, capable of winning and losing at the drop of a hat (but are doing nothing but losing so far), and they face perennial Western Conference powerhouses Sacramento Republic at Weidner Field on Saturday, a 1am kick-off for interested viewers (all USL-C and USL League One games are live on YouTube). Republic haven't hit their stride yet but still sit joint top in the West, and Trevor Amman - who moved to Republic from USL-1 Northern Colorado Hailstorm in the winter - will be eager to return from the Centennial State with more goals to add to the three he's scored already this season. Down at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico United are having a decent season so far without uprooting too many trees and won away at champions Phoenix Rising last week. Their visitors at 2am are an El Paso Locomotive team who have just 1 point from four games so far and it will be tough to look past a home win, save for the fact that Locomotive are always better on the road. The sole Californian game from Saturday's USL-C fixtures is a derby match between Oakland Roots and Monterey Bay FC at Pioneer Stadium in Hayward. It's early days but both teams look every bit the mid-table sides they currently are and late-night viewers will be hoping for some derby magic. Saturday's final game sees Las Vegas Lights, whose restart under former MLB star Jose Bautista looks to be coming good, face San Antonio FC at Cashman Field, a stadium they've finally started to make their own. The visitors were champions two years ago and sit joint top with Orange County and Sacramento after their first four games, which should make for an interesting gauge of Lights' progress. There's just the one game on Sunday, an 10pm kick-off in Alabama as Birmingham Legion face the exciting youngsters of Loudoun United. Neither side has gotten going so far this season but both have plenty of threats in the attacking sense and hopefully that will mean goals will flow from the chances that are bound to arise. USL League One Preview, April 6 It's back to league action for the third-tier leagues after US Open Cup adventures in midweek, and the USL League One week starts in Virginia tomorrow night at 11pm (BST) when Richmond Kickers face Central Valley Fuego. The clubs had contrasting midweek fortunes, with Kickers seeing off NISA's Maryland Bobcats and Fuego losing at home to NPSL side El Farolito, and new Fuego coach Jermaine Jones will be hoping to get things firmly back on track. He'll note that Kickers lost at home to South Georgia Tormenta last week but Fuego look a way off Tormenta so far this season. The horrible gridiron markings of Paladin Stadium in Greenville will be in evidence for the midnight kick-off when Greenville Triumph host Northern Colorado Hailstorm. Both sides had impressive wins in midweek, with Triumph beating a previously imperious One Knoxville and Hailstorm winning away at MLS Next Pro Colorado Rapids II, but Greenville has yet to lose in any competition this season and will be confident of keeping that record intact through the weekend. Chattanooga Red Wolves's home tie with Charlotte Independence has been postponed due to problems with the pitch at Red Wolves' CHI Memorial Stadium and so the weekend's final game in USL-1 kick-offs at half-past-midnight with the visit of Lexington SC to South Georgia Tormenta. Having been the sole USL-1 club to lose in the first round of the Open Cup, Lexington had a break in midweek and have an identical league record to Tormenta so far this season. The hosts, however, are beginning to hit their stride, something not yet in evidence in the visitors, and so it should be mostly one-way traffic here. NISA preview It's matchday one for the National Independent Soccer Association's 2024 season tomorrow and it will be a relief for the league's organisers to get underway after a turmultuous winter. I've written a full preview of the season above but suffice to say, there's no defending champions, a clutch of new teams, and some weird goings on down in Georgia. There are just two games this weekend, both hosted by two of the league's more stable outfits as Michigan Stars - who drew city rivals Detroit City in the US Open Cup Third Round yesterday - play Savannah Clovers at Romeo High School Stadium, and the season's first Californian derby comes as Los Angeles Force take on expansion side Irvine Zeta at Long Beach Community College. With Steven Juncaj still available before he moves back to Croatia, Stars should have little trouble with the "under league management" Clovers, but the other clash should be a cracker as Force have recruited well and Zeta have impressed in the Open Cup so far. MLS Next Pro Neither of the independent clubs in MLS Next Pro are in action this weekend. However, the rebranding of MLS reserve sides looks to be continuing, with FC Cincinnati 2 rumoured to be changing their name to Commonwealth United, refelcting the fact that they play in Highland Heights, just over the border in Kentucky (which, of course, is a commonwealth rather than a state...).
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Apr 5, 2024 17:37
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USL Championship round-up, April 5-7 From start to finish, the USL Championship was so jam-packed with goals and incident that even a pair of 0-0 draws in the middle of it couldn't dampen its fire. Things got off to a rip-roaring start on Friday night in Oklahoma where FC Tulsa welcomed 2023 USL-C champions Phoenix Rising to ONEOK Field. Rising lost their first three of their first four games this season and the home side must have smelled blood in the water, going ahead in the first minute through a Stefan Stojanovic strike following a corner. This Rising team might be missing a few key players from last year's championship side but they still have quality in abundance, something made abundantly clear when Remi Cabral drew a foul in the box on 39 minutes, converting the spot kick that followed, and then put Phoenix into the lead three minutes later with a clever shot. The home side, wearing a shocking pink kit, came out to play in the second-half and missed a couple of chances before an Edwin Ramos header levelled the scores five minutes in, pressing on and going ahead when Alexis Souahy headed in from a corner. That looked to be it for Phoenix, especially as Emil Cuelo was shown a straight red for a foul on Bradley Bourgeois just past the hour, but they received a break eleven minutes later when Bourgeois fouled Papa Boye in the box and substitute Dariusz Formela fired home an equaliser. That was how it stayed and many might have thought they'd seen the game of the USL weekend... Saturday's action got underway with a pair of games at 7pm (BST), both featuring sides with a collection of wins this season. Hartford Athletic lost away at North Carolina last week but had two wins out of two before that. The Miami FC were their visitors on Saturday and they've looked better than their results this season after a winter of rebuilding. The first-half was relatively quiet until Deshane Beckford was brought down in the area and a penalty awarded to the home side, but Romario Williams's effort was saved by Miami 'keeper Danny Gagliardi. It looked like the visitors might keep it scoreless at the half only for Hartford to hit them on the break right before the whistle, Beckford finishing off a breakaway move. Athletic went further ahead ten minutes into the second-half when Williams made up for his penalty miss with a close-range effort from a corner and both sides missed chances to add to the scoreline before Gabriel Cabral reduced Miami's arrears with a shot from outside the area. That's how it stayed until time added on when Enoch Mushgalusa scored Hartford's third and there was still time for a Joseph Farrell own goal to make it 3-2 and put Athletic on a healthy 9 points from four games. Detroit City had played three, won three, before Saturday's visit of North Carolina FC to Keyworth Stadium, with new head coach Danny Dichio getting them playing attractive, pressing soccer. His opposite number in the North Carolina dugout - John Bradford - seemed to have the key to negate Le Rouge's system, though, and an own goal by Nelson Blanco in the ninth minute - which gave City their fourth win out of four - was all that separated the sides at the end, with just two shots registered on target all game. That certainly wasn't the case for the big 9pm kick-off in Kentucky, where Louisville City versus Indy Eleven became the first USL game to be televised on CBS nationwide. A bumper crowd of 11,330 flocked to the Lynn Family Stadium for the affair and were rewarded as early as the sixteenth minute when Wilson Harris finished a pressure play to give the home side the lead. Louisville boy Jack Blake was given the chance to equalise for the visitors eighteen minutes later when Jake Morris was adjudged to have fouled Younis Boudadi in the box and slotted the penalty home to silence the home fans, but City's advantage was restored four minutes before half-time when Jansen Wilson was put through by Harris for his first goal since turning professional in the winter. Five minutes into the second-half, that 2-1 lead was turned into a 3-1 lead when Elijah Wynder headed in from close range but Indy just wouldn't go away, Blake latching on to a long ball to fire home and reduce it to a one-goal game with his second goal. Anything Blake could do, Harris could match and he scored his second just three minutes later, finishing off a fast break started by Adrian Perez, and then went one better to secure his hatrick in the 71st minute. A Niall McCabe own goal finished off the scoring and made it 5-3 at the final whistle, a fine first game for CBS to bring to the soccer-curious everywhere. A few hundred miles south in Tennessee, Memphis 901 welcomed Orange County SC - one of a batch of sides sitting atop the Western Conference - to AutoZone Park and were quite handily beaten 2-0 in a game of just half a dozen chances for both sides. Scoreless until the hour, with just a yellow card for 901's Marlon to talk of in the first half, OC took the lead through a very close range effort from Brian Ilovski. Ilovski took a knock in the process but picked himself up to see out the game, which resumed with another OC goal on the break, this time from burly striker Thomas Amang. Noe Meza went close twice in stoppage time but the visitors saw the game out to take the 2-0 win. The next two games - Tampa Bay Rowdies at Pittsburgh Riverhounds, and Rhode Island FC at home to Charleston Battery, finished scoreless but weren't completely without incident. Riverhounds will be grateful of a point at last following three straight defeats to start the season, and Rhode Island - with an encouraging crowd of almost 4,000 in at Beirne Stadium - were unlucky to lose Conor McGlyn to a second yellow card midway through the second-half, their frustration of a lively Battery attack completed despite that disadvantage. Like Pittsburgh, Colorado Springs Switchbacks had begun the season with three straight defeats and the visit of Sacramento Republic on Saturday threatened to make that four. It took former Northern Colorado Hailstorm man Trevor Amann just five minutes to score on his return to the Centennial State, his fourth in five games, and strike partner Russell Cicerone made it 2-0 on 26 minutes to put the home side in real trouble. Despite half-chances for Tyreek Magee and Ronaldo Damus in the second-half, Switchbacks never really looked like troubling Republic and the 2-0 win put the visitors joint top of the Western Conference with Orange County. San Antonio FC could have joined them there with a win away at Las Vegas Lights, who were easy fodder last season but have completely rebuilt in the off-season under new owner Jose Bautista. After losing their first two games of the season, Lights added two wins over El Paso Locomotive and away at Oakland Roots, and withstood some decent pressure from the visitors to go into the break goalless. Eleven minutes into the second-half, and just after Bura had an effort saved by Raiko Arozarena in the Lights goal, Shawn Smart scored from outside the box to give the home side a lead they held on to until the final whistle, looking like a completely different side to last year's flimsy outfit. New Mexico United have looked good this season without attracting too much attention and a crowd of over 9,000 were at Isotopes Park on Saturday for the visit of El Paso Locomotive. Traditionally good travellers, Locomotive went close in the first two minutes but soon fell behind to a beautiful Marco Micaletto strike seven minutes in. Despite chances for both sides, that's how it stayed to half-time and actually how it stayed until the 81st minute when Joaquin Rivas fired home from inside the box to level the scores. That sparked a furious last ten minutes which saw Justin Dhillon fouled in the box by Zico Bailey, allowing Amando Moreno to give the visitors the lead with just three minutes of normal time remaining. Ample time, though, for Jacobo Reyes to head in an equaliser, setting up a grandstand finish that brought a breakaway winner for New Mexico when Nicky Hernandez finished off a move started by substitute Daniel Bruce. Saturday's final game was a Northern California derby from Hayward, where Oakland Roots hosted Monterey Bay FC in a game which - like the one in Albuquerque - didn't really come alive until the final minutes. There were chances earlier on but both goalkeepers were in good form to ensure it stayed 0-0 until Chase Boone shot home to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. There were no further goals but referee Gerald Flores issued four red cards at the final whistle after a bench-clearing contretemps between the sides, a detail sadly missing from many match reports because, despite the platitudes of commentators, fans very much do want to see this sort of thing... The USL Championship weekend was finished off in Alabama, where Loudoun United were the visitors to Birmingham Legion's Protective Stadium and had much the better of a scoreless first-half before taking the lead through Abdellatif Aboukoura three minutes after the break. The former DC United youth prospect went close a few minutes later but it was Legion who began to pile on the pressure, finally getting back on level terms when Dawson McCartney forced Yanis Leerman to put through his own net on 67 minutes. Tyler Pasher put Birmingham ahead seven minutes later and - after Zach Ryan had gone closest to equalising for Loudoun with a saved header - the job was finished in stoppage time by Mujeeb Murana, his first goal since moving from Houston Dynamo 2 i the off-season. USL League One round-up, April 6 With Chattanooga Red Wolves' home game with Charlotte Independence postponed due to issues with the Red Wolves' pitch, there were just three games in the third-tier USL League One on Saturday, beginning with Richmond Kickers home clash with Central Valley Fuego at City Stadium. A crowd of over 3,500 were given an early fillip when English striker Chandler O'Dwyer scored his second of the season in the eighteenth minute and it finally looked like Kickers might earn their first league win since the beginning of July 2023. Jermaine Jones has begun a rebuilding job at the visitors from Fresno, however, and they weren't going to go without a fight, drawing level just past the half-hour through Robert Coronado after a defensive mishap. Thirteen minutes into the second-half, Fuego went ahead through Zahir Vasquez's headed goal and this seemed to spark the home side into life, equalising three minutes later when Adrian Billhardt finished a smart move, and then taking the lead - and eventually the 3 points - through O'Dwyer's rebound effort eighteen minutes from time. Greenville Triumph have been having no trouble adding to the win column this season and, after knocking out One Knoxville in the US Open Cup last week, had the chance to leapfrog the Tennessee side to go top if they could beat Northern Colorado Hailstorm on home turf at Paladin Stadium on Saturday. Hailstorm traditionally build their sides from the back but have looked vulnerable there this season and are lacking the goal threat of Trevor Amann - rattling in the goals for Sacramento Republic in the USL Championship - to get them out of trouble. So it proved in Greenville as the home side took the lead through a Lyam McKinnon penalty just before the half, going 3-0 up early in the second-half through Leonardo Castro and a second for McKinnon. Hailstorm did get one back when Lucky Opara scored just past the hour but were unable to make further progress, the 3-1 win putting Triumph top of the pile in USL-1. The final game of the USL-1 weekend came from Statesboro where South Georgia Tormenta welcomed Lexington SC to town. Both sides had just one win from four games before kick-off but Tormenta had shown good form in the Open Cup and so were firm favourites going into the match. As it turned out, the odds checkers were spot on, as Tormenta scored three with no reply from a timid Lexington side, goals from Gabriel Rodriguez, Pedro Fonseca (a penalty), and Sebastian Vivas spread out between the eighth and 81st minute. NISA round-up, April 6 The third-tier National Independent Soccer Association finally got their 2024 season underway on Saturday with a pair of games hosted by two of their bigger names. Michigan Stars, fresh off cup heroics which saw them knock out MLS Next Pro's Minnesota United 2 last week, welcomed Savannah Clovers to Romeo High School Stadium on the outskirts of Detroit with the visitors in some disarray and now backed financially by the league itself. The Stars were ahead at the break due to a 32nd minute goal from Praise Maduekwe, his first for the club, but were tied again twelve minutes into the second-half when former Albion San Diego man Corey Lundeen notched. Lundeen then added a second to give Clovers the lead six minutes from time but a frantic finish saw Niels Lellouch and Elias McCloud give Michigan the win. Over on the West Coast, the season's first Los Angeles derby saw Los Angeles Force - now domiciled at Long Beach Community College - welcome new arrivals Irvine Zeta to NISA. Zeta have been in good form in their Open Cup match so far and were given an early break when Ronaldo Pineda - who moved from Albion San Diego in the winter - was shown a red card in the eighteenth minute, but the first-half ended goalless. That lasted until the 68th minute when Zeta found the net through Greg Stratton, doubling their lead four minutes later when Alex Culwell scored. At this point, Force looked dead and buried but Bryan Ortega pulled one back with ten minutes to go, allowing Mexican striker Jose Montes de Oca to tie the game at 2-2 with his 93rd minute strike. MLS Next Pro round-up, April 6-7 The two independent clubs in the third-tier MLS reserve league were not in action this weekend and so there is little to report from MLS Next Pro, save for Ventura County FC - Los Angeles Galaxy's young charges - making it four wins from four games by beating Whitecaps FC 2 on Sunday.
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Apr 9, 2024 16:10
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USL Championship midweek preview There's a pair of midweek games in the USL Championship this week, the first of which - Charleston Battery versus Louisville City at Patriots Point - is televised on CBS tonight. The network will be hoping for another game like Saturday's Louisville versus Indy Eleven spectacular, which finished 5-3 to the home side, and if there are two teams with the firepower to do it in the USL-C Eastern Conference it's these two. Battery started quietly this season with two draws but then exploded into winning form, sweeping a decent New Mexico United aside 4-0 and then winning away at The Miami FC. They were held 0-0 by a spirited Rhode Island FC at the weekend but in Diego Gutierrez and Nick Markanich they have goal threats ready to pounce. Louisville have won four out of four this season and sit top of the Eastern Conference alongside the similarly perfect Detroit City. They've scored an average of three-and-a-half goals per game in doing so and conceded just four, three of them in that televised game on Saturday. Wilson Harris is in stunning form and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him on the scoresheet tonight. The second midweek game is the Florida derby on Thursday night, when Tampa Bay Rowdies travel down to The Miami FC for what is sure to be a spirited affair. Miami have rebuilt their side under new head coach Antonio Nocerino, but haven't always gotten the rewards their attacking play has deserved so far this season, with just one win from five games. Rowdies also have just the one win from their four outings so far, but have looked very lively in front of goal, with the mercurial Cal Jennings always in the thick of things.
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Apr 9, 2024 17:52
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Canadian Premier League Although there have been many attempts to organise a professional national soccer league in Canada, with the first coming as early as 1926 with the establishment of the (admittedly Ontario and Quebec focussed and mostly semi-professional) National Soccer League, the establishment of the Canadian Premier League in 2017 - to begin play two years later - was the first since the NSL collapsed in 1997. In between, the Canadian National Soccer League (1983) and Canadian Soccer League (1987-92) had both tried to bring professional soccer to the masses, with the NSL taking a back seat while those attempts were underway, but professional soccer in Canada has usually meant taking part in US leagues such as the North American Soccer League, A League, and Major League Soccer. Even with the existence of the CPL, Canada's top clubs still play in MLS, with a separate Canadian Championship the only time they cross paths with their CPL equivalents. Talk of a new league began as early as 2013, with Bob Young (owner of the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats franchise) the prime mover for such a competition. After years of behind the scenes discussion, the league was tentatively agreed at the 2016 AGM of the Canadian Soccer Association, with its first employee hired in November that year. At the 2017 AGM, the Canadian Premier League was formally announced, with ownership groups ratified for Hamilton and Winnipeg, both in association with their cities' CFL operations. The league would operate at a division II level (with the Canadian clubs participating in MLS given division I status), and more teams were accepted in May 2018, with the first - York9 FC, based in the Toronto suburb of North York - unveiled on May 10th. They were followed a week later by Calgary, Alberta, club Cavalry FC, and then by HFX Wanderers (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Valour FC (Winnipeg, Manitoba), and FC Edmonton, an Alberta club who had formerly competed in the second NASL. Further announcements were made in subsequent weeks, with Forge FC (Hamilton, Ontario) and Pacific FC from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, completing the inaugural class of seven. The first match in CPL history took place at Tim Horton's Field in Hamilton, where Forge and York9 drew 1-1. The schedule was split into Spring and Fall seasons, with Cavalry winning and Forge finishing second in both, earning them a two-legged play-off final which was won by the Hamilton outfit. In January 2020, Atletico Ottawa - owned by Spanish club Atletico Madrid - were announced as the first expansion side and the 2020 season was to have kicked off with eight clubs, only for the COVID-19 pandemic to put a stop to things before it could start. A shortened 2020 season was played later in the year, however, with all games played on Prince Edward Island, again won by Forge, this time beating HFX Wanderers in the final. York9 rebranded as York United ahead of the 2021 season, which started late due to further COVID-19 protocols. A full season was played, however, resulting in Pacific beating Forge in a one-off final in Hamilton, a 1-0 win thanks to an Alessandro Hojabrpour sending the title west for the first time. Forge regained their crown in 2022, goals from David Choiniere and new signing Hojabrpour enough to beat Atletico Ottawa 2-0 at TD Place in the nation's capital, but news broke in November that the league would be removing Edmonton from the competition, citing poor performance (they'd finished eighth, seventh, and eighth in their final three seasons), low crowds, and an outdated stadium as the reasons. Their place was taken for the 2023 season by Vancouver FC, a new expansion side based in the Vancouver suburb of Langley, and the eight teams played a regular schedule of 28 games (playing each team home and away twice), with the top five moving on to a complicated play-off series (which has been retained for 2024 and will be explained below). Forge once again made the play-off final, facing Cavalry in front of over 13,000 fans in Hamilton, and carried off their third title with a 2-1 extra-time win after the game had finished 0-0 after ninety minutes. Both Forge and Cavalry (as regular season winners) qualified for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup as a result, alongside 2023 Canadian Championship winners Vancouver Whitecaps. Average crowds for the 2023 season varied between a low of 1,221 at York United to a high of 5,854 in Halifax, a total average of 3,716 fans per game. 2024 Canadian Premier League preview Eight teams will once again compete for the title of Canada's top team (sort of), with a regular season of 28 games consisting of each side playing their rivals home and away twice. After the end of the regular season in October, the top five will move forwards to the play-offs, which will begin with a clash between fourth and fifth. The winner of that game plays the third place side for the chance to play the loser of a game between first and second. The play-off final will be contested between the winner of the game between first and second, and the winner of the game between the loser of the the game between first and second and the winner of the game between third and fourth/fifth! Both Cavalry and Forge were eliminated in the first round of the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, with Cavalry losing both legs to Orlando City of MLS, going out 6-1 on aggregate, and Forge beaten by Liga MX side Chivas Guadalajara 3-1 at home and 2-1 away, earning more than a few plaudits from neutral onlookers in that second leg. With their overseas ownership and exotic name, Atletico Ottawa are one of those teams it's easy to dislike but they play some of the CPL's best soccer, even if they've only reached the play-offs once in their four-season history. They play at TD Place in Ottawa, formerly home to Ottawa Fury, who played in the second NASL and the USL Championship before US Soccer and CONCACAF outlawed Canadian sides at division II level in order to give the CPL a clean run at that level. Former Kuwait national team manager Carlos Gonzalez has been coach since the beginning of the 2022 season and oversees a team built around creative midfielder Ollie Bassett, a former Northern Ireland youth international who began his career with Yeovil Town in England. Goals chiefly come from Bassett and Canadian striker Samuel Salter, with former Darlington man Kevin dos Santos, Balou Tabla (returning to the club after a spell in Turkey), and last year's young player of the year Matteo de Briane (who has signed from Valour FC) the other players to watch. Calgary is a horse city, home to the famous Calgary Stampede, and Cavalry FC's home stadium at Spruce Meadows is possibly unique in professional soccer in that also hosts several equestrian events throughout the year. The club is owned by the Southern family's Spruce Meadows Sport & Entertainment Group and head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr - a Scouser who played for Swindon Town, Torquay United, and Yeovil Town before moving to the A League's Calgary Storm in 2002 - has been in charge for their entire history. The bulk of the side that finished top of the regular standings last season is still in place, including top scorer Myer Bevan, a New Zealand international, and his Somalian strike partner Ali Musse. Dutchman Daan Klomp, who came through the NAC Breda youth system, and goalkeeper Mario Carducci keep things tidy at the back. Big things are also expected from Diego Gutierrez, signed from Valour FC over the winter. Cavalry used to enjoy a healthy rivalry with FC Edmonton - known as the Al Classico - but since their provincial rivals were closed down they have transferred their main antagonism to Forge FC. Forge FC are the undoubted powerhouse of the CPL, ever-presents in the play-off finals and champions four seasons out of five. Their domination has brought welcome respite to owner Bob Young, whose Hamilton Tiger-Cats franchise haven't won a CFL title since 1999. As with Cavalry's Tommy Wheeldon, Bobby Smyrniotis has been in charge since Forge made their CPL debuts in April 2019, the young Canadian coach having cut his teeth as an assistant at the Olimpiacos academy in 2002-04 before managing League 1 Ontario side Sigma FC for fourteen years. Smyrniotis has an embarrassment of talents at his disposal, although two of last season's crop - young Canadians Manjrekar James and Woobens Pacius - have moved on to Costa Rica's Alajuense SC and MLS side Nashville SC, respectively. Forge have an extremely strong spine, from goalkeeper Triston Henry, through Haitain international centre-back Garven Metsuala, midfielder and captain Kyle Bekker, to top scorer Terran Campbell, and will be very hard to beat again this year. The Forge name comes from Hamilton's industrial past. Based far out east on Nova Scotia, HFX Wanderers are owned by Sports & Entertainment Atlantic, an event management company operated by Derek Martin. Martin was on board with the CPL idea as early as 2016 and got the backing of Halifax City Council a year later, partnering with them to build the Wanderers Grounds, their pop-up stadium in downtown Halifax. Head coach Patrice Gheisar arrived for the 2022 season having coached at League 1 Ontario Vaughn Azzuri for eight years and took Wanderers to a third-place finish last year, although they bowed out of the play-offs at the first hurdle. French midfielder Lorenzo Callegari, who grew up in the Paris Saint-Germain system and made one first team appearance, and centre-back Daniel Nimick both made the 2023 CPL team of the year and Gheisar will hope that Massimo Ferrin can find himself among the goals again. First mooted as Port City FC, Pacific FC are based at Starlight Stadium in Langford, on Vancouver Island, reputedly the third fastest growing city in Canada. Former Danish international midfielder was the man in charge when they took part in the inaugural CPL in 2019 but lasted just a year; current head coach James Merriman took over from ex-Norway international Pa-Moudou Kah in January 2022. The club's ownership is in the hands of SixFive Sports & Entertainment, a self-described football investment group, but Starlight Stadium is owned by the city of Langford and is also home to Rugby Canada. Outside of their title win in 2021, Pacific are usually there or thereabouts at season's end but lost Argentinian midfielder Manny Aparicio to Atletico Ottawa in the close season and will once again rely on the goals of ex-NEC Nijmegen man Ayman Sellouf and Welsh striker Josh Heard, with back-up from creative midfielders Sean Young and defensive rock Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, formerly of Ottawa Fury. Winnipeg isn't exactly a hotbed of soccer, with Manitoba not among the four Canadian provinces to have staged professional soccer in either the NASL or MLS days, but Valour FC are making a decent fist of things as a central Canadian outpost, buoyed by their connection to the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers, twelve times Grey Cup winners, with whom they share the Princess Auto Stadium. The club are named for Valour Road, a street that was home to three Canadian soldiers who died in the First World War and became a memorial to the men, who all received the Victoria Cross, the club's maroon shirts matching the colour of the Victoria Cross ribbon. Head coach Philip Dos Santos has been in charge since 2021 and was formerly an assistant at Vancouver Whitecaps under his brother Marc. He lost goalkeeper Rayane Yesli and promising youngster Matteo de Brienne to Atletico Ottawa, and exciting midfielder Diego Gutierrez to Cavalry, in the winter, but kept hold of English midfielder Kian Williams, a former Leicester City player who spent much of his career in Iceland before signing with Valour last year. Dos Santos has made a number of signings, including former Vancouver man Shaun Hundal, midfielder Zachary Sukunda, and Australian striker Jordi Swibel, and the wholesale changes mean that Pacific could be the surprise team of the season. The league's newest side did not have a stellar first season, finishing one off the bottom and nine points from making the play-offs, but there were nonetheless encouraging signs for Vancouver FC in their debut campaign. They drew an average of 2,774 fans to Willoughby Community Park in Langley for each game, impressive for a side that is very much the second option for soccer fans in Gastown. Like their local rivals on Vancouver Island, the club is owned by SixFive Sports & Entertainment and overseen by former Canadian international Rob Friend, with head coach Afshin Ghotbi, a former Iran national team manager, in place since the formation of the club in November 2022. They lost striker Shaun Hundal to Valour over the winter but have retained the services of Lebanese international midfielder Gabriel Bitar and Haitian striker Mikael Cantave, as well as securing an extended loan deal for Mexican forward Alejandro Diaz. Possibly their most interesting acquisition in the off-season was Grady McDonnell, at sixteen-years-old the youngest Canadian ever to sign a professional deal and an international at under-15, under-16, and under-17 levels with the Republic of Ireland. York United are in a tough spot, the league's least-supported side in the country's most crowded soccer market. Not only do they have to contest with Toronto FC of MLS but there are several well-established amateur and semi-professional sides in the city that compete for their attention. Still, they squeaked into the play-offs last season and won plaudits from neutrals when head coach Martin Nash dropped Mo Babouli, Markiyan Voytsekhovskyy, and Brian Wright when they protested against having to wear rainbow numbers on their shirts in support of the LGBTQ+ community. All three were brought back and Babouli was joint top scorer at the end of the season, alongside Osaze de Rosario and Kevin dos Santos, both of whom left the club over the winter. They also lost Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare to HFX Wanderers but Nash has brought in a trio of new players from overseas in the shape of Mexican centre-back Oswaldo Leon, Chile-born former Canadian international Juan Cordova, and winger Dennis Salanovic, a Liechtenstein international who played in the Spanish fourth tier last season. An honest appraisal of their chances might bring slim pickings but the club are under new, ambitious owners based in Mexico and shouldn't be counted out just yet.
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Apr 10, 2024 17:41
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USL Championship midweek round-up Tuesday's game in the USL Championship between Charleston Battery and Louisville City was televised in prime-time on CBS, the second game of a new deal signed by the league for this season. In Saturday's first TV game, City had beaten Indy Eleven 5-3 in a game with plenty of incident, and with the two teams in action on Tuesday being two of the league's more accomplished outfits, there was plenty of expectation for another cracker at Patriot's Point. A decent midweek crowd were quietened early on when Jorge Gonzalez headed in from a corner to give the visitors the lead, but that lasted for only a minute before Matt Myers equalised after Chris Allan had hit the post. The state of parity lasted for just twelve minutes before the ball hit Kyle Adams's outstretched arm in the box and the referee had little choice but to award the home side a penalty, Nick Markanich dispatching the spot-kick for his second goal of the season. Louisville had played four, won four, before meeting the Battery and so it must have been a great shock when Markanich scored a second, firing into the bottom corner to give Charleston a 3-1 lead. It could have been even worse but City withstood some heavy pressure to make it to half-time with no further incident, and they came out after the break much the better side, going close through Wilson Harris before Taylor Davila restored a one-goal game seven minutes into the half. Rather than sit back, Charleston piled forward in search of a fourth and were awarded a penalty in the 84th minute when goalkeeper Damian Las was late to cut out a cross and collided with Emilio Ycaza. With Markanich having been subbed off, Aaron Molloy stepped up to take the kick but Las guessed right and turned the effort away for a corner. Davila went close towards the end, and Harris fired a free-kick over, but Battery held on to inflict City's first defeat, go top of the Eastern Conference, and give CBS exactly what they were after. Even for a game played at Florida International University's soccer stadium rather than their cavernous football arena, the sub-1,000 crowd at The Miami FC last night for their Florida derby with Tampa Bay Rowdies has to be disappointing and you question the wisdom of playing it on a Thursday night. Still, that didn't affect the Rowdies too much, sustained early pressure resulting in an own goal by Samuel Biek to give the visitors the lead in the 21st minute, although the goal looked to result from trying to keep it away from an offside Cal Jennings and VAR probably would have ruled it out. Jennings himself found the net on 39 minutes, heading home a Blake Bodily cross, and then Bodily shot home from distance in stoppage time, a top corner thwacker giving the Rowdies a 3-0 half-time lead. Miami, who made some roster moves this week with the aim of improving their misfiring new side, grabbed one back two minutes after the break when Rocco Genzano tapped in, but Jennings scored his second from a fast breaking move to restore the three-goal advantage just five minutes later. To their credit, Miami never gave up and Allen Gavilanes scored an almost indentical goal to Bodily's effort to make it 4-2 with thirty-five minutes still to play, but a howler from home 'keeper Danny Gagliardi allowed Manny Artega in to put Rowdies 5-2 up on 62 minutes. There was still plenty of soccer to play but a second yellow card for Miami's Manuel Botta ended the home side's hopes of getting back in the game, which ended 5-2 after Gagliardi made some smart saves.
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Apr 12, 2024 11:09
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USL Championship preview, April 13-14 The second-tier USL Championship weekend looks a little light this week, with just nine games thanks to two fixtures being moved to midweek. They resulted in wins for Charleston Battery over Louisville City in prime-time on CBS, and for Tampa Bay Rowdies away at The Miami FC, lighting the touch paper at the top of the Eastern Conference, although the unbeaten Detroit City have a week off and will have to keep their powder dry for next week's match with Oakland Roots. The USL-C weekend kicks off at 9pm (BST) in Leesburg, Virginia, where Loudoun United face a Memphis 901 side yet to get into any kind of rhythm this season. The home are packed with exciting young talent, with Zach Ryan and Kalil ElMedkhar always lively and dangerous up front, and on paper it looks like a solid home win. Next up is Indy Eleven versus Charleston Battery at midnight, with the visitors having gone top of the Eastern Conference by beating the previously imperious Louisville City on Tuesday night. Indy have brought in a clutch of new players up front but it's yet to have any concrete effect and they should be very wary of a Battery side that look like they're just getting started. Rhode Island FC have made a cautious start to existence at Beirne Stadium, their home in suburban Providence and will be looking at the 2024 record of visitors Pittsburgh Riverhounds with some confusion ahead of their 0.30am kick-off on Saturday. The Riverhounds have not coped well at all with the loss of five key players over the winter and with two of those - 2023 MVP Albert Dikwa and midfielder Marc Ybarra - having joined the expansion side, it's sure to be spirited affair in New England. 2022 champions San Antonio FC have started the season well but were beaten at a revitalised Las Vegas Lights last week. This week they welcome high-lfying Orange County SC to Toyota Field at 1.30am for a clash of two sides that you would expect will be among the top four in the Western Conference come season's end. Unfortunately, with the Texans wearing a black and grey striped home shirt, it's unlikely we'll get to see OC's amazing black strip this week... All the USL games are shown live on YouTube but it's unlikely that the viewing figures for the visit of Oakland Roots to El Paso Locomotive will trouble the view-counter too much, given the home side's dreadful record at their Southwest University Park stadium, even against an Oakland team that have scored just three goals in give games this season. That's a 2am kick-off and there are two games starting an hour later in northern California, where Monterey Bay FC welcome Las Vegas Lights, and FC Tulsa visit Sacramento Republic. I write it every week but the Lights have completely turned things around under new owner Jose Bautista and new head coach Dennis Sanchez, while Monterey just look okay. Sacramento look much more than okay, especially with Trevor Amann in great form up front, his partnership with Russell Cicerone paying the dividends you'd expect from a pair of top finishers. Tulsa's season hasn't really gotten started yet but if ever there was a time to make an impact, it's this match. Saturday's final game in USL-C sees reigning champions Phoenix Rising welcome Colorado Springs Switchbacks to Arizona for a 3.30am kick-off. While Rising haven't exactly gotten their defence of the title off to a running start, their visitors are enjoying a rotten season so far, with four defeats from four games. They've only managed to score one goal in those outings so it's clear where the problem lies; what's not so clear is if they have the firepower in the squad to arrest the slide, especially having lost last season's top scorer Romario Williams to Hartford Athletic over the winter. The USL Championship weekend finishes on Sunday with the visit of Birmingham Legion to North Carolina FC. Both club are still feeling their way into the 2024 season but the home side can be reasonably content with their start after being elevated from USL League One in the off-season, and Legion managed a good win at home to Loudoun United last week. Canadian Premier League preview, April 13-14 It's opening day in the Canadian Premier League, a nominally division II tier league north of the border but whose relative qualities to the USL Championship are yet to be conclusively tested. The first day fixtures are an interesting bunch, with an Ontario derby at 6pm (BST) as Atletico Ottawa face York United, and the 9pm clash of last season's top two in Hamilton, where Forge FC welcome Cavalry FC, the standouts. Ottawa have recruited heavily over the winter and seem to be building something of a superclub (or at least attempting to), while York are one of the league's lesser lights. Otaawa are always worth watching due to the mercurial talents of Ollie Bassett and it's hard to see past a home win here. The same might be true of the latter clash, especially with the visitors missing last season's top scorer Myers Bevan, who has opted to return to New Zealand instead of reporting for duty. Forge have won four of the five CPL titles so far and they'll be keen to lay down a marker against their nearest (historical) rivals. Over on Vancouver Island, a midnight kick-off sees Pacific FC take on HFX Wanderers, a journey of almost 4,000 miles for any intrepid away fans. The visitors from Nova Scotia look to be one of the league's best organised clubs and will be looking to make their on-field results match that this season, but Pacific - the only club other than Forge to have won the CPL - can never be underestimated, especially on home turf. The opening weekend's final game also comes from British Columbia, with Vancouver FC home clash with Winnipeg's Valour FC kicking off at midnight on Sunday. The home side managed to finish one off the bottom in their debut season and have lost their top scorer over the winter. They have a clutch of new arrivals, however, and are quite the unknown quantity. Their season-opener against a club who are usually there or thereabouts come season's end will be a good test of their future ambitions. USL League One preview, April 12-13 The third-tier USL League One weekend kicks off tonight in Tennessee as One Knoxville welcome Union Omaha to Regal Stadium for an 11.30pm (BST) kick-off. The home side won their first three league games before their US Open Cup loss to Greenville Triumph, who subsequently leapfrogged them in the USL-1 table (although with a game more played). The visitors also have a perfect league record this season, although they have played just one league game so far. An hour later, Greenville Triumph put their unbeaten record on the line when they visit near-neighbours Charlotte Independence. The home side have won one and lost one so far this season and welcome USL Championship expansion side Rhode Island FC to American legion Memorial Stadium in the Open Cup on Tuesday but first they have to get past Rick Wright's table-toppers who have so far only been frustrated by a solid Forward Madison defence. The Wisconsin side are involved in the first of Saturday's games when Richmond Kickers travel to Forward Madison having won their first league game for nine months last week. Madison are yet to lose this season, with a win and two draws, but bowed out of the Open Cup in their last fixture and so will look ripe for the taking by a Kickers side never short on attacking flair. The weekend's final game in USL-1 comes from California, a 3.30am kick-off showcasing the questionable talents of Central Valley Fuego and Chattanooga Red Wolves. The visitors are having a difficult season so far, with their CHI Memorial Stadium out of use for the time being, but they will travel with some confidence to Fresno to face a Fuegos side that hasn't clicked yet under new head coach Jermaine Jones. NISA preview, April 13-14 he NISA news this week was dominated by revelations about the low pay structure found in that league, a story which has some way to run. On field, week two begins tonight in Atlanta, where Georgia FC - already renamed and under new management since their unveiling as Georgia Lions over the winter - face Daytona beach side Club de Lyon at Silverbacks Park, a 10pm (BST) kick-off if you fancy tuning in on NISA+. There are two games on Saturday, the first of which sees another crisis club in Savannah Clovers (for whom the league have pledged to cover the wage bill) at home to Maryland Bobcats, a league mainstay and probably worth better than this competition. Los Angeles Force drew 2-2 with new local rivals Irvine Zeta last week and will welcome another expansion side to Long Beach Community College at 3am on Saturday in the shape of Arizona Monsoon. Monsoon lost their first ever game - a US Open Cup defeat to fourth-tier Lubbock Matadors three weeks ago - but are an unknown quantity, with a side made up laregly of local amateur and college recruits. The weekend's final game is another of the many Los Angeles derbies that will take place this season and sees Irvine Zeta - who share the Championship Soccer Stadium with USL Championship side Orange County SC - welcome another new club, Capo FC. Like Arizona, Capo lost their first match to fourth-tier opposition (the Sasha Kljestan-enhanced Des Moines Menace), but build on almost two decades of organisation as a youth and amateur organisation. Zeta have looked impressive so far, though, and a home win looks a banker.
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Apr 12, 2024 11:20
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USL Championship round-up, April 13 & 14 Loudoun United and Memphis 901 opened the USL Championship weekend on Saturday night in front of almost 3,000 fans at Segra Field in Leesburg, Virginia, serving up a back and forth battle that ended 2-1 to the young home side. Samuel Careaga opened the scoring for the visitors in the 14th minute with a free-kick that found a gap in the Loudoun wall and 901 had chances to increase their lead before Zach Ryan scored his third of the season just before half-time. Memphis again went close in the second-half through Careaga and Nighte Pickering, but it was United's Drew Skundrich who found the net in the 69th minute with a header to give Loudoun all three points. Charleston Battery have been in tremedous form over the past few weeks and they travelled to Indianapolis expecting to cause more than a few problems for Indy Eleven on Saturday night. A crowd of 8,556 awaited them but were quietened in the 19th minute when Emilio Ycaza was set up by Nick markanich and fired home. Portland loanee Tega Ikoba scored his first for Indy to level eight minutes later, and Sebastian Gunezatti put them 2-1 within sixty seconds of the retsart, but Markanich showed exactly why he's one of the most exciting players in USL-C right now when he restored parity two minutes into time added on at the end of the first half. Ikoba and Augustine Williams could have scored for Indy in the second-half but the goals all belonged to the visitors, a Macauley King own goal and a Matt Myers shot sending all three points down to South Carolina. Expansion club Rhode Island FC have had a quiet start to life in the league but fireworks were expected when Pittsburgh Riverhounds came to Providence on Saturday, given Rhode Island took 2023 league MVP Albert Dikwa and Marc Ybarra from the Steel City club over the winter. Riverhounds, though, have struggled this season, with just a point to show for their efforts, and the resulting 0-0 draw will have been greeted with a sigh of relief by their head coach Bob Lilley, if not the majority of the 3,678 in attendance. It also finished 0-0 down in Texas, where San Antonio FC entertained Orange County SC at Toyota Field, a 7,000-strong crowd no doubt expecting goals that just didn't come, despite both sides having chances. Maybe the goals were delivered west instead, because who would have expected El Paso Locomotive and Oakland Roots to share five goals on a chilly evening? El Paso are woeful at home but went ahead in the 13th minute through Amando Moreno's second-chance effort, only to be pegged back by Irish striker Niall Logue's 31st minute strike following a corner. Justin Dhillon, signed from San Antonio in the off-season, restored Locomotive's lead two minutes from the half-time whistle with a well-placed penalty after he was brought down by Irakoze Donasiyano, and the almost 7,000 crowd must have scoffed their hot dogs thinking they might - might - see a home win at Southwest University Park. They might well have done if Johnny Rodriguez hadn't woken up in the second-half, the former Cal State man scoring two minutes after the break and then adding a penalty strike of his own four minutes later to give Oakland a 3-2 lead. Jamaili Waite brought Rodriguez down for the penalty and he must be wondering quite why he left Pittsburgh in the winter... There were a pair of games over in northern California on Saturday night, with Monterey Bay FC welcoming Las Vegas Lights to Seaside, and FC Tulsa pitching up at Heart Health Park to face Sacramento Republic. Las Vegas had won three on the trot before this week but were undone in the tenth minute when Shawn Smart fouled Chase Boone in the eighteen-yard area, Alex Dixon slotting home the penalty that followed. The home side had the better of the play for the rest of the half and doubled their advantage through a Tristan Trager strike on the stroke of half-time, only for Gaoussou Samake to pull one back in time added on and give the Lights hope that they could make it four from four. They couldn't, though, and Michael Gonzalez added a third for Frank Yallop's side on 74 minutes, with Lights' Emrah Klimenta receiving a second yellow in the aftermath. There was also a red card in Sacramento when a case of absolute shitbaggery by Republic's Lee Desmond saw Tulsa's Edwin Laszo sent-off for a push, the home side working the extra man advantage for a host of first-half chances, although they only had Rodridgo Lopez's 33rd minute goal to show for their efforts at the half. It was one-way traffic again in the second-half but Republic were stymied by a resolute Tulsa defence, allowing Patrick Seagrist to level midway through the half, and that's how it stayed, a a much-deserved point for the visitors disappointing the weekend's biggest crowd of 8,891. Saturday's final game came from Arizona where 2023 champions Phoenix Rising entertained the pointless Colorado Springs Switchbacks at 38th Street. Rising's form has been all over the place so far this season and the crowd grew a tiny bit frustrated when they were unable to transfer their dominance into goals against a poor Switchbacks side. However, captain John Stenberg slotted home from a corner on 71 minutes to give the champions a lead they wouldn't surrender, three welcome points coming to Danny Stone's side. The USL-C weekend finished in Cary with the first visit of Birmingham Legion to North Carolina FC for four years. The home side started well when the referee awarded a very generous penalty for a Matt van Oekel foul on Rafa Mentzingen, Rodrigo da Costa converting for a 1-0 lead after just two minutes. The ever-busy Enzo Martinez finished a Stefano Pinho cross to equalise in the 29th minute, Legion's only shot on a target, and that's how it finished, van Oekel's save from Louis Perez twelve minutes into the second-half the only notable action. Canadian Premier League round-up, April 13-14 The opening weekend of the Canadian Premier League brought a clean sweep of home victories, starting with York United's visit to Atletico Ottawa on Saturday evening. A goalless first half wasn't light on entertainment but the game came to life three minutes into the second-half when Austin Ricci put the visitors ahead. Manny Aparicio equalised midway through the half for the Ottawans, with Ollie Bassett a menace in midfield as ever, and it was the Irishman's cross that found Kris Twardek on the back post, the centre-back slotting home to give Atletico the points. It was a smiliar story across the province in Hamilton, where Forge FC and Cavalry FC also played out a goalless first half in the first of their grudge games this season. The away side took the lead through Calgary mainstay Sergio Camargo on the hour but were pegged back ten minutes later when former Canadian international Tristan Borges pivoted and struck home. Forge pressed for a winner and found one through Beni Badibanga, although the eleven minutes left on the clock made for some nervy moments for the Hamilton side. First blood, though, to the Iron Men... Over on the West Coast, Pacific FC welcomed HFX Wanderers to Vancouver Island for a busy game that saw the visitors create more chances but the home side be more clinical. That told in the final score, a 1-0 win to Pacific thanks to an Ayman Sellouf penalty given when Julian Dunn brought down Reon Moore, but HFX looked like a decent side in defeat. The final game also came from British Columbia, this time on Sunday as Vancouver FC hosted Winnipeg side Valour FC. This is only Vancouver's second year in the CPL, having finished seventh last season, but they've laid down a amrker from the off in 2024. They had to do it from behind, though, as Valour went ahead in the 24th minute through new Australian signing Jordi Swibel, only drawing level on the cusp of half-time when Moses Dyer finished a tidy move he had started himself out on the left wing. The home side went in front just two minutes into the second-half through a Paris Gee shot from distance into the top corner, and then finished the job with goals from Lebanese international Gabriel Bitar and ex-Cobbler David Norman Jr, a 4-1 win the result of the opening weekend. USL League One round-up, April 12-14 The USL League One weekend started on Friday night with a clash of two teams with 100% records in One Knoxville and Union Omaha, albeit from just the one game for the visitors. Knoxville actually lost their last match, in the US Open Cup to Greenville Triumph, and there was little to separate the sides before Steevan dos Santos's opener for Omaha in the 70th minute. Any chance of Knoxville getting back in to the game was undone by a red card for Jalen Crisler six minutes from time and it is Union who retain that 100% record going into their next match. That will be at home to Charlotte Independence on April 20th, with the visitors no doubt buoyed by their defeat of Greenville Triumph on Friday night. Juan Carlos Obregon Jr's 51st minute strike was the difference between the sides as the Jacks handed Triumph their first defeat of the season in any competition. Saturday's brace of games began in Wisconsin, where Forward Madison welcomed Richmond Kickers to the Breese Stevens Field they share with professional frisbee team Madison Radicals. A crowd of almost 4,000 cheered Derek Gebhard's opener for the home side on 28 minutes, but the Kickers managed to draw level five minutes into first-half stoppage time when Maximiliano Schenfeld fired home. It was the visitors who moved ahead in the 64th minute through Adrian Billhardt, a lead that lasted all of eight minutes before Fabian Davila made it 2-2. There was still time for Madison's Timmy Mehl to see red in the 86th minute but there were no more goals. Central Valley Fuego have undergone a rebuilding process under new head coach Jermaine Jones, taking control of a club for the first time but not having an easy time of it in Fresno. Their visitors on Saturday were Chattanooga Red Wolves, who had only played one game before this week due to issues with their pitch in Tennessee. A worryingly poor crowd of just 397 saw the visitors take the lead in the 14th minute through Ropapa Mensah, and then double their advantage four minutes later with a Lucas Coutinho goal. Fuego did get one back before half-time when Zahir Vasquez found the net but Mensah scored again midway through the second-half to restore the two-goal lead. A Qudus Lawal goal ten minutes from time brought the home side back within draw distance but Mensah finished his hat-trick with a 91st minute penalty to leave things looking chilly for Jones in California. The weekend's final game was the Sunday visit of expansion side Spokane Velocity to the gridiron marked pitch of Lexington SC in Georgetown, Kentucky. The visitors had Josh Dolling back to lead their attack and took the lead in the 19th minute when Ahmed Longmire scored, an advantage that lasted seven minutes before Yannick Yankam levelled for the Boys in Green. Azaad Liadi then put the home side ahead but Luis Gil grabbed an equaliser to send the teams into the break at 2-2. That was how it stayed, despite chances for both sides, and Velocity sit a respectable fourth in their first season. NISA round-up, April 12-14 The troubled Georgia FC club finally got their season underway in the NISA league at the weekend, having already moved towns and changed names since they were first announced as an expansion club over the winter. Their first opponents at Silverbacks Park in Atlanta were Club de Lyon, the Daytona beach club who had their own issues last season (something never too far away in this competition). Former Charleston Battery striker Patrick Okonkwo got Georgia's first ever goal when he gave them a half-time lead, but the Lions hit back through Tolani Ibikunle. The game finished 1-1 despite a second yellow for Georgia's ex-Phoenix Rising man Lamin Jawneh, but both the club and the league will be happy to have gotten through this one. Savannah Clovers have also had a troubled winter, with the league stepping in to guarantee the club's payroll until a transfer of ownership can be completed. They opened their 2024 home campaing on Saturday against a Maryland Bobcats side that look utterly professional in comparison, and the 3-0 win for the away team perhaps reflected their differing pre-seasons. Darwin Espinal opened the scoring with a nice goal in the 69th minute, followed by goals from the returning Elijah Amo and midfielder Drew Wivell to complete the rout. Saturday also saw Los Angeles Force take on another of the new arrivals, Arizona Monsoon, at Long Beach Coummunity College. Monsoon lost their only game of the season so far, a US Open Cup tie against lower-tier opposition, and were thoroughly overwhelmed by the home side's superior organisation, coneding as early as the first minute when Bryan Ortega scored. They held out until just after the break, though, before Japanese midfielder Mouhamadou War grabbed a brace, the 4-0 scoreline completed by Victor Blanco eleven minutes from time. The weekend's final game featured two new expansion clubs and another Los Angeles derby match as Irvine Zeta took on Capo FC. Zeta have been in terrific form so far this season, with two Open Cup wins and an away draw at LA Force, but Capo managed to keep them fairly quiet on Sunday, Jonathan Estrada's first half opener for the home side cancelled out by Gustavo Chavez in the 85th minute. MLS Next Pro round-up, April 12-15 The sole game featuring an independent side in the third-tier (mostly) MLS reserve league MLS Next Pro at the weekend delivered plenty of goals, with Chattanooga FC defeating Inter Miami II 6-2 at Finley Stadium. Former FC Dallas youth prospect Jalen James - who was scoreless in nineteen games for USL League Two side Lexington SC last season - grabbed a first-half hat-trick to add to a brace from English striker Alex McGrath and one from Ethan Koren, Miami replying through Alejandro Flores and Ryan Carmichael. Elsewwhere there was another 6-2 win - for New York City FC II over New England Revolution II - and a 5-5 draw between New York Red Bulls II and Chicago Fire II, as well as a 5-0 win for Philadelphia Union II at Atlanta United 2, and a 4-0 home win for Sporting Kansas City II against Houston Dynamo 2.
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Apr 16, 2024 15:11
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USL Championship preview, April 20 Two of the three front-runners in the USL Championship Eastern Conference are in early action on Saturday night to kick off a weekend full of big clashes in the second-tier league. A 9pm (all times BST) kick-off sees Detroit City, the only side in USL-C with a 100% record, take on Oakland Roots at Keyworth Stadium, just days after City dispatched local rivals Michigan Stars in the US Open Cup. Roots won in midweek, too, though had to work hard to see off fourth-tier opposition in El Farolito, and I wonder if they have enough at this stage to trouble a Le Rouge side who, under new head coach Danny Dichio, are playing with a confident swagger. At the same time, Louisville City visit Loudoun United in their first league game since losing on prime-time national TV to Charleston Battery ten days ago. Both sides won their midweek Open Cup outings, with City again looking like genuine contenders by putting three past an in-form Greenville Triumph (who, admittedly, play a tier lower), and Loudoun's young strikeforce are capable of finding goals from scraps. On most weeks, this would be the game of the week but California has it topped, as we'll see in a bit... Hartford Athletic versus San Antonio FC is a 10pm kick-off, and the home side have looked good under new head coach Brendan Burke so far this season. Both sides have just the one loss so far but Hartford will be playing off the back of being knocked out of the Open Cup by MLS Next Pro reserve side New York City FC II and their reaction to the defeat will be one to watch. FC Tulsa have the dubious honour of welcoming form side Charleston Battery to ONEOK Field at 11pm, and will hope to stop the momentum that has taken the Sandlappers to the top of the Eastern Conference. The home team have played three games fewer this season and so it's tough to gauge how comparable the two sides are but it's difficult to see anything other than an away win here. The two midnight starts are very different affairs, games which could either way with little surprise. Fresh off an early exit from the Open Cup to third-tier South Georgia Tormenta in midweek, The Miami FC welcome Birmingham Legion to the less-cavernous surroundings of FIU Soccer Stadium and will be wary that Legion's Stefano Pinho scored all four of his side's goals in their midweek cup win. I say it every week, but Miami are rebuilding under new head coach Antonio Nocerino; you wonder, though, for how long that remains a valid excuse. No such issues at North Carolina FC, who have taken their promotion from USL League One in their stride, even if they have just one win from their six games to show for it so far. They host New Mexico United on Saturday with both sides having won in midweek and you'd expect United to have a slight advantage going into their clash. Nothing, though, that a spark of magic from Rafa Mentzingen or Oalex Anderson can't upset. It looks a little more straight forward at 0.30am in St Petersburg, Florida, for the clash between Tampa Bay Rowdies and El Paso Locomotive, with the home side having not lost yet this season and the visitors still ooking for their first win. Cal Jennings is in great goalscoring form for the Rowdies and even with Locomotive playing away from their cursed home stadium, it's hard to see anything other than a home win here. There are three 1am kick-offs, the pick of which is Rhode Island FC's first-ever visit to Las Vegas Lights. The expansion side are still looking for their first win as a franchise and lost in midweek to USL-1 outfit Charlotte Independence. They couldn't have picked a tougher time to visit Cashman Field, with Lights having won their last three games at the stadium as Jose Bautista's new era continues. Memphis 901 versus Monterey Bay FC is an all-Western Conference affair featuring two teams yet to get into their stride, albeit that the visitors are having a much better time of it so far, results-wise. 901 overcame a tricky tie against fifth-tier Miami United in midweek and will look to build on that, but haven't won at home in the league since the opening day. The last 1am start comes from Weidner Field where Colorado Springs Switchbacks are at home to Indy Eleven. Switchbacks are rock bottom of the Western Conference having played five and lost five, while Indy have lost their last three, and if ever a game could have two losers it would be this one. The clash of the week in USL-C comes from Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California, where the top two in the Western Conference meet at 3am. Orange County SC have quietly put together a terrific side this season, despite the loss of top scorer Milan Illoski in the winter, and Sacramento Republic can always be relied upon to have a competitive streak a mile wide. No quarter will be asked, I expect, and little given. The weekend's final tie is a 3.30am kick-off from Arizona, where Pittsburgh Riverhounds will be the visitors to 2023 champions Phoenix Rising. If Rising's start to the season - two wins, a draw, and three losses - has been a surprise, then Riverhounds' failture to win any of their five outings so far this season is a shock. You'd think that the Steel City side would wake up at some point but whether it will be away to a Phoenix side that won at home last week is anyone's guess. Canadian Premier League preview, April 19-21 Round two of the Canadian Premier League started last night in Langley, British Columbia, where Vancouver FC hosted an HFX Wanderers side who stayed west after Saturday's defeat to Pacific FC on Vancouver Island. The home side made a great start to their second season of action with a 4-1 win over ten-man Valour FC last Saturday and picked up eactly where they left off by taking the lead after just seventeen minutes when Rocco Romeo capitalised on a goalkeeper error. Vancouver looked smart in their new cherry blossom-inspired kits and grabbed a second seven minutes into the second-half through Alejandro Liceaga. New Zealand striker Moses Dyer looked a threat throughout for the home side and it looks like they're the pacesetters so far this season. The weekend action continues in British Columbia tonight in Langford when Pacific FC welcome Valour FC to Starlight Stadium for a 3am (BST) start. The Tridents had a 1-0 over HFX Wanderers last week and will look to make that two, especially as Valour looked very vulnerable in their 4-1 defeat at Vancouver FC on Sunday, but football is a funny old game and anything could happen at this early stage of the season. Saturday's 7pm clash between Atletico Ottawa and Cavalry FC looks like one to catch, with Carlos Gonzalez Juarez's home side looking efficient (if unspectacular) in coming from behind to beat York United last week. The visitors from Calgary were unlucky to lose 2-1 at Forge FC and are still waiting on New Zealand striker Myer Bevan to return to Canada following a trip back home for "personal reasons." The weekend's final game is on Sunday at 9pm and sees York United open their home season against provincial rivals Forge FC. The Toronto side scraped into the play-offs last season and looked handy in defeat away at Atletico Ottawa last week but Forge are a different prospect, title winners four years out of five and always solid at the back and a threat going forward. USL League One preview, April 20 & 21 USL League One is the last of the third-tier leagues into action this weekend. waiting until 8pm (all times BST) on Saturday for the clash between 100% side Union Omaha and Charlotte Independence at Werner Park. Both sides beat higher-ranked opposition in the US Open Cup in midweek and this is undoubtedly the tie of the week at this level, with the Jacks looking to ruin the Owls perfect record. At 11pm, Richmond Kickers - with just one league win in nine months - take on expansion club Spokane Velocity at City Park. Velocity have two wins, a draw, and two losses on the season so far, but we're knocked out of the US Open Cup in midweek by Las Vegas Lights and will be looking to put that right, but Kickers were narrowly eliminated themselves in a penalty shootout and will be smarting. Saturday's third clash comes from Tennessee where Chattanooga Red Wolves' CHI Memorial Stadium is finally ready for the 0.30am visit of Northern Colorado Hailstorm. The sides sit tenth and twelfth so far this season, although the Red Wolves have only played two games, and both need to kickstart their campaigns badly. The final game of the USL-1 weekend is Sunday's 0.30am kick-off in Statesboro, where South Georgia Tormenta host Greenville Triumph. Triumph were flying high in both league and Open Cup until the past week, which saw defeats at Charlotte and Louisville upset their unbeaten record. Tormenta won away at USL Championship side The Miami FC in midweek and are starting to look like the team that were surprise winners of this competition two eyars ago, rather than the team that has competed for the rest of its existence. Interestingly, it's another short week of games in USL-1 this week - the first week scheduled to have all twelve teams in league action is at the very end of July... NISA preview, April 19 & 20 The NISA weekend kicks off tonight in suburban Detroit where Michigan Stars welcome new boys Georgia FC to Romeo High School Stadium for a midnight (BST) kick-off. The visitors drew the first game in club history 1-1 last weekend after a torrid winter which saw them change name and hometowns, but they'll face a tough test in the Stars, 2022 champions in this competition. The other two games in the league this weekend are Saturday affairs, with a midnight start for the visit of Savannah Clovers to Club de Lyon's Showalter Stadium home in Winter Park, Florida. Clovers, whose wage bill is being met by the league until a takeover can be completed, have lost both their games this season, conceding three in each, and will probably need some security before they feel they can kick on, even against a side like CdL who had their own issues last year. The final game is at 3.30am and features two of the league's newest sides as Arizona Monsoon travel to San Luis Capistrano at the very southern end of the Los Angeles sprawl to face Capo FC. Monsoon lost 4-0 at Los Angeles Force last week on the heels of being knocked out by fourth-tier opposition in the US Open Cup, while Capo managed a good 1-1 draw away at Irvine Zeta, so it's not difficult to pick a winner even at this early stage. Still, Monsoon have a promising young side and it will be a different story if/when they click as a team. MLS Next Pro preview, April 19-21 Both independent sides in the mostly reserve league MLS Next Pro are in action this weekend, with Carolina Core away at Chicago Fire II tonight, a midnight (BST) kick-off if you're interested. Both sides were knocked out of the US Open Cup in midweek, with Core surrendering to state rivals North Carolina FC and Fire going out 1-0 to Indy Eleven despite an almost total dominance of the game. On recent form, Core will do well to escape with a narrow defeat here. Chattanooga FC's game is on Saturday at 1am, a visit to the Alabama home of Huntsville City FC, the second team of MLS's Nashville SC. The Chatts won 6-2 at home to Inter Miami II last week and will be in confident form as they make 100-mile journey west for what could become a derby game as their stay in MLS next Pro continues.
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Apr 19, 2024 13:42
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USL Championship round-up, April 20 Detroit City made it five wins out of five in the USL Championship on Saturday when they turned away Oakland Roots from Keyworth Stadium. Danny Dichio's side maintained their perfect start with an eighth minute long-range goal from Ben Morris getting things underway, Maxi Rodriguez adding a penalty to make it 2-0 on 27 minutes after Bryan Tamacas fouled Alex Villanueva in the box. Victor Bezerra made it three six minutes into the second-half following good work from the ever-busy Morris, and Justin Rassmussen's goal for the visitors six minutes later proved to be nothing more than a consolation in the end, Le Rouge worthy 3-1 winners. They sit third, although both of the teams above them have played more games, and both of whom won away on Saturday. Louisville City bounced back from defeat in their last game to win 1-0 at Loudoun United, a Florian Valot own goal in the 67th minute enough to give City the points despite United having the better of the game. Louisville are now second, behind a Charleston Battery team in fantastic form, FC Tulsa the latest victims of their relentless, attacking game on Saturday afternoon. MD Myers opened the scoring in the eighth minute with his fourth goal of the season, Battery making it two on the half-hour when Juan Torres got on the end of a fast break to shoot past Tulsa 'keeper Joey Roggeveen. The visitors' Aaron Molloy fouled Harvey St Clair in the Tulsa box six minutes later, Justin Portillo slotting home the resultant penalty, but that reduction in arrears lasted for just four minutes before Nick Markanich continued his terrific season to tap in after a Myers shot hit the post. The best of the second-half chances fell to Tulsa, with Alexander Dalou forcing a save out of Adam Grinwis, but it was Myers who had the last word, heading home with six minutes to go to give Battery a 4-1 win. Hartford Athletic started the season with three wins from their first four games, a Friday night defeat away at North Carolina FC the only blot on their record so far, but the visit of 2022 USL_C winners San Antonio FC brought first class opposition to Connecticut for the first time this season. The visitors took the lead with the first chance of the game when Machop Choi headed home Lucas Silva's cross in the seventh minute, with Choi, Luke Haakenson, and Juan Agudelo all going close to extending in the following ten minutes. It was Hartford's ex-San Antonio man Markus Epps who got the second goal, though, levelling the scores when he slotted home following a fast-breaking move, and the teams went into the break at 1-1 despite further chances for Choi and a good effort from Deshane Beckford for the home side. Both sides had chances to take the lead as the game resumed, with Haakenson forcing a save out of Athletic 'keeper Paul Walters, but it was an own goal from Joey Akpunonu that eventually gave the Texans the lead with twelve minutes to go. Things got worse for Hartford when Joseph Farrell brought down Kameron Lacey, allowing Luis Solignac to score from the spot, and the 3-1 win might have slightly flattered the visitors but they were worth their win. The rebuilding job at The Miami FC seems to be taking longer than they'd have liked, extended by at least another week as they lost at home again, this time to Birmingham Legion at FIU Soccer Field (where at least the 1,000 in attendance were more visible and vocal than at the cavernous gridiron stadium next door). It took the home side 36 minutes to have a chance at goal, Legion 'keeper Fernando Delgado (deputising for the suspended Matt van Oekel) turning away Robert Molina's header, but it was the away side who had most of the game, eventually turning their domination into a goal when Stefano Pinho scored just past the hour from a quick break following a Miami attack. The Legion defence then closed the game out for the 1-0 win, leaving Miami head coach Antonio Nocerino scratching his head, wondering where to go next... After winning USL League One last year, North Carolina FC have looked competitive in the higher division so far without pulling up too many trees. With that win over Hartford Athletic and three draws from their six games so far, they're not too far away from finding a winning formula but again came up short at home to New Mexico United on Saturday. A crowd of almost 2,000 were buoyed when Julian Placias was found by Collin Martin and put the home side ahead, but that lead lasted for just two minutes before Paco Craig brought down Marco Micaletto in the box, Greg Hurst stepping up to score the penalty kick. North Carolina got their noses back in front nine minutes later when Ezra Armstrong headed in Rafa Mentzingen's cross, but United hit back almost immediately again, Hurst's second coming from a through ball from Arturo Astorga. Placias, Armstrong, and Louis Perez all had chances to put NCFC back in front either side of the half, but the game looked like it was heading for a draw when Sergio Rivas got New Mexico's third - and winning - goal. El Paso Locomotive have made a dreadful start to the season, drawing one and losing five of their six games before Saturday's visit to Tampa Bay Rowdies. Three of those defeats came at home and they were a better side on the road for much of last season, too, and so a trip to St Petersburg wasn't without some optimism of gaining a result. So it proved as they escaped with a 1-1 draw courtesy of a Francisco Nevarez goal - lofted over 'keeper Jordan Farr from inside the El Paso half - that gave them the lead in the 64th minute from before Manuel Arteaga equalised for the Rowdies with as much closer-ranged header nine minutes later. With just one win so far this season since their switch to the Western Conference, Memphis 901 got off to the best possible start in their home tie with Monterey Bay FC, going a goal up in the first minute when Alex Lara scored an own goal. Unaccustomed to leading lately, 901 nevertheless held firm past the half-time break, even having chances through Bruno Lapa, Marlon, and Nighte Pickering to extend their lead. The Californian visitors began to turn up the pressure in the second-half, though, and went close through Carlos Guzman and Chase Boone before Tristan Trager was fouled by Mobi Fehr in the Memphis box, Trager himself firing home the penalty that resulted in the 68th minute. Monterey used that momentum to nudge ahead just two minutes later when Alex Lara made up for his earlier error with a header from a corner, Frank Yallop's side seeing out the game for a 2-1 away win. That was also the result at Cashman Field as Las Vegas Lights were beaten at home by expansion club Rhode Island FC, the Seals' first win in their franchise history. Solomon Asante brought a save out of visiting goalkeeper Jackson Lee in the twelfth minute but it was the visitors who took the lead, full-back Stephen Turnbull found by Noah Fuson in the centre of the box to notch his first goal for the club. Rhode Island doubled their advantage just before the break when Albert Dikwa's shot was blocked and Fuson fired home the loose ball, a 2-0 half-time lead slightly generous given the run of play. After the break, Lights came out on the attack and a Gennaro Nigro shot deflected out for a corner from which Valentin Noel headed in to reduce the gap to a single goal with 36 minutes left to play. Las Vegas substitute Khori Bennett forced two saves out of Lee in the closing stages but Rhode Island held on for a historic victory. It was played five, lost five for Colorado Springs Switchbacks ahead of the visit of Indy Eleven to Weidner Field, a disappointing run for a side usually found in much higher altitudes in the Western Conference. Any nerves they might have been feeling were probably settled three minutes in when Ronaldo Damus headed them in front, the sides them trading chances, with Indy 'keeper Hunter Sulte making a superb save from Damus just before the half-hour. That save looked even more important two minutes later when Indy's Aidan Stanley crossed in for Romario Williams to head an equaliser, and that was how it stayed, despite Wahab Ackwei's red card for the hosts, mostly thanks to some good saves from Christian Herrera in the Switchbacks goal. By the time Orange County SC and Sacramento Republic took the field at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, only one of the preceding ten matches had resulted in a home win, and OC must have felt an extra touch of trepidation to that usually felt when facing USL-C powerhouses Sacramento. Still, they'd been every bit as good as the visitors over six games so far this season and thus Trevor Amann's first minute headed opener for Republic must have been a shock. It was a game of few chances after that, with OC having just one shot on target to a total of three for the visitors, one of which resulted in Republic's second goal, a left-footed strike from Aldair Sanchez in the 25th minute. The 2-0 win took Sacramento top of the Western Conference in their own right, having shared that honour with OC of late, and the addition of Amann looks like turning perennial nearly men into serious title contenders this season. The final game of the USL-C weekend saw defending champions Phoenix Rising welcome a winless Pittsburgh Riverhounds to Arizona, with the visitors recording two draws in their last two games after three straight defeats. Rising haven't exactly been in stellar form themselves but did manage to win at home last week, even if it was only against Colorado Springs Switchbacks. Riverhounds have struggled since 2023 USL-C MVP Albert Dikwa moved to Rhode Island FC over the winter, with Kaziah Sterling - brought in as a replacement from USL League One's South Georgia Tormenta - scoreless in his first three games in a Pittsburgh shirt. Of course it was Sterling, then, that opened the scoring for the away side, turning in a smart pass from Edward Kizza to give Pittsburgh a lead in the 26th minute, an advantage that lasted just two minutes before Remi Cabral levelled for the champions. Sterling had a good chance of a second a minute later, and then a very good chance of a second a minute into the second-half when he stepped up to take a penalty awarded by referee Brad Jensen for handball for Papa Boye. Unfortunately, he skied it over the bar but picked himself to go close on the hour, his effort and a follow-up from Junior Etou saved by Rising 'keeper Rocco Rios Novo. Pittsburgh's pressure told, though, when Kizza grabbed the Riverhounds' second on 62 minutes and although Junior Azacar and Dariusz Formella came close to levelling just after, it was the visitors who rode the game out, adding a third from substitute Babacar Diene for good measure in the 90th minute. Canadian Premier League round-up, April 18-21 Week two in the Canadian Premier League started early as Vancouver FC made it two out of two against HFX Wanderers on Thursday night, Rocco Romeo and Alejandro Diaz Liceaga with the goals in front of 2,702 fans at Willoughby Community Park in Langley. Action also came from British Columbia on Friday night, where Pacific FC also added another win to their opening day triumph on Vancouver Island, this time defeating Winnipeg's Valour FC 2-0 at Starlight Stadium. 2,851 were in attendance to see Josh Heard open the scoring just after the break, the win confirmed by a Sean Young goal on his 100th CPL appearance. Honours were shared in the nation's capital on saturday afternoon, where Atletico Ottawa and Calgary's Cavalry FC played out a 1-1 draw at TD Place. The week's biggest crowd of 4.569 came out for a clash of two sides sure to have a say in the play-offs come season's end, Amer Didic opening the scoring for Atletico just after half-time, only for a Kris Twardek own goal to earn the visitors a share of the points. The weekend's final game was the Sunday afternoon Ontario derby between York United and Forge FC at York Lions Stadium in suburban Toronto. Having won four of the last five titles, Forge look every bit like they intend to make it five out of six and joined Vancouver and Pacific at the top of the table with six points from six. Despite some good attacking play from the Nine Stripes of York, it was Forge who scored all three goals on the night, a single from Beni Badibanga and a brace from David Choiniere ensuring all three points went back to Hamilton. USL League One round-up, April 20 & 21 The goalkeepers were the stars as Union Omaha and Charlotte Independence got the USL League One weekend off to a scoreless start on Saturday afternoon in Nebraska, 2,461 fans witnessing a stalemate that nevertheless saw both Rashid Nuhu and Austin Pack make numerous saves at Werner Park. There were more goals in the next game, all of them scored by the away side as expansion team Spokane Velocity won in front of the weekend's biggest crowd of 5,368 at City Park, home of Richmond Kickers. Kimani Smith almost put the visitors ahead when he rounded the 'keeper early on but Velocity had to wait until the half-hour mark, when Romain Metanire took advantage of a defensive slip to score the first goal. Kickers had more of the game in the second-half but only managed one shot on target, and it was Spokane who made sure of the points by scoring the second in the 72nd minute, Andre Lewis on the mark with his first of the season. Saturday's third game saw Chattanooga Red Wolves finally play at home in the league for the first time this season after problems with the CHI Memorial Stadium. A fantastic crowd of over three-thousand were on hand to see them face Northern Colorado Hailstorm, with both sides not having had the best starts to the USL-1 campaign. Both sides had chances in the first half before Ropapa Mensah put the home side ahead with his fourth goal in three games, and a resolute Red Wolves defence sought to see the game out at 1-0, only to see Ethan Hoard's 99th minute attempt just squeak across the line for a share of the points to the visitors. The weekend's final game came from Statesboro, where South Georgia Tormenta were entertaining one of this season's fast starters in Greenville Triumph. Top of the table on goal difference before kick-off, Triumph extended their advantage with a 3-0 demolition of Tormenta, who hitherto had been playing some nice soccer this season and scoring in every game. Just 667 fans were at Tormenta Stadium for the game and they saw vetetran striker Leonardo Castro open the scoring for the visitors just past the half-hour mark, with the prolific Lyam MacKinnon adding a brace in the last ten minutes of the game. Tormenta had chances to score throughout the game but will rue their profligacy. League action in USL-1 takes a break this coming weekend as the first round of matches in the new Jagermeister Cup get underway. The competition sees the teams split into three groups of four teams to maximise regional rivalries. NISA round-up, April 19 & 20 After earning a draw in their first ever match away in Florida last week, NISA new boys Georgia FC faced a much stiffer test on Friday night when they travelled to Detroit to face Michigan Stars at Romeo High School Stadium. Their game plan came unstuck in the 25th minute when Praise Maduekwe opened the scoring for the 2022 champions, and was completely undone when Andres Chalbaud added Stars' second with thirteen minutes left on the clock, a 2-0 win making it two wins from two games for Enis Dokovic's side. The other two NISA games this weekend took place on Saturday, the first of which saw Club de Lyon welcome crisis club Savannah Clovers to Showalter Field in Winter Park, Florida. Clovers are having their wage bill guaranteed by the league until a takeover can be completed but showed no such worries when Lester Hayes III gave them the lead two minutes into first-half stoppage time. Any chance the Lions had of getting back into the game was harmed by a red card for Yustin Rodriguez, and Hayes added a second nine minutes from time to mark his return to US soccer from Denmark and Spain. Saturday's other game came from Los Angeles, where Capo FC, elevated from the semi-professional ranks over the winter, faced expansion side Arizona Monsoon at JSerra Field in San Luis Capistrano. The two sides were well-matched throughout and it wasn't until the 89th minute that Capo's Parker Scalzo gave his side the lead, something that lasted for just three minutes until Isaias German levelled for the visitors. MLS Next Pro round-up April 19-22 Both of the independent clubs in the MLS Next Pro league were in action this weekend, although Carolina Core's visit to Chicago Fire II was moved from Friday to Monday for "reasons." The rescheduled game saw Fire take the lead in the fourteenth minute through US under-23 international Javier Casas, an advantage doubled in first-half stoppage time by a penalty from Salvadoran international Harold Osorio. Core did pull one back through English winger Jacob Evans, signed from Houston Dynamo 2 for their debut campaign, but they remain rooted to the foot of the table. It's very different over at Chattanooga FC, who went into Saturday's trip to Huntsville City undefeated in regulation time. They gave a debut to their new signing from Georgian Erovnuli Liga side Samgurali Tsqaltubo, Ghanaian midfielder Jude Arthur, and he put himself about well in a game settled by Alex McGrath's 86th minute strike for the Chatts. Chattanooga now sit third in the Eastern Conference on twelve points from five games, two points behind Philadelphia Union II and New York Red Bulls II. LA Galaxy reserve side Ventura County FC top the Western Conference.
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Apr 23, 2024 18:48
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Tracing its history back to 2008, the Canadian Championship was the first serious attempt to run a competition that would encompass all of Canada's top clubs. Although the Challenge Trophy has been in existence since 1913, it is purely for amateur sides, and it wasn't until 2003 that the Open Canada Cup was established. Growing from the Canadian Professional Soccer League Cup, which ran from 1993 to 2002, the Open Cup included all the top semi-professional sides north of the border, even if those playing in the US professional leagues were neither invited nor interested in competing (save for USL First Division outfit Toronto Lynx, runners-up on their sole entry in 2006). Both the CPSL Cup and the Open Cup were dominated by teams from Ontario, with clubs from British Columbia only enterting for the first time in 2007, the final year of the Open Cup. No clubs from Alberta, Manitoba, or elsewhere were involved, despite varying levels of semi-professionalism operating in Calgary, Edmonton, and Alberta. The Open Cup was abandoned after the 2007 edition won by Trois-Rivières Attak (effectively a reserve side for USL First Division club Montreal Impact), but in 2002 a group of fans of USL First Division clubs Montreal Impact, Toronto Lynx, and Vancouver Whitecaps clubbed together to fund the Voyaguers Cup, a trophy awarded to the winner of a round-robin competition decided by the sides' regular season games against one another. In 2007, the cup was contested just by Montreal and Vancouver after Lynx took a voluntarily two-tier demotion. For the 2008 season, Toronto FC of MLS joined the fray, sufficient for Canada Soccer to award a CONCACAF Champions Cup place to the winner of a separate home and away round-robin league and officially dub it the Canadian Championship. Montreal won the first of the new editions of the Voyageurs Cup but Toronto dominated from 2009 to 2012, by which time both Montreal and Vancouver - or succession clubs, at least - were also domiciled in MLS. FC Edmonton, who competed in the second North American Soccer League, were added from the 2011 Voyageurs Cup, taking the number of competitors up to four. It swelled again to five in 2014 with the addition of the NASL's Ottawa Fury, and to six in 2018 when the champions of League 1 Ontario and Ligue 1 Quebec were invited to compete, Edmonton having suspended operations on the collapse of the NASL (Ottawa moved to the USL Championship and maintained their participation in the Canadian Championship). In 2019, with the arrival of the Canadian Premier League, the number of entrants grew again, this time to thirteen. The three MLS clubs would be joined by Ottawa Fury, the seven inaugural CPL participants, and the champions of Ontario and Quebec, with Vaughn Azzuri of L1Ontario almost causing an upset, eliminated on away goals by HFX Wanderers. With entrants from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec, the 2019 competition was the first truly national Canadian Championship, carried off by Quebec as Montreal Impact defeated Toronto FC in the final. 2020 was a step backwards as the COVID-19 pandemic restricted the competition to a single game within Ontario between Toronto FC and CPL champions Forge FC, but 2021 again brought thirteen teams back into the competition, with eight CPL teams making up for the loss of Ottawa Fury. In 2023 the format was tweaked again with the addition of the champions of League 1 British Columbia increasing the number of entrants to fourteen, although MLS clubs have won every edition since 2008. This year's competition again features fourteen clubs, all of whom bar Montreal and Vancouver - the two highest placed MLS clubs from 2023 - entering at the Preliminary Round stage, the six winners going forward to join them in the quarterfinals. - - - The 2024 Canadian Championship gets underway with a pair of preliminary round ties on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesay's match is an all-Canadian Premier League affair, with Cavalry FC hosting Vancouver FC at ATCO Field in Calgary. Vancouver sit top of the CPL after two rounds, having defeated both Valour FC and HFX Wanderers so far, while Cavalry lost away at Forge and drew away at Atletico Ottawa. Neither side have ever won the trophy, which has been the preserve of MLS clubs since its inauguration in 2008. Wednesday's game is perhaps more interesting, if potentially more one-sided as Toronto FC of MLS take on 2023 League 1 Ontario champions Simcoe County Rovers. The semi-professional side are based in Barrie, seventy miles north of Toronto on the shores of Lake Simcoe, and were only formed in 2021 by former Canadian international (and Toronto FC star) Julian de Guzman. The other four games in the preliminary round take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week.
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Apr 23, 2024 18:56
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USL Championship preview, April 26-27 News broke ahead of the USL Championship weekend that the Mayor of Indianapolis, having previously agreed to back a publicly-funded stadium for the USL-C's Indy Eleven, met with MLS chief Don Garber and took the bait of a possible MLS expansion team for the city, unilaterally deciding that the proposed stadium will be for that hypothetical team rather than the eleven-year-old club that currently plays in the city. Needless to say, the position of this writer is always gently caress DON GARBER and now also gently caress JOE HOGSETT. Ahem. The USL Championship weekend gets off to an intriguing start tonight, with a 0.30am (all times BST) kick-off in Providence between expansion side Rhode Island FC and 2023 champions Phoenix Rising. The Seals won their first ever game away at Las Vegas Lights last week and are still yet to see the best of 2023 USl-C MVP Albert Dikwa since his move from Pittsburgh Riverhounds; will this be the week he clicks and will Phoenix, hardly pulling up tress in their defence of their title, be able to bounce back from last week's home defeat to the Riverhounds? Saturday's games begin in South Carolina at 9pm where Charleston Battery will look to continue a run of form that has taken them top of the Eastern Conference. Their visitors are Las Vegas Lights, a club rebuilding after some lacklustre seasons but who haven't quite gotten to where they want to be yet, although the great work done on their Cashman Field stadium is proof that new owner Jose Bautista is in it for the long run. The first of three midnight games sees San Antonio FC visit The Miami FC, back at the cavernous gridiron stadium where their 1-2,000 fans make barely a rattle. It's yet another game that Miami have to get something out of, their 2024 season under new head coach Antonio Nocerino a damp squib so far, but they'll face a tough test from the 2022 USL-C champions. A vocal crowd is something I imagine will be no problem at the Michael A Carroll Stadium home of Indy Eleven, whose fans are sure to remind Mayor Hogsett who pays his wages. They welcome promoted side North Carolina FC for another midnight kick-off, the visitors probably wishing they'd picked a better week to visit a fired-up Indianapolis. The final witching hour game is Pittsburgh Riverhounds versus Detroit City, a clash of last season's Championship Shield winners against a side who have won all six league and cup games this season. Danny Dichio has got City playing with a belief that used to be a trademark of Bob Lilley's Riverhounds sides, although Pittsburgh's win in Phoenix last week might signify a corner turned. There are also three games with a 0.30am start, the first of which sees Memphis 901 make the relatively short journey to Alabama to play a Birmingham Legion team that won in Miami last week. 901 have just one win in six games so far and it would be hard to see them returning from Birmingham with anything more than a point, especially now Stefano Pinho has found his scoring boots for the hosts after his winter move from Indianapolis. Louisville City started their season with four straight wins before a defeat in the nationally televised game against Charleston Battery, but got straight back into winning ways last weekend at Loudoun United. They're at home to another of the season's stronger starters in Hartford Athletic, although they lost at home to San Antonio last time out. Brendan Burke has reshaped the side from last year's bottom dwellers, though, and it should be a fine old game at the Lynn Family Stadium. The third 0.30am kick-off sees Tampa Bay Rowdies host New Mexico United, two sides who will comfortably make the play-offs but have yet to show championship winning form this season. In Cal Jennings and Greg Hurst, each side has a dangerous goal threat and much will rest on the respective defences at Al Lang Stadium in St Petersburg. After gaining a point away at the Rowdies last week, El Paso Locomotive will be once again hoping they can break their poor run of form at home on Saturday when they welcome FC Tulsa to Southwest University Park at 2am. The visitors lost 4-1 at home to Charleston last week and haven't pulled up any trees so far this season, despite negotiating a tricky tie in the US Open Cup against lower league opposition in the shape of Northern Colorado Hailstorm. The final three games on Saturday are 3am kick-offs from California, with Sacramento Republic's inevitable home win over Loudoun United leading the way. The addition of Trevor Amann to an already considerable Republic side has made them almost irrestistable in front of goal this season and it will be a very tough test for United young defenders. Republic went clear at the top of the Western Conference last week when they won away at Orange County SC, the first chink in OC's armour this season. Still, Morten Karlsen has got his side playing wonderful soccer since he took over midway through last season and the visit of Frank Yallop's Monterey Bay FC - who have also lost just once this season - should be quite the contest. Finally, Oakland Roots welcome Colorado Springs Switchbacks to Hayward with the visitors having finally gained a point at the sixth time of asking last week at home to Indy Eleven. Oakland have a great crop of young players and, with Switchbacks' attacking threat and defensive frailty, this could be a game with goals in it. CPL preview, April 26-28 Week three of the 2024 Canadian Premier League starts tonight in Toronto where pointless from two games York United host table toppers Vancouver FC. Vancouver lost in midweek in the Canadian Championship to ten-man Cavalry FC, missing out on a plum home and away tie against Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS, and so you'd expect them to be in unforgiving mood in this midnight (all times BST) kick-off. The first of Saturday's two games comes from Nova Scotia, where HFX Wanderers meet one of the league's glamour sides in Atletico Ottawa for a 6pm kick-off. Wanderers also have no points from their two games, while the visitors have a win and a draw to show for their efforts, and success for Halifax will surely rely on keeping Ollie Bassett quiet in midfield. That's followed in Hamilton, Ontario, at 9pm by Forge FC versus Valour FC, last season's champions (and with six points from six so far) against the 2023 basement side, who have lost both games this season. Forge always find a way to score goals, putting three past York United last week, and the shaky Valour defence surely can't hold them out for long. The weekend's final CPL game comes from Calgary, Alberta, where Cavalry FC play their second home game of the week against visitors from British Columbia, this time against Pacific FC. Having lost to Forge on the opening day, the home side picked up a draw in Ottawa last week, but Pacific already have six points in the bag having seen off Halifax and Valour already this season. Still, this is Pacific's first away trip of the season and Cavalry will be hoping that they don't travel well. USL Jägermeister Cup preview, April 27-28 A brand new USL League One cup competition gets underway this weekend when the first matches in the 2024 Jägermeister Cup are held. The cup was announced in December 2023, when it was explained that it was hoped that they would also include another league in the competition in the future, but for now it is a round-robin competition of three groups of four teams, regionally organised to increase local competition, and with the group winners and top scoring runners-up moving forward to the semi-finals. The competition gets underway in eastern Washington state at 11pm (all times BST) when Spokane Velocity welcome Central Valley Fuego to One Spokane Stadium, a clash of second top versus second bottom in USL-1 this season. Expansion side Velocity have settled well so far, something which can't be said of Jermaine Jones's new look Fuego side, who have just one win to their credit so far in 2024. That game is followed at midnight by Richmond Kickers' visit to league leaders Greenville Triumph and it's tough to imagine the visitors getting much change out of Rick Wright's in-form outfit at Paladin Stadium, gridiron markings and all. Also at midnight is South Georgia Tormenta versus Charlotte Independence in Statesboro, where the 2022 champions will look to bounce back from a 3-0 home defeat to Greenville last week. Charlotte are always a force to be reckoned with at this level and the addition of a new trophy to win might just be the spur that breaks a ten-year cupless streak. Chattanooga Red Wolves are playing catch-up with the rest of the league after losing the use of their CHI Memorial Stadium for a few weeks. Safely back home now, a 0.30am kick-off sees them face a One Knoxville side who were going great guns at the start of the season but who have lost their last two in all competitions. The final game in the first round of Jägermeister Cup games is on Sunday at midnight, when Forward Madison travel to Kentucky to face Lexington SC on the gridiron pitch at Toyota Stadium. Neither side has really gotten going so far this season but Madison just shade it on current form, although who knows what can happen in a cup named after a very strong liquor? NISA preview, April 26-28 It's week four of the 2024 NISA season and another round of four games stretched over three days. Fridays at 5pm (10pm BST) seem to be the unusual time for Georgia FC's games at Atlanta's Silverbacks Park stadium, with this week's visit of state rivals Savannah Clovers no exception. Both clubs had torrid winters but now seem to be more settled, and Clovers won 2-0 away at Club de Lyon last week. The home side will be looking for the first win in their existence, though, and you can never quite predict a local derby. The first of Saturday's two games comes from the northern suburbs of Detroit at midnight (all times BST from now on), where Michigan Stars face Florida outfit Club de Lyon. Stars have won two out of two so far and it wouldn't be unexpected to see them repeat their 2022 title success, having gone close last season. The Lions have an experienced side but that often means less legs in the latter stages. Set for a 3am kick-off is another of the many Los Angeles derbies when Los Angeles Force welcome Capo FC to Long Beach Community Stadium for their first ever league meeting. Force have one win and one draw so far this season, with Capo's two draws leaving them - like Georgia FC - looking for the first win as a professional club. Both sides have drawn against third LA side Irvine Zeta so far this season and so it should be an even contest. Speaking of Irvine Zeta, the NISA new boys take on expansion side Arizona Monsoon on Sunday, a 1am kick-off at the Championship Soccer Stadium they share with Orange County SC. Monsoon were well beaten in their first-ever league match away at LA Force two weeks ago, but rallied to grab a 1-1 draw at Capo FC last week. By contrast, Zeta have two draws, both in local derbies, and should have too much for the visitors, whose side is largely made up of local youngsters. MLS Next Pro preview, April 26-28 The two independent sides in the mostly MLS reserve team MLS Next Pro league meet this week, a midnight Saturday (BST) kick-off in Tennessee between Chattanooga FC and Carolina Core. The Chatts sit third in the Eastern Conference this season, despite a 1-0 loss in midweek at Atlanta United 2, and should have the measure of basement side Core, who have just two shootout wins from six games in their plus column so far this season.
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Apr 26, 2024 15:58
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USL Championship round-up, April 26-27 The USL Championship weekend started on Friday night in Providence, where a sell-out crowd of 4,000 came to see 2023 champions Phoenix Rising play expansion side Rhode Island FC. Neither side has been pulling up trees so far in 2024, with the home side recording just one win - away at Las Vegas Lights last weekend - to Rising's two. It was the champions, though, who drew first blood when Remi Cabral scored from close range in the seventh minute, and they doubled that advantage on 34 minutes through Cabral again, this time following a fast break. At that point, Rhode Island had managed just one shot on target but they were given a chance to get back in the game when Renzo Zambrano was adjudged to have handballed in the Phoenix box, last year's MVP Albert Dikwa stepping up to take the penalty kick. Rising 'keeper Rocco Rios Novo guessed right, though, and saved his defender's blushes, keeping the score at 2-0 going into the half. The home side were much more adventurous in the second-half, but couldn't find a way past the Rising defence until a minute from time when Clay Holstad put them within striking distance of a draw. However, it took Phoenix less than a minute to restore their two goal advantage, Federico Varela getting on the end of Gabi Torres's cross, and Rising saw the game out for a 3-1 win. Saturday's early kick-off came from South Carolina, where Charleston Battery welcomed Las Vegas Lights to Patriots Point, a crowd of over 4,500 backing the home side to continue an impressive run of form which has seen them race to the top of the Eastern Conference. Striker Nick Markanich has been in electric form so far this season, with seven goals in eight games before Saturday, and it took him just four minutes to add to that, firing Battery ahead with a well-taken finish. Halfway through the first-half, Markanich capitalised on a defensive error to set up MD Myers for his sixth of the season and double Charleston's lead, Lights no doubt wishing they'd not gotten on the plane from Nevada. Markanich made it 3-0 on the half-hour and then completed his hat-trick with a penalty seven minutes later after Jean-Claude Ngando brought down Emilio Ycaza in the box. 4-0 at the half, then, and it was five just four minutes after the break when Markanich got a fourth. Ycaza then hit the bar and Markanich departed just past the hour, having taken his season tally to eleven, but Charleston were still not done for the day. With nine minutes to go, Aaron Molloy shot home from Mark Segbers through ball to complete Lights' terrible day at the office and make Battery early favourites for the USL Championship title. Their main rivals at this point seem to be Louisville City and Detroit City, the latter of whom had won five out of five in the league before Saturday's visit to Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Riverhounds had started the season in poor form but managed to grab a 3-1 win in Phoenix last weekend, Bob Lilley starting to work his magic on a new look side for 2024 after losing five starters over the winter. The game at Highmark Stadium was a midfield battle, a smattering of Detroit fans among the 6,099 crowd seeing their side earn just a single shot on target. Pittsburgh fared little better with just three, although two of those - a close-range heaqder from Patrick Hogan and a penalty (given for a foul on Junior Etou by Devon Amoo-Mensah) - found the net for a 2-0 half-time lead. Maxi Rodriguez saw City's sole effort saved by Eric Dick in the Pittsburgh goal and the game petered out towards the end, with a red card for Detroit captain Stephen Carroll in stoppage time putting the cap on a miserable day for Le Rouge. The Miami FC entertained 2022 champions San Antonio FC in another "must win" game for new head coach Antonio Nocerino, his rebuilding job in south Florida not going according to plan. A crowd of just over a thousand rattled around the 20,000 capacity FIU Football Stadium, the patience of even those loyalists tested when Luke Haakenson put the visitors ahead in the eleventh minute, but to their credit Miami came back at the Texans, Luisinho forcing a save out of Pablo Sisniega and Allen Gavillanes firing wide soon after. They got back on level terms in the 24th minute when Luisinho scored from close range and continued to take the game to the visitors, earning their reward with a goal from Michael Lawrence that put them into a rare lead on the stroke of half-time. San Antonio dominated things late on in the second-half but were unable to find a way through the Miami defence, Nocerino's side securing their second win of the season after five straight defeats. Indy Eleven have had better weeks ahead of their clash with promoted side North Carolina FC at Michael Carroll Stadium on Saturday, days after Indianapolis mayor Joe Hogsett announced he was reneging on a stadium deal to try and bring MLS to the city. Still, that fired up their fans, over ten thousand of whom saw them beat a spirited North Carolina side 2-1. The visitors were by far the better side in the first half, going close through Ezra Armstrong twice, but the scores held at 0-0 going into the break. The Blue Boys broke that deadlock three minutes into the second-half when Mikey maldonado put through his own net, a lead that lasted for just three minutes before Louis Perez headed home Rafa Mentzingen's cross to level. The next twenty plus minutes were light on chances but a free-kick in the visitors' half was floated onto the head of Douglas Martinez for a 2-1 lead to the home side, an advantage they managed to hold despite good chances for Perez and Oalex Anderson to equalise. Tampa Bay Rowdies and New Mexico United had enjoyed very similar seasons before their clash at the Al Lang Stadium in St Petersburg on Saturday, and after the Rowdies 3-0 win in front of over 6,500 fans, they both find themselves on thirteen points from seven games. More than a few of those in attendance would have been anticipating a closer battle but United were restricted to just two efforts on target, a shot from Danyon Harris in the first-half and a header from Greg Hurst in stoppage time at the end of the game. By that point, the Rowdies already had their three goals, with Cal Jennings finding the net twice in the first sixteen minutes for his fifth and sixth goals of the season, and Manuel Arteaga scoring a penalty given when he was fouled by Marco Micaletto in the New Mexico box. It also finished 3-0 between Birmingham Legion and Memphis 901 at Protective Stadium, but not to a home team who would have been heavy favourites before the match, especially as the visitors had won just one match all season. It was just one of those afternoons for the Legion, dominating possession and having more chances but falling prey to some clinical finishing by former Legionnaire Bruno Lapa after just four minutes. Memphis doubled that in the seventeenth minute when Lucas Turci scored from outside the box following a corner, with Lapa adding a third nine minutes into the second-half. Having lost just one game - the televised clash at Charleston Battery - all season, Louisville City set about chasing down their nemeses when they welcomed Hartford Athletic to the Lynn Family Stadium. The weekend's biggest crowd of 10,887 saw an example of "anything you can do..." as City ran up six goals without reply, equalling Battery's feat from earlier in the day. It was poor Athletic's third defeat on the trot after a promising start and they didn't even register a shot on target, with just three shots off target all night to their credit. By contrast, City converted 60% of their chances, from Elijah Wynder's fifth minute opener to Tola Showunmi's 93rd minute sixth, with Adrien Perez, Aiden McFadden, Jorge Gonzalez, and Ray Serrano all netting in between. Weirdly, top scorer Wilson Harris suffered a rare blank, something Hartford can only be thankful for. Winning home games is something El Paso Locomotive can only dream of but hope springs eternal and another decent crowd filed into Southwest University Park on Saturday to see them face FC Tulsa. The visitors had won just once before the weekend - an away win in Las Vegas last month - and the game was about as even as you could get, possession and chances shared but the vital statistic - the sole goal - going in favour of the Oklahomans when Boubacar Diallo grabbed the winner in the 53rd minute. Locomotive have won only one match at home in the last ten months (against eventual 2023 runners-up Charleston Battery) and will be looking forward to next week's trip to Colorado Springs... Speaking of Colorado Springs Switchbacks, they travelled to Hayward, California, to face Oakland Roots on Saturday night, winless after six games. Whatever head coach James Chambers said to his charges beforehand must have worked wonders on the Switchbacks as Zach Zandi forced Roots 'keeper Paul Blanchette into a save in the first minute, the visitors also having good chances for Ronaldo Damus, Speedy Williams, and Justin Rassmussen not converted. Roots had chances of their own but the game remained scoreless through to the 71st minute when a Malique Foster free-kick was knocked home by Juan Tejada to give Colorado Springs a 1-0 lead. A Christian Herrera save prevented Johnny Rodriguez from levelling a minute later and it was Switchbacks who scored again, Foster assisting Aidan Rocha with six minutes left to play. Roots went close through Miche Naider-Cherry in stoppage time and the visitors even had a chance to make it three late on, Blanchette turning away Quenzi Herman's top corner effort for a corner. At the other end of the table, Orange County SC looked to bounce back from last week's home defeat against Sacramento Republic by welcoming another northern Californian side - Monterey Bay FC - to the Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine. 4,588 fans kept the faith and were rewarded as early as the sixth minute when Thomas Amang fired home to give OC the lead. Monterey played the better soccer afterwards, with Colin Shutler forced into making saves from Tristan Trager, Carlos Guzman, Kai Greene, Jesus Enriquez, and Guzman again to keep the score at 1-0 going into the break. It was the home side's turn to go close in the second-half, with Amang and Sorto calling Gerold Siaha into action in the visitors' goal, but it wasn't until the 82nd minute that OC got their insurance goal, Ethan Zubak finishing off a quick break to lift them above the visitors in the table. Both sides trail leaders Sacramento Republic, however, who made slightly hard work of the visit of Loudoun United to Heart Health Park. A crowd a thousand short of the 11,500 capacity saw Republic take the lead in the tenth minute when Russell Cicerone headed in for only his second of the season, but the visitors struck back in the 28th minute through Wesley Leggett's left-footed shot. Loudoun even had the better of the chances before the break and did their best to frustrate Republic afterwards, lasting through to four minutes from time before Kieran Phillips finished a fast break to put Sacramento ahead, and it was Phillips who scored the third and final goal for Republic two minutes into injury time to complete the job for Mark Briggs' side. CPL round-up, April 26-28 Week three in the Canadian Premier League started on Friday night in Toronto, where York United hosted Vancouver FC. The home side had lost both games before Friday's clash, with Vancouver winning both of their league games but losing in the Canadian Championship in midweek to Cavalry FC. To the surprise of more than a few, even amongst the 843 home fans in attendance, it was the home side who eventually took the lead after a low-energy first-half (and much of the second), star striker Brian Wright sweeping home from close range in the seventieth minute. Wright set-up Dennis Salanovic for York's second thirteen minutes later, and then finished the job himself after a defence-splitting run and pass from Clement Bayiha. The first of Saturday's two games came from Nova Scotia, where HFX Wanderers - also pointless from their first two games - met glamour side Atletico Ottawa. The game was ruined as a spectacle by a very harsh red card for Wanderers' Lorenzo Callegari in the nineteenth minute, although it took the visitors twenty minutes to take advantage, going ahead through Ruben del Campo's shot from outside the box into the bottom corner. They doubled that advantage eleven minutes into the second-half when Kristopher Twardek's ball into the box found Manny Aparicio, the former Pacific FC man scoring his first for his new club. To their credit, Halifax were up for the fight, though, and managed to put Ottawa under pressure but the numerical advantage finally proved too much, allowing Ballou Tabla to finish a quick break for a 3-0 away win. Forge FC went into Saturday's second game, at home to pointless Valour FC knowing that a win would put them top of the table, at least until Sunday's game gave Pacific FC a chance to join them. They made very hard work of it, though, the visitors - resplendent in brown, patterned shirts some might call "disgusting" - having several chances in the first half. Just past the hour, though, Tristan Borges fired home from seventeen yards after a mazy run by Daniel Parra, but the job wasn't completed until the final minute when Noah Jenson scored almost a carbon copy of Borges's goal to give Forge a 2-0 win and first place at this early stage. A win for Pacific FC away in Calgary, though, would have rendered that win slightly moot, but Cavalry FC are no pushovers, especially on home turf at ATCO Field. The game had plenty of chances but few of them found the target, let alone a way past goalkeepers Marco Carducci and Shawn Melvin, and the game finished 0-0, the first of twelve CPL games to finish scoreless this season. USL Jägermeister Cup round-up, April 27-28 US soccer's newest competition - the USL Jägermeister Cup - got underway at the weekend, with five games featuring USL League One sides organised into regional groups. Strangely, the West Group from first to get underway as expansion side Spokane Velocity welcomed Central Valley Fuego to One Spokane Stadium for a 3pm local time kick-off. An impressive crowd of over four thousand saw the home side take the lead through Pierre Reedy, finishing off a smart move that also involved Josh Dolling, controlling the game through half-time and well into the second-half. In fact, some among the Velocity faithful may have already left to beat the traffic by the time Fuego's Qudus Lawal fell after minimal contact from Spokane defender Marcelo Lage, the referee awarding a penalty that was converted by Robert Coronado. That sent the match to penalties, with two points on offer for the victorious side and one point for the losers, and it was the visitors who triumphed 4-2. The two matches in the East Group got underway at the same time in South Carolina and Georgia, with form side Greenville Triumph hosting Richmond Kickers, and Charlotte Independence travelling to Statesboro to face South Georgia Tormenta. The horrible gridiron pitch at Greenville's Paladin Stadium was surrounded by over 4,000 fans, twice their average crowd, no doubt attracted by the promise of good soccer and hard liquor that the Jägermeister Cup promises (and maybe the fact that it was Upstate Youth Soccer Night at Paladin). Somehow the first-half remained goalless, with home 'keeper Christian Garner saving a Nil Vinyals penalty, and Leo Castro hitting the bar for Triumph. Twenty-five minutes into the second-half, Richmond were first to score, Ryan Sierakowski grabbing a deflected header shortly after Tyler Poalk cleared off the line for Triumph, and Castro forced a save from Ryan Shellow in the Kickers goal. Triumph kept at it, though, and forced an equaliser from a corner with a minute left to play, Evan Lee sweeping in from close range after a scramble. That led to another penalty shootout and again the away side won out, Kickers converting all five penalties while Shellow saved from Ben Zakowski. The pattern continued down at Tormenta Stadium, where the away side silenced the 1,053 home fans by taking an eighth minute lead though a Juan Carlos Obregon Jr header. Tormenta's Conor Doyle had called Charlotte 'keeper Austin Pack into action as early as the first minute and the rest of the game was not short on goalmouth action, with good chances for the home side's Phillip Spengler going close either side of the break. It wasn't until the third minute of stoppage time, though, that Tormenta found a leveller, Sebastian Vivas heading home from a corner to send the game to penalties. The first nine spot-kicks were converted to give Charlotte a 5-4 lead going into Josh Ramos's final kick for Tormenta. Austin Pack made the save to give Independence the two points. Saturday's final game came from the Central Group, where Chattanooga Red Wolves hosted One Knoxville in a Smoky Mountain Smackdown. A crowd of 2,553 at CHI Memorial Stadiumsaw a cagey first half marked only by three yellow cards for Knoxville players, but the visitors found the net just four minutes after the restart, Jordan Skelton heading home from a free-kick. It was mostly Knoxville's game afterwards, although Red Wolves had a decent chance right before the final whistle, and the three points - the first in Jägermeister Cup history, went to eastern Tennessee. The second game in the Central Group came from Georgetown, Kentucky, on Sunday, where Lexington SC welcomed Forward Madison to Toyota Stadium, gridiron markings and all. The visitors started strongly, with two chances for Derek Gebhard going begging before the first-half petered out into a midfield battle. The second-half sparked into life in the 51st minute when Tate Robertson clashed with Devin Boyce, the former receiving a red card for kicking out after they tangled, receiving his marching orders while being carried off after a blow to the head by the referee in the melee! Aidan Mesias went close for Madison ten minutes later but the game looked like it was heading for penalties, only for Lexington to go down to nine players when Yannick Yankam was given a second yellow three minutes from time. Despite all that, it was the home side that finally broke the deadlock, a Kaelon Fox header from a free-kick enough to end the game 1-0 in favour Lexington. The final game in the first round of games is on Wednesday when Union Omaha face Northern Colorado Hailstorm in the West Group. NISA round-up, April 26-28 The NISA weekend started on Friday evening in Atlanta, where Georgia FC welcomed state rivals Savannah Clovers to Silverbacks Park. With the home side still looking for their first win, and Clovers having won 2-0 in Florida against Club de Lyon last week, it was expected that the visitors would cruise to an easy win but that was far from the case as former Atlanta United man Patrick Okonkwo, centre-back Kevin Herrera, and Giovanni Rios Hernandez gave the home side a 3-0 win. Saturday's games started in the Detroit commuter town of Romeo, where Michigan Stars continued their winning ways against a game Club de Lyon side. Already having won their first two league games, Stars made a great start when Leon Maric gave them the lead in the 33rd minute, but that lasted just one minute before full-back Ivan Arenas levelled for the Florida side, silencing the Barnabo Field crowd. That's how it stayed right through to the 83rd minute when the Lions took a surprise lead, former Charlotte Fc academy prospect Andrew Anyafo finding the net, but the Stars had the last laugh, two goals in stoppage time from Nicolas Nikolla and Nils Lelouch giving them nine points out of nine at the top of NISA's Eastern Conference. Saturday's other game was another Los Angeles derby from the Long Beach Community College, where Los Angeles Force and Capo FC met for the first time, a 0-0 draw the outcome of that one, Capo's third draw in three games. The final game of the weekend also came from Los Angeles where Irvine Zeta hosted Arizona Monsoon at the Championship Soccer Stadium they share with USL Championship side Orange County SC. Zeta scored as early as the third minute through Mexican winger Marcel Alexis Salceda, but were frustrated by some decent work at the back by the young Arizona side who got through half-time at just 1-0 down. Zeta play some lovely soccer, though, and Shin'ya Kadono grabbed an inevitable second nine minutes into the second-half, with former Cal State standout george Almeida adding a brace in the 62nd and 66th minute for a dominant 4-0 win, taking Zeta top of the Western Conference on goals scored from LA Force. MLS Next Pro round-up, April 26-28 The first ever battle of independent teams in MLS Next Pro history took place on Saturday night and it was Chattanooga FC who took the win, turning aside Carolina Core 2-0 in front of 3,614 fans at Finley Stadium (meaning almost 6,000 paid to see third-tier soccer in the Scenic City). Jesus Ibarra opened the scoring in the seventh minute with his third of the season, curling in from the left wing, with former New Mexico United man Milo Garvanian scoring his first ever professional goal with fifteen minutes left on the clock to secure the points for the Boys in Blue. To their credit, Core were in the game, albeit playing on the counter-attack, but they remain winless in ninety minutes in their debut season, while Chattanooga top the Eastern Conference having lost just once in regular time in the league this year.
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Apr 29, 2024 18:33
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US soccer's newest competition, the USL Jägermeister Cup, continues on Wednesday night with the final game from round one of matches in the twelve-team, round-robin competition. With Spokane Velocity and Central Valley Fuego having already opened the West Group with a Fuego win on penalties, Union Omaha and Northern Colorado Hailstorm will be looking for an outright victory in ninety minutes to top the group when they meet at Werner Field in Nebraska, also at half-past midnight. Union currently sit fourth in USL League One, with two wins and a draw from their three league games this season, while Hailstorm prop up the table, just two points from four games giving them that unwanted basement club tag. Hailstorm are yet to recover from the loss of Trevor Amann to the USL Championship with Sacramento Republic, but head coach Eamon Zayed will probably welcome a chance to start afresh in a new competition tomorrow.
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May 1, 2024 07:14
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USL Jägermeister Cup round-up The final match in the first round of the 2024 USL Jägermeister Cup took place on Wednesday night at Werner Park in Omaha, where a crowd of 2,135 saw a win for Union Omaha on penalties after the game with Northern Colorado Hailstorm finished 2-2 after ninety minutes. It was the visitors who struck first, Bruno Rendon completing a quick break with a shot past Wallis Lapsley in the Union goal, and it looked like they'd be taking that lead into the break, only for youngster Missael Rodriguez - on loan from Chicago Fire - to score twice, in the 44th and 46th minutes, giving Omaha a surprise 2-1 half-time advantage. Ethan Hoard, who'd played Rendon through for Hailstorm's first, grabbed an equaliser just past the hour, his shot rebounding back off Lapsley and then back off him into the goal, and it looked like Hailstorm might be the ones to find a winner, at least until lightning forced the players off with six minutes left to play. The game petered out after the restart and penalties were called upon, and with Union 3-2 up with one round to go, Rodriguez had the chance to win the game with his spot-kick, only for Edward Delgado to palm it onto the bar and over. Fortunately for Omaha, Jake Keegan's final penalty for Hailstorm was saved by Lapsley and two points go to the home side, a point to the visitors.[/b]
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May 3, 2024 13:09
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USL Championship preview The front-runners are starting to emerge in the race for the 2024 USL Championship, with both Charleston and Sacramento flying high in their respective conferences. Neither side is yet to lose a game and both have a strong candidate for top goalscorer in Nick Markanich and Trevor Amann. The USL Championship weekend, however, kicks off in Tennessee at 9pm (all times BST) on Saturday, where Tampa Bay Rowdies - the only other undefeated side in the league - visit Memphis 901. The hosts were surprise 3-0 winners in Birmingham last weekend, much against the run of play, and will be hoping that a similarly strong effort can keep the adventurous Rowdies quiet, while looking to steal a goal or two of their own. That game is followed at 11.30pm by Charleston Battery versus Hartford Athletic, a game which looked very much like it might have gone Hartford's way after the first two weeks of the season. Since then, Battery have been unstoppable and beat Las Vegas 6-0 at Patriots Point last week. Athletic - who lost 6-0 themselves in Louisville - will not be looking forward to this one. There are three midnight kick-offs, the most interesting of which is probably Pittsburgh Riverhounds' home clash with The Miami FC. Riverhounds have won their last two, over 2023 champions Phoenix and the previously impregnable Detroit, and will saver the visit of a Miami side that has been totally rebuilt from last season, with mixed results so far. Speaking of Detroit City, they travel to Loudoun United on Saturday hoping to get back on track after dropping their first points in six games last week. United are a funny side in that they have bags of promise but only occasionally come good on it, but City should be wary of the firepower of Zach Ryan and Kamil ElMedkhar. The final midnight start comes from Cary, where promoted side North Carolina FC face expansion club Rhode Island FC in their first ever meeting. The newcomers prop up the Eastern Conference with just one win apiece but both have quality where it counts and can be expected to have better days at the office than they've so far enjoyed this season. Birmingham Legion will look to bounce straight back from last week's home defeat to Memphis when they welcome FC Tulsa to Protective Stadium for a 0.30am kick-off. Neither side has played anywhere near their level so far this season and both sit in mid-table, although the quality of players such as Enzo Martinez and Stefano Pinho for the home side, and Phillip Goodrum for the visitors will always shine through. Oakland Roots sacked head coach Noah Delgado after last week's loss at home to the previously woeful Colorado Springs and will have assistant coach Gavin Glinton in charge as they head to San Antonio FC for a 1.30am start. The Texans are always a formidable outfit at this level but they lost last week, too, to a similarly previously lacklustre Miami side. On paper, it's San Antonio all the way but what do they say about soccer and paper..? There'll be a tiny bit of confidence at Colorado Springs Switchbacks this Saturday, especially as their 2am game is against El Paso Locomotive, the only team below them in the table. Switchbacks managed to come away from Oakland with a 2-0 win last week, while Locomotive lost a home again. That the game is in Colorado actually plays to El Paso's strengths but it's fair to say that this won't be one of the weekend's most watched games on TV. There's just the one match from California this weekend, a 3am kick-off in Seaside as Monterey Bay FC face Indy Eleven. Indy fans are still trying to process the news that Mayor Joe Hogsett is ready to throw them over for a touch of the MLS's skirt but they rallied behind their boys to urge them on to a win over North Carolina last week. Frank Yallop's Monterey side lost to Orange County last week but still sit third in the Western Conference and have Tristan Trager in good form. This one could go either way. As could the 3.30am kick-off in Sin City between Las Vegas Lights and New Mexico United. Lights were embarrassed 6-0 in Charleston last week and will no doubt be gagging to put things right, especially as they welcome Los Angeles FC to Cashman Field in the US Open Cup next week. United also have work to do, having been well beaten - although by only three goals rather than six - at Tampa Bay last week. The final game of the weekend is probably its most anticipated as 2023 champions Phoenix Rising host Sacramento Republic at 38th Street & Washington. Rising's defence of their title has been an up and down affair thus far, the most important statistic being that they have lost half their eight games so far, while Sacramento - always a threat at this level - are yet to lose, although three teams have taken them to a draw. Whatever the outcome, this one should be as hot as the desert it's played in. CPL preview Week four of the Canadian Premier League throws up some interesting fixtures, none more so a quick return to Calgary for Vancouver FC, who lost 1-0 in the Canadian Championship to Cavalry FC ten days ago. The repeat encounter - a midnight kick-off on Friday - comes after Vancouver lost 3-0 at York United last week, while Cavalry drew a blank with Pacific FC, the first to take points off the Tridents all season. Pacific FC are at home in Saturday's lone game, a midnight kick-off at Starlight Stadium against York United. The home side narrowly squeaked through the preliminary round of the Canadian Championship on Wednesday night, needing penalties to beat semi-professional opposition, but are yet to conceded a goal in this year's CPL. United, on the other hand, were beaten in the cup by Forge and lost their first two games of the season, although they did rally to beat Vancouver 3-0 last week. With HFX Wanderers visiting Forge FC on Tuesday, the final game of the weekend comes from the nation's capital, where Atletico Ottawa face Valour FC in a repeat of the cup game that finished 7-0 to Atletico in midweek. Surely the visitors from Winnipeg can't be quite so bad again? Or will Ollie Bassett, Ruben del Campo, and company get to fill their boots again? One thing is for sure and that's that, after two first round exits in the Canadian Championship and a last-place finish in the league in 2023, head coach Phillip dos Santos will be looking over his shoulder... USL League One preview It's back to league action in USL League One after the fun of the Jägermeister Cup last week and things get off to a flying start on Friday night at midnight (all times BST) when One Knoxville visit Richmond Kickers. Knoxville have lost just once this season, at unbeaten Union Omaha, and will fear nothing as they travel to City Stadium to face a Kickers side that have won only once in the league this year. Both sides won their Jägermeister Cup games last week, although Richmond needed penalties to do it, and you'd expect a big crowd will see it all unfold. Also on Friday night, but with a 3.30am kick-off, is Central Valley Fuego versus Charlotte Independence from Fresno, California. With former USMNT legend Jermaine Jones in his first ever coaching job, Fuego have struggled this season but did manage to grab a last minute draw - and subsequent win on penalties - in Spokane last week. Independence, meanwhile, will be looking forward to the trip to Georgia to face MLS side Atlanta United on Tuesday night and Mike Jeffries's players will be looking to secure their places for that glamour tie. There are two games on Saturday, the first of which is a midnight start in Wisconsin, where Forward Madison host Greenville Triumph. Rick Wright's handover from former head coach John Harkes has been almost seamless for Triumph so far and they sit top of the table with four wins from six games. Sure, they lost the shootout to Richmond in the Jägermeister Cup last week, and they were beaten 3-1 in the last round of the Open Cup by Louisville, but they have nothing to fear at this level, even from a Madison side that has the potent threats of Derek Gebhard and Christian Chaney. The weekend's final game sees South Georgia Tormenta travel almost twelve-hundred miles to face Union Omaha, a 1am kick-off from Werner Park, the stadium Union share with minor league baseball club Omaha Storm Chasers. Omaha have been in imperious form so far this season, unbeaten in all competitions and preparing to host Sporting Kansas City of MLS in the Open Cup on Wednesday. Tormenta, too, are still alive in that competition, and will make a relatively shorter journey to Charleston that night, but it's hard to see them getting much out of their visit to the Big O. NISA preview Week five in the NISA league starts on Friday in Atlanta, where Georgia FC open the gates of Silverbacks Park for the 10pm visit of Club de Lyon. That's 5pm local time, which seems an odd time to start a game on a Friday, but you do you, Georgia! The home side are brand-new for this year after the proposed Georgia Lions franchise fell through, and they've had a mixed start, with a win, a draw, and a defeat so far. That win came last week at the expense of Savannah, who won at Club de Lyon the week before, so current form would give Georgia the edge over their visitors from Florida. The weekend's other two games are on Saturday, beginning with the visit of Maryland Bobcats to the Detroit suburbs home of Michigan Stars at midnight. Stars have won three out of three so far and will be looking to repeat their 2022 title win but it's still early days. The Bobcats have played just one league game so far, a 3-0 win away at Savannah, and so they are very much an unknown quantity going into this game. The other Saturday game is a 3am kick-off from the Veterans Memorial Stadium in Long Beach, California, where Los Angeles Force take on Irvine Zeta in the latest of a string of southern California derbies this season. Force have won one, lost one, drawn one so far this season, while Zeta are yet to lose. They met in week one, when a 2-2 draw was a fair result, but Zeta put four past Arizona Monsoon last week and will be in buoyant form. MLS Next Pro preview Only Chattanooga FC of the two independent clubs in the mostly MLS reserve team MLS Next Pro league are in action this weekend, welcoming Orlando City B to Finlay Stadium for a 10pm kick-off on Saturday. The Boys in Blue sit top of the Eastern Conference after seven games and will not fear a young Lions side that sit ninth with just two wins this season so far. Elsewhere, games to watch include New York City FC II at Atlanta United 2, a few days ahead of the baby Pigeons' US Open Cup game with Colorado Springs Switchbacks, and the fourth versus fifth clash in the West between Sporting Kansas City II and North Texas SC.
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May 3, 2024 13:16
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USL Championship round-up All eleven USL Championship games took place on Saturday this week, starting with the visit of Tampa Bay Rowdies to AutoZone Park, home of Memphis 901. The home crowd of 2,382 (plus two away fans they kept showing on the video feed) were given early cheer by the lack of Cal Jennings in the Rowdies' starting eleven, head coach Robbie Nielson opting to go with Manuel Arteaga up front on his own, and they got an even bigger bonus eleven minutes into the game when Forrest Lasso was given his marching orders for bringing down Marlon as he advanced on the Rowdies goal. It took Memphis just eight minutes to make the extra man count, Marlon - who was dangerous throughout - firing home an absolute thwacker from outside the box to give 901 the lead. They made it two in the 23rd minute when Marlon led a fast break and fed Luis Fernando for his first of the season, but Rowdies managed to get back into the game in first-half stoppage time when Arteaga finished from Blake Bodily's cross after some sustained Tampa Bay pressure. The second-half was all Memphis, though, and Marlon scored his second just five minutes after the break, the job finished by Dylan Borczak with 26 minutes still left on the clock. Both sides have US Open Cup action in midweek and Rowdies, for one, might enjoy the quick return to action. With Charleston Battery having beaten Las Vegas Lights 6-0 last week, and Hartford Athletic having suffered a similarly disspiriting defeat at Louisville City, there were fears that the scoreboard operator would have trouble keeping up with the game as the sides met at Patriots Point on Saturday. In reality, a much improved performance by the visitors saw Battery restricted to just the single goal, scored by - who else? - Nick Markanich in the twelfth minute. Markanich's twelfth of the season - one more than he scored in three times the games last year - sent the 3,785 in attendance home happy, extending Battery's unbeaten streak and opening a six point lead at the top of the Eastern Conference, although Louisville have three games in hand. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds revival continued apace at Highmark Stadium with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over The Miami FC on Saturday. Former Tottenham Hotspur man Kaziah Sterling, brought in to replace the deparated Albert Dikwa, was the man on the scoresheet, tapping in on sixteen minutes to make it three wins out of three for Riverhounds after a five-match winless start to the season. Dikwa's move to Rhode Island FC hasn't yet begun to pay dividends for player or club, with just three goals in seven matches, and they drew another blank at North Carolina FC on Saturday, a 0-0 draw reflecting a lack of decent chances for either side in front of over 3,000 fans. It was also scoreless at Segra Field in Leesburg, Virginia, where Loudoun United welcomed Detroit City. The home youngsters enjoyed the better of the play but were unable to find a way past Nate Steinwascher in the Rouge goal, with Detroit strikers similarly profligate at the other end. City still sit handily third, eight points behind Charleston but with three games in hand. After a strange home defeat to Memphis 901 last week, Birmingham Legion looked like they were about to repeat the formula against FC Tulsa on Saturday, Protective Stadium becoming less a fortress and more of an AirBnB. The Oklahomans took the lead in the 21st minute when Philip Goodrum got on the end of an Edwin Laszo free-kick, and doubled that twelve minutes into the second-half when Stefan Stojanovic scored from close range. That's not to say Legion hadn't had their fair share of chances, but it took another quarter of an hour to get a goal back, Enzo Martinez in the right place at the right time to slot home. Martinez, Dawson McCartney, and Kobe Hernandez-Foster all went close to finding an equaliser as the clock ticked down but it was Stefano Pinho who found space at the back post to head in a corner and give Birmingham a deserved share of the points. 2-2 was also the final result at Toyota Stadium in San Antonio, with all four goals coming in the last 25 minutes. Oakland Roots had taken the lead, interim head coach Gavin Glinton leading his charges for the first time after Noah Delgado was fired last weekend and seeing Miche-Naider Chery head in from a corner, but San Antonio FC fired straight back, Juan Agudelo finishing from close range to level things on 73 minutes. The home side went one better six minutes later when Kevin Lambert headed home from a Jorge Hernandez corner, a cue for Oakland to pour forward, putting the home defence under pressure that led to Lambert handballing in the area, giving Johnny Rodriguez the chance to level from the spot. It was a defeat to Colorado Springs Switchbacks, previously without a win all season, that cost Delgado his job at Oakland, and they quickly made it two from two with a 2-0 win over El Paso Locomotive on Saturday. A bumper crowd of over 8,000 saw Ronaldo Damus open the scoring in the 22nd minute and the home side never looked troubled after that, despite Locomotive's trademark better form away from home. Damus completed things a minute from time with a penalty given shortly after Amando Moreno had a good chance to level the scores, dispatching his spot-kick past a forlorn looking Jamahli Waite. Frank Yallop's Monterey Bay FC have a US Open Cup date with local rivals Sacramento Republic this week and warmed up in the worst possible way with a home defeat to Indy Eleven on Saturday. A decent crowd of 4,500 were on hand to witness an uneven affair that saw Monterey control the game yet the visitors have the better chances. One of those - a right-footed shot from Elliot Collier - finally found the net two minutes from time, condeming the Union to a second consecutive defeat. Their opponents on Tuesday were in action in Arizona, where a scoreline of Phoenix Rising 1 Sacramento Republic 1 was probably a fair result. The home side enjoyed the better of the game but it was Republic who took the lead just past the half-hour when Rodrigo Lopez fired a free-kick into the bottom left corner. To make things worse, Panos Armenakas had just missed a penalty for Rising, hitting the post with a kick given for a foul by Jared Timmer, but Phoenix came out for the second-half in confident mood, going close through Emil Cuello seven minutes in. Sacramento had chances to extend their lead, with Trevor Amann particularly lively, but it was the home side who scored next, Remi Cabral firing in from outside the box to restore parity in the 66th minute, after which there were few concrete chances. The weekend's final game came from Cashman Field where Las Vegas Lights were warming up for the visit of Los Angeles FC in the Open Cup in midweek. It appears no-one told New Mexico United - and Daniel Bruce in particular - that as the Kings of Chaos raced into a 2-0 lead by the half-hour mark, Bruce scoring with both feet, one from close range and one from outside the box. Gassou Samake did pull one back just before half-time, though, something the 1.061 home fans thought must have been wasted as the visitors were awarded a penalty three minutes into the second-half. Luckily for them, Raiko Arozarena was able to save Mukwelle Akale's spot-kick but there was to be no equaliser, either, despite good chances for Joe Hafferty, Coleman Gannon, and Edison Azcona as time ran out, although United will also point to close efforts from Akale and Jacobo Reyes. CPL round-up Week four in the Canadian Premier League began in Calgary, Alberta, on Friday night as Cavalry FC welcomed Vancouver FC to ATCO Field for the second time this season, the home side having won 1-0 with ten men in the Canadian Championship a couple of weeks ago. The visitors had won their first two league games this season but were defeated 3-0 by York United last week and looked equally out of sorts against a confident Cavalry eleven. Almost 3,000 fans were on hand to see Tobias Warschewski open the scoring in the 26th minute, with Charlie Trafford doubling Cavs' lead twelve minutes later. Vancouver had few chances to level and it was no surprise when Warschewski added a third, converting a penalty on the hour to end any hope of an Eagles comeback. They did manage to score a consolation through Moses Dyer with nine minutes left to play but it was the home side who took the points for their first league win of the season. Vancouver's local rivals Pacific FC were in action on Saturday, hosting York United at Starlight Stadium on Vancouver Island. Again, just over 2,000 fans were in attendance to see an even game which leaned heavily in favour of the home side in terms of goal chances. They converted two - a Reon Moore tap-in on fifteen minutes following Thomas Vincensini's save from Aly Ndom's header, and an own goal by Max Ferrari thirteen minutes from time - to go joint top of the CPL with ten points from four games so far. With Forge FC's game with HFX Wanderers scheduled for Tuesday (and subsequently postponed due to Canadian Championship commitments), the final game of the round came on Sunday at TD Place in Ottawa, where Atletico Ottawa joined Pacific at the top of the table with a 2-0 win over Valour FC, which was at least five goals fewer than the Winnpeggers conceded when they were in the nation's capital in the cup last week. To be fair, Valour gave a much better account of themselves and even had a few chances of their own before succumbing to first-half goals from Ruben del Campo and Gabriel Antinoro, a near-4,000 crowd sent home happy ahead of Wednesday's Canadian Championship quarterfinal clash with Pacific. USL League One After a week off for the inaugural round of matches in the new USL Jägermeister Cup, action resumed in USL League One at the weekend with a pair of matches on Friday night. The first, at Richmond Kickers' City Stadium brought One Knoxville to town, attracting a near-5,000 crowd. Knoxville had lost just once this season, to Dominic Casciato's high-flying Union Omaha side, and were expected to be a tough test for the home team. That certainly looked the case when German striker Kempes Tekiela volleyed the Scruffy City side ahead after half an hour, but Kickers never gave up looking for an equaliser, finding their reward two minutes from time through Adrian Billhardt's back post goal from a corner. Friday's second game was played out in front of just 754 fans at Fresno State Soccer Stadium in California, where Charlotte Independence warmed up for their US Open Cup clash with Atlanta United of MLS by taking on Jermaine Jones's Central Valley Fuego. With just one league win so far, Jones's rebuilding job is going slowly and Charlotte were probably always going to be too strong for Fuego on current form, although the home side did take the lead in the tenth minute when Robert Coronado scored from the spot. After that, though, the breaks all went the way of Independence, drawing level six minutes from half-time when Juan Carlos Obregon Jr and then going ahead through a penalty of their own in the 58th minute, Obregon Jr again on target. Luis Alvarez added a third ten minutes from time. Afterwards, Jones reckoned his side were the better team over ninety minutes but they'll need to start getting results to match those performances if they're to make a run at the play-offs. The first of Saturday's two games saw Greenville Triumph visit Forward Madison, with over 3,300 fans in attendance at Breese Stevens Field. Triumph lead the USL-1 table and have been in good form all year, Rick Wright's accession to John Harkes's throne running very smoothly indeed. It was the home side who took the lead, though, Wolfgang Prentice finding the net in the first minute of play after clever play from Nazeem Bartman, but Triumph were level a minute from half-time, a penalty given for a foul by Michael Chilaka converted by Jamie Smith. Eight minutes into the second-half, veteran striker Leandro Castro put the visitors ahead but Madison were awarded a penalty of their own just three minutes later, duly converted by Christian Chaney to level the scores once more. The home side, with Chaney looking very dangerous, put Triumph under increasing pressure and when the fourth official signalled five minutes of stoppage time, there was only going to be one team that broke the deadlock. Two minutes into that added on time, Juan Galindrez curled the ball into the top right corner to give Madison all three points and extend their unbeaten run to five league games. The weekend's final game featured the other two USL-1 sides still in US Open Cup contention as Union Omaha hosted South Georgia Tormenta in front of over 3,000 at Werner Park. Both sides had good chances in the first few minutes of play but it was the home side's Nortei Nortey who notched first, his distance effort sliding under Tormenta 'keeper Ford Parker in the ninth minute. Three minutes later, Pedro Dolabella made it 2-0 from a corner and it looked like Omaha were cruising to another comfortable victory. In first-half stoppage time, however, Sebastian Vivas headed in from close range to bring the Ibises within a goal of drawing level, all to play for in the second-half. The chances continued for both sides after the break but Omaha made theirs count, extending their lead through Joe Gallardo and Missael Rodriguez before a late Pedro Fonseca penalty finished the scoring for a 4-2 home win amd ten points from four games for the Owls. NISA round-up Three games took place in the third-tier NISA league over the weekend, led off by the visit of Club de Lyon to Silverbacks Parks in Atlanta on Friday, where Georgia FC awaited them. The home side have made a decent fist of life as an expansion club after a shaky start and went ahead in the sixth minute when full-back Kevin Herrera was put through by former Phoenix Rising man Lamin Jawneh. The visitors from Florida drew level twenty minutes later through Argentine veteran Juan Manuel Martinez, and he added a second to put the Lions ahead on the hour mark. Georgia looked to get back into the game but the wily old timers of CdL saw the game out, Ivan Arenas adding a third fifteen minutes from time for a 3-1 win. The first of Saturday's two games came from Romeo High School in suburban Detroit, where Michigan Stars and Maryland Bobcats met in a battle of two of the league's more established clubs. Stars had won their previous three league matches and secured a fourth win early, Bosnian striker Leon Maric scoring twice in the middle of the first-half to keep the stars flying high at the top of the Eastern Conference. Out West, Los Angeles Force welcomed Irvine Zeta to Memorial Stadium in Long Beach for another of the numerous LA derbies this season. Former Hartford Athletic striker Joel Quist opened the scoring for the hosts in the second minute, his first as an LA Force player, and that's how it stayed through the ninety, a 1-0 win for Force putting them top in the Western Conference.
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May 7, 2024 19:14
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NISA midweek round-up Los Angeles Force extended their lead at the top of the NISA Western Conference last night with a 2-1 win away at Capo FC, although they had to come from behind to do it. Michael Weber had given the San Luis Capistrano club the lead in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, only fo4r the visitors to immediately equalise through former MLS man Michael Salazar, and the Belize international grabbed his second to make it 2-1 seven minutes from time. It was the home side's first league defeat of the season and gives Force ten points from five games so far, although Michigan Stars are leading the pack in the East with twelve points out of twelve. MLS next Pro midweek round-up MLS Next Pro expansion club Carolina Core finally managed to get their first win in regular time last night when they won away at Atlanta United 2. The home side took the lead in a game played at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw when Canadian international Noble Okello got his first goal for the club since his move from New England in the winter, but Core soon pegged them back when Jacob Evans fired home from Derek Cuevas's crossed ball two minutes before half-time. That goal must have unsettled the United defence because two minutes into first-half stoppage time, a deep Evans corner found Christian Diaz unmarked at the back post to head in for a 2-1 half-time lead. Both sides had chances to score in the second-half but the Foxes defence stood resolute to deny Atlanta any way back into the game, even when Papa Ndoye was red-carded for a bad foul four minutes from time. The USL League One game between One Knoxville and Forward Madison at Regal Soccer Stadium was postponed when inclement weather hit eastern Tennessee.
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May 9, 2024 17:37
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Bentai posted:Wasn’t there supposed to be a Vegas team in NISA this season? Next year is the plan - https://www.nisaofficial.com/news/2024/01/12/nisa-promotes-las-vegas-legends-to-pro
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May 10, 2024 10:47
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USL Championship weekend preview, May 10-12 The USL Championship weekend gets off to an early start on Friday night, when Loudoun United will entertain El Paso Locomotive at Segra Field in a midnight kick-off (all times BST, and all games live on the USL's YouTube channel). United will be buoyed by their surprise US Open Cup win away at Orange County in midweek but have enjoyed a middling season so far, something their visitors can only dream of, just two draws in their seven games so far leaving them propping up the Western Conference. Casual viewers can expect to see Locomotive 'keeper Jamahli Waite kept busy by Loudoun's young strikers, with Zach Ryan in particular a constant threat. The first of Saturday's games comes from Keyworth Stadium, home of Detroit City, at 10pm. Le Rouge won their first five league games this season before losing at Pittsburgh and drawing with Loudoun, but did manage to knock out reigning US Open Cup champions Houston Dynamo in midweek, albeit in a penalty shootout. They face 2023 USL Championship winners Phoenix Rising in a stern test of their title ambitions, with Rising in decent enough form without pulling down any trees so far. Still, they did manage to hold runaway Western Conference leaders Sacramento Republic to a draw last week, scoring twice in the process, and so City should be wary of their quality. The game between Hartford Athletic and Colorado Springs Switchbacks kicks off at midnight at a Trinity Health Stadium that looked like it might become something of a fortress under new head coach Brendan Burke at the start of the season when they won their first two games at home. Since then, they've been knocked out of the US Open Cup by third-tier opposition and lost at home to San Antonio, with their travels not bringing much joy, either, especially the 6-0 loss in Louisville two weeks ago. If anything, Switchbacks are in the opposite position, having gone winless in their first six games before winning their last two, although they were also eliminated by New York City FC II in midweek, forming a neat little club with their hosts. There are three 0.30am kick-offs, all with their points of interest, though I'd be remiss if I didn't start with the second Tampa Bay Rowdies versus Birmingham Legion clash in four days. The Open Cup match on Wednesday looked done and dusted after 81 minutes, with Rowdies leading 4-0, only for Legion fight back and take the game to extra-time. It finished 6-4 and only a fool would expect similar scenes on Saturday, but Rowdies are always a threat in front of goal thanks to Cal Jennings and Manuel Arteaga, while Legion have Stefano Pinho and the irresistible Enzo Martinez on hand. Expansion club Rhode Island FC may have just the one win so far but they've been competitive in all their matches so far, as they should be having recruited well in the off-season. Having drawn 0-0 with North Carolina last week, they face a completely different test on Saturday when Sacramento Republic come to town, one they're probably not expected to pass in all honesty. Despite never having won the USL Championship, Republic are one of the league's heaviest hitters and the addition of free-scoring Trevor Amann this season has only increased their threat in front of goal. If the Seals come away with even a point on Saturday they'll have done a very good job. The final 0.30am game comes from the Lynn Family Stadium as Louisville City face Orange County SC. Both sides went out of the Open Cup in midweek, but in very different circumstances as City took Seattle Sounders of MLS to penalties, while County lost 2-0 at home to Loudoun United. League form is another thing, though, and both sides have lost just once this season - to frontrunners Charleston and Sacramento, respectively. If you only watch one USL Championship game this weekend, make it this one. San Antonio FC meekly departed from the Open Cup in midweek, losing 2-0 at Indy Eleven. They seem to be missing a piece of the puzzle this season but still find themselves fifth in the West and will hope that their 1.30am kick-off with Las Vegas Lights will point towards a brighter mid-season. Lights were beaten 3-1 at home by Los Angeles FC in midweek, no disgrace considering the clubs' relative positions, and the rebuilding job after a very poor 2023 continues at Cashman Field. Also at 1.30am is FC Tulsa versus Pittsburgh Riverhounds, a reverse fixture from the midweek open cup bout that the Oklahomans won 1-0. Riverhounds started the season in poor form, without a win in their first five games, but have turned things around, as you'd have expected a Bob Lilley team to do. In Kaziah Sterling, they have a prodigious goal threat which, Tulsa having conceded twelve goals in seven games, should be a factor on Saturday. New Mexico United pulled off one of the shocks of the Open Cup fourth round when they beat Real Salt Lake 4-2 in midweek and will go into their 2am fixture with Oakland Roots in a confident mood. The cup win came on the back of three wins in their last four league games, with Englishman Daniel Bruce in strings-pulling form in midfield. Roots sacked coach Noah Delgado after a home loss to Colorado Springs Switchbacks two weeks ago, and interim coach Gavin Glinton managed a draw away at San Antonio last week before narrowly losing to San Jose in the cup in midweek. A full house at Isotopes Park might be too much for them, though. Saturday's final game comes from Seaside, California, where Monterey Bay FC host Memphis 901 at 3am having both gone out of the cup in midweek. The home side have been enjoying a generally good season this year, although they did lose at home to Indy Eleven last week, while 901 are up and down. Last week - a 4-1 win against ten-man Tampa Bay Rowdies - was a definite up. There's just one Sunday game this week and it's a midnight kick-off from Florida. The Miami FC are another side undergoing a rebuilding process and at least managed a win two weeks ago, even if they did slump back to defeat at the hands of Pittsburgh Riverhounds last week. It's not clear that Antonio Nocerino has found his best side yet, which bodes well for visitors Indy Eleven, a team very much in form right now. Despite mixed news about their stadium and the future prospects for the team (whether in MLS or the USL), Sean McAuley's side are playing well and winning games, having beaten North Carolina FC, Monterey Bay FC, and San Antonio FC in successive fixtures. CPL weekend preview, May 10-12 Week five in the Canadian Premier League starts in the Toronto suburbs on Friday night when York United welcome Valour FC to York Lions Stadium for a midnight kick-off. Valour were bottom last year and have been equally bad this, with a 7-0 reverse at the hands of Atletico Ottawa a definite low point so far. York have just one win from four games, a surprise 3-0 win over Vancouver FC two Fridays ago, and they'll hope that this augurs well for tonight's game. HFX Wanderers had last week off after tumbling out of the Canadian Championship to semi-professional opposition and have a chance to put things rights in their game against Cavalry FC on Saturday, a 7pm kick-off from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Cavalry were narrowly beaten at home by Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS in midweek and will look at Wanderers' three losses from three league games as a chance for an away win, although they themselves have only won once so far this season. The only two teams to have won the CPL clash on Vancouver Island at 10pm when Pacific FC host Forge FC at Starlight Stadium. Forge have won three out of three in the league so far and drew 1-1 with CF Montreal in the Canadian Championship in midweek, but Pacific are unbeaten themselves, with just an uncharacteristic blank in Calgary two weeks ago even slightly blotting their record. That's also pretty much the case for Atletico Ottawa, who one draw (to add to three wins) also came against the Cavs. The capital side are on the road on Sunday for a midnight start against Vancouver FC, the league's newest side. The hosts won their first two games at home this season but have since lost their next two away, so it could be anyone's game at Willoughby Community Park, really. USL Jägermeister Cup weekend preview, May 11 For the first time this season, all USL League One clubs are in action on the same weekend as round two of the USL Jägermeister Cup takes place on Saturday. First up is the visit of Forward Madison to Charlotte Independence at 6pm (all times BST and all USL games available to watch live on the USL YouTube channel), a clash of two genuine title contenders in this year's USL-1 competition. Independence were eliminated by Atlanta United in the US Open Cup in midweek, only their second defeat of the season, and they won their first Jägermeister Cup tie with South georgia Tormenta, albeit with only a two-point haul from a shootout victory. Madison beat table-toppers Greenville Triumph last week in a five-goal thriller and will not fear the trip to North Carolina for this cross-conference game. Three matches follow at midnight, with an eye-catching East Group tie between Greenville Triumph and 2022 USL-1 champions South Georgia Tormenta. Triumph have started in fatnastic form this season and lead the USL league table, but lost their Jägermeister Cup opener on spot-kicks to Richmond Kickers two weeks ago. Tormenta's Open Cup run came to an end in Charleston in midweek, no disgrace to lose to the Battery in the form they're in, and have looked by turns competitive and uninterested this season. Which version turns up at Paladin Stadium on Saturday is anyone's guess. Lexington SC - still playing a town over in Georgetown, Kentucky - have just one league win on the season so far, a 1-0 win over Chattanooga Red Wolves, but won their Jägermeister Cup opener over Forward Madison two weeks ago, a rare defeat for the Wisconsin outfit. They host Central Valley Fuego on Saturday, a team who also have just the one win so far. It's early days for new head coach Jermaine Jones, who is in his first job at this level, but they're missing the kind of influence he himself used to provide in his playing days. Can he find a new him? The final midnight kick-off comes from Tennessee, where One Knoxville hope that the inclement weather that postponed their midweek game with Forward Madison has long passed and that they can add to their four wins at this level this season. Northern Colorado Hailstorm are the visitors on Saturday and they find themselves bottom of the USL-1 table with just two draws from four games so far. More encouragingly, they also drew their Jägermeister Cup opener at Union Omaha, probably this season's best side, although they did lose the shootout. A hundred miles southwest, and half an hour later, Chattanooga Red Wolves welcome Richmond Kickers to CHI memorial Stadium with both sides kicking around the lower reaches of the table yet capable of winning games against the best on their day. Red Wolves lost at home to Knoxville in round one of Jägermeister Cup games, while Kickers managed to win the shootout away at Greenville in a game they were unlucky not to win in ninety minutes. These cup games should at least give both coaches room to experiment and find exactly what's missing so far. The final game is a 2am kick-off from eastern Washington state as Union Omaha make their first ever visit to One Spokane Stadium, home of expansion side Spokane Velocity. Omaha's extra-time defeat to MLS side Sporting Kansas City in midweek was their first of a season which has seen them play with confidence and swagger so far, but Velocity have shown that they need fear no-one in their debut season, having already secured wins over Richmond and Northern Colorado, as well as breezing through the opening rounds of the Open Cup before falling to Las Vegas Lights. NISA weekend preview, May 11-12 Week six in the NISA league brings three games, with the first up matching Georgia FC with the mighty Michigan Stars at Silverbacks Park in Atlanta at 7pm on Saturday. After a turmultuous winter, Georgia have settled down somewhat, although they did lose at home to the veterans of Club de Lyon last week, but they face a Stars side that have won four out of four so far, even if they did exit the US Open Cup to Detroit City in disappointing fashion. That's followed on Sunday at midnight by Club de Lyon versus Maryland Bobcats from Showalter Field in Winter Park, Florida, and you'd expect Bobcats to have the measure of their hosts, despite a 2-0 loss at Michigan Stars last week. The final game is a 1.05am kick-off from Surprise, Arizona, where Arizona Monsoon play Western Conference leaders Los Angeles Force at Willow Canyon Stadium. Expansion club Monsoon have just a point from their three games so far, and just one goal while conceding nine, four of them to Force in the reverse fixture a month ago. With a side made up mostly of local youngsters, it would be a shock to see anything but an away win in Surprise. MLS Nest Pro weekend preview, May 10 & 12 Only one of the two independent clubs in the MLS Next Pro league is in action this weekend, with Chattanooga FC travelling to Inter Miami II tonight. The Boys in Blue sit top of the Eastern Conference having lost just once in regular time this season and will be confident of a result against a Miami side that lost at home to New York Red Bulls II last week. Elsewhere, there's a Cascadia Cup clash between Portland Timbers 2 and Tacoma Defiance tonight, while The Town FC host North Texas SC in a match of two reserve sides masquerading as unique clubs on Sunday.
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May 10, 2024 10:54
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