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USL United Soccer League Championship

Battery Look to Make Move, Face TFCII, Rhinos in Week 19

July 24, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - The second-place Charleston Battery and first-place Rochester Rhinos highlight Week 19 action in the USL's Eastern Conference on Sunday at Sahlen's Stadium. The Battery enter the weekend trailing Rochester by six points, but they have an opportunity to make up significant ground with two games in a three-day stretch, starting with Friday's road match against Toronto FC II at the Ontario Soccer Centre.

Elsewhere in the East, FC Montreal is enjoying its strongest run this year with a three-game winning streak. Montreal hits the road to face a fellow expansion side, the Charlotte Independence, for the first time on Friday at Ramblewood Soccer Stadium.

In the Western Conference, first-place Seattle Sounders FC 2 hosts the Portland Timbers 2 on Friday. The Cascadia matchup is a big one for both teams in the jam-packed West standings as T2 potentially can move above the playoff cutline while S2 attempts to fend off a pack of squads closely in pursuit. For the Timbers 2, their challenge doesn't rest on just this match. They then have to face the LA Galaxy II on Sunday at Merlo Field.

GAMES TO WATCH

Charlotte Independence vs. FC Montreal

Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, Ramblewood Soccer Stadium

It will take a significant run to consider a postseason conversation, but FC Montreal has started to mesh with 11 regular-season games remaining. Philippe Eullaffroy's side has enjoyed a surge with a three-game winning streak to move out of the cellar, scoring 10 goals during this stretch. Friday marks the first meeting between the expansion sides. They will meet up once more on Aug. 26. Montreal (4-11-2, 14 points) is coming off a 1-0 victory against Toronto FC II on Tuesday on a Zakaria Messoudi tally, and the win moved the team from 12th to 10th place in the standings. Now FC Montreal sits three points behind Charlotte (4-6-5, 17 points). Montreal forward Charles Joly was recently named USL Player of the Week after he scored three goals in the first half of a 5-2 win against Saint Louis FC on July 15. The Independence defense has been steady this season, allowing only 18 goals in 15 games. All four of Charlotte's wins have also come at home (4-2-2), while FC Montreal is just 1-5-1 on the road. The Independence, who notably advanced the furthest among the USL teams at the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a Round of 16 appearance, are looking to jumpstart their offense. Charlotte has scored only one goal in its past four matches, with the defense managing to earn a couple points from this stretch with scoreless draws against the Richmond Kickers and most recently the East-leading Rochester Rhinos on July 18. (Preview)

Seattle Sounders FC 2 vs. Portland Timbers 2

Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET, Starfire Stadium

The Timbers 2 offense has certainly clicked during the past week. After defeating Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 by a 4-2 margin on Sunday, T2 posted another four-goal performance, edging English Premier League side Newcastle 4-3 on Tuesday at Providence Park. Portland will need every bit of that offense to show Friday as it faces Cascadia rival Seattle at Starfire. T2 (7-9-2, 23 points) barely sits in the lower half of the West standings, while S2 is clinging onto first place at 10-6-3 (33 points). Seattle leads the USL with eight home victories, going 8-1-0 at Starfire. This series has been incredibly one-sided with S2 winning all three previous league matches against T2, and another in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Ezra Hendrickson's side will look to complete the series sweep. Seattle defeated Portland 2-1 on April 11 at Starfire, followed by a pair of 2-0 victories at Merlo Field on May 22 and June 29. S2 will be without Brazilian midfielder Sergio Mota, who was is suspended for this match and an Aug. 1 match against Sacramento Republic FC after he was sent off during Seattle's 1-1 draw against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. (S2, T2 Set for Cascadia Clash; Preview)

Rochester Rhinos vs. Charleston Battery

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, Sahlen's Stadium

Entering the weekend, Rochester (11-0-7, 40 points) and Charleston (9-2-7, 34 points) sit one-two in the Eastern Conference standings. By Friday night, the USL following will know whether Sunday's match will be a fight for the top spot. The Battery first square off against Toronto FC II on Friday at the Ontario Soccer Centre. If Charleston wins, it would then be within three points of the unbeaten Rhinos. The Battery and Rhinos played to a scoreless draw when they face each other July 3 at Blackbaud Stadium, and Rochester's defense did not allow a shot on goal. Heading into Friday, the Battery are in good form with a four-game unbeaten streak, outscoring their opponents 9-1 during that stretch. The Rhinos' unbeaten streak and defensive play have headlined the East all season. The 18-game unbeaten stretch is a club record (four games away from the USL record), and Rochester is also flirting with the club's lowest goals-against performance in a season. The Rhinos have given up only six goals, an average of one for every three games. Rochester will be without Mike Garzi, serving a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation. The Battery's Maikel Chang also is serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation, which forces him to miss Friday's TFCII game, but he is set to be available for Sunday's contest. (East's Leaders Meet in Rochester)

NEWS AND NOTES

- Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 has scored two goals or more in six consecutive games heading into the weekend. WFC2's 14 goals during its current six-game stretch represents half of the team's scoring this season. Vancouver (6-9-5, 23 points) hosts Tulsa Roughnecks FC (6-8-4, 22 points) in a key matchup between two teams who are just below the playoff cutline. (Preview)

- Two teams in the heart of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference will meet when the Richmond Kickers (7-3-8, 29 points) travel to face the New York Red Bulls II (7-7-4, 25 points) on Saturday at Red Bull Arena. This is the third and final matchup between the Kickers and NYRBII this season, with Richmond winning the two previous games - a 1-0 win on April 22 at Red Bull Arena and a 4-2 victory on May 30 at City Stadium. (NYRBII Welcomes Kickers)

- Louisville City FC looks to extend its four-game winning streak when it faces Wilmington Hammerheads FC on Saturday at Legion Stadium. City is third in the East at 9-3-5 (32 points). Wilmington (2-10-6, 12 points) is the only side in the league to have gone winless at home this season with a 0-3-5 mark. In the other meeting between these two teams, Louisville topped Wilmington 3-0 on May 12 at Slugger Field.

- The Austin Aztex and Arizona United SC meet for the second time in a week on Saturday at Scottsdale Stadium. Austin posted one of its strongest victories of the season with a 4-1 win against Arizona on July 17. Trevin Caesar scored his sixth and seventh goals of the season in that one and now leads the club in that category ahead of Kris Tyrpak's six.

- Forward Danni König of OKC Energy FC leads the league with 14 goals this season. König has scored nine goals during Energy FC's past eight games. OKC faces the East's Saint Louis FC on Saturday in a conference crossover match at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo. (OKC Energy FC Riding Danni Konig's Scoring Wave)

HOW TO FOLLOW

Every game of the 2015 USL season can be seen live, free and in HD on YouTube (www.Youtube.com/USL), with updates from throughout the league also available via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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