Eagles Prepare for Holiday Road Trip
July 2, 2013 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Eagles News Release
Charlotte, NC - The Charlotte Eagles are looking to keep pace in the USL PRO playoff race with games against Pittsburgh and Rochester over the July 4th holiday weekend. After a busy weekend with games in Dayton and Chicago, the Eagles hit the road again on Thursday, July 4th and Saturday, July 6th and hope to keep their six-game unbeaten streak going against the Riverhounds and Rhinos.
Charlotte is currently sitting in 5th place in the USL PRO standings with 25 points and a 6-2-7 record. Last Friday, June 28th the Eagles took on the Dayton Dutch Lions for the first time this season, and while they took the lead twice, a late equalizer from Shane Smith left the Eagles with only a point out of the contest. Jorge Herrera found rookie forward Christian Ramirez in the 22nd minute to open the scoring as Ramirez slotted home his team leading fifth goal of the season. Herrera was on the receiving end of a Stephen Okai cross in the 62nd minute to once again give the Eagles the lead but unfortunately for the men from Charlotte they weren't able to escape Dayton with all three points.
There was no time for Charlotte to wonder about what might have been as they boarded a bus and headed for Chicago to take on the Fire Reserves the following night. The Eagles came out flying to start the game against the Fire Reserves as Christian Meza took a pass and turned his defender, creating ample shooting space and gave the visitors an early 1-0 lead in just the 3rd minute of the match. Charlotte kept the offensive pressure up and defender Shaun Francis doubled the Eagles lead in just the 14th minute with a beautiful half-volley strike from the top of the penalty area. Chicago's Reserves pulled a goal back in the 51st minute but were unable to get anything else past Eagles goalkeeper Eric Reed.
The three points from the Chicago match were a must have for the Eagles if they were hoping to keep pace in the playoffs, many of the players felt disappointed in their league leading seventh tie of the season against the Dutch Lions.
Pittsburgh welcomes Charlotte to their brand new Highmark Stadium on Thursday, July 4th and hopes to even the season series with the Eagles after Charlotte beat the Riverhounds 2-0 back on April, 26th. It took the Riverhounds a while to get rolling in their USL PRO season, starting just 0-4-3 in their first seven games but since then they have rattled off six wins in their last ten games. The Riverhounds now sit in 8th place, the final playoff spot, with a 5-4-6 record on the season.
Riverhounds forward Jose Angulo leads the team with 10 goals in 13 games. The Colombian is the reigning USL PRO player of the week and his 10 goals have him 2nd in the league behind Orlando City's Dom Dwyer. Angulo has a chance to become the league leading scorer as Dwyer has since been recalled by parent club Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. Angulo is also 2nd in the league in points scored with 23.
After Charlotte visits Highmark Stadium they will travel north to face the Rochester Rhinos. The Eagles and Rhinos played earlier this season on a wet, cold night in April. Rochester is riding their own wave of momentum into this weekends action as they are unbeaten in thier last five matches.
The Rhinos will travel to face the Dayton Dutch Lions on Thursday, July 4th before returning home to host Charlotte. Rochester's leading scorer on the season is former University of South Carolina Gamecock Blake Brettschneider. Brettschneider's three goals and three assists give him nine points through 15 games so far.
Rochester has undergone a coaching change since they last played the Eagles, current President and COO, Pat Ercoli has resumed the Head Coaching duties after the team let former Head Coach Jesse Myers go following a 1-6-1 start to the season. The Rhinos have gone 2-1-5 since Ercoli took over and six points out of a playoff spot with a little less than half the season remaining.
Don't forget both of these games will be streamed on USLNation.com so be sure to bookmark that website and catch your Eagles over the holiday!
Charlotte will return home for a "BLUE OUT" doubleheader next Saturday, July 13th. Tickets for the doubleheader can be purchased at www.charlotteeagles.com
Keep that Orange Flag Flying High and we hope you'll join us on USLNation.com this weekend!
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