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USL United Soccer League Championship

Final West Playoff Spot to be Determined Thursday in Week 27

September 16, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - The final week of the 2015 USL Regular Season is on the horizon, and plenty has yet to be determined for the USL Playoffs.

In the Western Conference, only one postseason berth remains and no seeds have been set in stone. One of the biggest midweek games to watch is Thursday when Seattle Sounders FC 2 hosts the Austin Aztex. If S2 earns a draw or win, it will grab the final playoff spot in the West, and a Seattle loss would mean Tulsa Roughnecks FC would secure that position.

In the Eastern Conference, the Richmond Kickers, Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Harrisburg City Islanders - who are sixth through eighth, respectively, in the standings - each have important games on Wednesday as they try to secure one of the two remaining playoff positions.

USL Today: Playoff Berths at Stake in Midweek

GAMES TO WATCH

Pittsburgh Riverhounds vs. Rochester Rhinos

Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET, Highmark Stadium

The Riverhounds have one of the toughest two-game stretches to cap off the season, starting with their home finale against the USL's regular-season champs, the Rochester Rhinos. Pittsburgh sits in seventh in the conference at 10-9-7 (37 points), one point behind the sixth-place Richmond Kickers and one point ahead of the eighth-place Harrisburg City Islanders. Harrisburg and Pittsburgh face each other in Saturday's finale, but the midweek matchup is vitally important for a strong result. The high-flying offense fans have come to expect from Pittsburgh has been absent since early August. The Riverhounds have scored a total of only five goals in their past five games - one tally in each match. The Pittsburgh duo of Rob Vincent (18 goals) and Kevin Kerr (9 goals, 9 assists) has led the attack all season and goes up against the Rhinos' stout defense, which has surrendered only 12 goals in 25 games. Rochester is 15-1-9 (54) points atop the East and recently rescheduled its Sept. 12 postponement against Toronto FC II. Those two sides wrap up the regular season on Sept. 24. (Preview)

Richmond Kickers vs. Toronto FC II

Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET, City Stadium

Richmond hosts Toronto for the first time this season, and the stakes are incredibly high for the home side. The Kickers are clinging onto the sixth playoff position with a 9-7-11 record and 38 points, one point ahead of Pittsburgh and two ahead of Harrisburg. Those two teams have a game in hand while this match represents Richmond's regular-season finale. Richmond has had a rough patch, earning only one victory in its past seven games (1-3-3). During that stretch, Toronto earned a 2-1 victory against Richmond the last time out on Aug. 15, overcoming a goal from the Kickers' Yudai Imura with back-to-back tallies from Molham Babouli and then Massimo Mirabelli in stoppage time. Toronto (6-15-4, 22 points) has been out of the postseason picture for a stretch, but the club has shown the ability to post a key win, including a 1-0 victory against the Charleston Battery on July 24 and more recently a 3-2 win against FC Montreal on Sept. 5, withstanding a Montreal side that nearly doubled TFC II's shot total. (Preview)

Seattle Sounders FC 2 vs. Austin Aztex

Thursday, 10:30 p.m. ET, Starfire Sports Stadium

S2 has been in a position to control its postseason fate, but a four-game losing streak has prevented the club from securing a playoff position. Thursday night is the final chance at the sixth and final spot in the Western Conference Playoffs. Seattle (12-12-3, 39 points) only needs a point to move ahead of Tulsa Roughnecks FC (11-11-6, 39 points), which wrapped up its season more than a week ago. Should S2 falter Thursday, the final postseason position goes to Tulsa. Seattle has been outscored 6-2 during this four-game losing streak, including a 2-1 loss to Austin on Sept. 5. Andres Cuero and Romain Gall each scored first-half goals for the Austin victory. S2 has the home pitch of Starfire Stadium to look forward to, where the team has posted a 10-3-0 record. However, two of those three losses have come in their past three home games - a 3-0 defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 on Aug. 8 and most recently a 1-0 loss to Orange County Blues FC on Sept. 11.

MILESTONES

- Louisville City FC's Matt Fondy, the USL regular-season record holder for goals in one season, has 22 entering Saturday's final game against Saint Louis FC. OKC Energy FC's Danni König (21) is close behind in the race for the USL Golden Boot. OKC faces Arizona United SC on Wednesday in its regular-season finale.

- Rochester Rhinos goalkeeper Brandon Miller is the USL single-season shutout record holder with 12 clean sheets this season, passing former Rhinos goalkeeper Kristian Nicht and former Orlando City SC goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo who are now tied for second on the all-time list with 11 shutouts. Rochester has two remaining regular-season games against Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Toronto FC II on Sept. 24.

- Louisville City FC's Bryan Burke leads the USL with 10 assists and is two behind Matthew Dallman's USL single-season record of 12, set in 2013. Burke has one final shot to match or surpass that mark on Saturday against Saint Louis FC.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES

- Orange County Blues FC originally was to host defending champion Sacramento Republic FC on Wednesday in a matchup of two teams vying for a top-two seed and first-round bye in the Western Conference. However, due to severe flooding at Anteater Stadium on Tuesday, the game was rescheduled for Sept. 22. (Blues, Republic FC Contest Postponed)

- OKC Energy FC (12-7-8, 44 points) closes out its season when it visits Arizona United SC on Wednesday. A victory would boost OKC into first place. Earning a top-two seed and first-round bye in the postseason, however, could be out of Energy FC's reach with Sacramento (44 points) having two games left in the schedule and Orange County and Colorado Springs (46 points each) also ahead at the moment with one match remaining. An Energy FC win would guarantee a top-four finish and a home match in the postseason. OKC striker Danni König has 21 goals entering this match and trails Louisville City FC's Matt Fondy (22 goals) as they vie for the USL Golden Boot and the distinction of holding the USL record for regular-season goals in one year. (Preview)

- The Harrisburg City Islanders (10-10-6, 36 points) prepare for a late afternoon match against FC Montreal on Wednesday. Harrisburg is eighth in the East standings and still very much in the hunt for one of the final two playoff spots with two games to play. Should the City Islanders earn a win against Montreal, that would place them in sixth place with Richmond's and Pittsburgh's games kicking off later that night. Harrisburg has had plenty of success against Montreal this season, winning both of its previous meetings. The last time out against FC Montreal, the Hounds' Craig Foster recorded a hat trick and Jason Plumhoff notched a brace en route to a 6-0 victory on Aug. 29. (Preview)

- The LA Galaxy II (13-10-3, 42 points) host the Portland Timbers 2 (10-15-2, 32 points) on Wednesday at StubHub Center's Track & Field Stadium. Los Dos already secured a playoff spot, and they could improve their fifth-place position with two games remaining before the postseason. Back-to-back losses have hurt the Galaxy II, falling by a 2-1 score line to both Arizona United SC and Orange County Blues FC. Los Dos and T2 squared off one other time this season, with Jack McBean's first-half goal holding up during a 1-0 victory on July 26 at Merlo Field. Portland is coming off a 3-0 home loss to Sacramento Republic FC on Sept. 12 at Providence Park. (Preview)

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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