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USL United Soccer League Championship

Keystone Derby at Forefront of East Playoff Picture in Week 27

September 18, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - Now that the six Western Conference teams are set for the 2015 USL Playoffs, all eyes turn toward the Eastern Conference this weekend for the two remaining slots.

Four teams are in the running for those two playoff berths - the fifth-place Richmond Kickers (41 points) and sixth-place Charlotte Independence (40 points), and two sides that are currently below the playoff cutoff in the Harrisburg City Islanders (39 points) and Pittsburgh Riverhounds (38 points).

The latter two square off in the Keystone Derby as Harrisburg hosts Pittsburgh on Saturday at Skyline Sports Complex. The Riverhounds need a win to advance to the postseason, while Harrisburg also would earn a berth with a victory and could sneak in with a draw combined with a Charlotte Independence loss to the Charleston Battery. Richmond wrapped up its regular season and needs some help with either a Charlotte loss or draw against Charleston, or a Keystone Derby draw.

In the Western Conference, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC hosts the LA Galaxy II on Saturday, and a Switchbacks win would boost the home team into first place in the West and secure a top-two finish and first-round bye in the playoffs. Elsewhere, Sacramento Republic FC hosts Arizona United SC on Saturday and is in a position to win the West if it wins out against United and Orange County Blues FC on Tuesday.

GAMES TO WATCH

Harrisburg City Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, Skyline Sports Complex

The Keystone Derby has lived up to the hype all season with high goal-scoring (a combined 25 goals in three games) and now a postseason berth on the line for both sides. Pittsburgh is in the most precarious position needing a victory on the road to qualify for the USL Playoffs. Harrisburg has a little more leeway as a win would clinch a berth, while a draw also could be enough if the Charlotte Independence loses to the Charleston Battery. The Riverhounds lead the derby with a 2-1-0 record, including a season-opening 5-2 win on March 28 and a thrilling 6-5 comeback victory on May 30. The City Islanders won the most recent installment, posting a 4-3 victory on July 26 at Skyline Sports Complex thanks to two goals apiece from Jason Plumhoff and Craig Foster. Harrisburg will not have the services of Dante Leverock who was issued his fifth caution of the season against FC Montreal on Wednesday and will serve a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation.

Charleston Battery vs. Charlotte Independence

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, MUSC Health Stadium

It was not that long ago when the Independence strung together their 12-game unbeaten streak. Charlotte wants to regain that momentum quickly when it faces Charleston. The Independence are coming off a 2-0 loss to Saint Louis FC, and they need a positive result in the finale to gain one of the two remaining playoff berths. A win would clinch a berth, and a draw combined with a Harrisburg-Pittsburgh tie also would keep the Independence in the top six and into the postseason. Charlotte (10-7-10, 40 points) has had its struggles on the road this year, going 2-5-6, and the two road wins tie for the second-lowest total this season in the USL behind only Real Monarchs SLC's one road win. Charleston (11-6-10, 43 points) has clinched, but the Battery would like to maintain their third-place stance and host a first-round playoff game. MUSC Health Stadium has been a difficult place for opposing teams as Charleston has yet to lose a game this season at the home venue (7-0-6) and has an unbeaten streak that dates back to May of 2014.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. LA Galaxy II

Saturday, 9 p.m. ET, Sand Creek Stadium

Colorado Springs (14-9-4, 46 points) is in a position to move into first place in the Western Conference as it sits one point behind OKC Energy FC, which wrapped up its regular season Wednesday. The Switchbacks would clinch a top-two position and first-round playoff bye if they earn a win against Los Dos. The Galaxy II (13-11-3, 42 points) lead the USL with seven road victories and sit in fifth place in the West. LA has a slim chance to host a home playoff game, but it would need a victory and Sacramento Republic FC would need to drop its remaining two games. The Switchbacks and Galaxy II have split the past two meetings, with Colorado Springs shutting out LA 2-0 on July 31 and Los Dos edging the Switchbacks 2-1 on May 30 thanks to a late Raul Mendiola tally.

MILESTONES

- Louisville City FC's Matt Fondy holds the USL single-season goal-scoring record with 22 goals this season, and the 2015 USL Golden Boot is just about in his grasp. OKC Energy FC's Danni König ended his regular season with 21 goals. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds' Rob Vincent has one remaining game against the Harrisburg City Islanders to add to his 18-goal total.

- Rochester Rhinos goalkeeper Brandon Miller broke the USL single-season shutout record with his 12th clean sheet during a scoreless road draw against the Richmond Kickers on Sept. 5. Miller passed 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.

- 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. Louisville has one remaining regular-season game against Saint Louis FC on Saturday.

- Wilmington Hammerheads FC midfielder Paul Nicholson is 58 minutes short of reaching 10,000 minutes of action in the USL regular season. Should he reach that milestone, Nicholson will join Luke Vercollone, Gareth Evans and William Yomby as the only USL players to hit that historic mark.

- The Richmond Kickers' Matthew Delicâte currently shares the all-time goal-scoring and points lead with the Charleston Battery's Dane Kelly. Both players have 41 goals and 91 points. Delicâte's regular season has wrapped up and Kelly will have one final chance to pass him this weekend when Charleston host the Charlotte Independence.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES

- The King's Cup between Louisville City FC and Saint Louis FC features one final leg this Saturday at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo. Saint Louis is expecting a sellout crowd for the finale of this series, which Louisville holds the upper hand in with a 1-0-2 record. City earned a 2-0 victory on March 28 at Slugger Field, and the two teams have played to a pair of draws since then - 3-3 on May 24 at World Wide Technology Soccer Park and 1-1 on May 30 at Slugger Field. In the first draw, Louisville overcame three different deficits to garner a road point. Louisville (14-7-6, 48 points) has secured the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, and this upcoming match still carries plenty of weight in terms of momentum into the postseason and adding to its point total. The 48 points are better than all of the Western Conference teams at the moment. If Louisville wins and reaches 51 points, that would assure the squad of hosting the championship should it advance to that stage of the postseason.

- The New York Red Bulls II face the Eastern Conference's first-place Rochester Rhinos on Saturday at Sahlen's Stadium. The Red Bulls II are fourth in the East at 12-9-6 and 42 points and would lock up a home first-round playoff game should they earn a win. NYRB II has yet to score a goal against the Rhinos' stout defense in two matches. The Red Bulls II opened their USL tenure with a scoreless draw on March 28 and then dropped a 2-0 decision on April 26 at Sahlen's Stadium.

- Sacramento Republic FC hosts Arizona United SC on Saturday for its home finale at Bonney Field. Sacramento will break its own USL attendance record with another sellout crowd set to be on hand. On the field, Republic FC can work toward the top spot of the Western Conference should the club win Saturday's game and then Tuesday's highly anticipated road match against Orange County Blues FC. Sacramento enters the weekend in fourth place at 13-8-5 and 44 points, three points behind OKC Energy FC and two points behind Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and Orange County.

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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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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