USL Fresno FC

Match Day | Fresno FC vs. Saint Louis FC

Published on August 18, 2018 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Fresno FC News Release


The Foxes return to Chukchansi Park where they look to gain ground in the USL Cup Playoff hunt against fellow contender Saint Louis FC. Fresno (7W-9L-9D, 30 points) sits in 11th place in the 17-team Western Conference and will face 7th-place Saint Louis FC (9W-6L-8D, 35 points) at Chukchansi Park on Saturday, August 18th at 7 p.m.

The two teams played to a 1-1 draw in Fenton, Missouri in the early part of the season, with Juan Pablo Caffa heading in the second-half equalizer to secure the point. Saint Louis FC took the lead in stoppage time of the first half as Corey Hertzog converted the penalty given for Ramon Martin Del Campo's handball in the box. The draw was Fresno FC's fourth result in a franchise-best unbeaten streak of seven games that lasted from March 24 to April 28.

The Foxes will look to ground a Saint Louis FC side that is riding high as of late as they bring a five-game unbeaten streak into Chukchansi Park, including four straight wins capped with a 2-1 upset of Sacramento Republic. It's the longest winning streak yet for the fourth-year USL franchise, which also is gunning for one of the top eight spots in the USL Western Conference.

To help with their push, head coach Anthony Pulis has brought in new signings in USL/NPSL defender Tyler Polak (FC Cincinnati, Miami FC) and midfielder Austin "Audi" Jepson. Jepson scored six goals with six assists in 16 appearances for the PDL Des Moines Menace. Forward Kyle Greig leads the visitors with 10 goals this season, which also has him tied for fifth-most in the Western Conference.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE

The Foxes return to their home field, where they have won three in a row and outscored opponents 10 goals to 1 in that stretch. Over the last five home games, Fresno has scored 14 goals and only conceded two.

SCORING FIRST MATTERS

Striking first - and striking early - will be of high priority for the Foxes, who are unbeaten at 7W-0L-5D when scoring the first goal, but are winless at 0-9-2 when conceding first. Fresno will focus on containing a Saint Louis FC team that has scored in the opening five minutes in each of their last three games, all of which they went on to win.

THEY SAID IT

DEFENDER ZACHARY ELLIS-HAYDEN

"I feel good. I think the team knows that it's crunch time and we have to perform and have to get a result. We know we have to do that, but I think the energy and everything is good in the locker room and we just know what we have to do. I think if we put in a performance that we know we can do, like the best we can perform, then it puts us in a good position and we have a good chance."

MIDFIELDER JEMAL JOHNSON

"For us, it's a must-win game. That's how we're preparing for this game this weekend because everyone in that 8th, 9th, or 10th spot is sort of working to achieve the same thing. It's playoff time. It's a busy end of the season, so we're definitely ready. It's high intensity, we're going to go at it with everything we've got. Get behind us, 100 percent. Bring all the energy, the fans are like the 12th man for us every game that we've played, so every game that we play from now on is a must-win and it's definitely important so, 100 percent get behind us"

USL REGULAR SEASON MATCH 26

FRESNO FC vs. SAINT LOUIS FC

Saturday, August 18

Chukchansi Park | 7 p.m. PT

TV: ThisTV 26.2 (Comcast 390) | RADIO: ESPN Deportes 1600 AM | STREAM: ESPN +

Social Media: Follow @FFCFoxes on Twitter for match updates and follow along using the hashtags #FRSvSTL



United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 18, 2018


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