USL-1 North Carolina FC

RailHawks begin busy week in Vancouver

August 14, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
North Carolina FC News Release


The Carolina RailHawks will take their four-match winning streak north of the border this weekend when they face 2008 USL-1 champion Vancouver on Saturday in British Columbia at 10 p.m. EST.

After having a week between games, Saturday's match kicks off a stretch that will have the RailHawks play three times in three cities in eight days. After this weekend's match, the RailHawks will face the Whitecaps again on Tuesday at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary before traveling to Rochester to face the Rhinos on Aug. 22.

The RailHawks (13-5-3, 42 points) began the week tied at the top of the USL-1 table, but they currently find themselves in third place heading into the weekend. While they have been idle since Saturday, Portland (45 points) and Charleston (44) have each played and won once this week. Carolina has one game in hand over Portland and three over Charleston.

The RailHawks have won four straight matches by a combined score of 10-0 and they have not conceded a goal in 400 minutes. Since June 30, Carolina is 9-1-0 and has outscored its opponents 20-4. Ten different players have contributed the goals.

Carolina has proved to be among the top road teams in the USL-1. They have gone 5-3-2 away from WakeMed Soccer Park, with a goal differential of plus-3. The five road wins are the tied for the second most in the league. And the RailHawks will need to be at their best on Saturday, as visitors to the Whitecaps' Swangard Stadium have not fared terribly well.

Vancouver (7-9-4, 25 points) is 5-3-1 at home and has outscored its opponents 16-10. Prior to last Friday's 2-1 home loss to Charleston, the Whitecaps had won three straight at home by a combined score of 11-3.

"It's always a tough trip to do, and they're the champions and they're doing well at home," said Carolina coach Martin Rennie. "It's an important point in the season for them as well because they need to pick up some wins. It'll be a tough game. We know a bit about them now because we played them not too long ago. We go there with confidence and we're ready to work really hard."

SCOUTING VANCOUVER

The Whitecaps enter the weekend tied with Miami for seventh place in the USL First Division. Over their last five outings, Vancouver is 2-2-1.

Though the Whitecaps are in the middle of the table, they feature among the best attacks in the league. Their 246 shots (12.3 per game) are second only to Portland, and their 29 goals scored are the third most in the league. They've been shut out only four times, tied with the RailHawks for the fewest in the league. Three players rate in the top six in the USL-1 in goals scored. Marlon James (eight goals) is tied with two others for second in the USL-1, while Charles Gbeke and Marcus Haber have scored five goals apiece.

The Whitecaps' strength at the top has been undercut by their struggles at the back. They've posted five shutouts (tied for third fewest in the league) and they allow 1.35 goals per game. Vancouver hopes to shore up the backline with the addition of Welshman Shaun Pejic, who signed with the club earlier this week. The Whitecaps will also be without defender Geordie Lyall and midfielder Ansu Toure due to injury.

SERIES HISTORY

Saturday's match will represent the seventh time that Carolina and Vancouver have met, and it is the second of the teams' three meetings this season. They will close out the season series on Tuesday at WakeMed Soccer Park. The RailHawks are 2-2-2 in the previous six matches with Vancouver, and both teams have scored six goals on the other in those six games. At Swanguard Stadium, the RailHawks are 1-1-1 all time.

In this season's first meeting, the RailHawks prevailed 2-1 at WakeMed Soccer Park on July 17. The RailHawks took a 1-0 lead just before halftime after a Whitecaps own goal. Sallieu Bundu put the RailHawks up 2-0 in the 65th minute. That proved to be the game-winning goal because Vancouver's Charles Gbeke drew one back for the Whitecaps in the 90th minute.

LAST TIME OUT

The RailHawks defeated the Cleveland City Stars 2-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park on Aug. 8, completing a sweep of the season series with Cleveland. Carolina won all three matches and outscored the City Stars 6-0. The RailHawks outshot Cleveland 15-6 but it took more than 80 minutes before they were finally able to break down the City Stars. Gregory Richardson scored the game's first goal in the 82nd minute, and Daniel Paladini added one more in stoppage time to deliver the RailHawks their fourth straight win.

PLAYER NOTES

*Midfielder Gregory Richardson scored his fourth goal in six matches with the RailHawks last weekend against Cleveland. *Midfielder Daniel Paladini scored his fifth goal of the season last weekend against Cleveland in the 90th minute. It was the second time this season Paladini scored against the City Stars on the cusp of full time. *Goalkeeper Eric Reed made two saves against Cleveland to earn his seventh shutout of the season, and he lowered his goals against average to 0.688. *Defender/midfielder Kupono Low will not make the trip to Vancouver, as he is suspended for the match due to yellow card accumulation. *Midfielder Matt Watson entered the Cleveland match as a last-minute substitute last weekend, the first time he's taken the field since June 27.

DID YOU KNOW?

The RailHawks allow a goal once per 16.38 shots allowed. That's the second best rate in the league, behind only Portland's one goal per 20.09 shots allowed.

STAT LEADERS*

Goals: Sallieu Bundu, Daniel Paladini (5)

Assists: Daniel Paladini (5)

Minutes: Mark Schulte (2,261)

Shots: Daniel Paladini (47)

Fouls: Amir Lowery (37)

*includes USL-1 matches, U.S. Open Cup matches and five friendlies in 2009

CAROLINA VS USL-1*

The following are the RailHawks' team statistics for the year and in parentheses is where they rank in each category compared to the rest of the USL First Division.

Shots: 240 (T-3rd)

Shots allowed: 213 (6th)

Goals: 26 (4th)

Goals allowed: 13 (10th)

Saves: 63 (11th)

Shutouts: 13 (1st)

Times shut out: 4 (T-10th)

*based only on USL-1 matches

2008 VS 2009 SEASON COMPARISON

Through 21 games in 2008: 4-8-9, 21 points, 18 GF, 28 GA, 5 SO

Through 21 games in 2009: 13-5-3, 42 points, 28 GF, 13 GA, 13 SO

USL STANDINGS

Portland 12-1-9, 45 points

Charleston 12-4-8, 44 points

Carolina 13-5-3, 42 points

Puerto Rico 10-5-8, 38 points

Rochester 9-7-5, 32 points

Montreal 7-9-5, 26 points

Vancouver 7-9-4, 25 points

Miami 7-9-4, 25 points

Minnesota 3-10-6, 15 points

Austin (-2) 3-12-7, 14 points

Cleveland 2-14-7, 13 points

USL-1 SCHEDULE - WEEK 19

Tuesday, Aug. 11 Cleveland 1s, Charleston 4

Wednesday, Aug. 12 Portland 1, Montreal 0

Friday, Aug. 14 Minnesota at Miami, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 15 Portland at Rochester, 7:35 p.m. Montreal at Puerto Rico, 8 p.m. Carolina at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 16 Minnesota at Austin, 7 p.m.

Check out the North Carolina FC Statistics



USL First Division Stories from August 14, 2009


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