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USL-1 North Carolina FC

RailHawks begin busy week with Richmond

June 8, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
North Carolina FC News Release


After defeating Cleveland 1-0 on May 29, the Carolina RailHawks had an 11-day break between games. That rest will be important as they are beginning a busy week with three matches in six days, and they could play as many has five games in 11 days.

On Tuesday, Carolina will meet the USL Second Division's Richmond Kickers at 7 p.m. in the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at WakeMed Soccer Park. On Thursday, the RailHawks (7-2-1) will return to USL First Division play against the Portland Timbers (5-1-3), also at WakeMed Soccer Park at 7 p.m. On Sunday, they will travel to Minnesota (0-5-4) to meet the Thunder at 2:35 p.m. at the National Sports Center.

The schedule gets even more congested if the RailHawks beat the Kickers. The second round of the Open Cup is set for June 16, and the RailHawks will host either the Wilmington Hammerheads or the Charlotte Eagles with a win over Richmond. Then they go to Austin to face the Aztex on June 19.

"All the other teams are having to play the same number of games, but I don't know if their squads are as deep as ours," said Carolina coach Martin Rennie. "It's an exciting period where we can hopefully rack up a few wins in a short amount of time."

Rennie's roster seems equipped to handle the flurry of games. Twenty-two players have appeared in at least four matches so far this season, and 19 have played at least 200 minutes. Furthermore, Rennie will have available his full complement of players for selection (except Jack Stewart, who is out until August with a broken fibula).

But they are not looking too far down the road. The focus begins with the Kickers.

"I just think the Open Cup is a real test," Rennie said. "It's one thing saying that we're good, but if you can get far enough in it, you can prove it against some good teams. It's a tough draw we've got. Even if we beat Richmond, then we get Charlotte or Wilmington next. I know Richmond quite well, and they know me and know what kind of systems I like to play. So it should be a good game."

During his two seasons with Cleveland, Rennie's teams went 1-1-3 in USL-2 play against the Kickers.

Carolina and Richmond met in the 2007 U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals after both knocked off MLS teams in the third round (Carolina beat Chicago, Richmond beat Los Angeles). Carolina earned a 1-0 win at WakeMed Soccer Park thanks to a goal by Connally Edozien.

The RailHawks and Kickers have also met in two of the last three preseasons. In 2007, the Kickers won 3-1 in Richmond. In April, the Kickers prevailed 1-0 in Richmond on a 90th-minute goal by Matthew Delicate.

RAILHAWKS IN THE OPEN CUP

The RailHawks have compiled a 6-2 record in U.S. Open Cup play the last two seasons. They have outscored their eight opponents 15-7 and have posted five shutouts.

In their 2007 debut, Carolina made a run to the tournament's semifinals before being ousted 2-1 by Major League Soccer's New England Revolution, which went on to win the tournament.

Last season, the RailHawks scored a 1-0 win over the PDL's Brooklyn Knights and a 1-0 win over the USL-2's Real Maryland before losing 4-2 in extra time to Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards in the third round.

The 96th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will features 40 teams - 24 professional and 16 amateur. First-round pairings were determined by dividing the clubs geographically into eight groups of four and then conducting random draws within each group. In the second round, which will be conducted June 16, the 16 first-round winners will face off and those eight victors will move on to the third round to square off against eight MLS teams.

SCOUTING RICHMOND

The Kickers come to Cary 3-1-4 in the USL Second Division, where they sit in third place, three points off the lead. They are 2-1-2 over their last five matches, including a 5-0 romp over first-place Harrisburg on Saturday in Richmond.

They have outscored their opponents 14-6. Their plus-eight goal differential is best in the league, and their six goals allowed are the fewest in USL-2.

Matthew Delicate and David Bulow are proving to be a fearsome duo in the Kickers' attack. Bulow has scored five goals, while Delicate has four goals and one assist. Midfielder Michael Burke has four assists.

Ronnie Pascale has played every minute of the season in goal for the Kickers. He has conceded six goals in eight starts for a league-leading .750 goals against average and three shutouts.

The Kickers have gone on the road just twice this season, where they are 1-1.

SCOUTING PORTLAND

The Timbers come to WakeMed Soccer Park on an eight-match unbeaten streak. At 5-1-3, they have 18 points and are in third place in the USL-1.

Thursday's match-up will conclude the season series between the RailHawks and Timbers. The teams played to a scoreless tie on April 30 in Portland, and two days later, the Timbers ended the RailHawks' four-match unbeaten streak with a 2-0 defeat.

Portland is the only team to have shut out the RailHawks all season. Carolina took 27 shots in those two games at PGE Park, and Chris Seitz made 15 saves to earn back-to-back clean sheets. But Seitz will not be with Portland for this week's game. He joined the Timbers on a last-minute loan from Real Salt Lake after Steve Cronin suffered an injury in training that week. Cronin is now back with the Timbers and playing quite well. In his six games since rejoining the starting 11, Cronin is 4-0-2, with three goals allowed and three shutouts.

Thursday marks the Timbers' only trip to WakeMed Soccer Park in 2009. The RailHawks have won two of three meetings with Portland in Cary and all three games between the two have ended with a final score of 1-0. The all-time series record is even (2-2-3), as is goal differential (both teams have scored three times against the other).

Like the RailHawks, the Timbers are in the midst of a congested schedule. From June 4-13, they will play four games in four cities. After a 1-0 win against Montreal in Portland on June 4, they will face the Kitsap Pumas in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup in Bremerton, Wash., on Tuesday. And after Thursday's match in Cary, they will visit the Charleston Battery on Saturday.

Though Portland has scored only 10 goals in nine games, their attack is among the most dangerous in the league. They lead the USL-1 in total shots (134) and shots per game (14.89). The RailHawks will have to keep their eyes on Ryan Pore (three goals, one assist), Brian Farber (two goals, two assists) and Mandjou Keita (two goals, one assist). Pore leads the league in shots (30) and Keita is third (20).

Their defense is also proving to be among the league's best. Their five shutouts rank them third in the USL-1, and their four goals allowed are the second fewest.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA

Since opening the season with a 2-1 loss to the RailHawks on April 11, the Thunder have continued to struggle. They remain winless (0-5-4) and are at the bottom of the USL-1 table with four points.

Sunday's match at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn., will be the RailHawks only trip to Minnesota this year and wrap-up the season series between the RailHawks and Thunder. Carolina won the first two meetings, 2-1 at WakeMed Soccer on April 11 and 1-0 on April 26, also in Cary. The RailHawks are 1-1-1 in their three previous trips to Minnesota. The Thunder had a four-match homestand in May, where they went 0-3-1 and were shut out twice.

Minnesota has conceded 11 goals this season while scoring six for a goal differential of minus-5, which ranks them last in the league. The six goals scored are tied for the second fewest in USL-1. Though the Thunder haven't scored often, they feature a dangerous duo in Leonel Saint-Pruex and Ricardo Sanchez. Saint-Preux has scored two goals and an assist in seven matches, and Sanchez has two goals and two assists in seven matches.

Minnesota goalkeeper goalkeeper Nic Platter has 38 saves in nine games, third most in the league, and his defense has given up 101 shots this season, third most in the league.

LAST TIME OUT

The RailHawks won their fourth-straight match and improved to 7-2-1 following their 1-0 win over the Cleveland City Stars on May 29 at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Daniel Paladini scored the game's only goal on an 89th-minute free kick. Goalkeeper Caleb Patterson earned his fourth shutout in five starts and the RailHawks' fourth straight shutout. They also set a club record for longest shutout streak, which stands at 396 minutes.

RICHMOND TIES

Two former RailHawks will return to WakeMed Soccer Park with the Kickers - Joey Worthen and Ross MacKenzie.

In two injury-marred seasons in Cary, Worthen appeared in 31 matches and played 2,124 minutes. He scored four goals and had two assists. MacKenzie spent the 2008 season with the RailHawks. He had two appearances and played 104 minutes.

This season, Worthen has appeared in seven matches for the Kickers and scored four points (one goal, two assists). Mackenzie has scored one goal in five matches and played 57 minutes.

Three current RailHawks have also spent time with the Kickers. Matt Watson began his professional career in Richmond, scoring 10 goals in 41 appearances in 2006-07. Caleb Norkus made nine appearances for the Kickers during the 2004 season. Most recently, Jeremy Tolleson went on a one-game loan to Richmond last month. Tolleson played 90 minutes in the Kickers' 1-0 loss to Bermuda on May 9. Tolleson played so well that he was named to the USL-2 Team of the Week.

DID YOU KNOW?

Kupono Low is the only player who has played every minute of every U.S. Open Cup match in team history. Low has appeared in all eight Open Cup games to date and played all 780 minutes. Low is also the club's all-time leader in overall appearances (73) and overall minutes played (6,434).

USL-1 STANDINGS

Charleston Battery 6-0-5, 23 points

Carolina RailHawks 7-2-1, 22 points

Portland Timbers 5-1-3, 18 points

Puerto Rico Islanders 4-3-4, 16 points

Rochester Rhinos 4-4-2, 14 points

Montreal Impact 3-4-2, 11 points

Vancouver Whitecaps 3-4-2, 11 points

Austin Aztex 2-3-4, 10 points

Miami FC Blues 2-4-1, 7 points

Cleveland City Stars 1-7-2, 5 points

Minnesota Thunder 0-5-4, 4 points

USL-1 SCHEDULE

*ALL MATCHES BROADCAST ON USLLIVE.COM. *

Thursday, June 11

Portland at Carolina, 7 p.m.

Friday, June 12

Austin at Puerto Rico, 8 p.m.

Miami at Vancouver, 11 p.m.

Saturday, June 13

Rochester at Cleveland, 7 p.m.

Portland at Charleston, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, June 14

Carolina at Minnesota, 2:35 p.m.

Austin at Miami, 6 p.m.

Check out the North Carolina FC Statistics



USL First Division Stories from June 8, 2009


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