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USL United Soccer League Championship

Red-Hot Los Dos Host Defending Champs in USL's Week 9

May 15, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - The turnaround of the LA Galaxy II will be one of many enticing story angles to watch during Week 9 of the 2015 USL season.

Los Dos started the season with a four-game winless stretch, but that is a distant memory as the Galaxy II boast the league's longest winning streak at four games. LA hosts defending champion Sacramento Republic FC on Sunday.

In the Eastern Conference, expansion Louisville City FC looks to improve on its 3-0-1 mark at Slugger Field when it battles Toronto FC II on Saturday. Elsewhere, the second-place Charleston Battery will try to rebound from a midweek loss to FC Montreal when they stay on the road to face the New York Red Bulls II on Sunday in NYRBII's opener at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium.

GAMES TO WATCH

Louisville City FC vs. Toronto FC II

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, Louisville Slugger Field

Louisville City has thrived at Slugger Field this season with a 3-0-1 record, and all three wins have been of the shutout variety. Tuesday's game against Wilmington Hammerheads FC kicked off Week 9 action, and it was City FC's strongest offensive performance of the season with three first-half goals en route to a 3-0 win. The offense has also been well-distributed as Magnus Rasmussen is the only player to have scored multiple goals this season with two. The game marks the end of Toronto's lengthy eight-game road trip to open the season. TFCII (2-4-1) welcomes back forward Mo Babouli, who served a one-game suspension during Thursday's match against Saint Louis FC. Babouli's teammates picked up the slack in his absence with a key 2-1 victory at World Wide Technology Soccer Park. (Preview)

New York Red Bulls II vs. Charleston Battery

Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium

Charleston will look to get back on track following a 1-0 loss at FC Montreal on Thursday. The Battery had been one of two remaining teams without a loss (the other being the 6-0-2 Rochester Rhinos). The Battery will have plenty of reinforcements for this weekend. They were shorthanded in Montreal with Maikel Chang, Heviel Cordoves, Obi Woodbine, Emmanuel Adjetey and goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper all unavailable. New York looks forward to its first match at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium on the campus of Columbia University. NYRBII's previous six home matches were at Red Bull Arena. The club will certainly want to make up for its last match, a 2-1 loss to the Harrisburg City Islanders capped off by an own goal in the closing minutes.

LA Galaxy II vs. Sacramento Republic FC

Sunday, 7:15 p.m. ET, StubHub Center

Nearly one month ago, Sacramento was enjoying a three-game winning streak and the Galaxy II had yet to pick up their first victory of the season. The tune has changed for LA since then as Los Dos (4-3-1) have won four in a row and prepare for Sacramento (5-4-0) in Carson, Calif. Sacramento had the upper hand in the previous two meetings between the teams, scoring a 3-2 victory in stoppage time March 28 before scoring three first-half goals and defeating the Galaxy II 3-1 on April 11 at Bonney Field. LA's Raul Mendiola has posted an assist in seven consecutive games, and the only match in which he did not record one was the season-opening scoreless draw against Real Monarchs SLC. Mendiola leads the USL in that category, having already equaled his assist total from 2014.

NEWS AND NOTES

- Seattle Sounders FC 2's home/road split will once again be a focal point on Friday. S2 puts its 4-0-0 home record on the line when it hosts OKC Energy FC on Friday at Starfire. Seattle has outscored its opponents 12-4 during home matches. (Video Preview)

- Energy FC is the only Western Conference team that is still unbeaten on the road (1-0-2). OKC also won the previous meeting against S2, rallying for a 2-1 victory on April 18.

- Belgrade, Serbia, native Boris Zivanovic signed with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Thursday. The 25-year-old midfielder spent two seasons playing for Budapest Honved in Hungary's top division. Pittsburgh (2-3-2) hosts the Richmond Kickers (4-1-3) on Saturday.

- Saturday's match between host Real Monarchs SLC and the Portland Timbers 2 will be the third - and final - regular-season affair between the two sides. T2 (3-3-1) has a win and draw against the Monarchs (1-5-2), posting a 3-1 victory to open the season on March 29 at Merlo Field. The last game was a 1-1 draw on April 8 at Rio Tinto Stadium. (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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