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USL United Soccer League Championship

Rhinos Begin Title Defense against Riverhounds in Week 2

April 1, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - The 2015 USL Champion Rochester Rhinos begin their title defense when they visit the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday at Highmark Stadium. The game is the season opener for both sides. Rochester won its fourth championship crown last season, and first since 2011.

Week 2 includes 12 games from Friday through Sunday, and the week has already featured a pair of Wednesday matches. The LA Galaxy II defeated Saint Louis FC 3-0 and Arizona United SC posted a 2-0 road victory against Seattle Sounders FC 2 to earn its first win of the season.

Expansion San Antonio FC makes its long-awaited debut when it visits Seattle on Sunday at Starfire Stadium.

Every game of the 2016 USL season will be available on the league's Match Center, with updates from across the league also available via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

GAMES TO WATCH

Saturday, April 2

Louisville City FC vs. New York Red Bulls II

3 p.m. ET, Louisville Slugger Field

Last year's Eastern Conference Finalist Louisville preps for its home opener against NYRB II. Louisville and New York finished second and fourth, respectively, in the Eastern Conference last year in their inaugural seasons.

Few teams were a thorn in City's side last year, but the Red Bulls II were one of them. New York won both matches in 2015, posting a 2-0 victory on June 20 at Slugger and a 3-2 win on Sept. 5 at Red Bull Arena.

Louisville goalkeeper Scott Goodwin, who was in the net for both previous meetings last season against NYRB II, was voted USL Player of the Week on Tuesday after his shutout and penalty save helped City claim a 1-0 victory on the road against the Charlotte Independence.

The Red Bulls II are coming off a 2-2 draw last Saturday against Toronto FC II at Red Bull Arena. NYRB II erased a two-goal halftime deficit as Brandon Allen recorded a second-half brace.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds vs. Rochester Rhinos

7 p.m. ET, Highmark Stadium

The 2015 USL Champion Rhinos visit fellow 2015 postseason side the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the season opener for both teams. The Rhinos are coming off one of the strongest seasons in league history. Rochester conceded only 15 regular-season goals and a 17-1-0 record before the postseason. There, the Rhinos, earned shutout victories against the New York Red Bulls II (2-0 win in the Eastern Conference Semifinals) and Louisville City FC (1-0 win against the Eastern Conference Final) and then defeated the LA Galaxy II 2-1 in overtime in the 2015 USL Championship on Oct. 16.

Pittsburgh qualified for the USL Playoffs for the third time in the past five seasons but bowed out in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, falling 4-2 in overtime to NYRB II. The Riverhounds went 6-2-6 at Highmark Stadium last season.

The Rhinos won the season series against the Riverhounds last year with a 2-0-1 record. The Hounds and Rhinos last played to a 1-1 draw at Highmark on Sept. 16, 2015.

Sacramento Republic FC vs. Arizona United SC

10:30 p.m. ET, Bonney Field

Sacramento preps for its home opener when it hosts Arizona on Saturday night. Republic FC opened the 2016 season with a 1-0 victory against Seattle Sounders FC 2. The last time Sacramento played at Bonney Field, the club fell 1-0 to the LA Galaxy II in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

United SC, under the guidance of two-time MLS Coach of the Year Frank Yallop, earned its first win of the season in the midweek, posting a 2-0 road victory against S2 on Wednesday at Starfire Stadium. The victory snapped a five-game winless streak (0-4-1) dating back to last season, and Gibson Bardley's goal was the first since Sept. 5, 2015, ending a 399-minute scoreless drought.

MILESTONES

- The Charleston Battery hold the league's longest current home unbeaten streak at 26 games, coming off a 1-0 victory against FC Cincinnati last Saturday at MUSC Health Stadium. Cincinnati is 17-0-9 during this stretch, which includes the 2015 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal win against the Richmond Kickers. The team's last home defeat occurred on May 10, 2014, a 1-0 loss to Wilmington Hammerheads FC. Charleston is on the road Friday against Orlando City B. The Battery's next home game is against Wilmington on April 9.

- Four of the USL's top five all-time leading goal scorers have returned for the 2016 USL season. They include the Swope Park Rangers' Dane Kelly (No. 1, 42 goals), Richmond Kickers' Matthew Delicate (No. 2, 41 goals), Louisville City FC's George Davis IV (tied for No. 4, 33 goals) and the Charlotte Independence's Jorge Herrera (tied for No. 4, 33 goals).

- The Richmond Kickers' Jason Yeisley, who scored during his team's 3-1 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders last week, now has 24 goals in his USL career. That moves him into a tie for 11th on the all-time goal-scoring list alongside former Pittsburgh Riverhounds midfielder Rob Vincent of D.C. United.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES

- The Portland Timbers 2 prep for their home opener against Cascadia rival Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 on Saturday at Merlo Field (10 p.m. ET). The two sides had some strong duels last year, posting 2-2-0 records against each other. The second-year clubs missed out on the USL Playoffs last season and will feature young sides once again in 2016. Vancouver got off to a better start of these two, posting a 1-0 victory against Orange County Blues FC, the 2015 regular-season Western Conference winner. Kyle Greig scored WFC2's lone goal.

- Tulsa Roughnecks FC hosts 2016 newcomers the Swope Park Rangers on Saturday at ONEOK Field to continue its three-game home stand. Both teams won their season openers as they look to secure a high placing in the Western Conference early on. Tulsa earned a 2-0 win against Rio Grande Valley FC last week while Swope Park is coming off a 2-1 victory against the Portland Timbers 2. Kevin Oliveira etched his name as the first goal-scorer in the Rangers' USL history.

- The LA Galaxy II could become the first team this season to record three victories during Saturday's road match against Real Monarchs SLC at Rio Tinto Stadium (9 p.m. ET). Los Dos continued their strong start with a 3-0 victory against Saint Louis FC on Wednesday at StubHub Center. Jack McBean tallied a brace to lead LA. The Monarchs are coming off a thrilling 1-0 victory against Saint Louis FC last Saturday at Rio Tinto. Maikon Orellana scored the dramatic winner in second-half stoppage time as the Monarchs extended their winning streak to six, dating back to last season.

- Fellow 2016 expansion clubs FC Cincinnati and Bethlehem Steel FC meet up on Sunday for the Steel's home opener at Goodman Stadium (3 p.m. ET). Bethlehem earned a 1-0 road victory on March 25 while Cincinnati, coached by U.S. Soccer legend and National Soccer Hall of Famer John Harkes, is coming off a 1-0 road loss to the Charleston Battery on March 26.

- San Antonio FC, led by Head Coach Darren Powell, will begin its first USL season when it travels to Seattle to take on the Sounders 2 on Sunday at Starfire Stadium (8 p.m. ET). The club is owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the NBA's San Antonio Spurs. SAFC faces a Seattle team that has dropped its first two home matches following a season in which S2 lost only three times at Starfire. San Antonio goalkeeper Josh Ford is a former member of Seattle Sounders FC, selected by the club in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft.

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