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USL United Soccer League Championship

Rochester, Arizona Make Long-Awaited Home Debuts in Week 6

April 24, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - Heading into the weekend, only three teams have yet to play a game at home this 2015 USL season. Two will make their home debuts after posting successful road results.

Second-year club Arizona United SC (3-1-0), tied for second in the Western Conference, hosts the Portland Timbers 2 at Scottsdale Stadium on Saturday night. The Rochester Rhinos (3-0-2), tied for first in the Eastern Conference, host the New York Red Bulls II on Sunday at Sahlen's Stadium.

Orange County Blues FC and Tulsa Roughnecks FC will make their first road trips this year. Orange County faces a difficult task against defending USL champion Sacramento Republic FC on Friday and Tulsa starts a five-game road trip against Louisville City FC on Saturday.

GAMES TO WATCH

Sacramento Republic FC vs. Orange County Blues FC

Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET, Bonney Field

Western Conference-leading Sacramento (4-2-0) is one of the league's hottest teams right now with a three-game winning streak, outscoring its opponents 8-1 during that stretch. The defending champion should be challenged on Friday against Orange County (2-1-0), which earned back-to-back shutouts against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 and Arizona United SC. This marks the Blues' first road trip of the season and they are coming off their biggest win, a 3-0 victory against an Arizona United SC team that had won its first three games this year. Orange County has had a balanced attack this season with five players accounting for the Blues' six goals - two from Christopher Ramirez. Sacramento's Rodrigo Lopez is enjoying a robust start to the season, leading the USL with five goals and recently winning USL Player of the Week. (Preview; Video: Blues Breeze into Bonney)

Arizona United SC vs. Portland Timbers 2

Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, Scottsdale Stadium

Arizona United looks to rebound from the only blip to its season - a 3-0 loss to Orange County - when it gears up for its home opener against T2. Arizona won its first three games of the season and currently is tied for second in the Western Conference with Seattle Sounders FC 2. The game will likely feature Portland Timbers midfielder Will Johnson, who was back to full training with the MLS side this week. Timbers head coach Caleb Porter said that the plan is for Johnson to play approximately 50-60 minutes with T2 on Saturday to get back to full match fitness. (Preview)

Rochester Rhinos vs. New York Red Bulls II

Sunday, 2:05 p.m. ET, Sahlen's Stadium

The Rhinos' long-awaited home opener is here after posting a strong 3-0-2 road record and 11 points to head into the weekend tied atop the Eastern Conference with the Richmond Kickers. Rochester went 5-5-4 at Sahlen's Stadium in 2014. The Rhinos square off against the New York Red Bulls II after both sides opened their seasons with a scoreless draw against each other at Red Bull Arena on March 28. NYRBII (1-2-2) will have a difficult task going up against the league's top defense; Rochester has earned three shutouts and leads the USL with the lowest goals-against average at 0.4. (Rhinos Return to Form with Stalwart Defense; Video: Rhinos Ready for NYRBII)

NEWS AND NOTES

- New England Revolution goalkeeper Trevor Spangenberg has been loaned to the Richmond Kickers and will be available for selection when Richmond travels to FC Montreal on Saturday. The MLS club said Spangenberg will return to the Revs following the match.

- After this weekend, the remaining team to have not played a home game is Toronto FC II. Toronto is 1-2-1 on the road to open the season and is preparing for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday at Highmark Stadium. TFC II is in the midst of an eight-game road trip before it hosts the Rochester Rhinos on Saturday, May 23, at BMO Field.

- The Richmond Kickers (3-0-2), who travel to FC Montreal on Saturday, lead the league with a plus-7 goal differential. Richmond is one of five unbeaten teams remaining, the others being the Rochester Rhinos (3-0-2), Louisville City FC (1-0-3), the Charleston Battery (3-0-1) and OKC Energy FC (2-0-1).

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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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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