USL San Diego Loyal

SD Loyal Back Home for Week 22 Pacific Division Affair

Published on September 18, 2021 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
San Diego Loyal News Release


On Sunday, Sept. 19, San Diego Loyal is back home for one of its four remaining home regular season matches at Torero Stadium at USD. The Week 22 match slated to be streamed on Yurview (Cox 4), ESPN+ and broadcasted on Azteca America 33 in Spanish.

WHO:

- SD Loyal SC

- Tacoma Defiance

WHEN:

Sunday, Sept. 19

3 p.m. PT

WHERE:

Torero Stadium

5998 Alcala Park

San Diego, CA 92111

MATCH PREVIEW:

SD Loyal has had many firsts since its creation in 2019. It is one of the newest USL Championship teams. It has added more milestones in its second season, but there is one thing coach Landon Donovan's team hasn't done in 2021 - beat Tacoma Defiance. SD Loyal has earned points against all of its Pacific Division foes in 2021 except against the squad from Washington.

SD Loyal is 0-3 this season against coach Wade Weber's side. It played to a 3-1 loss early in the season on the road when the team was beginning to find an identity three weeks into the season calendar. Then SD Loyal returned to Cheney Stadium on July 29 but again it left without points in a 2-1 loss. Things didn't change much when SD Loyal hosted Tacoma at Torero Stadium on Aug. 14. It was another loss, this time 2-1 with Donovan's team playing a strong first half that had Corey Hertzog score a goal to later be changed by the league to an own goal by Tacoma's Taylor Mueller.

Sunday's match on "Fiestas Patrias" at USD could be a bit different for SD Loyal and it could have its best chance to defeat Tacoma for once this season. Donovan and his coaching staff didn't have a boosted attack like it does now after the addition of Augustine Williams and Douglas Martinez. SD Loyal has found a resurgent attack before playing to a scoreless draw at Oakland Roots last week in a game it mostly dominated.

Tacoma Defiance, a team that has had several changes to its roster through the season, has had an up and down season that has sent it into fourth place heading into this match, still looking to earn one of the final playoff spots in the division, despite having some of its top young players called to play with its MLS father team Seattle Sounders.

It is coming off a midweek loss to Oakland Roots on the road. The home side struck first when an attempted clearance deflected off Johnny Rodriguez and found the feet of Lindo Mfeka, who was able to fire a low shot past Tacoma goalkeeper Christian Herrera. Ray Serrano answered in the 32nd minute on a beautiful individual goal that saw him receive a ball from Danny Robles, dribble around a defender and score from a tough angle into the roof of the goal. Oakland Roots took the lead right before halftime when Wal Fall took a half-volley from just outside the 18-yard-box that bounced off the crossbar and into the back of the net.

Mfeka secured his brace in the 54th minute, sprinting into the area and finding the ball at his feet before firing a shot into the back of the net.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from September 18, 2021


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