USL United Soccer League Championship

Three Points Separate West's Top Five in Week 21

August 7, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - The playoff race has tightened, with the top five teams in the USL's Western Conference separated by a meager three points heading into the weekend of Week 21 play.

Among this five-team group is a key matchup featuring defending USL champion Sacramento Republic FC, currently fifth in the West, and third-place Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. The game kicks off Saturday at Bonney Field.

Also in the West, first-place Seattle Sounders FC 2 prepares for a Cascadia matchup against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 at Starfire Stadium. WFC2 is seventh in the conference, but still very much in the potential postseason picture.

The Eastern Conference's Richmond Kickers have a difficult stretch with two games in two days, but they have the potential to make a significant run during their road trip. They open the weekend against the Harrisburg City Islanders on Saturday, followed by the East-leading Rochester Rhinos on Sunday.

GAMES TO WATCH

Seattle Sounders FC 2 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2

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

S2 and WFC2 prepare for their fourth matchup of the season, with the season series level 1-1-1 in the previous three meetings. Vancouver finally earned its first win against S2, posting a 3-1 victory at UBC Thunderbird Stadium on Victor Blasco's two-goal performance. Vancouver has struggled on the road this season at 2-8-1, while S2 leads the USL with nine home victories (9-1-0 at Starfire). Seattle will be shorthanded as captain Amadou Sanyang serves a one-game suspension after he was sent off in the second half of the team's 2-0 loss to Sacramento Republic FC last week. Only six games remain in WFC2's schedule, and with a seventh-place stance in the West, every game is vital toward reaching the playoff cutline. Vancouver helped its cause with a much-needed 3-1 road victory against Tulsa Roughnecks FC on July 31 in its past outing. (Preview)

Sacramento Republic FC vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

Saturday, 11 p.m. ET, Bonney Field

Switchbacks FC missed an opportunity to take the West lead on Wednesday, falling at home to Tulsa Roughnecks FC 1-0. That only tightened the conference standings, and now the Switchbacks (11-7-2, 35 points) hit the road in the thick of the playoff race to face Republic FC (10-7-3, 33 points) at Bonney Field. Sacramento enters the weekend three points behind Seattle Sounders FC 2 and the LA Galaxy II, having earned a big 2-0 victory against S2 on Aug. 1 during head coach Paul Buckle's USL debut on the sidelines. The Switchbacks have the strongest offense in the West with 39 goals, but they have taken a small dip in the scoring department since their dominant 5-0 win against Orange County Blues FC on June 24. Colorado Springs has scored a more subdued eight goals in its past six games. These two teams will meet again next Friday at Sand Creek Stadium, so this matchup will weigh heavily toward both teams' potential playoff positions. (Preview)

Rochester Rhinos vs. Richmond Kickers

Sunday, 5:05 p.m. ET, Sahlen's Stadium

For the first time this season, Rochester is looking to bounce back from a loss. The Rhinos' typically stout defense gave up a whopping four goals and fell to the Charlotte Independence 4-2 on Aug. 1. It is not time to panic, though, for Rochester as the team maintains first in the East at 12-1-7 and 43 points and has still allowed only 10 goals in 20 matches this year. The Rhinos are fully aware that multiple teams are looking to make a move behind them, and Richmond is one of them. The Kickers are fourth in the conference at 8-4-8 (32 points), and they will have a tremendous challenge with two games in two days. On Saturday, Richmond travels to Harrisburg to face the City Islanders. Jason Yeisley has been on a scoring tear for the Kickers, scoring five goals in their past three matches. He needs one more goal to reach 20 for his USL career. The team as a whole has tallied 10 times during this stretch. A six-point weekend would be a massive lift for Richmond, while a three-point Rochester performance would rebuild the Rhinos' comfortable lead to take advantage of Louisville City FC's midweek loss to FC Montreal.

NEWS AND NOTES

- The New York Red Bulls II are looking to extend their four-game unbeaten streak and will face a Wilmington Hammerheads FC side that is still looking for its first home win of the season. NYRBII, currently fifth in the East standings, potentially could move into to a third-place tie with the Charleston Battery, depending on its own result and the Richmond Kickers' two-game weekend. (Preview)

- FC Montreal grabbed the midweek spotlight with a dominant 4-0 victory against Louisville City FC on Wednesday at Slugger Field. Montreal's 0-5-0 start to the season feels like a distant memory of late as the team is in the midst of a 4-1-1 stretch heading into Saturday's game against Saint Louis FC at World Wide Technology Soccer Park. During its six-game span, FC Montreal has outscored its opponents by a 14-6 margin, including a 5-2 victory the last time it faced Saint Louis on July 15 at Stade Saputo. (Preview)

- OKC Energy FC's Gareth Evans and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC's Luke Vercollone are on the verge of surpassing the 10,000-minute mark in their USL regular-season careers. Evans is at 9,997 minutes and Vercollone is at 9,971.

- Evans and OKC prepare for a Saturday night road match against the Portland Timbers 2 at Merlo Field. Energy FC has earned back-to-back wins and three consecutive shutouts to move into fourth in the West. T2 is eighth in the conference. OKC is led by Danni König, who is tied with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds' Rob Vincent for the league scoring lead at 16 goals. Energy FC has the league's longest active unbeaten streak at six games (2-0-4).

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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