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USL United Soccer League Championship

Top Four West Teams Set for Showdowns in USL Week 20

July 31, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


Sacramento Republic FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2
Sacramento Republic FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2
(Sacramento Republic FC)

TAMPA, Fla. - The USL's Western Conference will be a big focal point in Week 20 with the top four teams in the standings playing each other.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC hosts the LA Galaxy II on Friday at Sand Creek Stadium. Then on Saturday, defending USL champion Sacramento Republic FC hosts Seattle Sounders FC 2 at Bonney Field. This will be Sacramento's first league match since a 4-0 loss to Los Dos on July 11.

Heading into the weekend, the West's top four are as follows: Seattle (11-6-3, 36 points), LA Galaxy II (11-5-3, 36 points), Colorado Springs (10-6-2, 32 points) and Sacramento (9-7-3, 30 points).

In the Eastern Conference, the Harrisburg City Islanders hope to maintain their momentum from a thrilling 10-man comeback victory against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds when they visit the Richmond Kickers on Saturday at City Stadium.

GAMES TO WATCH

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. LA Galaxy II

Friday, 9 p.m. ET, Sand Creek Stadium

The second- and third-place teams in the jam-packed Western Conference square off. Los Dos are even with Seattle Sounders FC 2 in points with 36 but are second based on the head-to-head tiebreaker. Colorado Springs is four points behind the Galaxy II with a game in hand, and is looking to improve on its impressive 7-1-1 mark at Sand Creek Stadium. The Galaxy II have been strong on the road with a 6-2-0 record, and the six road victories lead the USL, one more than the unbeaten Rochester Rhinos, who are 5-0-6 away from Sahlen's Stadium. Earlier this season, the Galaxy II earned a 2-1 win against the Switchbacks on May 30 at StubHub Center as Raul Mendiola scored in stoppage time to give Los Dos victory. The interesting tie-in going into Friday's match is Colorado Springs' recent loan acquisition of Chandler Hoffman from the Houston Dynamo. Hoffman was a big-time scoring threat for the Galaxy II during the 2014 season. He scored 14 goals in 19 games to earn All-League honors, and may face his former teammates in his first game for Colorado Springs. (Video Preview; Game Preview)

Richmond Kickers vs. Harrisburg City Islanders

Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, City Stadium

The Kickers and City Islanders will square off three times during the remainder of the regular season, including twice in the next week. The first matchup is on Richmond's soil as the Kickers try to rebound from a 4-3 loss to the New York Red Bulls II in Week 19. The City Islanders, on the other hand, turned a setback into a thrilling victory last week when they played with 10 men during the second half and scored three unanswered goals to rally for a 4-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Richmond has been consistently in the top half of the East all season, but the 7-4-8 record and 29 points are only a shade above a pack of teams right behind, including the City Islanders (7-6-4, 25 points). The Kickers have posted a 4-1-4 record at City Stadium and have a strong track record all-time against Harrisburg with a 15-4-7 series record, but the City Islanders took victory in their last meeting at City Stadium, a 3-2 win in the semifinals of the 2014 USL Playoffs. (Game Preview)

Sacramento Republic FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2

Saturday, 11 p.m. ET, Bonney Field

Republic FC prepares for its first USL match in approximately three weeks when it hosts S2. This represents Sacramento head coach Paul Buckle's first league match at the helm. Seattle enters the weekend atop the Western Conference with an 11-6-3 record and 36 points, while Sacramento is not far off the pace at 9-7-3 and 30 points. The series thus far has been dominated by the hosts in the previous two meetings. Seattle opened the series with a four-goal second half and 4-2 victory at Starfire Stadium on March 21, and Sacramento responded with a 3-0 win on May 9 at Bonney. Republic FC's "break" from USL play included a pair of friendlies - a 1-0 win against Sunderland AFC on July 14 and a 1-0 loss to Newcastle United four days later. Four of Sacramento's next five games in August are at home, a welcome thought as the club looks to solidify a playoff spot and challenge for the top spot in the West. (Video Preview; Game Preview)

NEWS AND NOTES

- The Rochester Rhinos are now three wins or draws away from matching the USL record of 22 consecutive games unbeaten (Richmond 2013). East-leading Rochester (12-0-7) will put its 19-game unbeaten streak on the line again when it faces the Charlotte Independence on Saturday at Ramblewood Soccer Stadium. The Independence gave the Rhinos one of their stiffest tests of the season during a scoreless draw on July 18 at Sahlen's Stadium, and are coming off a 2-0 win against FC Montreal that saw them move their home record this season to 5-2-0.

- Wilmington Hammerheads FC has received Orlando City SC defender Tommy Redding on a loan for the remainder of the season. The 18-year-old has been a member of multiple youth national teams throughout his young career, and it is expected that Redding will make his Hammerheads debut Saturday when they go on the road to face the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Highmark Stadium.

- The Riverhounds are expected to welcome goalkeeper Ryan Thompson back to the lineup against Wilmington, after the Jamaican goalkeeper's recent exploits in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Thompson helped the Reggae Boyz reach the final for the first time, including a semifinal victory against the United States.

- Seven teams are separated by six points from fifth to 11th position in the Western Conference, with six of those clubs set to meet each other during the weekend. Arizona United SC faces arguably the biggest test, as it visits fifth-placed OKC Energy FC on Friday night and seventh-placed Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Sunday. Elsewhere, the Austin Aztex host the Portland Timbers 2 on Friday night, while the Roughnecks open the weekend on Friday with a visit from Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2.

- The Charleston Battery will take to the field at MUSC Health Stadium for the first time on Saturday after the club announced a new naming agreement on Thursday that will continue through the end of the decade. The Battery are looking to snap a two-game losing streak that saw them drop into third place in the Eastern Conference standings as they welcome FC Montreal.

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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Sacramento Republic FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2
Sacramento Republic FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2
   

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