USL Week 1: S2 Makes Opening Statement
March 23, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release
Seattle Sounders FC 2 Inaugural Game
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TAMPA, Fla. - The 2015 USL season kicked off this weekend as one of the league's newcomers made a big statement and one of its old guard pulled off a dramatic victory. Let's take a look back at the weekend that was in the USL.
FEATURED GAMES
Seattle Sounders FC 2 4, Sacramento Republic FC 2
S2 opened its inaugural season in the USL with a big offensive outburst, as four second-half goals earned victory against the defending champions. Andy Craven scored the first goal in club history, and his strike was followed by finishes from Sam Garza, Pablo Rossi and Christian Roldan that earned all three points in front of a near-capacity crowd at Starfire Stadium.
Charleston Battery 3, Toronto FC II 2
Before Seattle's big win, the Battery struck the opening blow for the league's veteran clubs as they rallied to defeat TFCII at Blackbaud Stadium. Toronto took an early two-goal lead as Jordan Hamilton scored the first goal of the season and Mo Babouli struck on his professional debut, but the Battery grew as the game went on. Dane Kelly pulled a goal back before halftime, and Charleston got goals from both center backs as Shawn Ferguson and Taylor Mueller each put home finishes from set pieces - Mueller's coming in stoppage time - to grab all three points.
QUOTEABLE
"We had the draw, and we knew that, but you never want to draw at home. I don't think it was nerves early. We just made some mistakes. But at the end maybe there was a bit of pressure. We wanted the win." - Taylor Mueller, Charleston Battery
"They had the better of the play in the first half, but we went in at halftime and tweaked some things defensively so we could get the ball more, because if you're chasing for 90 minutes like that it becomes difficult. I thought the guys responded well, we were able to get more possession of the ball, and then, wow, we scored some goals. Any time you can score four goals in a half like that, it's pretty good." - Ezra Hendrickson, Seattle Sounders FC 2
"I saw Damien [Lowe] getting ready to clear it out, and I figured I just needed to do my best to hold it if I had to, or get onto the end of it. It took a couple of bounces, the turf is pretty bouncy, so I just did my best to stay with it, and I got it to bounce my way and lifted it over the ¬Ëkeeper." - Andy Craven, Seattle Sounders FC 2
BY THE NUMBERS
1 - Jordan Hamilton's goal put him alongside Stanley Nyazamba (Richmond, 2011), Mike Seth (Pittsburgh, 2012), George Davis IV (Orange County, 2013) and Mamadou Diouf (Charleston, 2014) as the scorer of the opening goal of the USL season.
32 - Dane Kelly's goal for the Charleston Battery was the 32nd regular-season goal of his career, tying him for second all-time in the league with Jose Angulo.
4 - Four players scored their first professional goals this weekend, with Toronto FC II's Mo Babouli and the Seattle Sounders FC 2's Andy Craven and Christian Roldan doing so in their first appearances for their respective sides. Charleston's Taylor Mueller also notched his first, in his 55th regular-season appearance for the Battery.
50 - Daniel Steres (LA Galaxy II), Haviel Cordoves (Charleston Battery) and Mickey Daly (Sacramento Republic FC) all made their 50th regular-season appearances in the USL.
RESULTS
Saturday, March 21
Charleston Battery 3, Toronto FC II 2
Seattle Sounders FC 2 4, Sacramento Republic FC 2
Sunday, March 22
LA Galaxy II 0, Real Monarchs SLC 0
SCHEDULE
Friday, March 27
Charlotte Independence vs. Charleston Battery, 7:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, March 28
FC Montreal vs. Toronto FC II, 12:30 p.m. ET
New York Red Bulls II vs. Rochester Rhinos, 2 p.m. ET
Louisville City FC vs. Saint Louis FC, 3 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh Riverhounds vs. Harrisburg City Islanders, 7 p.m. ET
Wilmington Hammerheads FC vs. Richmond Kickers, 7 p.m. ET
Tulsa Roughnecks FC vs. OKC Energy FC, 8 p.m. ET
Austin Aztex vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, 9 p.m. ET
Orange County Blues FC vs. Arizona United SC, 10 p.m. ET
LA Galaxy II vs. Sacramento Republic FC, 10:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, March 29
Seattle Sounders FC 2 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, 7 p.m. ET
Portland Timbers 2 vs. Real Monarchs SLC, 9 p.m. ET
HOW TO FOLLOW
Every game of the 2015 USL season can be see live, free and in HD on YouTube (www.Youtube.com/USL), with updates from across the league also available via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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 Seattle Sounders FC 2 Inaugural Game |
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