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United Soccer League Championship

USL Weekend Preview - Week 13

June 17, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - The 13th week of the 2016 USL season includes a 14-game weekend slate that brings the first meeting of the season between the teams that contested last season's Eastern Conference Championship Game, and the chance for two standout performers a season ago for OKC Energy FC, Christian Duke and Jacob VanCompernolle, to welcome their former teammates to Swope Park.

Every game of the 2016 USL season will be available on the league's Match Center, with updates from across the league also available via Twitter, Facebook, Vine and Instagram.

GAMES TO WATCH

Friday, June 17

Tulsa Roughnecks FC vs. LA Galaxy II

8:30 p.m. ET, ONEOK Field, ESPN3

The most prolific attack in the USL heads to Oklahoma to face a defense that has struggled in recent weeks on Friday night as the LA Galaxy II square off with Tulsa Roughnecks FC in the USL Game of the Week on ESPN3 at ONEOK Field (Match Center).

The Roughnecks (2-9-1, 7pts) are coming off their heaviest defeat in club history as they absorbed a 7-1 loss to Saint Louis FC last Saturday night. Tulsa has conceded more shots and more shots on goal than any other team in the USL, and will need to tighten up against a visitor that has proven decisive in front of goal this season.

The Galaxy II (5-2-7, 22pts) were held scoreless for only the second time this season in their past outing, a 0-0 draw with fellow Western Conference contender Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. Los Dos have found goals from multiple sources this season, with four players having at least three goals. Captain Jack McBean leads the league with 11 goals this season.

Saturday, June 18

Rochester Rhinos vs. Louisville City FC

6:05 p.m. ET, Rhinos Stadium

A rematch of the 2015 USL Eastern Conference Championship Game is set to open Saturday night's action at Rhinos Stadium, as the Rhinos look to close the gap on a Louisville side that has kicked on impressively in its second season to sit at the top of the Eastern Conference going into the weekend's action (Match Center).

The defending USL champion Rhinos (5-3-3, 18pts) are coming off back-to-back defeats in the past seven days, after Toronto FC II took a 2-1 win last Saturday at the Ontario Soccer Centre, and then Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls took a 1-0 win in the Fourth Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night. Christian Volesky scored his fifth goal of the season against Toronto, and will likely be a key figure in Saturday's game.

Louisville (8-1-4, 28pts), meanwhile, is on an 11-game undefeated streak in the league that has placed it one point ahead of the New York Red Bulls II. City played to a 2-2 draw with Wilmington Hammerheads FC last Saturday as the visitors got a late equalizer at Slugger Field. The game saw Chandler Hoffman record his ninth and 10th goals of the season to move into a tie for second in the race for the Golden Boot.

Swope Park Rangers vs. OKC Energy FC

8:30 p.m. ET, Children's Mercy Victory Field at Swope Soccer Village

The Rangers and Energy FC will meet for the second time this season, and the first in Kansas City, on Saturday night when they square off in a key clash in the Western Conference (Match Center). Energy FC took the first meeting between the teams 1-0 on April 23 when Kalen Ryden scored the only goal of the game at Taft Stadium.

The defeat was the first suffered by the Rangers (4-6-2, 14pts) in their history, and began a run of up and down form that was epitomized by the team's outings last week. Swope Park first swept to a 4-0 win against Rio Grande Valley FC on June 8, and then fell 3-2 to Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 on June 12 despite a late rally that almost saw the side grab an equalizer with the final kick of the game.

Energy FC (4-2-4, 16pts) has been much more consistent since its win against the Rangers, meanwhile, with last weekend's defeat to Rio Grande Valley FC the team's first since the opening day of the season. OKC was in action in midweek in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round, where it went to a penalty shootout against FC Dallas after a 2-2 draw before being eliminated.

Sacramento Republic FC vs. Rio Grande Valley FC

11 p.m. ET, Bonney Field

Two of the top five teams in the USL's Western Conference meet at Bonney Field with the upstart Toros looking to continue their good recent run of form as they meet Sacramento for the first time in their history (Match Center).

Republic FC (6-3-3, 21pts) is coming off back-to-back victories against Real Monarchs SLC that saw the side move solidly back into the playoff positions. Cameron Iwasa and Adam Jahn scored last Saturday in a 2-1 win at Greater Nevada Field in a contest hosted by 2017 USL expansion side Reno 1868 FC, as the team's defense remained watertight allowing only one goal over the two games against a solid Monarchs attack.

Sacramento will have to contend with another bright young attack on Saturday as the Toros (6-3-4, 22pts) head west. RGVFC took a 3-0 win against OKC Energy FC in its past outing, but will be without forward Jose Escalante as he serves a suspension for his red card in that contest. The Toros have other options to lead their line, though, with Memo Rodriguez having three goals and two assists this season, and T.J. Casner sitting tied for the league lead with four assists.

MILESTONES

- Midweek saw a number of USL players feature for MLS sides in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, as the league's new roster rules saw players such as RGVFC's T.J. Casner suit up for the Houston Dynamo, and the LA Galaxy II's Jack McBean compete for the LA Galaxy in the tournament's Fourth Round.

- FC Cincinnati surpassed the 100,000-mark for total attendance in its inaugural season last weekend against FC Montreal. Cincinnati is averaging 15,927 fans per game through seven games, which is on pace to set a new USL record.

- The Rochester Rhinos are on a 24-game home undefeated streak in USL regular season and playoff games as they prepare to host Louisville City FC on Saturday night.

- There is a six-player logjam at the top of the USL assists leaders chart, with Orlando's Pierre Da Silva and Louisville's Kyle Smith the latest players to join the group last weekend. Smith has recorded an assist in each of his past three games.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES

- Two teams with identical 4-4-4 records will meet when Wilmington Hammerheads FC and Bethlehem Steel FC square off on Friday night at Legion Stadium (7 p.m. ET | Match Center). The Hammerheads are on a three-game undefeated streak coming in, while the Steel took a 1-0 win against Charlotte last weekend, and will look to complete the North Carolina double.

- The Charlotte Independence (5-4-3, 18pts) and Richmond Kickers (5-4-4, 19pts) will meet on Saturday in a rematch of one of the more exciting early-season contests this season at Ramblewood Stadium (7 p.m. ET | Match Center). The teams both held the lead in the first meeting before a stoppage-time penalty kick by Jorge Herrera gave Charlotte a 3-2 victory.

- San Antonio FC (2-5-5, 11pts) and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (7-2-2, 23pts) will meet at Toyota Field on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET | Match Center) after both having suffered elimination from the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in midweek. SAFC lost to the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night, while the Switchbacks were edged out 1-0 on a late goal by the Colorado Rapids.

- Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 (7-2-4, 25 pts) will look to maintain its lead at the top of the Western Conference when it welcomes Cascadia rival the Portland Timbers 2 to Thunderbird Stadium on Sunday (5 p.m. ET | Match Center). WFC2 took a pair of 3-1 victories on the road against T2 earlier this season, and will look to maintain the upper hand in the rivalry on home turf.

- The New York Red Bulls II (8-1-3, 24pts) have won four consecutive games by a score of 1-0 as they visit Orlando City B (5-6-2, 17pts) on Sunday night at the Titan Soccer Complex (7:30 p.m. ET | Match Center). New York enters the weekend a point back of Louisville for the Eastern Conference lead, but could get a strong test from an Orlando side that has won three of its past four contests.

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