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USL United Soccer League Championship

USL Weekend Preview - Week 20

August 5, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - The battle for playoff position in the Western Conference takes center stage in an 11-game slate of action this weekend to conclude Week 20 in the USL regular season. After a busy midweek of action, there are now eight teams separated by seven points for the final three playoff positions, while the top five in the conference is separated by just four points entering a key set of games on Saturday and Sunday.

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, August 5

Pittsburgh Riverhounds vs. Louisville City FC

7 p.m. ET, Highmark Stadium

Louisville City FC will try to regain first place in the Eastern Conference, and also end a two-game losing streak, as it visits a Pittsburgh Riverhounds side coming off its biggest win of the season last Saturday at Highmark Stadium in the only game on Friday night (Match Center).

Louisville (12-3-6, 42pts) fell 2-1 to Orlando City B last Saturday night at Slugger Field as a pair of stoppage-time goals gave the visitors a dramatic victory. City hadn't lost back-to-back games since a three-game losing streak to end the 2015 regular season, and in midweek was overtaken for first by the New York Red Bulls II. Friday will be the side's first chance to regain the lead.

Pittsburgh (3-12-4, 13pts) is looking for back-to-back wins for the first time this season after taking a 4-1 win on the road against Wilmington Hammerheads FC last Saturday at Legion Stadium. Corey Hertzog had a goal and two assists in the win, taking the team-lead in both categories as a result, and after a 2-2 draw in Louisville in the first meeting between the sides, the Riverhounds will be hoping to continue to play a spoiler role with the playoffs pretty much out of reach for them this season.

Saturday, August 6

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2

6 p.m. ET, Thunderbird Stadium

Vancouver will try to bounce back from a stunning defeat on Wednesday night when it returns home to Thunderbird Stadium to host a Seattle side that is in its best form of the season on Saturday afternoon (Match Center).

WFC2 (10-5-6, 36pts) held a two-goal advantage in the second half against Arizona United SC at the Peoria Sports Complex, but a late collapse saw Arizona take a 3-2 victory through Chris Cortez's stoppage-time winner. Still a point ahead at the top of the Western Conference standings, Vancouver will be aiming to maintain its position with a win with the LA Galaxy II hosting the Portland Timbers 2 later in the day.

That could be a tough proposition against Seattle (7-9-5, 26pts), which took its fourth consecutive victory on Monday night with a 4-1 win against Real Monarchs SLC at Starfire Stadium. S2 got a pair of goals apiece from Myron Samuel and Darwin Jones, and has catapulted itself back into the playoff positions thanks to its recent form. Seattle is now only two points out of eighth place with nine games remaining.

Sacramento Republic FC vs. San Antonio FC

11 p.m. ET, Bonney Field

Sacramento returns home to Bonney Field to host San Antonio FC buoyed by a late victory on Tuesday night that brought its five-game road trip to an end on a major high note, but with SAFC fighting for its playoff life, the first meeting between the two teams has massive implications for both (Match Center).

Sacramento (9-6-6, 33pts) was on a five-game winless streak entering Tuesday night's USL Game of the Week on ESPN3, but a late goal by James Kiffe - his first for the club - gave Republic FC a 1-0 victory. Now just three points back of first-place Vancouver entering this weekend's action, the side will be hopeful of kicking on and securing at least a top-two finish at the end of the season.

San Antonio (6-7-6, 24pts) is coming off a tough 2-1 defeat to the Swope Park Rangers last Saturday night, but remains in the thick of the playoffs race with the most games remaining of any side in contention for the top eight in the conference. Picking up at least a point on the road would be a step in the right direction at Bonney Field, with another capacity crowd expected for this crucial contest.

Sunday, August 7

Orange County Blues FC vs. Arizona United SC

7 p.m. ET, Anteater Stadium

Both Orange County and Arizona are coming off big midweek victories that boosted the playoff hopes of both sides, and Sunday's showdown at Anteater Stadium will offer the chance for one to come away with six points for the week, and a massive lift in confidence (Match Center).

Orange County (8-9-4, 28pts) moved into the eighth and final playoff position on Thursday night as it rallied from a halftime deficit against Tulsa Roughnecks FC at ONEOK Field to take a 2-1 victory. Recent addition Richard Chaplow scored his first goal for the club, while Trevin Caesar notched his fifth goal in the past five games for the game-winner to give the Blues back-to-back victories for the first time since April.

Arizona (6-8-6, 24pts) staged a comeback of its own on Wednesday night, but in rather more dramatic fashion as it took a 3-2 win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 at the Peoria Sports Complex despite trailing with by two half-an-hour to go. Two goals by Luke Rooney, two assists by Long Tan, and a stoppage-time winner from Chris Cortez powered United to a victory, and kept it in the playoff hunt with 10 games remaining.

NUMBER CRUNCHING

750 - Seattle Sounders FC 2's Myron Samuel scored the 750th goal in the USL regular season on Monday night with the first of his two goals against Real Monarchs SLC.

32 - The USL announced this week its regular season would add two more games for the 2017 season, with the 32-game slate set to be played over a maximum of 30 weeks.

15 - The LA Galaxy II's Jack McBean remains in the lead in the race for the USL Golden Boot with 15 goals this season, one ahead of Louisville City FC's Chandler Hoffman, his former teammate with Los Dos.

5 - The Richmond Kickers' five-game winning streak is their longest since the club started the 2011 USL season with a six-game winning streak. The Kickers face FC Montreal on Saturday looking to equal the mark.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES

- 2017 USL expansion side Reno 1868 FC announced that Andy Smith had been appointed its first General Manager on Wednesday. Smith brings experience from both the USL and Major League Soccer to his new role in Nevada.

- A study released by Louisville Forward on Thursday and conducted by Convention, Sports & Leisure and Legends that confirmed a soccer-specific stadium is needed to maintain and grow professional soccer in Louisville.

- The inaugural USL 20 Under 20 series is set to conclude on Friday afternoon with the announcement of the No. 1 player on the list, concluding a two-week look at the top young players across the USL.

- Mikey Ambrose and Tony Rocha were both signed this week by Orlando City SC, making the players the first to make the move to the MLS side from Orlando City B. Rocha leads OCB with 1,335 minutes of action this season, while Ambrose is second with two fewer minutes played.

- Rio Grande Valley FC (7-5-8, 29pts) hosts OKC Energy FC (8-3-8, 32pts) on Saturday night at Toro Field in another key Western Conference game this weekend (8:30 p.m. ET | Match Center). Both teams faced Sacramento Republic FC in their last contests, with the Toros playing to a 0-0 draw last Saturday and Energy FC falling 1-0 on Tuesday night.

- The Rochester Rhinos (8-5-8, 32pts) play host to Wilmington Hammerheads FC (6-8-6, 24pts) on Saturday night at Rhinos Stadium with the Hammerheads fighting for their playoff lives after a defeat last weekend (6:05 p.m. ET | Match Center). The Rhinos are coming off a midweek loss to Richmond, while the Hammerheads are now four points out of a playoff berth after their 4-1 defeat to Pittsburgh last Saturday.

- The Charlotte Independence (9-6-5, 32pts) visit Bethlehem Steel FC (6-8-7, 25pts) on Sunday afternoon looking to bolster their playoff position at Goodman Stadium (4 p.m. ET | Match Center). The Independence took a 1-1 draw against Charleston on Wednesday night, while the Steel fell 3-2 last Sunday against Toronto FC II to drop three points back of Orlando for the eighth and final playoff berth in the East.

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