USL United Soccer League Championship

USL Weekend Preview - Week 9

May 20, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - The ninth week of the 2016 USL season kicks off on Friday night with 13 games slated for a weekend that will see the top team in the Western Conference put its undefeated record on the line against a Cascadia rival, and San Antonio FC and OKC Energy FC complete a heated home-and-home series.

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, May 20

Portland Timbers 2 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2

10:30 p.m. ET, Providence Park

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 will look to continue its undefeated start to the season when it visits Cascadia rivals the Portland Timbers 2 on Friday night, aiming to pick up its second win of the season in Portland.

WFC2 (5-0-2, 17pts) moved to the top of the Western Conference last Sunday with a 4-3 win against the LA Galaxy II that saw 15-year-old Alphonso Davies become the youngest goal-scorer in USL history. Kyle Greig also bagged a pair of goals to move into a tie for second in the league with seven, while Daniel Haber notched two goals the last time the teams met as Vancouver took a 3-1 win on April 2.

Portland (3-5-1, 10pts) saw its three-game undefeated streak come to an end against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC last Friday night in the USL Game of the Week on ESPN3. Friday's game is part of a four-game weekend at Providence Park, with the club's PDL team also competing on Friday afternoon, the NWSL's Thorns on Saturday night, and Major League Soccer's Timbers facing the Whitecaps on Sunday on ESPN.

Saturday, May 21

Richmond Kickers vs. Louisville City FC

7 p.m. ET, City Stadium

Richmond and Louisville meet for the first time this season with the Kickers looking to break the Eastern Conference leader's seven-game undefeated streak.

Richmond (4-3-2, 14pts) sits six points back of Louisville in the conference standings after a late goal by Brian Ownby earned a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls II. After a comfortable midweek win in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the Kickers will look to make it five wins out of five on home turf this season in the league.

On the other hand, Louisville (6-1-2, 20pts) will have a chance to continue an outstanding record of success away from home when it visits City Stadium. City is 4-0-1 on its travels this season, but faces two big roads tests as it visits Richmond on Saturday, and then Charleston on May 28 to round out the month.

San Antonio FC vs. OKC Energy FC

8:30 p.m. ET, Toyota Field

After the two teams played to a 1-1 draw at Taft Stadium, the home-and-home series between San Antonio and OKC heads to Toyota Field on Saturday night with both teams looking to make a move up the standings.

San Antonio (2-3-3, 9pts) is coming off a midweek win at home in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup that saw Jacques Francois score his first two goals as a professional in a 3-1 win against Corinthians FC. After falling in its last home outing against Rio Grande Valley FC, SAFC will be hoping to build ahead of its Wednesday night rematch with the Toros on the USL Game of the Week on ESPN3.

OKC (1-1-4, 7pts) is undefeated in its last five games, but four of those have been draws as the side sits in the lower half of the Western Conference. This week the side looked to add to its attacking firepower with the loan of Wojciech Wojcik from Indy Eleven, but the fact that Danni König, the club's leading scorer a season ago, found the net against SAFC last weekend for his first of this season should provide optimism a good run of form is at hand.

Arizona United SC vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

10:30 p.m. ET, Peoria Sports Complex

Saturday night's meeting between Arizona and Colorado Springs is not only a key league game for both clubs, but will also serve as a preview for two weeks from now when they meet in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the chance to play the Colorado Rapids.

Arizona (2-3-3, 9pts) has been solid in its most recent outings, going undefeated in its last four league games before a midweek 5-0 thrashing of the PDL's FC Tucson. Long Tan scored twice in that contest, and Coach Frank Yallop will be hoping that form can translate to the league as United looks to find an attacking spark for an offense that has five goals in eight league games thus far.

Colorado Springs (5-2-0, 15pts) has had less trouble in front of goal, with Mike Seth's third goal of the season earning a 1-0 win in the club's last outing against Portland in the USL Game of the Week on ESPN3 last Friday. Seth has also added three assists this season, as the Switchbacks have moved into third place in the Western Conference, the same position in which the club finished its inaugural season last year.

MILESTONES

- Rio Grande Valley FC's Mauro Manotas scored the 250th goal in the USL this season last Friday night. Manotas' finish earned the Toros a 1-1 draw with Real Monarchs SLC.

- FC Cincinnati set a new USL single-game record with an attendance of 23,375 at Nippert Stadium last Saturday night when it hosted the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

- Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2's Kyle Greig needs one more goal for 30 in his USL career. Greig scored six goals with Wilmington Hammerheads FC in 2013, and then 16 goals for OKC Energy FC over the past two seasons before joining WFC2.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES

- The USL awarded a new franchise on Thursday morning to Nashville, Tenn. and DMD Soccer. Led by the ownership group of David Dill, the President and Chief Operating Officer of LifePoint Health, Marcus Whitney, the President of Jumpstart Foundry, and Christopher Redhage, the co-founder of ProviderTrust, the club is set to unveil its vision for the club at an event next month.

- Fourteen USL teams advanced to the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup this week, with the next round set to take place on Wednesday, June 1.

- Saturday night's scheduled game between the Charlotte Independence and FC Cincinnati was postponed on Thursday night due to poor field conditions at Ramblewood Stadium.

- FC Montreal (0-7-0, 0pts) will host its first game this season at the newly refurbished Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m. ET | Match Center) as it welcomes the New York Red Bulls II (4-1-3, 15pts).

- The Harrisburg City Islanders (2-5-1, 7pts) will host Bethlehem Steel FC (3-2-3, 12pts) on Sunday (6 p.m. ET | Match Center) at Clipper Magazine Park in the first meeting between the Philadelphia Union's former partner and its MLS owned-and-operated club.

- Wilmington Hammerheads FC (2-3-3, 9pts) hosts the Charleston Battery (4-2-3, 15pts) at Legion Stadium on Saturday night (7 p.m. ET | Match Center) in the second meeting between the longtime rivals this season. Charleston took a 2-1 win on April 9 at MUSC Health Stadium as Taylor Mueller's goal with six minutes to go lifted the host to victory.

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