USL United Soccer League Championship

West-Leading Switchbacks, Energy FC Battle in Week 26

September 11, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - Only two weeks remain in the USL's regular season and five remaining slots for the 2015 USL Playoffs are still up in the air - four in the Eastern Conference and one in the Western Conference.

Additionally, the West seeding has yet to be determined, but several matches could paint a clearer picture in that regard. First-place Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC travels to Oklahoma City to face OKC Energy FC on Saturday at Taft Stadium. On Friday night, Orange County Blues FC faces a Seattle Sounders FC 2 team that could potentially lock up the conference's sixth and final postseason slot at Starfire Stadium.

In the Eastern Conference, the Rochester Rhinos and Louisville City FC have locked up first and second place, respectively. The race for the remaining slots is still very much up in the air. The Richmond Kickers are on the positive side of the playoff cutline, but they travel to Harrisburg to face a City Islanders side that is only two points behind them with a game in hand. The fourth-place Charleston Battery also need to close out strong and have a tough Saturday opponent when they host Louisville.

GAMES TO WATCH

Seattle Sounders FC 2 vs. Orange County Blues FC

Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET, Starfire Sports Stadium

S2 hosts Orange County with the knowledge that two points in its final two matches would clinch the final playoff berth in the Western Conference. Seattle will need to turn the tide having lost five of its six past games and goes up against a Blues team that has been on the rise for well over a month. Orange County has won six of its past seven matches (6-1-0) dating back to late July and clinched a postseason berth with a 2-1 victory against the LA Galaxy II this past week. Seattle is currently under the playoff line, but the team in front - Tulsa Roughnecks FC - has completed its regular season. S2 is 10-2-0 at Starfire and Orange County has been vulnerable on the road with a 4-6-2 mark. However, the Blues have plenty of incentive to buck that trend as they have a game in hand against the three clubs ahead of them in the West - Colorado Springs, OKC and LA - as they try to fight for a top-two playoff position. Orange County has a quick turnaround this week as it then visits Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 on Sunday. (Preview; Blues Aim to Keep Momentum; S2, Blues Face Starfire Showdown)

Harrisburg City Islanders vs. Richmond Kickers

Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, Skyline Sports Complex

The sixth-place Richmond Kickers (9-7-10, 37 points) are in must-win mode with only two games remaining this season and a playoff position still up in the air. They visit a Harrisburg team that is 10-10-5 (35 points) and has a game in hand on Richmond. The Kickers and City Islanders traded wins earlier this season, so the head-to-head tiebreaker also is an incentive for each side to grab the full three points. The City Islanders' offense has been dormant since the club's 6-0 rout of FC Montreal on Aug. 29. Harrisburg dropped a 4-0 decision to Louisville City and most recently played Saint Louis FC to a scoreless draw. Richmond and Harrisburg have reached the USL Playoffs in every season. (Preview; Kickers Under the Gun, Head to Harrisburg)

OKC Energy FC vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, Taft Stadium

Heading into the weekend, Colorado Springs and OKC are first and second, respectively, in the tightly contested Western Conference. The Switchbacks (14-9-3, 45 points) regained the top spot with a 3-0 win against the Austin Aztex on Wednesday. Now they go up against OKC (12-7-7, 43 points), which has dropped its past two games after holding onto the conference lead. Energy FC has been excellent at home, however, with a 10-1-2 record, and earned a victory against the Switchbacks when the two sides met at Sand Creek Stadium in Colorado Springs' home opener on April 4. This marks the second match of the season where brothers Miguel Gonzalez of the Switchbacks and Daniel Gonzalez of OKC will face each other. (Gonzalez Brothers Relish Run with OKC, Switchbacks)

MILESTONES

- Louisville City FC's Matt Fondy extended his USL regular-season record with his 22nd goal this year during Louisville's 3-2 loss to the New York Red Bulls II last week. Fondy is two goals ahead of OKC Energy FC's Danni König (20) and four ahead of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds' Rob Vincent (18) in the race for the USL Golden Boot.

- Wilmington Hammerheads FC's Tom Parratt and Troy Cole are one appearance away from reaching 100 regular-season games and could reach the century mark Saturday night when they face the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

- Rochester Rhinos goalkeeper Brandon Miller broke the USL single-season shutout record with his 12th clean sheet during a scoreless road draw against the Richmond Kickers. Miller passed former Rhinos goalkeeper Kristian Nicht and former Orlando City SC goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo who are now tied for second on the all-time list with 11 shutouts.

- Louisville City FC's Bryan Burke leads the USL with 10 assists and is two behind Matthew Dallman's USL single-season record of 12, set in 2013. Louisville has two remaining regular-season games against the Charleston Battery on Saturday and Saint Louis FC on Sept. 19.

- Harrisburg City Islanders goalkeeper Nick Noble is 41 minutes shy of reaching 9,000 regular-season minutes in his USL career. The Charleston Battery's Quinton Griffith is also nearing a big minutes milestone, needing 51 minutes to reach 8,000 for his career.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES

- When the New York Red Bulls II falling 2-0 on Wednesday against FC Montreal, it did two things for the Eastern Conference field. It paved the way for Louisville FC to claim the No. 2 seed in the USL Playoffs, and it also created an opening for a number of teams to potentially reach the Red Bulls II's third-place slot. Charleston (10-6-10, 40 points) faces Louisville (14-6-6, 48 points) on Saturday at MUSC Health Stadium with much at stake. Only two regular-season games remain for the Battery as they are vying for one of four remaining playoff slots in the East. They Battery are one of two teams who are still unbeaten at home (the other being Rochester), posting a 6-0-6 record in Charleston. Louisville is 5-3-4 on the road and brings in the most potent offense in the USL, averaging more than two goals per game (54 goals in 26 matches). USL regular-season goal-scoring record holder Matt Fondy has 22 goals this year with Louisville. (Preview; Louisville Looks to Rebound Against Battery)

- The Charlotte Independence will look to extend their impressive 12-game unbeaten streak (6-0-6) when they visit Saint Louis FC on Saturday at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo. The Independence (10-6-10, 40 points) are fifth in the Eastern Conference, even in points with the Charleston Battery who hold the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage. Charlotte is coming off a 4-1 victory against Toronto FC II on Wednesday to wrap up its home schedule. It matched the Independence's best offensive performance of the season, with the other four-goal game being a 4-2 win against the Rochester on Aug. 1 to end the USL Regular Season Champion's 19-game unbeaten streak. (Preview)

- The seventh-place Pittsburgh Riverhounds (10-9-6, 36 points) hope to get above the playoff cutline when they visit Wilmington on Saturday. The Hounds have at least one game in hand on the four teams currently occupying the postseason slots. They welcome back goal-scoring leader Rob Vincent (18 goals), who was suspended for one game because of yellow card accumulation and had to miss Pittsburgh's 1-1 draw against the Charleston Battery last Saturday. (Preview)

- Defending USL champion Sacramento Republic FC has appeared to have turned a corner with a four-game unbeaten streak heading into Saturday's road match against the Portland Timbers 2. Sacramento has posted back-to-back victories for the first time since a three-game winning streak in June, most recently earning a 2-1 road victory against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 last Sunday. (Preview)

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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United Soccer League Championship Stories from September 11, 2015


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