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Week Two, checkaroo! The second week of the USL season is in the books, and it’s time to recap the action from the wild, wild, Western Conference.
Scoreboard
| HOME | AWAY | |
| LA Galaxy II | 3-0 | Saint Louis FC |
| Sounders 2 | 0-2 | Arizona United |
| Tulsa Roughnecks | 1-2 | Swope Park Rangers |
| Real Monarchs | 3-3 | LA Galaxy II |
| OC Blues | 1-3 | Saint Louis FC |
| Timbers 2 | 1-3 | Vancouver Whitecaps 2 |
| Sacramento Republic | 1-0 | Arizona United |
Three Stories of the Week
MLS at the Bottom
The big story in the West is the freefall of Seattle Sounders FC 2 to start off the season. Currently at the bottom of the table, S2 has lost their first three matches, each in more impressively horrible fashion. Sunday’s 3-0 loss to expansion franchise San Antonio FC comes after a midweek 2-0 defeat at the hands of Arizona United SC and a opening weekend 1-0 loss to Sacramento Republic FC. See the pattern? Each match they’re giving up one more goal than the previous match. And what’s even more concerning for Seattle fans is that all three losses were at the friendly confines of Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington. The Baby Sounders have a week off to stop the bleeding and prepare for their next match, in which they host Rio Grande Valley FC on Tuesday, April 12th. But what if they lose that match 4-0??
MLS at the Top
The top three teams in the standings are all MLS-owned. LA Galaxy II continues to surge and owns first place at 7 points. A 3-0 win vs Saint Louis FC on Wednesday night preceded an impressive late comeback from a 3-0 halftime deficit to Real Monarchs in Salt Lake to draw, 3-3. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 and Swope Park Rangers sit right behind Los Dos at 6 points, each winning their first two matches of the season. WFC2 picked up a nice road win against Portland Timbers 2, 3-1, and SPR hit the road and defeated Tulsa Roughnecks FC, 2-1.
Saint Louis Bounces Back
The newcomers to the West, Saint Louis FC, have started their season on a long road trip, and after dropping the first two contests to Real Monarchs and LA Galaxy II, the St. Louligans were getting restless. That changed on Saturday, as a goal from James Musa and a brace from Vince Cicciarelli led Dale Schilly’s squad to its first win of the season, a 3-1 result over Orange County Blues FC in Irvine, California. This win certainly boosted morale around the club, who have one more road match at OKC Energy FC this coming Saturday before finally making their triumphant return to World Wide Technology Soccer Park.
STANDINGS
| Club | GP | Pts |
| LA Galaxy II | 3 | 7 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Swope Park Rangers | 2 | 6 |
| Sacramento Republic FC | 2 | 6 |
| Real Monarchs SLC | 2 | 4 |
| San Antonio FC | 1 | 3 |
| Tulsa Roughnecks FC | 2 | 3 |
| Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 1 | 3 |
| Arizona United SC | 3 | 3 |
| Saint Louis FC | 3 | 3 |
| OKC Energy FC | 1 | 0 |
| Rio Grande Valley FC | 1 | 0 |
| Portland Timbers 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Orange County Blues FC | 2 | 0 |
| Seattle Sounders FC 2 | 3 | 0 |
After two weeks of play, here’s how the table looks in the Western Conference. Seven of the 15 teams are still undefeated, and five teams have failed to garner a single point. I’m afraid it’s still a little early to make any assumptions based off the table, but let’s state the obvious. The teams at the top have been impressive and fun to watch, and the state of the teams at the bottom is a big concern. #Analysis.
What’s your biggest takeaway from Week 2? Let us know in the comments.