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It's unfortunate that so much terrific soccer will ultimately be overshadowed by one player's extremely poor decision, but we want to make sure that the good gets its due as well. Read on for all the details!
Scoreboard East
HOME | AWAY | |
Toronto FC II | 0-2 | Louisville City |
Orlando City B | 1-3 | FC Cincinnati |
Rochester Rhinos | 3-2 | Charleston Battery |
Charlotte Independence | 1-0 | FC Montreal |
Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 1-3 | New York Red Bulls II |
Richmond Kickers | 1-0 | Wilmington Hammerheads FC |
Harrisburg City Islanders | 1-1 | FC Cincinnati |
Bethlehem Steel FC | 2-2 | Orlando City B |
Scoreboard West
Home | Away | |
Whitecaps 2 | 3-2 | Tulsa Roughnecks FC |
LA Galaxy II | 3-2 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks |
Timbers 2 | 3-1 | Real Monarchs SLC |
San Antonio FC | 2-3 | RGVFC Toros |
Saint Louis FC | 3-0 | Swope Park Rangers |
LA Galaxy II | 0-2 | Sacramento Republic FC |
Arizona United SC | 0-0 | OKC Energy FC |
Orange County Blues | 0-3 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks |
Sounders 2 | 1-2 | Tulsa Roughnecks FC |
Five Stories
Romeo Parkes Suspension
During the recent Pittsburgh v New York Red Bulls II match, now-former Pittsburgh Riverhounds player Romeo Parkes kicked the back of Red Bulls II player, Karl Ouimette. Parkes had his contract terminated by Pittsburgh on Sunday, and on Monday, was suspended for the rest of the 2016 season by the USL. Ouimette tweeted Tuesday that he is free of major injury.
Just got some good news, nothing is broken. I still have some pain but it could have been a lot worse. Thanks for the support!!
— Karl Ouimette (@karlouimette) May 10, 2016
Los Dos Falls From the Unbeatens
LA Galaxy II had the league's longest unbeaten streak coming into this match, and Sacramento was riding a three-game losing streak, Both came to an end on Saturday after a 2-0 victory for Republic FC. Los Dos remain atop the Western Conference table, with a crucial match this upcoming week against the league's last unbeaten club, Whitecaps 2.
Rochester Wins Battle of the Old Guard
The USL's third ESPN3 match featured two of the oldest soccer clubs in the United States, as the Rochester Rhinos, who now have a three-match winning streak, defeated the Charleston Battery 3-2 at Sahlen's Stadium on Friday night. Rochester takes on the high-flying Charlotte Independence this Saturday in a top-of-the-table clash.
Saint Louis FC Notches Key Win
Saint Louis FC shut out Swope Park Rangers in their match Saturday night, 3-0. Chad Bond scored off a free kick for STL, then committed a particularly rough foul that was not penalized. The Swope Twitter was on it Tuesday, responding to STL's inclusion in the league's power rankings.
.@SaintLouisFC @USL and "cracked" some ankles in the process pic.twitter.com/syHZvu0YmJ
— Swope Park Rangers (@SwopeRangers) May 10, 2016
Richard Dixon of Saint Louis made the league's team of the week, and well...
.@SaintLouisFC @RichardDixon9 @USL It's easy when you don't get penalized for challenges like this ✂ pic.twitter.com/mkTbL7cRLc
— Swope Park Rangers (@SwopeRangers) May 11, 2016
Unbeaten in their last five matches - including three straight shutouts - Saint Louis moves up to fourth in the West. Rangers have now suffered three consecutive defeats and have fallen into the bottom half of the table.
Toros defeat San Antonio in a Thriller
Three second-half goals pushed Rio Grande Valley FC to the win over San Antonio FC. Rob Lovejoy scored two, including the match winner in the 90th. RGVFC continue their climb up the table, with ten points on the season. San Antonio have been through a bit of slide in recent matches, only winning one in their last five.
Standings East
Club | GP | PTS |
Louisville City FC | 8 | 17 |
Charlotte Independence | 8 | 16 |
New York Red Bulls II | 7 | 14 |
FC Cincinnati | 8 | 14 |
Richmond Kickers | 7 | 13 |
Rochester Rhinos | 6 | 13 |
Charleston Battery | 8 | 12 |
Wilmington Hammerheads FC | 8 | 9 |
Bethlehem Steel FC | 7 | 9 |
Orlando City B | 9 | 8 |
Harrisburg City Islanders | 8 | 7 |
Toronto FC II | 6 | 5 |
Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 6 | 3 |
FC Montreal | 6 | 0 |
The top three clubs from last week remain unchanged at the week's end, with Louisville City as the table leaders. The next four, FC Cincinnati, Richmond, Rochester, and Charleston all remain very close to the leaders - only three points separate second through sixth place. Orlando City B, after spending the first few weeks of the season at the bottom, have managed to climb to tenth place, eyeing a position in the top half of the table. Pittsburgh and FC Montreal continue to fall behind the rest of the east, with both sides having yet to record a win.
Standings West
Club | GP | Pts |
LA Galaxy II | 9 | 16 |
Whitecaps 2 | 6 | 14 |
COS Switchbacks FC | 6 | 12 |
Saint Louis FC | 7 | 11 |
Sacramento Republic FC | 7 | 10 |
Rio Grande Valley FC | 6 | 10 |
Timbers 2 | 8 | 10 |
Orange County Blues | 7 | 10 |
San Antonio FC | 7 | 8 |
Real Monarchs | 7 | 8 |
Arizona United SC | 7 | 8 |
Swope Park Rangers | 6 | 7 |
Tulsa Roughnecks FC | 8 | 7 |
OKC Energy FC | 5 | 6 |
Sounders 2 | 8 | 6 |
Despite suffering their first loss of the season, LA Galaxy II remain atop the table. Whitecaps 2 sit in second as the last remaining unbeaten club in the USL. Plan your weekend accordingly: Whitecaps 2 face off against Los Dos in what will undoubtedly be the match to watch for the upcoming week. Fourth through eleventh place are only separated by three points, with San Antonio FC taking the biggest fall, losing four spots after their loss to RGVFC. On a three-match losing streak, Swope Park Rangers has fallen into the bottom half of the table. After a short break, Sounders 2 has regained control of last in the West following their home loss to fellow cellar dweller Tulsa.
What are your thoughts on the recent week's matches? What stories did we miss? Which clubs can separate themselves from the rest of the pack? Let us know in the comments below!