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With an exciting week of soccer in the books, here's what went down around the USL.
Scoreboard East
HOME | AWAY | |
Harrisburg City Islanders | 2-3 | Charleston Battery |
Wilmington Hammerheads | 1-1 | Charlotte Independence |
Toronto FC II | 1-0 | Richmond Kickers |
New York Red Bulls II | 1-1 | Richmond Kickers |
FC Cincinnati | 1-0 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds |
Rochester Rhinos | 0-0 | Charlotte Independence |
Charleston Battery | 2-0 | Toronto FC II |
Louisville City FC | 2-0 | Saint Louis FC |
Scoreboard West
HOME | AWAY | |
Rio Grande Valley FC | 1-1 | Real Monarchs SLC |
Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 1-0 | Portland Timbers 2 |
Swope Park Rangers | 2-1 | Tulsa Roughnecks FC |
Orange County Blues FC | 1-1 | Arizona United SC |
Sacramento Republic FC | 2-0 | Seattle Sounders 2 |
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 | 4-3 | LA Galaxy II |
OKC Energy FC | 1-1 | San Antonio FC |
Five Stories
Record Crowds for FC Cincinnati, Again
Shattering league records in attendance seems to have become the norm for FC Cincinnati, as this week 23,375 fans packed into Nippert Stadium to see the home side take a 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. FCC now sit in second place in the East, having won three of their last five matches.
Alphonso Davies, Youngest Scorer in USL History
The Eastern Conference did not have a monopoly on new records this week. 15-year-old Alphonso Davies scored a goal for Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 in the 21st minute of their 4-3 win over LA Galaxy II, making him the youngest goal scorer in USL history. Davies, who signed with VWFC2 in February, has also had some international experience, playing for Canada's U-15 and U-18 sides. The Whitecaps 2 are now atop the West as the last unbeaten left in the league.
Louisville City Continues to Climb Higher
In the first of two conference crossover matches of the season, a couple late goals helped Loisville Louisville City defeat Kings' Cup rival, Saint Louis FC, 2-0 on Saturday night. City were were on the front foot over their Western Conference foes, out-shooting them in both in total shots (15-4) and shots on goal (6-2). Louisville currently holds both the top spot in the league and the league's longest unbeaten streak at seven matches.
Republic FC Moves Up following Win
After stopping their three-match losing streak a week ago against Galaxy II, Sacramento took advantage of the lowly Sounders 2, posting a 2-0 victory. Two goals from Tommy Thompson helped the club move up into fourth in the Western Conference table. The Republic now have a bye week, with their next match coming May 28th against Swope Park Rangers.
Swope Park Rangers Halt Three-Match Slide
Swope Park Rangers went through a cold streak in recent weeks, being outscored 6-1 over three straight losses. However, they seem to have found their offense again as two goals from Tyler Pasher helped the club to a 2-1 win over Tulsa Roughnecks. Swope has now moved up to ninth in the Western Conference, gaining three spots from where they started the week.
Standings East
Club | GP | PTS |
Louisville City FC | 9 |
20 |
FC Cincinnati |
9 |
17 |
Charlotte Independence |
9 |
17 |
New York Red Bulls II | 8 | 15 |
Charleston Battery |
9 |
15 |
Rochester Rhinos | 7 |
14 |
Richmond Kickers |
9 |
14 |
Bethlehem Steel FC |
8 | 12 |
Wilmington Hammerheads FC | 8 |
9 |
Toronto FC II |
8 |
8 |
Orlando City B |
9 |
8 |
Harrisburg City Islanders |
8 |
7 |
Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 7 |
3 |
FC Montreal | 7 |
0 |
Louisville City continue to create a gap between them and the rest of the East, having gained points in their past seven matches. FC Cincinnati made the highest gains this week, jumping two spots up to second place. Charleston takes advantage of lackluster weeks from Rochester and Richmond to leap the two clubs and take the fifth spot in the table. At the other end of the table, Pittsburgh and FC Montreal continue to fall further behind, having yet to post a victory on the season.
Standings West
Club | GP | Pts |
Whitecaps 2 |
7 |
17 |
LA Galaxy II |
10 |
16 |
COS Switchbacks FC | 7 |
15 |
Sacramento Republic FC |
8 |
13 |
Rio Grande Valley FC |
7 | 11 |
Saint Louis FC |
8 | 11 |
Orange County Blues | 8 | 11 |
Timbers 2 | 9 | 10 |
Swope Park Rangers | 7 | 10 |
San Antonio FC | 8 | 9 |
Real Monarchs | 8 | 9 |
Arizona United SC | 8 | 9 |
Tulsa Roughnecks FC | 9 | 7 |
OKC Energy FC | 6 | 7 |
Sounders 2 | 9 | 6 |
Whitecaps 2 took the top spot in impressive fashion, beating LA Galaxy II 4-3 on Sunday. Colorado Springs and Sacramento both moved up spots after solid wins this week. The middle of the table remain very close as 5th-11th are separated by only three points. The bottom three remain unchanged as OKC Energy were the only team to register a point this weekend with a draw vs San Antonio FC.
What are your thoughts on the recent week of USL action? Which stories did we miss? Which clubs are poised to make a run in the coming weeks? Let us know in the comments below!