USL reached its midway point of the season this past weekend, and a large portion of the spotlight was up in Cascadia.
As it tends to, Cascadia delivered the goods.
Vancouver Whitecaps 2 and Portland Timbers 2 had a thrilling five-goal affair that the Canadian side used to move closer to a playoff spot. Elsewhere, New York Red Bulls II were able to keep Louisville City off the board in their second straight win and third consecutive match without a defeat.
The Rochestor Rhinos remained the cream of USL's crop, however. Rochester's undefeated record was threatened by a first-half strike from the Harrisburg City Islanders, but the Rhinos found a response in the second stanza to pick up a 1-1 draw that has them unbeaten through 13 matches.
In one of the fixtures that saw MLS-owned teams in action this past week, LA Galaxy II routed fellow California club Orange County Blues FC, 3-0, at StubHub Center. Los Dos' three strikes came from Dave Romney, Travis Bowen, and Ariel Lassiter. (GALAXY RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS)
Another side that recorded a shutout victory was the New York Red Bulls II, who went on the road and blanked Louisville City FC, 2-0. Konrad Plewa scored the winner just four minutes in while Derrick Etienne added an insurance tally in the 50th minute. First-team reserve goalkeeper Santiago Castano made four stops for New York to post a second straight clean sheet. (RED BULLS RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS)
FC Montreal were not as fortunate, suffering a 1-0 defeat to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds after conceding in the second half. The score may have looked a lot worse if not for Impact backup goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who made seven saves for Montreal in the road loss. (MONTREAL RECAP)
Out west, Seattle Sounders 2 also suffered a narrow loss to Arizona United SC. Nick Miele opened the scoring for Seattle 20 minutes into the game, but tallies from Jonathan Top and Long Tan in the second half forced Seattle to leave Scottsdale Stadium with a 2-1 letdown and no points. (SOUNDERS RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS)
In the aforementioned Cascadia clash, a Father's Day face-off in this round's lone match-up of sides operated by MLS clubs, the Whitecaps 2 and Timbers 2 waited until the second half to score all of their combined five goals. But it was the Canadian side that prevailed, 3-2. Ben McKendry, Marcos Bustos, and Ethen Sampson all netted for Vancouver while Blair Gavin and Kharlton Belmar scored for Portland. (WHITECAPS RECAP | TIMBERS RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS)
This upcoming weekend's action is jam packed, and includes an intriguing clash between Sounders 2 and Real Monarchs SLC.
This week’s games:
Wed., June 24 – Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. Orange County Blues FC, 9 pm ET
Thu., June 25 – FC Montreal vs. Wilmington Hammerheads FC, 2:30 pm ET
Thu., June 25 – Tulsa Roughnecks FC vs. Sacramento Republic FC, 8:30 pm ET
Thu., June 25 – Seattle Sounders 2 vs. Real Monarchs SLC, 10:30 pm ET
Fri., June 26 – Charlotte Independence vs. Richmond Kickers, 7:30 pm ET
Sat., June 27 – Rochester Rhinos vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds, 7:05 pm ET
Sat., June 27 – Louisville City FC vs. OKC Energy FC, 7:30 pm ET
Sat., June 27 – Charleston Battery vs. Harrisburg City Islanders, 7:30 pm ET
Sat., June 27 – Toronto FC II vs. Wilmington Hammerheads FC, 8 pm ET
Sat., June 27 – Tulsa Roughnecks FC vs. LA Galaxy II, 8:30 pm ET
Sat., June 27 – Saint Louis FC vs. New York Red Bulls II, 8:30 pm ET
Sat., June 27 – Austin Aztex vs. Sacramento Republic FC, 8:30 pm ET
Sat., June 27 – Orange County Blues FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps 2, 10 pm ET
Sat., June 27 – Arizona United SC vs. Real Monarchs SLC, 10:30 pm ET
Every game of the 2015 USL season will be streamed live on team YouTube channels. For highlights, visit the USL's official YouTube channel.
