Top Stories

USL Pro Week 14: A Look Back

  USLPro

By JOHN BOSCHINI

There was no shortage of action during the holiday weekend as the USL Pro packed 10 games into four days.

Despite the glut of games, everything is pretty much as it was in the races for the division titles as Orlando City padded its massive lead in the American Division and Rochester clings to a three-point lead over on the National side.

Richmond failed to capitalize on Orlando's scoreless draw with Pittsburgh on Friday, instead conceding a late goal to lose 2-1 to Rochester. The Rhinos couldn't carry that momentum into a matchup with Orlando, losing 1-0.

The Charlotte Eagles had an up-and-down weekend with a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Harrisburg and a 3-1 win over FC New York. Antigua Barracuda FC continues its free fall down the table with a pair of 2-0 losses to New York and Pittsburgh.

The Wilmington Hammerheads weren't able to crawl out of the bottom of the American Division, but a 4-2 victory over Los Angeles will go a long way towards boosting their confidence. Devoid of any confidence at the moment are the Dayton Dutch Lions, who lost 3-1 to Richmond.

Here is a look back at all the action in the USL Pro's Week 14:

Orlando City 0, Pittsburgh Riverhounds 0: Orlando dominated play, forcing eight saves from Richard Gilstrap, but lacked a finishing touch near goal. Pittsburgh also say the ejection of Samuel Appiah just three minutes before full time.

Los Angeles Blues 0, Charleston Battery 0: It was a cagey, defensive affair as neither team offered much offensively. Los Angeles managed only one shot on goal while Charleston had three, all in the second half. 

Rochester Rhinos 2, Richmond Kickers 1: A scoreless first half was followed by a flurry of offensive activity with Rochester players scoring all three goals. Issac Kissi scored just two minutes after the restart to give Rochester the lead. Tyler Bellamy put the ball into the back of his own net in the 56th minute, but Kendall Jagdeosingh provided the game winner with about 20 minutes to go.

FC New York 2, Antigua Barracuda FC 0: Jhonny Arteaga scored a double to give FC New York the shutout victory. Antigua could only manage one shot on goal for the entire match.

Harrisburg City Islanders 4, Charlotte Eagles 0: Andrew Welker and substitute Sainey Touray each registered a double, as Charlotte goalkeeper Eric Reed allowed more goals than he made saves, only managing three.

Wilmington Hammerheads 4, Los Angeles Blues 2: Andryi Budnyy scored in the first minute, and the rout was on for Wilmington. Cesar Rivera equalized for L.A. but second-half goals from Chris Banks, Ivan Becerra and Chris Murray put the game away late. Akeem Priestly scored in the dying minutes for Los Angeles, but it served as little more than a consolation

Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2, Antigua Barracuda FC 0: Jason Yiesley scored from the penalty spot just before halftime, and Jeremy Deighton added an insurance goal with 10 minutes left to play.

Orlando City 1, Rochester Rhinos 0: Jamie Watson put Orlando up early, and Rochester could never nab an equalizer. Miguel Gallardo-Aparicio made eight saves in the shutout.

Richmond Kickers 3, Dayton Dutch Lions 1: Joe Tait's penalty kick gave Dayton the early lead but the Lions' defense was no match for Richmond. Ryan Heins, David Bulow and Edson Elcock scored to give Richmond a comfortable victory.

Charlotte Eagles 3, FC New York 1: After 35 minutes, Charlotte was already up 3-0 with goals from Jorge Herrera, Alan Sanchez and an own goal from New York. Arteaga scored for FC New York late in the match, but Charlotte was never in jeopardy of conceding any points.

—————-

What did you think of this weekend's results? Confident Orlando can hold on to its big lead? Can Charlotte or Wilmington charge their way up the table? What's wrong with Antigua?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Games in hand does not equal wins! Wilm is indeed in the cellar; hopefully they will be able to crawl out but they need to win a game on the road first!

    Reply
  2. Games in hand does not equal wins! Wilm is indeed in the cellar; hopefully they will be able to crawl out but they need to win a game on the road first!

    Reply
  3. Is it even relevant to mention that Wilmington ‘weren’t able to crawl out of the bottom of the American Division’ when they have between 1 and 5 games in hand over every team above them (by only 5 points minus Orlando) in the division?

    Reply

Leave a Comment