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USL Week 17 Midweek Look Ahead: Fight in Florida, SPR look to extend streak, and more

The fight for Florida resumes Thursday night as Orlando City B host the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The two teams met way back on March 25 in the first match of the 2017 USL season. The Rowdies walked away victorious over their in-state rivals, 1-0. Despite the hot start to the Rowdies season, though, the team has dropped a number of games and fallen from second to fourth over the last five games. Can a game against Orlando help them get back to their dominant early season ways?

Let’s take a look at the rest of the midweek action:

Wednesday

Vancouver Whitecaps  2 v. Swope Park Rangers 3 P.M.

Vancouver Whitecaps 2 will be weary to host the hottest team in the western conference when Swope Park Rangers come to town. The midafternoon game appears lopsided from the standings, and recent run of form for each team. The Whitecaps have not won a match dating back to June 4 with a 1-0 victory over their Cascadia rivals, the equally struggling Portland Timbers 2. The Rangers have been finding their form in recent weeks, and started producing consistent results. This could be a long afternoon for the Whitecaps.

Harrisburg City Islanders v. New York Red Bulls II 7 P.M.

Two teams struggling in the Eastern Conference, Harrisburg City Islanders and New York Red Bulls II, will meet for the third time this season Wednesday night. Last time out, the Red Bulls avenged a 1-0 home loss to the City Islanders by a score of 3-1. The teams have a combined record of 3-6-1 in their last ten matches. The results have not been particularly inspiring. Still, with former Red Bulls Shawn McLaws and Manolo Sanchez suiting up for the home side, this could still be a fun one to watch.

Thursday

Orlando City B v. Tampa Bay Rowdies 7:30 P.M.

Orlando City will look to make a claim to the state of Florida with a result over the visiting Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Rowdies shook off a winless streak last weekend with an impressive 2-0 win over FC Cincinnati. Despite their recent struggles, the Rowdies still sit in fourth place, though with several teams breathing down their neck, they could find themselves as low as seventh place by the weekend. Orlando City B could vault into playoff position with a victory.

LA Galaxy II v. Tulsa Roughnecks FC 10:30 P.M.

The LA Galaxy II will want to carry momentum from their big road win on the weekend when they welcome the Tulsa Roughnecks Thursday night. Wins have been few and far between for the Galaxy, and they have yet to win consecutive games this season. Having played the most games of any team in the bottom half of the western table, the Galaxy might start to panic if the results don’t start coming their way. The Roughnecks are set up to make a serious challenge to the top four spots in the Western Conference with games in hand on many of the teams above them.

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