Real Monarchs SLC lost their first game in almost three months, dropping points to the Tulsa Roughnecks.
The shutout loss was the first against the Monarchs this season and leaves them winless in their last two attempts. The Roughnecks did well to hold off the Western Conference leaders with two second-half goals.
The most exciting game of the weekend belonged to cellar-dwellars Portland Timbers 2 with a 3-3 draw at Orange County FC. The Timbers offense came alive, scoring three for the first time this season. A stoppage time equalizer canceled out all the Timbers good work.
Let’s take a look back at the rest of the weekend matches:
LA Galaxy II 0-1 Swope Park Rangers
Swope Parks Rangers defeated LA Galaxy II, 1-0, in Carson earning their third straight win. Nansel Selbol scored two minutes after coming on as a sub in the 67th minute. Selbol nearly doubled his tally two minutes later hitting the crossbar on a shot from inside the 18 and forced Eric Lopez into a tough save with four minutes to go. Despite the win, Swope Park surely will be unhappy with the opportunities they wasted, but will take the three points just the same.
Reno 1868 FC 0-0 Phoenix Rising FC
A club record crowd of 7,092 showed up in Reno to watch visitors Phoenix Rising FC tie Reno 1868 FC. Josh Cohen came up big for the visitors making six saves, including a penalty stop, to keep the clean sheet. Phoenix continues to show improvements as the season progresses, avenging an earlier loss to Reno by the score of 4-0. With games in hand over most of the teams in the west, Phoenix Rising could be showing up in the top half of the table before long.
New York Red Bulls II 1-0 Saint Louis FC
Revenge was the dish served in Montclair Saturday afternoon when the New York Red Bulls II defeated Saint Louis FC. Brandon Allen once again scored for the Red Bulls, this time on a rebound off of a free kick. Red Bulls II and Saint Louis had a number of quality chances, but failed to take them. Saint Louis hit the post and put a shot just wide in the closing minutes to drop the road tilt.
Toronto FC II 3-4 Harrisburg City Islanders
The Harrisburg City Islanders got their second straight win in a wild game north of the border. The seven-goal affair started with a four-goal first half. Pedro Ribeiro played a part in three goals in the match. Ribeiro opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, then assisted Jake Bond’s 31st minute goal. Toronto FC II fought back twice in the first half with goals from Mitchell Taintor and Luca Uccello. Two goals in the first twenty minutes in the second half proved fatal for the home side. Brandon Aubrey scored an own goal and Paul Wilson hammered home a rebound for the winner.
Vancouver Whitecaps 2 0-2 Seattle Sounders FC 2
Vancouver Whitecaps 2 FC could not contain the Seattle Sounders FC 2 at home Saturday. The visiting side struck twice through Ray Saari and Zach Mathers to stroll to victory. Whitecaps keeper Spencer Richey kept the home side in the game, but Vancouver failed to provide support offensively. The Whitecaps are now winless in four straight. The lone bright spot for Whitecaps 2 could be the performance of Myer Bevan. The New Zealand international created a few good chances, but failed to find the back of the net. For Bevan, it is the type of performance that he can build from.
Bethlehem Steel 1-1 Richmond Kickers
Bethlehem Steel survived going down to nine men to draw Richmond Kickers, 1-1, at home. The Kickers jumped out to a first half lead when Luiz Fernando finished a chance in alone at goal in the 40th minute. The rare lead for the Kickers was short lived. Just after halftime, in the 51st minute, Aaron Jones brought the teams level on a curling free kick from the left side of the box. Fifteen minutes later, Hugh Roberts received a straight red for a studs-up challenge on Samuel Asante. Cory Burke then picked up a second yellow card in stoppage time, but Bethlehem Steel managed to hold onto the point.
Charleston Battery 2-0 Tampa Bay Rowdies
Romario Williams scored his 14th goal of the season as the Charleston Battery waltzed past the Tampa Bay Rowdies ,2-0. While Williams earned plaudits for his goal, Maikel Chang put in an impressive performance. Chang assisted both goals for the Battery in the final twenty minutes of the game. The Rowdies continue to fall down the table with the loss and now sits 10 points back of the Battery as a result of their second straight loss. The Rowdies are now winless in seven.
Louisville City FC 2-1 Ottawa Fury FC
Louisville City also drew a record crowd for their club this weekend to watch the home side win 2-1 over Ottawa Fury FC. The crowd of 7,814 fans watched Brian Ownby and Luke Spencer score the goals for Lousiville. Ottawa’s Steevan Dos Santos pulled one back for the visitors in the 87th minute, but the goal was no more than a consolation. Sito Seoane had a chance to snatch a point for the visitors, but his header was off the mark. After a promising stretch, Ottawa are now winless in their last two matches and have lost twice in their last four.
Orange County FC 3-3 Portland Timbers 2
Portland Timbers 2 picked up their fifth point of the season in a 3-3 draw with Orange County FC. The Timbers opened the scoring in the 31st minute with a goal from Vilyan Bijvev for the only goal of the first half. In the second half, Orange County equalized through Carlos Alvarez and took the lead in the 63rd minute thanks to a Roy Meeus penalty. Russell Cicerone leveled the game up in the 71st minute, and Bijev seemed to win it for the Timbers in the 85th with a penalty for his second of the night. Gusavo Villalobos’s goal in the 91st minute stole the point for the home team. While the Timbers will rue the missed opportunity for three points, picking up any points is a minor victory for the struggling side.
Tulsa Roughnecks 2-0 Real Monarchs SLC
Real Monarchs first defeat since April 15 came at the hands of Tulsa Roughnecks over the weekend. The Roughnecks goalkeeper, Fabian Cerda did his best to keep the game level in the first half denying a great effort from Chandler Hoffman and later Daniel Haber. The Roughnecks would score the winner just after the break. Joey Calistri took advantage of a loose ball near the penalty area, slotting the ball to Joaquin Rivas for the finish in the 47th minute. Ian Svantesson added another goal in the 79th minute to seal the victory. The win kept the Roughnecks in the chase for a playoff spot, and the Monarchs are now winless in their last two games.
Orlando City B 1-1 FC Cincinnati
Orlando City and FC Cincinnati kept the scoring early in their 1-1 draw. Jordan Schweitzer scored his first goal of the season three minutes into the match. Cincinnati leading scorer Djiby Fall equalized in the 16th minute. Cincinnati held the advantage for the match with a number of chances, but failed to find the back of the net. Mitch Hildebrandt and Earl Edward Jr. kept their sides level for the remainder of the match. Orlando and Cincinnati remain separated by a single point in the standing with Cincinnati in 7th place and Orlando in 10th.
Charlotte Independence 2-1 Rochester Rhinos
David Estrada struck twice for the Charlotte Independence in the first half to see out a win over the Rochester Rhinos, 2-1. The Rhinos managed to pull one back through a Wal Fall penalty in the 67th minute, but couldn’t climb all the back. Independence goalkeeper Cody Mizell made saves on efforts from Jochen Graf and Kenardo Forbes to keep the game scoreless until Fall’s penalty. The Rhinos have now lost two straight for the first time this season, and the Independence move into fifth place.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks 0-1 Rio Grande Valley FC
Rio Grande Valley FC won the season series over the Colorado Springs Switchbacks with a 1-0 victory in Colorado Springs Saturday night. The game was delayed 80-minutes due to lightning. The Switchbacks controlled much of the action in the first half, but failed to find the back of the net. The visitors slowly began to take control of the game, earning a penalty in the 67th minute. Ruben Luna kept his take low and into the left corner to win the match for RGV. The win keeps RGV on pace with the top of the table in the western conference.
Sacramento Republic FC 1-1 San Antonio FC
Sacramento Republic and San Antonio FC split the points in front of a crowd of 11,569 in California on Saturday night. The Republic opened the scoring in the 19th minute through Emrah Klimenta on a clever ball into the box. Klimenta’s goal capped a number of good looks for the home side they had failed to finish in the opening period of the first half. The goal seemed to wake up the visitors who eventually found their equalizer in the 31st minute. Akwafei Ajeakwa barely caught up to the ball played into the box by Kris Tyrpak, but got just enough on the shot to slot in past Evan Newton. The draw stopped Sacramento’s three-game win streak that saw the team rise to fourth place in the West. For San Antonio, they had a golden opportunity to retake the top spot from Real Monarch SLC, but failed to make up the ground.