The playoff bracket is set in the USL as the final weekend saw four teams settle into their places.
In the Eastern Conference, the final two spots were filled by Nashville SC and the Bethlehem Steel. Nashville had clinched their spot before kicking off on Saturday as the Ottawa Fury failed to get a result against the fourth-placed Charleston Battery and despite a 3-1 win over the Charlotte Independence, North Carolina sat two points outside of the playoff positions.
In the West, Saint Louis FC held off the Oklahoma Energy FC to get the point they needed to clinch a spot over San Antonio. Swope Park Rangers scored five times against LA Galaxy II for a 5-1 win to be the last team to gain a playoff spot.
Louisville City 1-0 Indy Eleven
With their 1-0 win over Indy Eleven on the weekend, Louisville City FC enters the postseason on a six-game win streak. English striker, Cameron Lancaster, continued his remarkable season and stretched the USL regular season goal scoring record to 25 goals.
.@loucityfc's golden boy @CameronPL sends home number 25 of the season!#LOUvIND pic.twitter.com/G5PhDH2eSK
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) October 14, 2018
Nashville SC 3-3 FC Cincinnati
Although they did not end up needing the point, Nashville SC stole one from league leaders FC Cincinnati in the dying moments of a 3-3 barn burner. Nashville clinched in style through the left foot of Boluwatife Akinyode who pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the box and sent it into the top right corner.
.@_Boluakinyode grabs an equalizer in the final moments!#NSHvCIN pic.twitter.com/vxWw0OzVuP
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) October 14, 2018
Full USL Scoreboard
Saturday
Ottawa Fury 0-2 Charleston Battery
Atlanta United 2 3-2 Richmond Kickers
Penn FC 0-0 Toronto FC II
Charlotte Independence 1-3 North Carolina FC
Louisville City 1-0 Indy Eleven
Tulsa Roughnecks 1-4 Seattle Sounders 2
Nashville SC 3-3 FC Cincinnati
Saint Louis FC 0-0 Oklahoma City Energy
San Antonio FC 1-1 Rio Grande Valley
Reno 1868 3-1 Orange County SC
Fresno FC 0-1 Real Monarchs SLC
Phoenix Rising 0-1 Portland Timber 2
Sacramento Republic 1-0 Las Vegas Lights
Sunday
Bethlehem Steel 1-0 Tampa Bay Rowdies
Swope Park Rangers 5-1 LA Galaxy II
New York Red Bulls II 2-1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds
2018 USL Playoff Matchups
Eastern Conference
Saturday, October 20
FC Cincinnati vs. Nashville SC, 4 p.m. ET, Nippert Stadium
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Bethlehem Steel FC, 7 p.m. ET, Highmark Stadium
Charleston Battery vs. New York Red Bulls II, 7 p.m. ET, MUSC Health Stadium
Louisville City FC vs. No. Indy Eleven, 7:30 p.m. ET, Slugger Field
Western Conference
Friday, October 19
Phoenix Rising FC vs. Portland Timbers 2, 10:30 p.m. ET, Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex
Saturday, October 20
Real Monarchs SLC vs. Reno 1868 FC, 5 p.m. ET, Zions Bank Stadium
Orange County SC vs. Saint Louis FC, 10 p.m. ET, Champions Soccer Stadium
Sacramento Republic FC vs. Swope Park Rangers, 10:30 p.m. ET, Papa Murphy’s Park
Final attendance #s for 2018:
https://twitter.com/phat7deuce/status/1051944178924576769
More red #s than you’d like, but weekly attendance on average was up every week, except for the penultimate match day (which was previously the final match day before the # of games was increased)
F.C. Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference and Swope Park Rangers in the Western. F.C. Cincinnati for the USL Cup.