Greetings dear readers. Every Monday, Hooligan Soccer will be providing a summary of all the news from the USL Championship. Big wins, crushing losses, stunning upsets and perhaps some weirdness.
Wild Wild West
The Western Conference continues its carnivalesque ride for all the mid-table teams. First and second place remained with Orange County and San Antonio; the bottom two slots stayed fixed with Las Vegas Lights and Monterey Bay. But between 3rd and 10th, every team moved either up or down.
Unbeaten Orange County
OCSC extended their unbeaten streak to eight games with a nervy road win over Monterey Bay. The hosts pressured the Black and Orange relentlessly in the first half, but couldn’t capitalize before the halftime whistle. Orange County then stunned with a pair of goals three minutes apart right at the start of the second half, the first from team captain Tom Brewitt from a set piece, the second a deflected own goal off Monterey defender Nico Gordon. Monterey Bay holds the dubious distinction of conceding more goals (11) in second half starts (‘46-’60) than any other team.
Colorado’s Climb
Colorado Springs Switchbacks pulled off the biggest climb of the week, jumping from 8th to 3rd courtesy of two wins. In a Wednesday night fixture at home, they snatched a 2-0 win against Miami FC. With 60% possession and 6 of 14 shots of frame, Switchbacks had to wait until clutch time to seal the deal. But Khori Bennett delivered. The team’s leading scorer increased his season tally to ten (and joint 2nd place in the Golden Boot race) with a brace in the 80th and 90th minute. They followed that up with a nail-biting 2-1 win over Charleston Battery. Second half substitute Jonas Fjeldberg found the net with a header in the 5th minute of stoppage time to give his side the win, and jump in the standings. Steven Echevarria (also a sub) provided the assist.
Oakland’s Fall
On the opposite end, Oakland Roots continued their freefall by tumbling out of the playoff picture, down into 10th place. Like Colorado, they had a double-bill this week, but lost both. The first was to Lexington on the road, a 2-0 defeat that came despite controlling possession and having the better chances up front. But the real sting came Saturday against local rival Sacramento Republic. After conceding in the 19th minute, Roots veteran Florian Valot equalized with a stunning kick from outside the box one minute later. But the Roots fumbled in the second half, allowing Republic substitute Kyle Edwards to score twice and give the visitors a 3-1 victory. Roots have nobody to blame but themselves, allowing Sac to fire nine shots on frame to their one.
Vegas Shining Bright
Las Vegas put Detroit City’s lights out, and it only took 40 seconds. Oalex Anderson stunned Keyworth Stadium with the quickest goal in the USL Championship this season, and the fastest ever in Las Vegas history. His left footed strike was assisted by Carson Locker’s through ball. This win marks Vegas’ third straight road win, a feat they last achieved in 2022. It also marks Detroit’s first home loss this season.
Uneventful East
Unlike the West, the Eastern Conference was a more measured affair. The top five teams remained unchanged, with Tampa Bay Rowdies capitalizing on a Marco Micaletto fast break goal in the 80th minute to topple Miami FC 3-2. That win extended their lead to eight points over second place Charleston Battery, who lost to Colorado Springs. Detroit’s loss to Vegas pinned them in third, and Pittsburgh’s 1-0 loss to Rhode Island kept them in fifth. Fourth place Louisville City did not play this week.
Interconference Woes
This matchweek featured seven inter-conference ties. If not for Oakland’s loss to Lexington, the East would have gone winless against their Western counterparts. There were a pair of 0-0- draws between FC Tulsa/Lexington and Phoenix Rising/Hartford. Miami FC, Brooklyn FC, Detroit and Sporting JAX not only lost their fixtures, all four failed to score a goal.
Great Wall of Loudoun
Goalkeeper Ethan Bandré was the standout Man of the Match in Loudoun United’s side’s 1-0 win over Indy Eleven. He recorded nine saves to keep the clean sheet. Loudon clawed their way two spots up the table to 10th.
