Well, no takers on USL2 coverage in this space as of yet. If you do want it be sure to let me know. Anyway, moving right along into this weekend's games, let's have a look at the week that was around the league.
I liked the performance from Portland over the weekend. A solid, back and forth come-from-behind draw with Seattle was fun viewing for everyone on FSC and it was pretty much everything we could have hoped for in one of the Northwest derby matches. Then, the Timbers put in a very solid performance led by Andrew Gregor, Chris Bagley and Leonard Griffin to oust the Rhinos 2-0 on Sunday. Not everything is going smoothly out there, however, as apparently the Oregonian has shown a decidedly withering scale of coverage for their hometown team. If you aren't already writing to them about this you probably should. This surprising team should be getting more coverage than they are at this moment.
Puerto Rico played a semi-friendly host to Montreal, allowing the visiting Impact the first goal with Mauro Biello helping Fred Moojen score. Luckily, the home side was able to level things through Alberto Zapata with Victor Herrera assisting. I'm not big on using a draw like this as an indicator of where teams are overall but it is intriguing to note that the Islanders were able to step things up enough to come back from a goal down and salvage a point at home against one of the presumed leading contenders. They aren't blowing anyone away just yet but they are hanging around in games.
It looks like the Railhawks woke up on the offense against Atlanta as well, winning 2-1 at the Max through Kupono Low and Chad Dombrowski. Justin Moore got some help from Dan Antoniuk to get the Silverbacks into this match just before halftime but no one was able to get by either Quintero or McClellan in the second half. This was a little more like what I expected from Carolina this season so, well done, Coach Schweitzer. I know I gave your team a hard time last week. Let's see if the Hawks can keep it up against the Battery this weekend.
Vancouver 3, Seattle 1. Was that about what I was expecting? Well, I did think the Sounders would defend their home field a little better but what can you do when Sebrango plays as well as he did and the Whitecaps scored 3 times on only 6 shots? I wouldn't want to be one of Seattle's back four this week in practice but you have to think they'll come out fired up against Rochester, making their second straight trip this week out West, tonight.
Speaking of the Rhinos, getting three points last week out of their trip to San Francisco and Portland has to be considered something of a success although that 0-2 in Portland has to be troubling Coach Calloway. They did, however, show up the Victory in their home opener in front of a reported crowd of just over 1,000 with many saying it looked like far, far fewer than that. A disappointing home debut from every angle, one has to think for the Victory. If the Rhinos can get another three points this weekend from Vancouver or Seattle they could be well on their way. Meanwhile, California look to have won what's behind Door number 3, with the Whitecaps coming to sample some Ghirardelli, see the Golden Gate Bridge and, oh yeah, try to take three points from the new boys in the league.
Atlanta also has a telling trip this weekend. First, they'll stop off in Puerto Rico before then making their way to Miami. Anything less than three points could cue a downturn in fortunes that has typically undermined previous Silverbacks teams. They'll have to be disciplined on the road in two places that could be massive landmines for them if they underestimate their opposition.
It's an eclectic mix of games this week but the nod has to go to Rhino watching as their games in the Pacific Northwest look quite compelling before a ball is even kicked. An honorable mention goes to the match in Cary, as Charleston take their act on the road to see if they can break down Schweitzer's defense and keep the home side out of their goal. For the Hawks, they'll feel the pressure to take all three points in this one because they have next week's 3 game swing through Cascadia looming. If it lives up to its billing it'll be one of the best matches of the week. With all of that in mind, though, if you're not at the park make sure to check out FSC tonight for Miami and Minnesota and then log on to usllive.com to catch all the games. Until next week, that's the view from here.
Send your comments to the author or
Join us to discuss this article at usldiscussions.com
