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USL eCup: Rocket League Edition – Matchday 1

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 04/01/20, 6:31PM EDT

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Rising FC grabs the headliner victory, while Reno, RGVFC also take flight

Playing to raise money for local charities and bring smiles to peoples faces, Phoenix Rising FC’s Joe Farrell took victory in the spotlight game on Matchday 1 of the USL eCup: Rocket League Edition, while Reno 1868 FC and Rio Grande Valley FC also looked impressive in their performances on ESPN3 to kick off the first day of group action.

Group 1

Team

Game 1

Game 2

Match

Reno 1868 FC

14

5

2

North Carolina FC

0

0

0

Reno 1868 FC’s Matt Rafferty racked up the goals in two dominant displays in the opening round of the tournament, taking up the mantle for captain Kevin Bass with a pair of victories (14-0, 5-0) to sweep the series against North Carolina FC.

1868 FC took control of each contest early, scoring after 10 seconds into Game 1 and 16 seconds into Game 2, showing the sort of touch in front of goal that Corey Hertzog would be proud of to benefit the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.

Team

Game 1

Game 2

Match

Tacoma Defiance

4

3

2

Louisville City FC

0

0

0

Tacoma Defiance’s Josh Atencio got off to dream starts in both contests – and showed off tremendous defensive skills with four saves in Game 2 – to earn a pair of victories (4-0, 3-0) against Louisville City FC’s Sean Totsch.

Playing for the United Way of Pierce County, Defiance got out to an incredible opening, scoring off the opening kickoff in Game 1 as Atencio lived up to his pre-tournament billing as a likely contender. LouCity’s Totsch – playing on behalf of the One Louisville Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund – racked up some style points with hard challenges in midfield, but Atencio’s sharpness in front of goal proved the difference in a tight opening win.

Group 3

Team

Game 1

Game 2

Match

Phoenix Rising FC

7

6

2

San Diego Loyal SC

3

1

0

Phoenix Rising FC’s Joe Farrell made an ideal start in his bid to bring more silverware to the club – and raise contributions for the Arizona COVID-19 Community Response Fund –  with a pair of impressive wins against San Diego Loyal SC Chairman Andrew Vassiliadis (7-3, 6-1).

Farrell’s on-field timing translated beautifully to the digital realm, although Rising FC’s center back had to withstand a solid fightback in Game 1 by Loyal SC’s Vassiliadis, who came into the game and produced some great finishes of his own as fan donations to Feeding San Diego reached halfway to the club’s goal of $20,000 before Wednesday’s action kicked off.

Team

Game 1

Game 2

Match

Philadelphia Union II

5

8

2

Toronto FC II

2

4

0

The Philadelphia Union II’s Evan Slabicki held the upper hand on Toronto FC II’s Kevin Silva in two keenly-fought contests that saw U2 come out with victory (5-2, 8-4).

Playing on behalf of City Team - Chester, the Union II got out to an early two-goal lead in Game 1, and Toronto wouldn’t get closer than that for the remainder of the opener despite its efforts to rally. The story proved the same in Game 2, where Slabicki ran out to a 4-1 lead inside the opening minute and cruised to victory from thereon.

Group 4

Team

Game 1

Game 2

Match

Rio Grande Valley FC

14

16

2

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

0

2

0

Rio Grande Valley FC’s Anarbol Villarreal – playing for the RGV Food Bank – claimed the highest single-game rating of the day as he romped past the Hounds’ Kenardo Forbes in back-to-back contests while racking up 30 goals overall (14-0, 16-2).

The Toros recorded a game score of 2090 in Game 1 of the best-of-three, setting a marker that should have turned heads around the rest of the competition, and then followed that up with an even bigger goal tally in Game 2, even though the Hounds’ notched a pair of goals of their own to boost the AHN COVID-19 Assistance Fund.

Team

Game 1

Game 2

Match

San Antonio FC

9

10

2

El Paso Locomotive FC

3

0

0

San Antonio FC’s Josh Richards pulled out all the shots – including a nifty trunk-trick finish – to pull away from El Paso Locomotive FC’s Logan Ketterer in a two-game sweep (9-3, 10-0) that positioned him handily in the group standings.

San Antonio loaded up early goals in support of Spurs Give, and while El Paso’s Ketterer showed off some impressive moves of his own at both end of the arena for the El Paso Food and Beverage Workers Fund, this Copa Tejas battle was only going to end up with one winner.

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