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10 USL Championship Games to Circle in the Month of May

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 04/28/21, 4:30PM EDT

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Home openers, rivalries and interconference matchups highlight the first full month of the season

It’s good to be back, isn’t it?

And while this past weekend gave us a little taste of what may be coming this season in the USL Championship, the upcoming month has plenty on offer to keep fans across the country entertained. From big home openers – including a major stadium opening – to rivalries and interconference matchups, there is no shortage of compelling contests for fans returning to stadiums or watching at home on ESPN’s linear channels and ESPN+.

With Phoenix Rising FC’s clash against San Diego Loyal SC acting as the closing act for April, here are 10 games you should pay close attention to throughout May.

Birmingham Legion FC
Central
May 1 | 7:30 PM EST
BBVA Field
Indy Eleven
Central
In terms of a season-opening barometer, it doesn’t get much more intriguing than this clash between now-Central Division rivals Birmingham Legion FC and Indy Eleven at BBVA Field given the attacking options that both clubs have added this offseason. On Birmingham’s side, there’s the permanent arrival of J.J. Williams to Neco Brett and Prosper Kasim as well as the addition of Jamaican international Junior Flemmings – although he’ll be absent here with two games to carry over from his late-season suspension in 2020. Then for Indy there are new signings Jordan Hamilton, Manuel Arteaga, Gordon Wild and Cammy Smith, with Hamilton bringing an impressive past track record at this level while in Toronto. As well-drilled as both these defenses typically are, this should be an entertaining one.
Indy Eleven
Central
May 8 | 7 PM EST
Michael A. Carroll Stadium
FC Tulsa
Central
Bring. The. Smoke. After spending its first three seasons in the Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indy Eleven returns to its original home at Michael A. Carroll Stadium this year with the promise of raucous atmosphere in the more intimate setting that we saw in the 2019 USL Championship Playoffs. With fellow Central Division rivals FC Tulsa – which produced an impressive road display to kick off its 2021 campaign– the first team to make the trip to The Mike, we could be in for a highly compelling contest between two sides who have serious playoff aspirations this season.
El Paso Locomotive FC
Mountain
May 8 | 9:30 PM EST
Southwest University Park
New Mexico United
Mountain
If you’ve followed the Championship at all in the past two years, you know the story here, and let’s face it, you may as well go ahead and circle the other three meetings while you’re at it between El Paso Locomotive FC and New Mexico United. The regional rivals have played some brilliant contests already in their short histories, including last year’s Western Conference Semifinal decided by a penalty shootout in favor of El Paso. With a perfect clash of styles and great talent on both sides led by playmakers Dylan Mares (El Paso) and Amando Moreno (New Mexico), this one should bring high entertainment from the opening whistle to the last.
Hartford Athletic
Atlantic
May 15 | 7 PM EST
Dillon Stadium
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Atlantic
When Hartford Athletic came away with a 1-0 victory against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Highmark Stadium late last season, it proved the tipping point in the race for first place in the group between the two. Their first meeting since then will have plenty of new faces – most notably Hartford Head Coach Harry Watling – but should retain the edge that the familiarity between the squads built throughout last year. With the Hounds looking for revenge and an early edge in the Atlantic Division, this game at Dillon Stadium is well worth keeping any eye on.
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Atlantic
May 15 | 8 PM EST
Al Lang Stadium
Phoenix Rising FC
Pacific
What we missed out on last November, the USL Championship schedule makers restored to us this May. And while it may not settle the debate as to which side would have claimed the USL Championship Final, it should still give us a game of outstanding attacking soccer at Al Lang Stadium and for the nationwide audience on ESPN2. The storylines as to who might come out on top will be headlined by the battle of the reigning Championship MVP Solomon Asante for Phoenix and Defender of the Year Forrest Lasso, and there will be plenty of other subplots worth keeping an eye on including the return of Tampa native Darnell King to one of his former clubs. So, while there won’t be a trophy on hand, you certainly should be tuned in to this one.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Mountain
May 21 | 9 PM EST
Weidner Field
New Mexico United
Mountain
It’s a night that’s been years in the making, but when the lights go on at the 8,000-seat Weidner Field –right in downtown Colorado Springs– for the first regular season game at Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s new home, it’ll be hard not to feel a sense of excitement. The Switchbacks, who joined the Championship in 2013 right the start of its blossoming into the league we have today, enter with a talented young Head Coach in Brendan Burke, a retooled squad, and a buzz that something great is right around the corner. New Mexico United will be looking to crash the party – new stadium openings don’t always end well, just ask Louisville City FC – but that should make for plenty of entertainment on Night 1 of the Switchbacks’ new era.
Louisville City FC
Central
May 22 | 7:30 PM EST
Lynn Family Stadium
San Diego Loyal SC
Pacific
In advance of the 2021 schedule coming out, one of the great games to play was who each team’s out of division opponents would be, and whether we’d see any potential USL Championship Final matchups during the regular season. This certainly counts as one of those, with perennial contender Louisville City FC playing host to a San Diego Loyal SC side that has quickly built itself into a strong outfit under Head Coach Landon Donovan. Keep an eye out for SD Loyal’s Jack Blake in this one, too. The last time he visited Louisville, he left a very big winner.
Orange County SC
Pacific
May 22 | 10 PM EST
Championship Soccer Stadium
Sacramento Republic FC
Pacific
If Phoenix Rising FC is the preseason favorite to claim the Pacific Division crown, then one of Orange County SC or Sacramento Republic FC may end up as the biggest challenger to that claim. Gaining an early upper hand in the race for first place is at the center of this clash at Championship Soccer Stadium between the two sides who both hold title aspirations of their own going into this season. If history is any guide, Sacramento could hold a slight edge – in its previous eight trips to Orange County, it’s only lost twice – but the talent led by Orange County’s Thomas Enevoldsen and Adam Jahn and Republic FC’s Kharlton Belmar and Dariusz Formella should make for a strong matchup.
Louisville City FC
Central
May 29 | 7:30 PM EST
Lynn Family Stadium
Indy Eleven
Central
In terms of the fanbases and club cultures, the Louisville Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest is among the best in the Championship. In terms of results, on the other hand, it’s been consistently in favor of the Boys in Purple. Louisville City FC will welcome Indy Eleven for the first of its encounters with Indy Eleven looking to add to a 4-1-4 regular-season record against its rival that included winning three out of four a season ago, helping aid the demise of the Boys in Blue’s playoff aspirations. Indy’s new faces may not have been part of the prior history, but they’ll certainly be well versed in it by kickoff and ready to turn the tables.
Sacramento Republic FC
Pacific
May 29 | 10:30 PM EST
Papa Murphy’s Park
Phoenix Rising FC
Pacific
After the way last year’s Western Conference Quarterfinal in the USL Championship Playoffs went down, you can guarantee that Sacramento Republic FC and its fans have been ready for their chance to get a little revenge against Phoenix Rising FC. This matchup marks the first chance to earn it, and at the friendly confines of Papa Murphy’s Park there is reason to believe Republic FC and its new arrivals including central midfielders Fatai Alashe and Luis Felipe Fernandes and midfielder Petteri Pennanen may be able to do so. Sacramento is undefeated in Phoenix’s seven prior visits to its home, and a win would set down a substantial marker moving into the second month of the season.

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