A busy Friday and Saturday slate saw plenty of changes in the playoff picture in both the USL Championship’s Atlantic and Central Divisions. Here are our five takeaways from the Eastern Conference at the end of Week 17.

Tampa Bay Finds Late, Deserved Breakthrough in Adebayo-Smith

After the way the Tampa Bay Rowdies had produced chances but failed to find the net in their prior home game against Hartford Athletic this season, you could have been wondering on Friday night if the side was getting a sense of déjà vu with the game still scoreless, despite the hosts having the bulk of possession and chances at Al Lang Stadium, as it moved into the final 10 minutes.

But on a night when some notable attacking names returned to the lineup, with Steevan Dos Santos making his first start since an injury early this season and Juan Tejada making his first appearance of the season, it was Jordan Adebayo-Smith that ended up making the difference with an 85th-minute winner that lifted the Rowdies to an important win in their pursuit of first place in the Atlantic Division.

The goal was 20-year-old Adebayo-Smith’s second in as many games after scoring against the New York Red Bulls II in the Rowdies’ prior outing. After some up-and-down form over the past month that saw him excluded from the gameday squad against the Charlotte Independence recently, Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins was delighted with how the young English forward had reacted.

“I think he reacted fantastically leading into New York, then he went on and started and scored,” said Collins. “Then I left him out [tonight] because I felt it was a night for something else, but he’d had another great week in training, and he responded with a goal. That’s how you go on to have a career. That’s how you go on to have a contribution for a team.

“Everyone in our team should be looking at that, thinking it’s not about the coach’s decision to not put them on or pick them. It’s about how they respond. Because he went from not getting on to starting the following week. I’m pleased for him. He’s got so much potential, we’ve just got to try and get the best out of him.”

Independence’s Structure Puts Side on Playoff Path

If there was one thing Charlotte Independence Head Coach Mike Jeffries was looking to avoid in his side’s second meeting with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, it was a repeat of the defensive display that saw the Hounds rack up nine shots on target as they sliced through the center of the field repeatedly when the sides met on July 3 at Highmark Stadium.

In a disciplined 1-0 victory on Saturday night at American Legion Memorial Stadium that saw Enzo Martinez’s second goal in as many games serve as the winner, the Independence managed just that, allowing what had been an in-form Hounds attack only one shot on goal in its nine shots overall.

“We went in and wanted to be really compressed defensively,” said Jeffries. “The times we’ve had trouble, we become stretched out and vulnerable to pressure. Tonight, I thought we did a good job of keeping on our blocks. We did a really good job of not allowing them to play through the middle of midfield. Last time we played them in Pittsburgh, they were able to play through the middle of midfield too easily. I thought we did a really good job of shutting them down and forcing play to be more direct or play wide where we could handle it.”

The Independence are now into the playoff places in the Atlantic Division, and while there’s still going to be pressure from the Charleston Battery and Hartford Athletic for that spot the discipline and quality that the side showed defensively could make it one of the more difficult sides to beat as the season moves on. With another test next weekend from Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s high-flying attack, Charlotte will be looking for more of the same in terms of its defensive play to maintain its upward trajectory.

Lancaster Continues to Find Right Place at Right Time

There’s a knack that top goal scorers seem to have of always finding a way to be in the right place at the right time to make the most of chances when they arrive. That was on display once again for Louisville City FC’s Cameron Lancaster this past Saturday night as his two goals allowed the Central Division leaders to stretch their lead up to six points in a 2-1 win against FC Tulsa. With the win, the hosts claim their fourth consecutive victory before 10,675 fans at Lynn Family Stadium.

“I don’t think you could teach being in the right place at the right time,” said Lancaster’s LouCity teammate Niall McCabe, who notched the assist on Lancaster’s opening goal in the 10th minute as the English forward was left in space in the right side of the penalty area. “It’s just an instinct. He kind of just smells out opportunities, and thankfully he’s on the outside and long may he continue and keep scoring.”

Lancaster is now on 11 goals this season and has moved into a tie with teammate Kyle Greig for fifth in the Championship’s all-time in the regular season on 62 goals for his career. At an average of 109.4 minutes per goal, he has the best strike rate in league history among players with at least 40 goals. While this year might not bring his second Golden Boot considering the pace being set by Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s Hadji Barry, Lancaster could rapidly move up the scoring list by the end of this campaign as his ability to elude attention from opposing defenses provides clear openings on a consistent basis.

Indy Gives Fans Reward, Has Chance to Build

For Indy Eleven fans, the season so far has been a rough one when it comes to the Boys in Blue putting in performances in the club’s return to Michael A. Carroll Stadium. Saturday night’s 2-1 victory against OKC Energy FC, however, provided a bright spot and a potential turning point for the club as Nicky Law and Manuel Arteaga each recorded a goal and an assist in just the second home win for the side this season.

“Obviously, they deserve that,” said Law about the fans after the game. “They’ve not had a victory here since very early on in the season, so it was huge to give them something to cheer about at long last. Obviously, it was a huge disappointment during the week away at Atlanta where we really let ourselves down, and we really wanted to come out here tonight and show the fight and desire for them and for ourselves as well. So, it was great to give them the victory tonight.

“Hopefully, as I’ve said, we can give them a lot more victories, a lot more things to shout about, because they keep showing up in numbers and giving us great support, so we thank them hugely for that. Yeah, we want to reward them with a lot more victories and a higher position in the table.”

Indy’s away form has been a key to keeping the side’s playoff chances afloat during an inconsistent season so far, but the side is now level on points alongside FC Tulsa and OKC Energy FC for fourth place in the standings, with all three having games in hand on third-placed Atlanta United 2. If Indy can use this win as a spark ahead of a week that sees it visit both Loudoun United FC and Sporting Kansas City II – two sides propping up their respective divisions in the Eastern Conference – there could be something more here for the side to build on.

Battery Goalkeeper Lewis Comes Through in Key Win

Normally, if you were talking about a player with the last name of Lewis coming through for the Charleston Battery in an important victory, you’d be talking about Bermuda international Zeiko Lewis. That was the case on Friday night to an extent – Zeiko had the assist on Robbie Crawford’s second-half goal in a 1-0 win against Loudoun United FC and was his typical dangerous self in the attacking third with three shots and seven key passes – but goalkeeper Paul Lewis produced arguably the biggest moment of the game with a first-half penalty kick save to deny Loudoun’s Robbie Dambrot and keep the game scoreless.

Making only his second professional start in lieu of regular starter Joe Kuzminsky, Paul Lewis got down well to his left to parry away Dambrot’s shot. After narrowly missing out on saving a penalty kick in his professional debut against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC the previous week, the former Cal-State University Northridge player made sure to make his mark this time around.

“The first shot I ever really had on target was the penalty against Pittsburgh last week and I got a touch on that one, So the second one, I can’t let him have it and I always go with my gut,” said Paul Lewis. “[The shot] sat down, I got the early jump and got two hands on it. Then I just needed to be loud afterwards and let them really know you saved it.”

The win sets up another big game for the Battery, who head to face Hartford Athletic on Tuesday night with a chance to pass the Charlotte Independence for fourth place in the Atlantic Division. Whether it’s Paul Lewis or Kuzminsky in net, Charleston Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser – who got to celebrate his birthday with a win on Friday – is confident in either of his goalkeepers.

“[Paul] won the game for us,” said Anhaesuer. “It’s building confidence when you play, you got to play games and you got to play minutes. I’m very proud of him, very happy for him, we’ve got two very good goalkeepers.”