From a candidate for the USL Championship’s Goal of the Year to comebacks and solid defensive performances, there was a lot to take in across the Eastern Conference this past weekend. Here are five takeaways from the action.

GONZALEZ’S STUNNER COULD TURN MEMPHIS’ SEASON

Memphis 901 FC is only in its third season, but on Saturday night it might have seen the moment that announced the club had officially arrived, thanks to Raul Gonzalez. The Puerto Rico international’s remarkable strike – which landed at No. 1 on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 later that night – was one of the greatest goals in USL Championship history and lifted his side to a 3-2 victory against rival Birmingham Legion FC to create an iconic moment that fans who witnessed it live and online won’t soon forget.

“I thought to myself, ‘Let me get off the ground, let me really put my whole body into this and make it 100 percent,’” said Gonzalez. “I jumped up for it, tried to find the center of the ball and make contact, and I hit it on frame, and it went upper 90. It was a little bit of luck and a little bit of concentration. I was kind of shocked when it went in, but I was relieved to know it went in, because what a time to score. Given the season and knowing where we’re at, to get a result coming off of multiple ties recently is a great way to move forward.”

After the disappointment of Wednesday night’s defeat to OKC Energy FC, the potential lift the performance 901 FC put in overall could create a turnaround the side needs to claim its first trip to the postseason. Saturday night wasn’t the first time a team had scored twice in stoppage time to turn a game around in the Championship this season after Roland Lamah’s goal three minutes into added time pulled the hosts level at AutoZone Park, but after the performance 901 FC had put in it certainly felt like a deserved win.

“It was crazy,” said Memphis Head Coach Ben Pirmann. “I thought we had lost the game. Their first goal was a gift, and we responded brilliantly. The second half was completely one-sided, and honestly, the whole game was our game. We’ve dealt with a lot of stuff this year, and we’ve played very well and lost embarrassingly. So, to come back with that attitude and that effort shows where this club and this team is at. It was unreal, but it was a deserved win.”

TULSA SHOWS GRIT IN VICTORY AT LOUISVILLE

There have been some memorable victories over the years for FC Tulsa, but in terms of importance Friday night’s 1-0 result on the road against Louisville City FC might have been the biggest. Just ask Head Coach Michael Nsien.

“I would have to rank it at the top,” said Nsien. “The reasons being: one, it's four in a row, which is unprecedented for us. It’s also against the champions at the top of our division away where it’s very difficult to get anything. The way that it was done and the short amount of recovery time that we’ve had over the last couple weeks – the guys really dug in and sacrificed a lot. I’m really proud of the guys for sure, and I would say it’s right there at the top.”

For a team that entered the weekend wanting to make a statement, the resilience Tulsa showed in front of a crowd of 10,206 fans to make Dario Suarez’s first-half goal stand up as the winner was admirable. After the defensive challenges the side had faces at certain times earlier this season, too, holding the hosts to only four shots on goal while recording five blocks showed a greater determination which was rewarded with the club’s first four-game winning streak in its history.

“I think winners, which is what we’re striving to be, show a certain amount of consistency and do it in moments like this,” said Nsien. “It’s not always the easy ones, the 2-0’s or 3-0’s or 3-1’s. It’s not always like that. It’s about going away against a team like Louisville and absolutely dig in and suffer with each other. The bonds that were built with the players tonight should be unbreakable. It should never leave their minds.”

ROWDIES CONTINUE TO ROLL AS GUENZATTI BREAKS THROUGH

On the evidence of Friday night, the Tampa Bay Rowdies are fully out of the funk that saw the side drop three consecutive games and four out of five a few weeks ago. With five consecutive shutouts after a 3-0 victory against an Oakland Roots SC that had been on a six-game undefeated run of its own as it arrived at Al Lang Stadium, the hosts clamped down on their visitors in another outstanding defensive display that saw goalkeeper Evan Louro take another step toward a potential Golden Glove with his 10th shutout of the season overall.

“Three-nil at home, some great chances created, some great football played, another clean sheet,” said Rowdies Head Coach Collins. “I think it’s just about how we can get better. It’s actually the boys that said we could’ve done better in the second half in moments with our possession. I think what’s great about this group is they want to be better. That’s where we can look to improve. But putting ourselves in those positions to begin with is important. We can’t take winning for granted. It’s enjoyable winning in front of our fans but it doesn’t stop us from wanting to be better.”

What might have been the biggest moment of the night for the hosts, though, wasn’t the highlight reel finish by Sebastian Dalgaard that lit up the night, but Sebastian Guenzatti’s opener that finally got the Rowdies’ captain to 10 goals this season. The veteran forward had gone six games without a goal – the longest such streak since the start of the 2019 season, during which time Guenzatti has established himself as one of the league’s most consistent scorers – but in starting September on the right foot it could add even more to a side now vying for the best record in the Championship once again.

LEAKS IN INDEPENDENCE DEFENSE PROVING COSTLY

There’s still a way to go in the Atlantic Division playoff race this season, but when it’s all said and done the Charlotte Independence’s proclivity to conceded goals at inopportune times could be their undoing. When the Independence have been good defensively, they’ve been solid with seven shutouts this season. When they haven’t, it’s led to results like Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Miami FC in which the side let slip a two-goal halftime lead and conceded late as Christiano Francois’ 88th-minute equalizer earned the visitors a point at American Legion Memorial Stadium.

“We’re creating chances and converting those,” said the Independence’s Enzo Martinez, who scored late in the first half to stake his side to its two-goal lead. “The whole year, with exception to a few games, we create a lot of chances whether we actually score or not. It comes down to the games that we give up goals. We tend to give up more than one goal. It is either a clean sheet or we are giving up multiple goals, that is something that we have to figure out. It’s not an issue of the back line, we give up a goal as a team. There are as many things that go wrong with that play where we give a situation where they can score. That is something we have to look at and fix.”

The numbers Martinez talks about don’t lie. In 11 of Charlotte’s 20 games so far this season it has allowed at least two goals, while allowing a single goal twice in addition to its shutouts, which are tied for fourth-most in the Championship. That leakiness was set to be helped by the arrival of veteran defender Christian Fuchs, but the side has now conceded seven goals over the past three games, which isn’t a formula for a postseason berth.

HOUNDS HAPPY ENOUGH WITH POINT IN SAN ANTONIO

Of the places to visit to wrap up a busy stretch of games, the heat and humidity of San Antonio FC’s Toyota Field probably wouldn’t have been the place Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC would have chosen. After Alex Dixon notched a late equalizer on Saturday night to earn the Hounds a 1-1 draw, though, it certainly felt like a satisfactory result for the visitors.

“It was very hot, and we showed a lot of heart to carve out chances when we were tired, and we were able to find a goal,” said Hounds Head Coach Bob Lilley. “If we’re tighter on our men earlier, maybe they don’t get that first goal, but I think our guys competed well. If we had gotten going earlier in the second half, I think we have a chance to win tonight, but San Antonio’s a good team. They’re in good form – they had won four of the last five – so it was a decent result for us to get a point and come back home.”

Lilley’s side completed a stretch of eight games in 30 days against San Antonio, and that led to numerous lineup rotations going into the game as Dixon, Russell Cicerone and Kenardo Forbes were held back until entering as halftime substitutes. With the side now scheduled for weekend games over the remainder of the regular season, barring postponements the Hounds have a great chance to find their rhythm while getting rest as they battle the Tampa Bay Rowdies for top spot in the Atlantic.