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USL Championship Talking Points | Week 11

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 05/23/22, 12:00PM EDT

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Memphis comes through delays to top East; Monterey Bay, Rio Grande Valley pick up notable victories

There’s a new leader in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference after a lightning-delayed night in Virginia, and the conclusion of Week 11 also delivered plenty more to talk about including some key victories and two notable goalkeeping performances – one from a returning veteran, and one from a USL Academy debutant.

Here’s a look at what we took away from the weekend’s action.

1. Memphis delayed, but rises to top in East

Sunday was a stop-start evening for Memphis 901 FC. By the end of the night – five hours after its scheduled kickoff – the visitors had claimed a 3-0 victory against Loudoun United FC and first place in the Eastern Conference standings.

“Obviously tonight was a little weird with the weather delays and the uncertainty, but even before this we talked about focusing on the things we can influence and the things we can control, and obviously, the weather is not one of those things,” said 901 FC Head Coach Ben Pirmann. “But I think we came out and had a mature performance and most importantly we got the three points.”

After each finding the net in Wednesday night’s 5-0 win against the LA Galaxy II, the trio of Laurent Kissiedou, Jeremy Kelly and Phillip Goodrum each struck again, continuing to find the chemistry and balance that has proven 901 FC’s hallmark on its way to the top. Sitting at 8-1-1 over its last 10 games – and with four games overall – Memphis continues to rise in the Eastern Conference’s hierarchy. 

2. Berner’s return provides emotion, inspiration

Memphis 901 FC made a season-high three changes to its starting lineup on Sunday night from last Wednesday’s win against the LA Galaxy II, one of which was highly notable. After 340 days on the sidelines following a torn Achilles tendon last June against Atlanta United 2, goalkeeper John Berner was back between the sticks for the side.

“There was a lot of emotion when I found out that I was getting the start and a lot of gratitude to everyone who helped me get back here,” said Berner after the contest. “It was a really special moment and one that I will never forget from my career.”

Memphis has received solid goalkeeping so far this season from Trey Muse and Drew Romig, helping it to its current position in the standings. Adding the veteran presence of Berner to that mix will add another good option for Memphis Head Coach Ben Pirmann moving forward.

“I’m really proud of John Berner tonight,” said Pirmann. “Proud of his play and how he came out and led the team tonight after 340 days since he was last on the field and everything he went through to get back here, really proud of him tonight.”

3. Monterey Bay delivers surprise of the season so far

It’s hard to overstate how big an upset Monterey Bay F.C.’s victory on Saturday night on the road against Louisville City FC was. As noted previously, the first-year side was given just a nine percent chance on fivethirtyeight.com’s predictor model to claim victory at Lynn Family Stadium before rolling out with a 2-0 victory, the first LouCity had suffered at home since last September.

The last time Monterey Bay had odds that short to take victory, it suffered a 6-0 defeat on the road to San Antonio FC on April 30. There’s a sign here that MBFC is starting to grow into itself – its home victory against Las Vegas Lights FC was another positive sign – but it also shows exactly why we love this sport. On any given night, you never know what’s going to happen.

4. El Paso lets lead slip, but keeps upward momentum

It’s never a happy locker room after letting a lead slip away – even on the road against a good opponent – but in the big picture there should be plenty to feel positive about for El Paso Locomotive FC after a 2-2 draw against defending title holder Orange County SC on Saturday night that saw the big names step up impressively for both sides.

Luis Solignac’s goal and assist led the way for Locomotive FC, giving the Argentine six goals this season to sit tied for third in the league at the end of the weekend, while Diego Luna also found the net for his fourth goal of the campaign. The point shifted El Paso into fifth place in the Western Conference and had the benefit of keeping OCSC at arms-length below the playoff line.

5. Orange County takes silver lining from draw

Orange County SC also took positives from the result as Cubo Torres’ equalizer – his fifth league goal of the season – pulled back a point after the hosts had let their halftime lead slip away. The defending title-winners are now undefeated in their last four outings, taking eight points, as the pieces start to come together in various areas of the field. At the same time, the side is still two points below the playoff line, which highlights how good a win would have been.

“Mixed emotions I think, but definitely a step in the right direction,” said OCSC Head Coach Richard Chaplow. “The last four games now with two wins and two draws [are positive], but we know a win tonight I think would have got us potentially into seventh place and into the playoffs. I don't really feel like we've clicked into gear yet, that's encouraging. So, we just got to make sure we recover now, we've got a big, big game coming up in Atlanta.”

6. Ycaza powers Toros’ rewarding comeback

The team that currently sits in that seventh and final playoff position in the Western Conference? That’s now Rio Grande Valley FC, which rallied for a 2-1 victory against San Diego Loyal SC behind a pair of goals by Emilio Ycaza, including a highlight-reel strike that leveled the game before his close-range finish just appeared to squeak over the line 10 minutes from the end. The Toros have now seeing all 11 of their games this season decided by a single goal, highlighting how competitive the side has been while not always seeing things go its way.

That could have been the case on Saturday, too; Frank Lopez had an early penalty kick saved when the Toros were given a golden chance to take the lead inside the first five minutes, and then had to substitute out goalkeeper Colin Miller for Tyler Deric before SD Loyal took the lead from a penalty kick of their own before halftime. In the end, Toros Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera believed his side earned the result they received, an important one for not only their position but also their confidence in the locker room.

“It is very rewarding, the way that the players have been working,” said Cabrera. “I mentioned to them today that they have been working very hard and have been believing in what we are doing. At home we needed this win, for us and for the fans because we have not played that bad. We have had some results that are not that positive, but we needed to change that luck. In the last game and in this one we have been able to overcome those difficulties and today even though we missed the penalty kick and then went down in the first half due to a penalty kick, we overcame that, and we did not change the way we needed to keep playing.”

7. Rowdies’ resilience on show again

You never really have to wonder about the resilience possessed by the Tampa Bay Rowdies – just look at last year’s Eastern Conference Final for Exhibit A of that on show – but the side’s 3-1 win against a strong Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC side on Saturday night at AL Lang Stadium was another solid step forward for the two-time defending Eastern Conference title-holders to return to solid ground in the standings.

A late first-half goal by Jake LaCava – his sixth of the season – to level the score after Alex Dixon had put the Hounds ahead was followed by a deft finish by Leo Fernandes and one of the coolest celebrations you could hope to see early in the second half to take the lead. From there, the Rowdies’ defense clamped down on Pittsburgh’s attack, allowing only three shots overall, before Lucky Mkosana put a box on proceedings with his stoppage time finish.

“The boys have show resilience, and most of composure, and stuck to the same plan that we had, executed it very well, and shown a lot of confidence in themselves and each other,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins, who got to celebrate his fourth anniversary at the helm with a victory.

8. Hoppenot serving as driver for Detroit City

There have been numerous great stories from among Detroit City FC’s start to life in the USL Championship, but one of the best might be the resurgence of Antoine Hoppenot. One of the league’s best all-around figures in the attacking third of the field – he’s one of only four players in the Championship’s regular season to have notched 35 goals and 35 assists in his career – the 31-year-old had a difficult 2021 campaign in Louisville only to return to form in his new surroundings.

Hoppenot’s goal and assist in Le Rouge’s 3-1 victory against Atlanta United 2 on Saturday night moved him to five goals and four assists in the league this season. That’s already surpassed his goal total for Louisville last year and has equaled his assists total. With DCFC now sitting level on points with LouCity in third place in the Eastern standings, the impact he’s having is showing up in a big way.  

“In the attacking third of the field, [Hoppenot] is always dangerous,” DCFC Head Coach Trevor James told the Detroit News’ Nolan Bianchi. “If he's not getting chances himself, he does create chances, and he recognizes space in the attacking third of the field very quickly. ... It's good today that he forced the goalkeeper into an error that he got another goal himself, so that was great.”

9. Miami finds attacking explosiveness in Charleston

If there was ever an example of a team picking up where it left off the prior game, you could look at Miami FC’s performance against the Charleston Battery on Saturday night at Patriots Point. After grabbing an equalizer deep in second-half stoppage time thanks to Adonijah Reid in its prior outing on Wednesday night against Detroit City FC, Miami jumped out of the gates quickly in Charleston as both Othello Bah and Florian Valot scored inside the opening 16 minutes to send the visitors cruising to a 4-0 win.

Miami hadn’t scored more than two goals in a game this regular season prior to Saturday night, while Valot hadn’t found the net at all since his arrival this offseason. Putting in a performance as positive as that – even against a Charleston side that continues to struggle – could be the moment that Miami needed to push into the contenders in the East more strongly.

10. Oakland’s Syrel steps in, steps up in debut

You could have imagined the pregame expectations for Oakland Roots SC’s Timothy Syrel on Saturday night, who had been added to the club’s USL Championship roster as a USL Academy signing to back up starter Benny Diaz due to injury absences – get a night on the bench, experience the atmosphere at Laney Stadium, learn by watching.

Instead, when Diaz was sent off with just over 20 minutes to play, Syrel was suddenly called into action for his debut at the professional level with his side holding a one-goal lead against the LA Galaxy II in a contest it really needed to win. The 18-year-old stepped up, making a pair of saves to preserve a shutout for the side and delivering a crucial 1-0 victory, Oakland’s second of the campaign.

“I'm so proud of him, just the way he behaves himself when he showed up to training the other day when we needed it, and he's done everything right,” said Roots SC Head Coach Juan Guerra. “As soon as, or even before the referee blew the whistle, I turned around, and I knew he was gonna have to go in. We looked at him in the eyes, Peter [Davis], the goalkeeper coach, talked to him and explained to him what we expected. And he stepped up and he did whatever was necessary for us to keep the zero. So, I'm very happy for him. I think he deserves it.”

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