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USL Championship Talking Points – Week 17

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 07/04/22, 11:48AM EDT

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San Antonio gives Cardone fitting send-off, while Miami gets a lift in the postseason race


San Antonio FC's Matt Cardone gets a send-off from goalkeeping colleague Jordan Farr after his final appearance for the club on Saturday night. | Photo courtesy Darren Abate / San Antonio FC

A long weekend of action brought us a fond farewell to one of the league’s icons, and some key results at both the top of each conference and around the postseason lines. Here are 10 things we took away from the action.

1. San Antonio Gives Cardone Fitting Sendoff

As the crowd of 7,044 fans rose to its feet at Toyota Field on Saturday night to salute Matt Cardone one final time, it gave a glimpse into the position the San Antonio native has earned in more than 100 professional appearances for San Antonio FC.  

“It’s been an amazing adventure,” said Cardone after SAFC’s 2-0 victory against the Charleston Battery, which saw him log his final 14 minutes for the club ahead of attending law school at Southern Methodist University this fall. “All the guys in this league bounce around year to year, I’m so happy it’s worked out for me here, getting to stay in my hometown and go up the ranks and be with this great club for so long.”

SAFC’s defense did the rest, holding the Battery without a shot on target over the 90 minutes to maintain a four-point lead at the top of the Western Conference after a two-win week at home. Cardone will certainly return to Toyota Field in the future, this time as a fan, but his position as a club and league icon will live well into the future.

“It’s been so special,” he said. “I reflected on it, which I’ve been doing a lot this week, it’s been a really special experience and it means a lot to me. I’m never going to forget it.”

2. Miami Gets Leg Up in Playoff Race

The midway point of the season might be a bit too early to label a game as a playoff six-pointer, but with both sides entering off consecutive defeats the duel between Indy Eleven and Miami FC on Saturday at Michael A. Carroll Stadium sure felt like one. Miami’s 1-0 victory behind a goal from Josh Perez and a stellar goalkeeping display by Connor Sparrow gave the visitors all three points, and what Head Coach Anthony Pulis felt was a reward for the way the side has played of late.

“I’m really proud of the players after the run that we’ve been on,” said Pulis. “I’ve felt like we’ve been playing a lot of good football and we’ve been doing a lot of good things. Tonight, finally, the result went our way and I thought it was fully deserved.”

Miami’s win moved it back above the playoff line, but with Indy sitting with two games in hand the back-and-forth between the sides looks set to continue. In claiming the regular season series, though, Miami has what could be a key tiebreaker if the battle remains tight in the final standings.

3. LouCity faces attacking dearth after injuries

Louisville City FC’s 2-1 victory against Birmingham Legion FC on Saturday night was well earned – the hosts posted a season-high 3.21 Expected Goals mark and could have won by a wider margin with sharper finishing – but the postgame concern for the new Eastern Conference leaders was an injury suffered by Wilson Harris late in the first half that forced his substitution.

With Cameron Lancaster also currently sidelined with a groin injury, the key question for LouCity ahead of next Saturday’s game against the New York Red Bulls II will be who might be available to fill the center forward position for the side if both Lancaster and Harris are unavailable. On Saturday, it was Brian Ownby that filled the gap, sliding in from the right side as Ray Serrano came on to replace Harris, but with no-one from the club’s attacking corps aside from Harris having notched more than three goals this season – Sean Totsch is currently second in goals with five this campaign, including three from the penalty spot – the position could be up for grabs for someone like Enoch Mushagalusa to grab this week.

4. Rowdies’ switch pays dividend in victory

When the Tampa Bay Rowdies release their lineup pregame, you can almost be certain the side will be set up with the three-player back line that has delivered it so much success in the past two seasons.

On Saturday against Memphis 901 FC, though, the side showed a new look with Conner Antley and Jordan Scarlett operating centrally and Aaron Guillen and Laurence Wyke playing as conventional full backs. There may have been some nervous moments at times as the side continued its commitment to playing out of the back, but the defensive impact the move had in neutralizing Memphis’ leading scorer Phillip Goodrum – who registered only one shot off target before being substitute with 20 minutes to go – showed it could be a valuable option against other one-striker aligned teams in the future.

“I think our principles are exactly the same, I don’t think you’re seeing anything in our team that you didn’t see,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. “Tonight, we went with it again because I think it gives us another string to our bow, but Jordan Scarlett and Conner Antley, not only are they defending excellently, but we’re asking them to do a lot on the ball as well. That’s a tough thing, to find defenders at this level that are as athletic as them but are also as good in possession. It’s difficult, and credit to them for continuing to improve.”

5. Forbes hits landmark as Hounds Bounce Back

For someone as prolific as Kenardo Forbes, nine games without picking up an assist is a long time. When you’re on the verge of becoming the first player to reach 50 regular season assists in the Championship’s history, it could have felt like an eternity.

So, when the Jamaican playmaker finally reached the landmark with a trademark through-ball that sprang Alex Dixon for the opening goal in a 3-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls II on Friday night it set up a result that gave the Hounds a moment of respite after a tough stretch of results.

Add in a shutout – the first for the side since a 1-0 win against El Paso Locomotive FC on May 14 that also served as the club’s most recent victory prior to Friday night – and there was continued reason for optimism for Hounds Head Coach Bob Lilley.

“We found good moments to pressure them and get forward, but I'm happiest about the defense,” said Lilley. “We defended more collectively than we have for a number of games, and it's good to come out of there with a shutout and not leaking those cheap goals we've given up. [New York] is explosive, and you saw early on they were going to try and get to goal, but we did a good job staying compact.”

6. Phoenix puts positive spin on draw

On one hand, Richmond Antwi’s second goal for Phoenix Rising FC earned the side a point in dramatic fashion against Orange County SC before more than 8,000 fans at Wild Horse Pass. On the other, it was another two points dropped at home for the side, which remained in 11th place in the Western Conference standings.

Understandably, Rising FC Head Coach Rick Schantz was taking the glass-half-full view after the game.

“Let's look at it from a positive standpoint,” Schantz told reporters. “We were down, 2-1, with 10 minutes to play and they fought back and scored a great goal and almost had another chance to win it there at the end. Things are going to start to turn. We'll be all right.”

There were some positives for Rising FC to take from the game, but the continued defensive problems the side faces resulted in Milan Iloski notching a brace and almost an invaluable victory for the visitors. With trips to Memphis 901 FC and Louisville City FC up next, Phoenix has to hope a change in fortune is coming soon.

7. Dropped Points Leave Orange County in Trouble

If Phoenix was taking the glass-half-full view after Saturday’s contest, the late equalizer was another challenging moment for Orange County as it continued to falter after its title-winning campaign a season ago. OCSC has now dropped 12 points from winning positions this season – only Oakland Roots SC has let more points slip away this season (14) – and that’s currently the difference between the side being in position to challenge for a top-four position and its current spot in 12th place in the standings.

Iloski’s form, though, has provided a silver lining for Orange County. The new Golden Boot leader with 12 goals this season is having a breakout season in his third campaign in the professional ranks, Iloski could hold the key to this season for OCSC if it can also fix its defensive challenges. The Golden Boot winner’s side has never missed the USL Championship Playoffs, a piece of history Orange County will hold onto as it looks to make a move.

8. Rutz Helps Detroit Regain Footing

After four games without a win, Detroit City FC had reached its first really challenging moment in its inaugural season going into Saturday’s visit to Las Vegas Lights FC.

Thanks to Connor Rutz’s first goal in the Championship, Le Rouge claimed a 1-0 victory that will have calmed some nerves as the visitors re-established themselves in the Eastern Conference’s top four positions. Last year’s Black Arrow award winner, Rutz has had a few more ups and downs this season as he acclimates to the new level of competition – his one goal, one assist display in the club’s Open Cup victory against the Michigan Stars being the highlight so far – but this breakthrough could provide a platform for more success to come.

9. Calvillo Saves El Paso’s Streak

In terms of tough beats, El Paso Locomotive FC would probably have been hard done by not to take something from its visit to Atlanta United 2 in Saturday’s lightning-delayed clash at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. The visitors had generated the majority of chances, putting up 25 shots and nine efforts on target only to receive stiff resistance from Atlanta goalkeeper Vicente Reyes.

Eric Calvillo ensured El Paso’s nine-game undefeated streak continued, however, as his stoppage-time free kick caught out the young goalkeeper as he anticipated an effort over the defensive wall. Calvillo went the other way, curling his shot from the top-right edge of the penalty area low to the left corner with Reyes unable to recover. The goal was Calvillo’s fourth in as many games, continuing his solid run of form since returning from international duty last month with El Salvador. With a key home game next against Colorado Springs this Saturday, Locomotive FC remains on track for a postseason berth.

10. Los Dos Continue to Impress at home

There are some familiar – and expected – names at the top of the list when it comes to home victories this season, with Memphis 901 FC and San Diego Loyal SC continuing to impress on home turf with seven wins apiece. In the group one win further back, though, are the LA Galaxy II, whose drive for another postseason appearance is being built at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Friday night’s 3-1 victory against Oakland Roots SC, which moved Los Dos into sixth place in the Western Conference, showed off the quality the young side can deliver, with fullbacks Josh Drack and Owen Lambe particularly notable in their performances. The Galaxy II will likely need to continue to get results on the road to stick in the top seven, but if it wasn’t clear yet to visitors heading to LA, this is a team that can’t be underestimated on its home turf.

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