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Gameday Previews – Wednesday, June 14

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 06/13/23, 4:30PM EDT

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SD Loyal, San Antonio square off while Locomotive FC looks to continue its undefeated streak at home


San Diego Loyal SC and San Antonio FC will meet for the second time this month with the sides sitting two points apart in the Western Conference standings at kickoff. | Photo courtesy Darren Abate / San Antonio FC

Three of the top four teams in the USL Championship’s Western Conference will be in action on Wednesday night as Week 15 of the regular season kicks off, including a quick rematch between San Diego Loyal SC and San Antonio FC as the sides enter separated by one point in the standings.

Here's a look ahead at all the action.

Hartford Athletic vs. Detroit City FC

Venue: Trinity Health Stadium
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Broadcast: ESPN+ / SiriusXM FC
538.com Predictor: HFD 46%, DET 26%, Draw 28%

The Lowdown: Hartford Athletic returns home looking to break a three-game winless streak on Wednesday night as it plays host to a Detroit City FC that is undefeated in its last three games and would move into the playoff positions with a win at Trinity Health Stadium. Hartford (2-7-4, 10pts) is coming off a 1-1 draw against Indy Eleven on Saturday night that saw Kyle Edwards give the side the lead in the first half only for Indy to grab an equalizer with five minutes to go, keeping the Athletic in the basement of the Eastern Conference. A St. Vincent and the Grenadines international, Edwards is now tied for the club lead with four goals this season alongside Prince Saydee, while Elvis Amoh has notched three goals for the side. Hartford will be looking for its first win against DCFC in the third meeting between the clubs, with Le Rouge (3-7-3, 12pts) having claimed a dramatic victory behind a goal by Stephen Carroll in stoppage time on their last visit to Trinity Health Stadium a season ago. More recently, Detroit played to a 0-0 draw against the Charleston Battery in its most recent league outing last Wednesday night, a result that gave the side seven points from its past three games. A point behind three teams sitting directly above them in the standings, Le Rouge would jump into eighth place in the East if they can find a way to victory in Connecticut.

Spotlight Players
Hartford Athletic – Antoine Hoppenot:
The veteran playmaker is set to face his former club after winning the USL Championship’s Assist Champion award last season while playing for Detroit.

Detroit City FC – Dario Suarez: The Cuban forward made his DCFC debut as a substitute against Charleston last week and scored twice against Hartford last season while still a player for FC Tulsa.

El Paso Locomotive FC vs. Las Vegas Lights FC

Venue: Southwest University Park
Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET
Broadcast: ESPN+
538.com Predictor: ELP 58%, LV 17%, Draw 24%

The Lowdown: El Paso Locomotive FC will look to continue its 10-game undefeated streak – and pull level on points with Sacramento Republic FC at the top of the Western Conference standings – as it plays host to Las Vegas Lights FC. Locomotive FC (8-3-2, 26pts) earned a 2-2 draw in its last outing against San Antonio FC as Josue Aaron Gomez and Luis Solignac each found the net at Toyota Field. Solignac’s goal was his seventh of the season, putting him two back of the current league-lead for the Championship Golden Boot, as the side remained in second place in the standings, three points behind Republic FC. Las Vegas (1-6-5, 9pts) remained at the bottom of the Western Conference on Saturday night, meanwhile, as it conceded a late goal to fall 2-1 to Monterey Bay F.C. despite Marcelo Lage recording his second goal of the season. Lights FC will be hoping to emulate its last trip to Southwest University Park when it took a 5-4 victory in one of the wildest games of the 2022 regular season, but the visitors should face a sterner task this time around against an El Paso squad that has recorded five shutouts and conceded only 14 times in 13 regular season games this season.

Spotlight Players
El Paso Locomotive FC – Josue Aaron Gomez:
The veteran forward found the net last time out and has scored three goals in four games against Lights FC for El Paso previously in his career.

Las Vegas Lights FC – Justin Ingram: The central midfield made a good return to the starting lineup last time out, providing an assist on Lage’s goal, and will need to be at his best if called upon again.

San Diego Loyal SC vs. San Antonio FC

Venue: Torero Stadium
Kickoff: 10 p.m. ET
Broadcast: ESPN+
538.com Predictor: SD 40%, SA 33%, Draw 27%

The Lowdown: San Diego Loyal SC and San Antonio FC will meet for the second time in 11 days after a tense first meeting of the season set up a must-see rematch at Torero Stadium. SD Loyal (6-4-4, 22pts) rallied to claim a 3-3 draw on June 3 in San Antonio FC as Ronaldo Damus scored twice and Evan Conway once in the final 15 minutes after SAFC was reduced to 10 men in the first half after running out to an early three-goal lead. San Diego came back to earn a point in its most recent outing as well, playing to a 1-1 draw with Sacramento Republic FC as Damus scored from the penalty spot for his fifth goal of the season, keeping the side two points behind San Antonio in fourth place in the Western Conference. SAFC (6-2-6, 24pts) played to a 2-2 draw against El Paso Locomotive FC on Saturday night, meanwhile, as the side was unable to hold a lead twice after goals by Mitchell Taintor and Samuel Adeniran had put the side ahead in either half. San Antonio fell in its last trip to San Diego, one of its few losses in the regular season last year as it claimed the Players’ Shield and will be aiming to close the gap to the top two in the Western Conference with a positive result on the road.

Spotlight Players
San Diego Loyal SC – Blake Bodily:
The left winger has notched one goal and two assists this season and was lively against Sacramento this past weekend, completing a game-high four dribbles.

San Antonio FC – Justin Dhillon: The veteran forward notched his second assist of the season on Saturday night and his versatility and ability to hold up play could be a key asset for SAFC on the road.

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