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USL Top Five: Toughest Starts to 2017

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 02/01/17, 1:01PM EST

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With the schedule revealed, which teams face some heavy sledding to open the season?

The 2017 USL regular season schedule was revealed on Tuesday, officially starting the countdown to the biggest year in the league’s history on Saturday, March 25. With every team in each conference playing at least a home-and-home series this season, the competition will be fierce from the off as teams look to build an early advantage in the race for the 2017 USL Cup Playoffs.

For some teams that may be easier than others. While the schedule will have the chance to balance itself out over the course of the season, for some teams there will be major challenges to overcome to make sure they arrive in May in good shape. Here are five teams whose paths could be fraught early on.

5. Ottawa Fury FC

FIRST FIVE GAMES

at Saint Louis
at Tampa Bay
at Richmond
Toronto
at Charleston

BREAKDOWN

Ottawa’s first foray into the USL could be challenging as much for the fact that the side plays four of its first five games on the road, and goes up against what looks like some stiff opposition including 2016 USL postseason sides Richmond and Charleston. A visit to Saint Louis FC in Week 2 could tell us a lot about where both teams might stand in Fury FC’s opening game of the season, and while Toronto FC II hasn’t been a playoff contender in the past two years, the first meeting between the Ontario clubs could be a bigger test than it appears on paper.

4. Saint Louis FC

FIRST FIVE GAMES

at Louisville
Ottawa
New York
at Pittsburgh
at Cincinnati

BREAKDOWN

Saint Louis FC has had a lot of reason for optimism as it returns to the Eastern Conference this season, but that could be put to the test early as the side faces all three of the conference’s top three clubs from a year ago in its opening five games. Trips to Louisville and Cincinnati could prove particularly challenging, and as mentioned above the visit of Ottawa Fury FC on the second weekend of the season could offer a snapshot of where both clubs stand for the season.

3. OKC Energy FC

FIRST FIVE GAMES

at Swope Park
at Colorado Springs
Rio Grande Valley
Sacramento
at Rio Grande Valley

BREAKDOWN

With a retooled squad for the new season, Energy FC is looking to return to the top of the Western Conference standings in 2017 after a seventh-place finish a season ago. With five games against teams that finished in the conference’s top four a season ago, coming through the first section of the season will be crucial. The two contests against Rio Grande Valley FC jump out immediately considering the manner in which OKC dispatched the Toros in last season’s playoffs, and visits to Swope Park and Colorado Springs and a home clash with Sacramento will also be major tests for Head Coach Jimmy Nielsen’s side.

2. Pittsburgh Riverhounds

FIRST FIVE GAMES

New York
Cincinnati
at Charleston
Saint Louis
at Charlotte

BREAKDOWN

The Riverhounds are also looking for a bounce-back year after missing the playoffs a season ago, but they’ll do well to emerge from an opening stint that sees them face four teams that made the Eastern Conference Playoffs a season ago. One saving grace is the opening two contests of the season against defending USL Cup champion New York and Cincinnati are both on home turf, but players like All-League selection Corey Hertzog and Kevin Kerr will need to be at their best to get the points Pittsburgh will need to remain in the hunt early.

1. Tulsa Roughnecks FC

FIRST FIVE GAMES

Colorado Springs
Rio Grande Valley
Sacramento
at Rio Grande Valley
at Colorado Springs

BREAKDOWN

When you’re coming off finishing last in the Western Conference the previous season, and have appointed a new head coach in the offseason, the last thing you probably want to see is five meetings with the top three teams in your conference from the previous year to kick off the new season. Unfortunately for the Roughnecks, that’s precisely the predicament they find themselves in. While the first three games against Colorado Springs, Rio Grande Valley and Sacramento will be on home turf at ONEOK Field, Head Coach Dave Vaudreuil wouldn’t have been faulted for checking his back yard for a black cat or two after Tuesday’s announcement.

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