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USL Week 11: Review, Preview and How to Watch

By Richard DeLaurell

Aug 20, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; A general view of the field before the gold medal soccer match between Brazil and Germany during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Maracana. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 20, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; A general view of the field before the gold medal soccer match between Brazil and Germany during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Maracana. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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USL Week 11: Open Cup Takes Its Toll, Monarchs Refuse to Slow Their Roll

USL will have 9 representatives facing MLS opponents in the next round of the 2017 US Open Cup competition.

Real Monarchs of Salt Lake City is not one of them however.  That’s too bad because right now Monarchs look unbeatable.  In fact, they have won 9 of their first 10 matches in league play this year.  That’s 27 of 30 points possible.  That must lead the Western Conference, right?  As they say in San Antonio, nope.  First place San Antonio FC holds a half-game lead over Real and shows no signs of letting it go any time soon.

It’s going to have to wait until July 22 when Monarchs travel to San Antonio for the two teams’ first meeting of 2017 before anyone could say who might be the best in the West.

Fans of the USL Eastern Conference however are getting their marquee matchup this weekend. Louisville City FC, eliminated from the Open Cup this week by FC Cincinnati and sitting 3rd on the conference table, travel to Daniel Island, SC to meet conference leaders Charleston Battery on Saturday night.  Meanwhile just up the road in Rock Hill, SC, Tampa Bay Rowdies could make up ground on both as they go up against Charlotte Independence.  But Charlotte too are on a bit of a hot streak themselves.

Here’s a look at two of the important match-ups for the weekend.

Orange County SC (H) v. Real Monarchs SLC

Last Time Out:  Monarchs have not lost or drawn a match since April 15.  They notched their 6th win in a row last Sunday, 2-1, away to Vancouver White Caps FC 2.  Real’s record shows that they score goals in bunches.  And when their opponents find a way to score a bunch of their own, Monarchs have found their own way to score a couple more.  A simple recipe for winning if you think about it.

Orange County SC on the other hand haven’t won a game since April 8.  The club sit almost as far away from Monarchs on the conference table as they could.  They have 10 points on 7 matches played.  Their goal differential is a not-humiliating -2.  That’s the same as the 3rd place Tulsa Roughnecks.  It’s also something of a capsule of OC SC in 2017.  It’s hard to say if they’re good or bad. Yet. The character of the club’s season is still be up in the air because OC SC are so far behind on the calendar.

Given their record and GD they appear headed for a long season.  But they’ve shown flashes of good play, downing LA Galaxy II just one month ago, 4-0. Finding a way against Real could be just what they need to define the 2017 OC SC as at least spoilers if not contenders.

Players To Watch For: Just watch out for anyone named, “Charlie”.

For Monarchs, that’s midfielder Charlie Adams. The 23-year-old Englishman is USL’s king of the cross thus far in 2017.  That’s good because the team otherwise are an offensive powerhouse.  They lead the league in goals scored and have 4 players in the league’s top five ranking on assists.

The bad news for OC SC fans is that they might not get a chance to look away from their own “Charlie”.  Charlie Lyon has been the team’s starting keeper for the entire season.  He will be sorely tested by Real’s onslaught this Saturday night.

How To Watch: Click below for the live stream, Sat., 7p ET, June 3.

Charlotte Independence (H) v. Tampa Bay Rowdies

Last Time Out:  Independence lost 4-0 away to Rochester Rhinos on April 29.  Since then they have won 2 in a row and scored 8 goals in league play. Their last USL match was a 3-1 comeback win away to Orlando on Saturday.  On Wednesday they were eliminated from the Open Cup away to Carolina Railhawks, 1-4.  All of that translates into a leisurely but generally successful month of May.  That slow pace has the team well behind on the USL calendar as well, sitting at 11 points on just 7 matches played as they come into week #11.  Despite the big loss to RR, Independence hold a slender +1 goal differential.

Tampa Bay Rowdies sit second on the Eastern Conference table trailing Charleston by just 2 points.  But they are also just 6 points clear of Louisville City.  If LC FC can defeat the Battery Saturday it will therefore be a case of good news and bad news for TBR.

Rowdies’  drew their last league match at home to Saint Louis FC, 1-1, on Saturday night.

Players To Watch For: Charlotte keeper, Cody Mizell, has played well in league matches yielding just 11 goals over the 7 games.  The problem has been production up front.  But as noted over the last 2 USL matches the combination of Jorge Herrera and Enzo Martinez has become very productive indeed.  After the loss to Carolina, Charlotte’s offense looks to get back on track against a Tamp Bay defense that is short on rest.

Rowdies last played match was an 0-2 away loss to Miami FC in Open Cup play on Wednesday night. Fatigued defenders may play a big role in Tampa Bay’s performance against Charlotte this Saturday.

How To Watch: Click below for the live stream, Sat. 7p ET, June 3.

Next: Cast Your MLS All Star Vote Here

…and ICYMI Check Out US Soccer’s Recap of USL’s Big Night in the Open Cup

Nine wins and seven losses for USL as the league looks forward to Round 4 later this month.

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