I-4 Derby lives up to billing

By CHARLIE CORR
charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com

A hallmark of the USL’s growth and fan support has been the budding regional rivalries that have coalesced. Heading into the 2017 season, much anticipation surrounded Saturday’s opening match between newcomers the Tampa Bay Rowdies and second-year Orlando City B in this I-4 Derby.

The game and environment lived up to the hype as an Al Lang-record crowd of 7,710 was on hand during the Rowdies’ 1-0 victory.

“It was unbelievable,” said Georgi Hristov, who scored the game’s lone goal, a second-half penalty kick. “I think everyone understands in this organization with [Owner] Bill Edwards that we are trying to do something different here in Tampa Bay. It’s very important to us, and I really appreciate all the people coming tonight and that they’re going to keep coming and sell out the next game too.”

For more, visit USLSoccer.com.

Richmond Kickers' Conor Shanosky delivers in new role

By CHARLIE CORR
charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com

The Richmond Kickers have never been short of leadership among its roster, particularly being a club that qualifies for the USL Cup Playoffs every season.

For defender Conor Shanosky, his leadership role took on a new level as he wore the captain’s armband. In front of a City Stadium-record crowd of 8,021, Shanosky delivered the lone goal during a 1-0 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders on Saturday.

“Obviously it’s a big honor to wear the captain’s armband – first time in my career, so that was nice,” Shanosky said. “It’s always very special. But I think we’ve got a lot of leaders on the team. We’ve got a good group. It’s about building that and doing better as a group and keep pushing.”

For more, visit USLSoccer.com.

Jubilant base sings praises for 2018 USL expansion side Nashville FC

By CHARLIE CORR
charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com

With supporters group The Roadies providing a euphoric scene Friday afternoon, the USL’s 2018 expansion franchise Nashville FC was officially welcomed into the league.

USL President Jake Edwards, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, club ownership and more were in attendance at Bridgestone Arena, soaking in the chanting, the drumming and most importantly the realization that the professional game is on the horizon in Nashville.

“It’s great to be marched in by such a rowdy group of fans,” Barry said as she directed her attention to The Roadies. “This is really a great day for Nashville because we are a sports city. We love soccer because it’s a beautiful game, because it rewards teamwork, skill and endurance, and it’s also an international sport. For many people in the south, it’s the ‘other’ football, but for most of the people in the world, it’s the only football. We are certainly looking a lot more like the rest of the world as we embrace all the people who move here, who have all nationalities, and colors and accents. We are becoming so diverse.”

For more, visit USLSoccer.com.

First-place New York Red Bulls II embracing new target

By CHARLIE CORR - charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com

The view always is different at the top, and for the New York Red Bulls II, they are perfectly comfortable with the pressure that will come with it.

NYRB II defeated the Harrisburg City Islanders 1-0 on Thursday at Red Bull Arena thanks to a seventh-minute goal from Sean Davis. The win puts the Red Bulls II even with Louisville City FC atop the Eastern Conference at 8-1-3 and 27 points.

“Maybe we are increasing the size of that target by being in first place, but we welcome it,” NYRBII Head Coach John Wolyniec said. “We want good and highly competitive games. We want the other team’s best because that’s our best chance at getting better.”

For more, visit USLSoccer.com.

Wilmington Hammerheads turn corner, turn back clock

By CHARLIE CORR - charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com

Thanks to the late heroics of Kyle Parker, Wilmington Hammerheads FC is enjoying something that has not happened in more than two years – a league winning streak.

Parker’s brace and stoppage-time game-winner lifted Wilmington to a 3-2 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders on Friday at Legion Stadium. Combine that with Wilmington’s 3-1 road win against Toronto FC II on May 29, and the 4-4-3 Hammerheads have posted consecutive victories for the first time since a four-game winning streak in May of 2014.

“All the hard work has started to pay off,” Parker said. “Especially throughout the beginning of the season, we were playing well, but some things weren’t falling for us and we knew they were going to start. This week was that starting point for us.”

For more, visit USLSoccer.com.

USL clubs shatter goal-scoring records in U.S. Open Cup

By CHARLIE CORR - charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com

The volume of the USL teams’ goal-scoring during the Second Round of the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup marked a new peak for several clubs who advanced in the tournament with some record-shattering numbers.

Three sides posted a single-game record for goals during Wednesday’s matches to move on to the Third Round on June 1.

Leading the charge were the defending USL champion Rochester Rhinos who bounced Southie FC 7-0 at Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. That seven-goal effort, led by Asani Samuels’ hat trick, topped the organization’s previous high of five goals during the 2006 U.S. Open Cup, when the then-named Raging Rhinos defeated the New Hampshire Phantoms 5-1 on July 12 of that year.

Wilmington Hammerheads FC also changed its Open Cup record books with a dominating 6-0 victory against the NPSL’s Miami Fusion, with Austin Martz and Kyle Parker recording braces.

For more, visit USLSoccer.com.

Longstanding Crocketteers Hold Fort in San Antonio

USL Feature

San Antonio is beginning its chapter in the USL for the 2016 season, and the expansion club has well-established support already in its corner.

The team, operated by Spurs Sports & Entertainment, officially became the league’s 31st franchise on Thursday while introducing its first head coach, Darren Powell. One face of San Antonio’s fandom heading into the upcoming campaign will be built around the Crocketteers, an independent supporters group that was founded in 2009, before the city even had a team to support.

“Myself and a bunch of close friends were hanging out at a pub in the summer of 2008, the Euro Championships, enjoying the atmosphere we were creating in the bar, and we joked around about how we didn’t have anything in San Antonio,” Crocketteers founder Michael Macias said. “We started a movement without a team to show our support for the idea of professional soccer in San Antonio.”

For more, visit uslsoccer.com.

Rhinos capture USL championship

USL News Release

It took more than 90 minutes for the Rochester Rhinos to find their first shot on goal, and second-half sub Asani Samuels twice rose to the occasion.

Samuels scored two set-piece goals – an equalizer in second-half stoppage time and the game-winner in the 112th minute – as the Rhinos defeated the LA Galaxy II 2-1 in overtime to capture the 2015 USL Championship at Sahlen’s Stadium. For his heroics, Samuels was named the match MVP.

“My coach told me to go out there and do my best; I just went there and did my best and worked hard for every ball,” Samuels said. “Everything, I tried to challenge and win.

“It’s all about confidence. My teammates, two of our better strikers were out, so I had to step up to the plate. … This is the best moment of my life.”

For more, visit uslsoccer.com.

New York Red Bulls II's Adams gears up for FIFA U-17 World Cup

NYRB II's Tyler Adams

USL Feature

At just 16 years old, Tyler Adams already has amassed some memorable accomplishments in his budding career, particularly during the past year.

Adams enjoyed his first professional campaign, suiting up for the New York Red Bulls II during their inaugural USL season as the youngest player to see the pitch among the entire league contingent. Also this summer, Adams played for the MLS side against the defending Premier League champion Chelsea, tallying a goal during its victory.

Now Adams takes his game to the international stage this week when the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team prepares for the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Adams happens to be the youngest player on the U-17 squad, as well, but he already has shown that he can play beyond his years.

“Being the youngest player has never affected me,” Adams said. “It’s something that I’ve embraced. When you step into a professional environment, you look up to a lot of the guys and try to play with confidence.”

For more, visit uslsoccer.com.

Oklahoma City base quickly gravitating toward Energy FC

USL Feature

Second-year USL club OKC Energy FC has grown by leaps and bounds in a short time frame, both on the field and off. As Energy FC prepares for its Western Conference Final against the LA Galaxy II on Sunday, the club knows it will have tremendous backing at Taft Stadium and within the region.

Energy FC President and Owner Bob Funk certainly envisioned this. The pleasant surprise for him is just how quickly everything has emerged.

“I always expected to have a pretty hardcore, dedicated fan base, but I was surprised at the quickness that fans gravitated toward the product,” Funk said. “The brand and the team itself have grown in large part to our team’s involvement in the community. Whether it’s clinics, coaching teams and just being involved and visible; the community has embraced them.”

For more, visit uslsoccer.com.

OKC Energy FC's Evan Newton embodies final piece of puzzle

OKC Energy FC goalkeeper Evan Newton

USL Feature

When OKC Energy FC head coach Jimmy Nielsen was putting the final elements of the team’s roster together for 2015, Evan Newton was not part of the picture.

Nielsen felt all the pieces were already in place heading into preseason, and then several days later he received a phone call from Newton’s agent.

“We had a long chat, and I was pretty far with the roster,” Nielsen said. “Only a few days before he called, I said we’re done for the year. We’re not signing any more players. But when I heard he was available, I chatted with him and we were back and forth. We came to an agreement and knew that we had a rock solid goalkeeper who can win you points.

“He joined us for our trip at the IMG Tournament, flew in, landed at 4 in the afternoon, played a 7 o’clock game and we beat Toronto 1-0.”

For more, visit uslsoccer.com.

New York Red Bulls II's Stefano Bonomo impresses out of chute

USL Feature

New York Red Bulls II forward Stefano Bonomo comes from a line of top-level athletes in his family. Bonomo’s father Paolo, as well as his grandfather who he had never met, were former professional skiers.

Paolo represented Italy’s national ski team, so between his skiing days and devoted interest in his son’s line of work – coaching for a portion of his youth days – Bonomo says he has had the type of tutelage that many others do not have the privilege of receiving.

“He’ll share all types of stories with me, if I need a motivational talk where he thinks I can push myself in a certain area,” Bonomo said. “He’s talked about when he was skiing back in the day and how he lived his life. I can’t thank him enough for how he’s pushed me and has given me a competitive edge.”

For more, visit USLSoccer.com.

Goal-scoring trio of Konig, Fondy and Vincent rewriting USL record books

USL Feature

Goal scoring is the lifeblood of the game, and the 2015 USL season has consisted of a flurry of memorable tallies. The USL record books are being rewritten heavily in this department with three players who have set themselves apart in their run to hold the single-season goal-scoring record.

OKC Energy FC’s Danni König (19 goals), Louisville City FC’s Matt Fondy (18 goals) and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds’ Rob Vincent (17 goals) represent the top tier of the goal scoring department and are within striking distance of the USL record of 20 goals scored by Orlando City SC’s Kevin Molino during the 2014 season. The remarkable part about this season is that all three players have already reached the top five in the single-season records in this category. They each have five games remaining in their regular-season schedule.

For more, visit USLSoccer.com.

John Harkes eager for challenge at USL expansion side FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati's John Harkes

USL Feature

Former U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder John Harkes’ playing credentials are well known: first American to play in the English Premier League, two FIFA World Cup teams, two MLS Cups with D.C. United and 2005 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, just to skim the surface.

Now the 48-year-old New Jersey native is taking on a new challenge as he prepares for his first professional head coaching position. Harkes will take the reins of expansion FC Cincinnati when the club debuts during the 2016 USL season.

“It’s a special time to be a head coach in the USL and grow this team from the ground up,” Harkes said of the club, which was unveiled Wednesday as the league’s 26th franchise. “It’s an exciting challenge for everybody.”

In the past several months, Harkes grew impressed with the backing behind FC Cincinnati and knew it was an opportunity he wanted to pursue.

“In my initial conversations with Cincinnati, I saw the strength of the ownership group and thought this was an attractive opportunity,” Harkes said. “Over the course of a few months, I was able to get out to Cincinnati, meet with [FC Cincinnati President and General Manager] Jeff Berding and talk about the ownership group. We all know the USL is a rapidly growing league and a competitive league. Once those conversations started I just wanted to be a part of it and grow this product. This is a special time for the people here.”

For more, visit uslsoccer.com.

AZ United's Top hopes qualifying spurs global, club success

Jonathan Top

USL Feature

Arizona United SC’s Jonathan Top has not featured internationally for the past two years, but a call-up to Guatemala’s U-23 national team is providing the Texas native with a grand opportunity.

Top’s Guatemala side is among the seven Central American Football Union (UNCAF) teams looking to advance to the 2015 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship, set to be held in the U.S. this October. The two UNCAF group winners earn a spot, and Guatemala was placed in Group B against Honduras (Aug. 13) and Belize (Aug. 15).

“I’m looking forward to this whole process to qualify for the Olympics,” Top said. “We’re going to prepare ourselves for the qualifiers and I’m excited to help out the team, take advantage of this experience and bring that back to Arizona.”

For more, visit uslsoccer.com.

Youthful Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 growing as season matures

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2

With the heavy dose of newcomers joining the USL in 2015, there has been a large performance range among the new clubs. Seattle Sounders FC 2 and Louisville City FC have seen more immediate success, while the likes of FC Montreal and Real Monarchs SLC are still trying to establish their identity.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 falls roughly in the middle, and head coach Alan Koch is hopeful that the best is yet to come for the second half of the season.

“It’s been a challenging season, but we knew it would be that way with such a young group,” Koch said. “Getting the young players the opportunity to play professional soccer – they have come a long way. It’s had its ups and downs and it’s been a roller coaster of a season, but we are getting some results.”

For more, visit uslsoccer.com.

Rochester Rhinos credit resilience to historic unbeaten start

Rochester Rhinos captain Tony Walls

The Rochester Rhinos have been one of the most consistent successes of the 2015 USL season. Rochester’s unbeaten run is one of the club’s best in its history, just three games shy of matching the 14-game streak during the 1998 A-League campaign.

Captain and midfielder Tony Walls credits the team’s resilience toward this run, which sees the club at 7-0-4 atop the Eastern Conference and 3-0-0 at Sahlen’s Stadium heading into Saturday’s home game against Louisville City FC.

“I think the guys have bought into the formations and positions, which we try to switch up,” Walls said. “We’re an organized and solid team. That can wear other teams down and make it tough for them going up against our defense. They run out of gas offensively.”

For more, visit uslsoccer.com.

FIFA U-20 World Cup-bound Tommy Thompson's game budding

U.S. U-20 MNT's Tommy Thompson

Former Sacramento Republic FC loanee Tommy Thompson was named to the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team’s World Cup roster earlier this month, and his first inclusion with the U-20s was a hectic experience.

Thompson made his U-20 debut at the 2014 National Training Center Invitational in mid-July, but he was not an original part of that tournament. Thompson was an alternate, and he was in the early stages of his USL loan with Republic FC when he received a call-up in the midst of the NTC Invitational.

“We had just played Richmond and I was on the bus when I got a phone call from an unknown number,” Thompson said. “I was on my way to play the Charlotte Eagles at the time, and the Federation asked me if I wanted to fly to L.A. to play with the U-20s against Bermuda and Australia. I said yes, if you can get me out there. So after the game against Charlotte, I booked a flight out directly after that game, took a cab, flew straight to L.A. and started against Bermuda.”

Read more at uslsoccer.com.

Matthew Delicate: Toast of Richmond

Richmond's Matthew Delicate

Fifteen years ago, forward Matthew Delicate was playing for the Wales U-18 national team and had zero knowledge of Richmond, Va. Fast-forward to the present, and Delicate is the toast of the Richmond Kickers.

It was April of 2000 when Virginia Commonwealth University’s assistant men’s soccer coach Ted Jones, a fellow native of Wales, prompted Delicate’s path to the States. Delicate has been a lethal offensive weapon since, from VCU to the Kickers.

“I actually was just looking at trials at various professional clubs at that point, hoping I would just pick up with a team,” Delicate said. “Then this opportunity to play at VCU came out of the blue. A few months later, I was playing for them with a scholarship. It all happened very quickly.”

It was a path that Delicate never envisioned, but something he clearly has embraced and succeeded in.

“It was never even remotely on the radar,” Delicate said. “I had never heard of Richmond. I never heard of the NCAA or college soccer. The opportunity to come to the States was a big surprise, but it also was a great opportunity.”

For more, visit uslsoccer.com.

USL Today: Previewing Louisville City vs. Rochester Rhinos

We preview an Eastern Conference showdown between two unbeaten teams: Louisville City FC and the Rochester Rhinos.