Another week of USL League One action is in the books and it had some truly entertaining moments. We’ll highlight those, and more, below.
| Richmond Kickers | 0-0 | North Carolina FC |
As difficult as Richmond tried to make their homestand, North Carolina FC fought every minute of the match and returned to Cary, North Carolina with their first point of the season. That single point carries greater value, though. It may only be one point, but the tenacity of NC FC shined on Saturday night and this may be the start of good things to come. They’ll surely cherish the point for the time being.
Both sides had great opportunities on net, but Richmond was relentless with their attacks against North Carolina FC. Jake McGuire had a busy day in net for NC FC, but the stats would show otherwise. Of the 16 total shots from Richmond Kickers, McGuire only had to save four shots. Richmond’s goalkeeper, Akira Fitzgerald, earned his second straight clean sheet, his third of the season.
| Chattanooga Red Wolves | 2-1 | Fort Lauderdale CF |
This match was a tale of two opposites. Chattanooga, saving a good performance for their first home match, looked like a team on a mission. They had a purpose, a drive, and a passion that whipped the fans into a fervor. When on offense, they looked well-connected and their build-up play was fun to watch. Because they spent so much time pressing Fort Lauderdale, they didn’t have to worry too much about a major defensive effort. Despite the strong offensive effort, it looked as though this match was going to end in a draw, but the arduous finish gave the fans quite the delight: a game-winning goal in the 90+4th minute.
Fort Lauderdale, coming off a great display against FC Tucson, looked disjointed and uninspired. Though they split the possession with Chattanooga, there wasn’t much to speak of regarding their offensive efforts. For the entire match, Fort Lauderdale was limited to a total of four shots and this is a team that scored five goals last week. They seemed to lack a chemistry and cohesiveness that was rather disappointing. All of that aside, the fact that they were able to hold off a highly-motivated Chattanooga offense until the game-winning goal deserves some credit.
| South Georgia Tormenta FC | 0-1 | Greenville Triumph SC |
This turned out to be quite an entertaining match to watch. Tormenta FC put in a good defensive effort against the Triumph and was able to make Greenville goalkeeper Dallas Jaye nervous a few times. While Greenville handled most of the possession, Tormenta forced more saves. The first half almost ended in their favor, with a shot from Azaad Liadi in the 35th minute that Jaye was able to parry with the slightest touch from his fingertips.
Greenville extended their undefeated streak, thanks to a goal in the 71st minute. Don Smart fed a long ball to Marios Lomis, who was able to bend the ball to the back post and into the net. Dallas Jaye secured another clean sheet, his third of the season. The three points keeps Greenville in first place, but separates them from Union Omaha. The Triumph now have a rest period of 22 days.
| Toronto FC II | 2-1 | North Texas SC |
Three goals in less than ten minutes of game time were enough to separate these two clubs. Just before halftime, both teams suffered from converted penalties following handballs in the box. After halftime, Toronto was able to break the deadlock when Themi Antonoglou sent a long ball to Garrett McLaughlin, who scored the goal with a shot to the far post.
In typical fashion, North Texas dominated possession and moved the ball well. The sides were mostly even, but the Young Reds led the stat that mattered the most and finished their first match of the season with three points in the standings. They’ll have a short turnaround before their next match, but the win should help to motivate them.
Individual Awards
Golden Boot
When Marios Lomis scored his goal on Saturday night, he separated himself from the pack of contenders. Angel Espana and Thibaut Jacquel kept the pressure by scoring goals of their own. Since Lomis will have nearly a month off before his next opportunity to score, he’ll have some catching up to do, assuming the other players take advantage of the opportunity at hand.
| Name (Club) | Goals |
| Marios Lomis (Greenville Triumph SC) | 5 |
| Shaan Hundal (Fort Lauderdal CF) | 4 |
| Angel Espana (Chattanooga Red Wolves) | 3 |
| Thibaut Jacquel (North Texas SC) | 3 |
| Venton Evans (Fort Lauderdale CF) | 3 |
Golden Glove
The Golden Glove award is going to be a very entertaining race. Three quality goalkeepers share first place after Week 7. Akira Fitzgerald and Dallas Jaye both have three clean sheets through five matches, while Rashid Nuhu has three clean sheets through four matches. Aside from the shared clean sheets, each of the goalkeepers has only faced a total of ten shots this season.
| Name (Club) | Clean Sheets |
| Akira Fitzgerald (Richmond Kickers) | 3 |
| Rashid Nuhu (Union Omaha) | 3 |
| Dallas Jaye (Greenville Triumph) | 3 |
Overall Standings
| Club | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |
| 1) | Greenville Triumph | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 13 |
| 2) | Union Omaha | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| 3) | Fort Lauderdale | 3 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 9 |
| 4) | Richmond Kickers | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 4) | Chattanooga Red Wolves | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 6) | North Texas SC | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 6 |
| 7) | Forward Madison | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 7) | New England Revolution II | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 4 |
| 9) | Toronto FC II | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 9) | South Georgia Tormenta | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 3 |
| 11) | North Carolina FC | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 1 |
| 11) | FC Tucson | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 1 |
Week 8 is a busy one for USL League One, so make sure to keep checking in with Who Gives a Hoot Media for more news and updates. As an added dose of greatness, the podcast “Who Gives a Hoot” will keep the laughs coming. Podcast, data analysis, previews, recaps…are you not entertained?!
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