So it seemed like the entire second half of the season for the middle of the table was a giant knot in a fishing line that you have to go in a million different directions to untangle. Toronto FC II’s win over New England Revolution II on Friday made the actual Decision Day a little less dramatic, but we were all given a little bit of a treat as the final game of the season was played on an island and did have an impact on finalizing the bracket for the USL League One playoffs. And of course, some of these team’s seasons have finished on a rollercoaster ride similar to that of the entire mid-table collectively, making the first round of the playoffs this year incredibly competitive. Let’s go over each of these matchups and see what we need to watch out for.
Match 1: #3 Chattanooga Red Wolves SC v. #6 North Texas SC
CHI Memorial Stadium
Saturday, November 6: 18:00
If not for Nicolas Firmino’s goal from the spot during stoppage time of their 1-1 draw against Union Omaha, North Texas would be hosting a playoff game against FC Tucson. Instead, one of the hottest teams in the league, that can also rotate its roster at the drop of a hat, travels to play a Chattanooga team that as recently as a month and a half ago had no reason to believe they would even have to play a match this weekend. On September 20 Chattanooga were top of the table and had a nine point cushion between themselves and Greenville Triumph with only six matches remaining for each. Chattanooga would only net four points out of those six matches, with three of their four losses in that stretch coming from teams that failed to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, North Texas grabbed 14 out of a possible 21 points in their last seven, and have corrected the course from their early season struggles on the road. North Texas haven’t lost a match on the road since a 2-0 defeat at South Georgia Tormenta on September 11.
These two clubs played four times this past season, with Chattanooga holding the advantage with two wins and two draws. Their last match ended 1-0 in Chattanooga, and it was practically a bookend for each team’s midseason stretch. For Chattanooga, it was the last of their league best 15 match unbeaten streak, after which they lost at home to Greenville and haven’t been the same since. North Texas’ next match was the before mentioned loss at Tormenta, which was followed by a draw in Omaha that started their successful season ending stretch. Everything appears to be coming full circle with this one.
So, what can we expect in this match based on what we saw during the regular season? An incredibly physical game. Chattanooga finished second in the league in bookings this season at 73 (not quite 3 per game), but it was North Texas that drew the official’s ire more often when these teams played. 19 cards were shown in their four matchups this season, and 12 of them were shown to North Texas. It will be interesting to see if North Texas start any of their players that have experience in MLS with FC Dallas this season. Only five players have made appearance for both teams this season, and Eddie Munjoma and Kalil ElMedkhar have been the only two players that have consistently been playing for North Texas lately. However, going against the grain of North Texas typical rostering strategy, the two have been playing both home and away matches these past few weeks.
Because this is the first match of the weekend, we will know how the playoff bracket is distributed by the end of it. If Chattanooga wins they will play at Greenville in the semifinal, and Omaha will host the winner of the second match. If North Texas wins they will head to Omaha, and Greenville will host the winner of the second match.
Match 2: #4 FC Tucson v. #5 Richmond Kickers
Kino Sports Complex
Saturday, November 6: 21:00
Over the course of the entire season, FC Tucson essentially experienced streak, after streak, after streak. After a 4 game winless stretch before the end of June, John Galas was out as head coach and replaced with Jon Pearlman. A Pearlman led squad went three matches without a loss before freefalling and dropping four straight. They immediately followed that with a stretch that ultimately allowed them to be in the position to qualify for the playoffs, a 5-2-0 stretch (of which five matches were on the road) and they outscored their opposition 16-6. They beat Richmond at home in the very last match of the season to qualify for the playoffs, a Richmond Kickers team that embodied the very definition of a mid-table club virtually all season. Along with Union Omaha, they were the only club this season that never had a winless stretch of more than three matches. However, In Richmond’s case it took them a while to win back-to-back matches. They didn’t win a second consecutive match until October, but they made that part of a five game winning streak that helped earn their playoff safety before decision day.
Richmond and Tucson played each other twice this season, splitting the difference in two matches that reflected how Richmond essentially lived and died by the performance of goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald. The first match was a 1-0 victory at home for Richmond back in July, where their lone goal came from an Emiliano Terzaghi penalty. Richmond’s overall effort managed only one additional shot on target that night, while Richmond’s defense allowed Tucson to pepper the frame with shots, all eight of which were saved by Fitzgerald. The season-long matchup found balance in the end, as Tucson would put four of their seven shots on target past Fitzgerald the next time in their 4-2 victory this past weekend.
While the first playoff game on Saturday has a strong likelihood of being a physical grind, this one could possibly be a full throttle shootout. 86 goals were scored in FC Tucson games this season, second most in the league behind Fort Lauderdale CF. Nine Tucson games had at least four goals, including each of the last three. Richmond’s defense performed much worse on the road this season than at home, giving up 25 goals in away matches this season vs. only 11 at home. Signs point to a huge Tucson advantage here, but these teams played each other just this past weekend, and rematches like this tend to be more competitive as teams are more familiar with each other’s recent form. How Richmond responds to all of the traveling will likely be the most important factor that determines how this match will go.
Who Gives A Hoot? 