With the USL League one schedule starting to normalize some, we’re going to start offering a brief league wide synopsis of the league. So let’s start with last week’s matches.
Wednesday, June 8
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC 1-1 North Carolina FC
Hailstorm FC became the last USL League One team to host a home opener this past week. They’re having to relocate to the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, a 25-minute drive from their planned home in Windsor, for a yet to be determined amount of time. So, they’ll have a chance to do this again sometime in the future. Meanwhile, this was a very choppy game that was hard for either team to gain momentum. Both teams scored in the first half, but the match was marred with 32 fouls and 7 bookings that sapped a lot of energy out of the second half. This was only North Carolina’s third game away from home this season, but they’ve so far accumulated seven points in those three games.
Saturday, June 11
Richmond Kickers 4-0 Charlotte Independence
Charlotte are dealing with lots of injuries, and Richmond showed them no mercy en route to a 4-0 win. Braces for both Ethan Bryant and Matthew Bentley provided Richmond with their second four goal game of the season. The win places Richmond at the top of the table, while Charlotte are now losers of three of their last four and have suddenly fallen to fifth in the table.
Forward Madison 3-2 Greenville Triumph
Greenville’s first stint at the top of the table was very brief, as they surrendered that status following a loss in Madison. Matheus Cassini scored a brace, starting it quickly in the 2nd minute, and he was also involved in Madison’s second score that was ruled an own goal. After a poor start, Madison’s back-to-back wins have breathed new life into their season, while this loss may mark the end of a good run from Greenville, who had accumulated 13 points in the 6 matches previous to this one.
Northern Colorado Hailstorm 1-1 South Georgia Tormenta
After such a promising start, Tormenta have now gone four straight without a win as they allowed Northern Colorado to split the points with them via a Nortei Nortey equalizer at the death. Tormenta has quickly gone from looking like one of the best defenses in the league to having been outscored 8-3 during this four game stretch.
Central Valley Fuego 0-2 Chattanooga Red Wolves
Chattanooga looked like they were about to skid off the highway, but may have course-corrected themselves with a win in Fresno, the first match played in Fresno not to end in a draw. This was only Chattanooga’s second shutout of the season, the first coming at home April 16 against Richmond. Fuego’s 4-0 road win at Tormenta seems like it was ages ago, but they are still in a very good spot to separate themselves from the pack.
USL League One Table: Week 12
| Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Richmond Kickers | 4 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 15 |
| Chattanooga Red Wolves | 4 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 14 | +1 | 14 |
| North Carolina FC | 4 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 14 |
| Greenville Triumph | 4 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 14 |
| Charlotte Independence | 4 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 17 | -4 | 14 |
| Union Omaha | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 13 |
| Centra Valley Fuego | 3 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 13 |
| Forward Madison | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 13 | -1 | 13 |
| South Georgia Tormenta | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 11 | -1 | 13 |
| Northern Colorado Hailstorm | 2 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 11 | -2 | 10 |
| FC Tucson | 2 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 17 | -8 | 7 |
Obviously an incredibly bunched table right now. Tucson is clearly in whatever bottom tier there is in the league, but Chattanooga may have climbed out of it and Hailstorm are trying their hardest not to join them. Otherwise, the rest of the league is pretty bunched together, with Union Omaha and Fuego in the best positions to make a run with Richmond.
Week 12 Matches
Richmond Kickers v. Northern Colorado Hailstorm
Richmond are already playing their eighth home game of the season in slightly more than two months, and while they haven’t been stellar at home they have been difficult to beat with just one loss in seven matches. For Hailstorm, this is the middle game of a five-game stretch in just 18 days, and need to take advantage of this rare week of rest. It sounds ridiculous saying they have to win this, but with Fuego and Greenville the following Wednesday and Saturday, this has the potential to go off the rails for them.
North Carolina FC v. Charlotte Independence
North Carolina are coming off a long rest, and bring a three match unbeaten streak home to take on Charlotte. This game could go a long way to telling us if North Carolina will contend all season or not. A result for Charlotte would be nice, and give them at least some momentum before going on the road midweek.
Union Omaha v. Greenville Triumph
It’s Belt Week in Omaha, and UO are riding high on a six-match unbeaten streak in all competitions. Omaha, of course, has Sporting Kansas City in the U.S. Open Cup the following week, so some squad rotation is possible. Greenville had been playing very well before their loss at Madison, so they’re still coming into this match with a good amount of momentum. Stay tuned for a more in-depth preview later in the week.
Central Valley Fuego v. FC Tucson
Fuego bounced back after their first loss of the season with a road win at Madison. Their task following their second loss isn’t near as arduous, a home match against Tucson to end a three-game home-stand. This match is the first of a stretch of three in eight days, but I wouldn’t expect much rotation as Fuego are looking to get their first home win in their fourth try. The opportunity for goals galore is high, both teams are easily above the league average in combined goals per game.
South Georgia Tormenta v. Forward Madison
These are two teams headed in the opposite direction. Madison are hoping their recent run of play translates on the road, while Tormenta are looking to improve on their abysmal performance at home this season (0-2-3, 0 goals scored and 6 goals conceded). A loss for either of these teams with identical 3-4-3 records might place them back in that bottom tier of teams.
Who Gives A Hoot? 