USL Championship & CPL previews, April 19-21

Two of the three front-runners in the USL Championship Eastern Conference are in early action on Saturday night to kick off a weekend full of big clashes in the second-tier league. A 9pm (all times BST) kick-off sees Detroit City, the only side in USL-C with a 100% record, take on Oakland Roots at Keyworth Stadium, just days after City dispatched local rivals Michigan Stars in the US Open Cup. Roots won in midweek, too, though had to work hard to see off fourth-tier opposition in El Farolito, and I wonder if they have enough at this stage to trouble a Le Rouge side who, under new head coach Danny Dichio, are playing with a confident swagger. At the same time, Louisville City visit Loudoun United in their first league game since losing on prime-time national TV to Charleston Battery ten days ago. Both sides won their midweek Open Cup outings, with City again looking like genuine contenders by putting three past an in-form Greenville Triumph (who, admittedly, play a tier lower), and Loudoun's young strikeforce are capable of finding goals from scraps. On most weeks, this would be the game of the week but California has it topped, as we'll see in a bit...

Hartford Athletic versus San Antonio FC is a 10pm kick-off, and the home side have looked good under new head coach Brendan Burke so far this season. Both sides have just the one loss so far but Hartford will be playing off the back of being knocked out of the Open Cup by MLS Next Pro reserve side New York City FC II and their reaction to the defeat will be one to watch. FC Tulsa have the dubious honour of welcoming form side Charleston Battery to ONEOK Field at 11pm, and will hope to stop the momentum that has taken the Sandlappers to the top of the Eastern Conference. The home team have played three games fewer this season and so it's tough to gauge how comparable the two sides are but it's difficult to see anything other than an away win here. The two midnight starts are very different affairs, games which could either way with little surprise. Fresh off an early exit from the Open Cup to third-tier South Georgia Tormenta in midweek, The Miami FC welcome Birmingham Legion to the less-cavernous surroundings of FIU Soccer Stadium and will be wary that Legion's Stefano Pinho scored all four of his side's goals in their midweek cup win. I say it every week, but Miami are rebuilding under new head coach Antonio Nocerino; you wonder, though, for how long that remains a valid excuse.

No such issues at North Carolina FC, who have taken their promotion from USL League One in their stride, even if they have just one win from their six games to show for it so far. They host New Mexico United on Saturday with both sides having won in midweek and you'd expect United to have a slight advantage going into their clash. Nothing, though, that a spark of magic from Rafa Mentzingen or Oalex Anderson can't upset. It looks a little more straight forward at 0.30am in St Petersburg, Florida, for the clash between Tampa Bay Rowdies and El Paso Locomotive, with the home side having not lost yet this season and the visitors still ooking for their first win. Cal Jennings is in great goalscoring form for the Rowdies and even with Locomotive playing away from their cursed home stadium, it's hard to see anything other than a home win here.

There are three 1am kick-offs, the pick of which is Rhode Island FC's first-ever visit to Las Vegas Lights. The expansion side are still looking for their first win as a franchise and lost in midweek to USL-1 outfit Charlotte Independence. They couldn't have picked a tougher time to visit Cashman Field, with Lights having won their last three games at the stadium as Jose Bautista's new era continues. Memphis 901 versus Monterey Bay FC is an all-Western Conference affair featuring two teams yet to get into their stride, albeit that the visitors are having a much better time of it so far, results-wise. 901 overcame a tricky tie against fifth-tier Miami United in midweek and will look to build on that, but haven't won at home in the league since the opening day. The last 1am start comes from Weidner Field where Colorado Springs Switchbacks are at home to Indy Eleven. Switchbacks are rock bottom of the Western Conference having played five and lost five, while Indy have lost their last three, and if ever a game could have two losers it would be this one.

The clash of the week in USL-C comes from Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California, where the top two in the Western Conference meet at 3am. Orange County SC have quietly put together a terrific side this season, despite the loss of top scorer Milan Illoski in the winter, and Sacramento Republic can always be relied upon to have a competitive streak a mile wide. No quarter will be asked, I expect, and little given. The weekend's final tie is a 3.30am kick-off from Arizona, where Pittsburgh Riverhounds will be the visitors to 2023 champions Phoenix Rising. If Rising's start to the season - two wins, a draw, and three losses - has been a surprise, then Riverhounds' failture to win any of their five outings so far this season is a shock. You'd think that the Steel City side would wake up at some point but whether it will be away to a Phoenix side that won at home last week is anyone's guess.

Round two of the Canadian Premier League started last night in Langley, British Columbia, where Vancouver FC hosted an HFX Wanderers side who stayed west after Saturday's defeat to Pacific FC on Vancouver Island. The home side made a great start to their second season of action with a 4-1 win over ten-man Valour FC last Saturday and picked up eactly where they left off by taking the lead after just seventeen minutes when Rocco Romeo capitalised on a goalkeeper error. Vancouver looked smart in their new cherry blossom-inspired kits and grabbed a second seven minutes into the second-half through Alejandro Liceaga. New Zealand striker Moses Dyer looked a threat throughout for the home side and it looks like they're the pacesetters so far this season.

The weekend action continues in British Columbia tonight in Langford when Pacific FC welcome Valour FC to Starlight Stadium for a 3am (BST) start. The Tridents had a 1-0 over HFX Wanderers last week and will look to make that two, especially as Valour looked very vulnerable in their 4-1 defeat at Vancouver FC on Sunday, but football is a funny old game and anything could happen at this early stage of the season. Saturday's 7pm clash between Atletico Ottawa and Cavalry FC looks like one to catch, with Carlos Gonzalez Juarez's home side looking efficient (if unspectacular) in coming from behind to beat York United last week. The visitors from Calgary were unlucky to lose 2-1 at Forge FC and are still waiting on New Zealand striker Myer Bevan to return to Canada following a trip back home for "personal reasons." The weekend's final game is on Sunday at 9pm and sees York United open their home season against provincial rivals Forge FC. The Toronto side scraped into the play-offs last season and looked handy in defeat away at Atletico Ottawa last week but Forge are a different prospect, title winners four years out of five and always solid at the back and a threat going forward.