USL Championship & CPL round-ups, May 10-12

The USL Championship weekend started on Friday night in Leesburg, Virginia, where Loudoun United received guests in the shape of El Paso Locomotive. United's often positive play hasn't been turned into results this season and it was a similar story against Locomotive, who threw the form book out of the window to win 2-0 in front of almost 2,000 fans at Segra Field. Tumi Moshobane opened the scoring in the first minute, before Erik Calvillo - who'd fed Moshobane for his goal - got the second five minutes before the half. It was El Paso's first win of the season but still leaves them bottom of the Western Conference. Saturday's action began at Keyworth Stadium, home of Detroit City, for a televised match against 2023 champions Phoenix Rising. A crowd of 6,500 saw City take the lead in the ninth minute through Ben Morris, a lead they held through half-time before Giulio Doratiotto pulled Rising level four minutes into the second-half. It finished 1-1 and Le Rouge new sit third in the Eastern Conference, while Rising have work to do out West. Hartford Athletic's positive start to the season seems a long time ago now but they still attracted 5,500 to Trinity Health Stadium on Saturday for the visit of Colorado Springs Switchbacks. The visitors started the season in dreadful form but a 2-0 win over Athletic - courtesy of 24th minute shot from Yosuke Hanya and a penalty from Ronaldo Damus nine minutes from time - makes it three wins from their last three games.

The near-4,000 crowd who came out to Beirne Stadium to see Rhode Island FC take on the unbeaten Sacramento Republic were there more in hope than expectation but saw their side take the lead through Stephen Turnbull just past the half-hour. A Trevor Amann header got Republic back on level terms in the 38th minute, a parity that lasted for just four minutes before Karifa Yao put the Seals back in the lead, 2-1 at the half. Republic, though, are made of stern stuff and Jonathan Ricketts grabbed an equaliser in the third minute of time added on to give them a 2-2 draw and maintain their unbeaten run and top spot in the West. Louisville City went out of the US Open Cup on penalties to MLS side Seattle Sounders in midweek but didn't let that affect them as they hosted Orange County SC at a packed Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday, over 10,000 on hand to see a 3-0 win for the home side. County's promising start has hit a bump in the road but most teams would have lost to this City side in rampant form, a first-half goal from Wilson Harris putting them ahead, with Ray Serrano and Jansen Wilson finishing things off after the break. Louisville now sit second in the East, just three points behind leaders Charleston Battery (who had the weekend off) but with two games in hand. Tampa Bay Rowdies and Birmingham Legion served up a ten-goal thriller at Al Lang Stadium in the Open Cup in midweek, helping entice almost 5,500 out to St Petersburg on Saturday night. Chances of a repeat were slim, though, and so it proved with just a single goal - courtesy of Legion's Enzo Martinez in the 67th minute separating the sides.

Having both gone out of the cup in midweek, San Antonio FC and Las Vegas Lights had a chance to put all that behidn them when they met at Toyota Field. A crowd of 7,218 were on hand to see what should have been a straightforward home win, and the Texans duly went 1-0 up before half-time, even if it did take them until the second minute of time added on for Machop Choi to find the net. Things started to go wrong for SAFC three minutes after the break when Jorge Hernandez received his second yellow card and Lights used their man advantage to draw level just before the hour through Valentin Noel. That was how it stayed, despite heavy pressure from the visitors, San Antonio lucky to escape with the 1-1 draw. FC Tulsa won 1-0 at Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the Open Cup in midweek and a swift return took place at OneOK Field on Saturday night. Almost 4,500 came out to see if a pink-clad Tulsa side could repeat the feat and saw their team 2-0 up by the 33rd minute, courtesy of an own goal by goalkeeper Gabriel Perotta and a Boubacar Diallo shot. Danny Griffin reduced the arrears in the 64th minute with a penalty given for a foul on Junior Etou, but the home side won a penalty of their own just four minutes later when Perotta capped a great night by fouling Phillip Goodrum. Luckily for the Riverhounds, Perotta turned it around and saved Goodrum's spot-kick to keep his side in the game, and Riverhounds brought on Kaziah Sterling to search for an equaliser, a move that paid off when he scored from close range to make it 2-2 with five minutes to go.

New Mexico United knocked out MLS high-flyers Real Salt Lake in the Open Cup in midweek but were disappointed by the crowd as just 5,266 paid to see that game. Thankfully, it was a completely different scenario on Saturday as the visit of Oakland Roots drew the weekend's highest crowd of 11,568 to Isotopes Park, the vast majority of them sent away happy with a 2-1 win for the home side. Scottish striker Greg Hurst got the Kings of Chaos off to a great start with a second-minute opener, although Roots 'keeper Paul Blanchette frustrated efforts to add to that lead before the break. Two minutes after half-time, the visitors drew level through Neveal Hackshaw's shot from outside the box, but United pressed forward for a winner and were rewarded with Mukwelle Akale's goal from a free-kick sixteen minutes before time.The win put New Mexico just a point behind Sacramento at the top of the West and with a game in hand on their rivals. Saturday's final game came from Seaside, California, where Monterey Bay FC welcomed Memphis 901 to Cardinale Stadium. A crowd of 3,580 saw the home side take the lead in the 35th minute through Mobi Fehr, an advantage they held through to twenty minutes from time, despite heavy pressure from the visitors. That pressure finally told, though, when Bruno Lapa levelled in the 70th minute and the game opened up. 901 looked like they'd found the winner with just two minutes left to play when the impressive Marlon got his third of the season but the reliable Tristan Trager was on hand to grab a 2-2 draw for Monterey right on ninety minutes, seven minutes of stoppage time unable to separate the teams.

There was just one game on Sunday and it saw The Miami FC face their latest crucible with the visit of Indy Eleven. Eleven have been in great form these past few weeks, fired up by the shenanigans pulled by Mayor Joe Hogsett around their new stadium, and they followed up their Open Cup win over San Antonio in the week with a third straight league win. The 1,004 crowd looked much more at home at the FIU Soccer Stadium rather than the Football Stadium down the road but they had little to cheer, Adrian Diz giving the visitors the lead four minutes before half-time. Luisinho did restore parity in the 57th minute but after that it was the Augustine Williams show as the striker slotted home a penalty given for a foul on Younes Boudadi in the 67th minute, and then secured the win three minutes later. It finished 3-1 despite two good chances for Frank Lopez and Miami sit bottom of the Eastern Conference, their rebuild year going very badly indeed.

Week five in the Canadian Premier League began with the Friday night visit of Valour FC to York United in the Toronto suburbs, a chance for the Winnipeg side to register their first points of the season. A crowd of just over a thousand saw the visitors take the lead a quarter of an hour in through Dante Campbell, only their second league goal of the season, an advantage they held for over fifty minutes before Noah Abatneh managed to pull York level in the 68th minute. Brian Wright put York ahead six minutes later and any hopes Valour had of getting back in the game were dashed when Mo Babouli made it 3-1 a minute into time added on. Valour's fifth straight defeat meant that the point HFX Wanderers earned at home to Cavalry FC on Saturday lifted them off the foot of the table. Wanderers haven't been playing badly but just haven't managed to convert some decent soccer into results; it looked like it would be more of the same on Saturday as they dominated the game but fell behind just before the hour to William Akio's goal for the Cavs. Still, the Nova Scotians kept at it and got their reward with twelve minutes left to play, Giorgio Probo's goal earning them their first point of the season.

The clash of Pacific FC and Forge FC, the only two sides to win the title in the CPL's short history, was a hard-fought affair at Starlight Stadium on Vancouver Island, but neither side could find a way past the opposing defence. The game finished 0-0 but Forge had the better of the action, with more possession and chances at goal than their rivals; they also finished with more men on the field as Reon Moore saw red in the third minute of stoppage time for the home side. Nevertheless, the point put Pacific top of the table, for 24 hours at least, and marked the visitors' first dropped points of the campaign. Following that draw, Atletico Ottawa knew that they'd go top of the table if they could win away at Vancouver FC on Sunday, but the home side didn't let them have it all their own way. The first-half ended scoreless despite several chances for both sides, and it was the visitors who finally made the breakthrough in the second-half, Ruben del Campo scoring just before the hour. Vancouver have been hit and miss this season but generally decent at home and they made sure their unbeaten record in Langley remained with an equaliser from Alejandro Liceaga in the 68th minute, the 1-1 result putting Ottawa joint top of the CPL on eleven points, although third-place Forge on ten have a game in hand.