USL Roundup: Louisville City keeps up the pressure

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, May 20, 2015

Of the six first-year USL teams not operated by MLS clubs, Louisville City is the only one with a winning record. At 4-1-3 with 4-0 and 3-0 wins in its two matches last week, it sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference behind long-time USL clubs Rochester, Charleston and Richmond.

What makes Louisville's success so surprising is that it is an affiliate of Orlando City but has used only one player from the MLS club -- Sidney Rivera, who has played just 36 minutes -- because injuries and callups have left the Lions thin.

Louisville City has gotten balanced scoring with Matt Fondy (formerly with Chivas USA and Chicago in MLS) leading the team with three goals and two assists. He's followed by Kadeem Dacres and Dane Magnus Rasmussen both with two goals and one assist and Juan Guzman with one goal and one assist.

The Louisville City owners bought the USL rights to Orlando City when it moved to MLS, and Lou City has gotten help from a pair of former OCSC USL PRO players. Defender Bryan Burke leads the team with three assists, while Aodhan Quinn, son of former U.S. international Brian Quinn, scored in his debut last week. It's coached by former OCSC player James O'Connor.

Goalkeeper Scott Goodwin is second in the USL behind only Rochester's Brandon Miller with a 0.50 goals-against average and four shutouts in eight games.

“Honestly, I think it’s really been a team effort,” the former University of North Carolina star told CN|2 Sports. “We’ve spent a lot of time in training the past week or two working on defense, working on pressuring the other team, and a lot of that is when we win the ball high up the field, and we keep it in their end, it makes it easier on us. The back four and everyone in front of me have just done an excellent job.”

Lou City is also drawing at the gate, averaging 5,343 fans a game, fourth in the USL behind only Sacramento, Rochester and OKC Energy FC.



International Callups

Seattle Sounders FC 2 teenager Oalex Anderson has been called up by St. Vincent & the Grenadines for two World Cup qualifying matches against Guyana and its U-23 national team for a pair of Olympic qualifying fixtures against Dominica.

"Oalex gets to make this kind of appearance at a very young age, and not very many people get that kind of opportunity," said S2 head coach Ezra Hendrickson, himself a former St. Vincent & the Grenadines captain. "He has been good for us this season and we expect him to do very well for St. Vincent. I'll definitely be following and rooting the team on from home."
 
The Barrouallie-native made his first international appearance for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in February 2014. Anderson has made four appearances since signing with S2 and scored his first goal, the game-winner, in a 3-1 win over OKC Energy FC last Friday.

Player of the Week

Chinese forward Long Tan, who spent time in MLS with Vancouver and D.C. United, was voted the USL Player of the Week after he recorded a pair of goals to lead Arizona United to a 3-2 comeback victory over the Austin Aztex. Tan edged Seattle Sounders FC 2 forward Andy Craven in a close vote.

USL Team of the Week:
GOALKEEPER:
Scott Goodwin, Louisville City
DEFENDERS:
Dante Leverock, Harrisburg
Mele Temguia, FC Montreal
Conor Shanosky, Louisville City
Ashani Fairclough, Wilmington
MIDFIELDERS:
Milton Blanco, Arizona United
Rodrigo Lopez, Sacramento
Chad Bond, Tulsa
FORWARDS:
Christofer Ramirez, Orange County
Long Tan, Arizona United
Andy Craven, Seattle

This Week

USL, Week 10 Schedule:
Friday, May 22
Timbers 2 vs. Sounders FC 2
Saturday, May 23
Richmond vs. Pittsburgh
Charleston vs. Charlotte
Toronto FC II vs. Rochester
OKC Energy FC vs. Sacramento
Austin vs. Tulsa
Colorado Springs vs. Arizona United
Sunday, May 24
Whitecaps FC 2 vs. Real Monarchs SLC
NY Red Bulls II vs. FC Montreal
Saint Louis FC vs. Louisville City

USL Standings:
PTS EASTERN W-L-T +/-
21 Rochester 6-0-3 13/4
18 Charleston 5-1-3 17/11
16 Richmond 4-1-6 14/9
15 Louisville City 4-1-3 14/4
13 Harrisburg 4-2-1 13/10
10 Saint Louis FC 3-3-1 7/7
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9 Pittsburgh 2-3-3 17/14
9 NY Red Bulls II 2-4-3 10/13
8 Charlotte 2-3-2 8/10
7 Toronto FC II 2-5-1 9/19
6 Wilmington 1-5-3 8/17
3 FC Montreal 1-5-0 3/10

PTS WESTERN W-L-T +/-
18 Sacramento 6-4-0 19/12
16 Sounders FC 2 5-3-1 20/15
15 Orange County 5-3-0 14/7
13 LA Galaxy II 4-4-1 11/11
13 Austin 4-4-1 13/14
13 Arizona United 4-3-1 11/13
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11 Timbers 2 3-3-2 10/11
9 Colorado Springs 3-3-0 11/12
8 OKC Energy FC 2-2-3 11/12
8 Tulsa 2-3-2 7/13
6 Real Monarchs SLC 1-5-3 8/15
6 Whitecaps FC 2 1-4-3 8/14