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11 Things: USL Sets Single-Day Average Attendance Record

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 05/02/16, 10:33AM EDT

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Cincinnati, Sacramento, San Antonio lead way as USL sets new high for single-day average


Photo courtesy FC Cincinnati

TAMPA, Fla. – Big crowds see USL attendance continue to rise, and one more falls from the ranks of the undefeated. Here’s what we learned from Week 6 in the USL:

1. USL RISING IN THE STANDS: Already this season, rising attendance in the USL has been a key league talking point, and Saturday night illustrated how the league’s direction since its rebrand last year, and rising level of talent, is being viewed by fans in the league’s markets. The USL set a new high for single-day average attendance on Saturday of 5,856 per game, as crowds in Cincinnati, Sacramento and San Antonio led the way.

2. TOROS WELCOMED WARMLY: While big crowds were expected in each of those three markets, the home opener for Rio Grande Valley FC brought a strong crowd to UT RGV Soccer Stadium that saw tickets sell out well before kickoff as the region welcomed the Toros. With the club’s stadium – which according to the USL executives on the ground is set to be spectacular – arriving later this year, the league’s expansion strategy appears to have found another outstanding market for professional soccer.

3. LOS DOS REGAIN MOMENTUM: About the only disappointing thing for RGVFC’s ownership on Saturday night was the final score, as two early second-half goals by the LA Galaxy II saw the visitors take a 2-0 win. After four consecutive draws, Los Dos regained momentum as they remained undefeated, with Jack McBean again leading the way. The team’s captain put in another excellent shift up front and netted his sixth goal of the season.

4. JACK’S RIDE CONTINUES: The Galaxy II are now one of only two undefeated teams in the USL, after the Charlotte Independence handed the New York Red Bulls II their first loss on Sunday afternoon with a 2-0 victory. The win marked a small piece of history for the second-year club, as it took a third consecutive win for the first time in club history, and jumped the Independence into second place in the Eastern Conference standings.

5. MARTINEZ’S ONWARD MARCH: Leading the way for the Independence in their recent run of form has been Enzo Martinez, who has now scored in three consecutive games, including Sunday’s game-winner. More than the goals he’s provided, though, Martinez has been dynamic in the midfield for Coach Mike Jeffries’ side. In their second season, the Independence are starting to resemble a second-year club that took a big jump forward last year, OKC Energy FC.

6. LAST-GASP REWARD: Energy FC would definitely have felt hard done by if it hadn’t taken something from Sunday’s game in Seattle, and the side’s persistence paid off late on when substitute Jordan Rideout put home an equalizer to earn a 1-1 draw with Seattle Sounders FC 2. Holding a 9-2 edge over S2 in shots on goal, OKC could easily have taken a victory if not for a standout performance by Tyler Miller, but in taking a point extended its undefeated streak to three games. Next up, a visit to Arizona before returning home for what appears to be a must-see game against San Antonio FC.

7. SAN ANTONIO STUNNERS: San Antonio FC itself took a strong 3-1 win against Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Saturday night in what could prove a key moment in the expansion side’s season. In front of another big crowd at Toyota Field, the hosts gave all 7,837 fans in attendance their money’s worth as brilliant second-half goals by Rafael Castillo and Jason Johnson helped the side snap a two-game losing streak, and give a glimpse of what Coach Darren Powell’s squad can be capable of when clicking on all cylinders.

8. SACRAMENTO GETS THE BLUES: A 33rd consecutive sellout of 11,569 at Bonney Field was hoping to see Sacramento Republic FC re-find its form on Saturday night, but instead it was Orange County Blues FC which continued its ascent up the Western Conference standings with a 1-0 win. Pavle Popara’s goal made it three wins in a row for Coach Oliver Wyss’ team, whose new faces appear to have found the sort of chemistry that will put the Blues in contention to defend their Western Conference regular-season title.

9. LOUISVILLE LEFT DISAPPOINTED: Before the side began its current stint of four games in 13 days, Louisville City FC forward Chandler Hoffman said it was a key moment for the side. Five points from three games so far certainly isn’t a bad return, particularly with two of those games on the road, but Louisville will have been cursing its luck on Sunday after a 0-0 draw with Bethlehem Steel FC that saw the side hit the woodwork twice, and be on the wrong end of a seven-save shutout by Steel goalkeeper John McCarthy. With New York’s loss, City could have stretched its lead at the top of the Eastern Conference. Now it will try to end the string of games on a high note as it visits Toronto on Wednesday.

10. RHINOS RETURNING TO FORM: The season after a championship can sometimes be hard to navigate, but the Rochester Rhinos had the look of a side that’s ready for the challenge on Saturday night in a 2-1 win against Harrisburg. After eight goals as a rookie a season ago, Christian Volesky continued to perform well, providing the assist on Kenardo Forbes’ opening goal, and once Ryan James added a second it was always going to be difficult for the City Islanders to rally as the Rhinos’ stingy defense allowed only two shots on goal.

11. FUNNY OLD GAME: One of the beauties of soccer is that sometimes even when you do everything right, you still might not win. The Charleston Battery were left with that feeling on Saturday after a 1-1 draw with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at MUSC Health Stadium after a performance that Coach Mike Anhaeuser dubbed their best of the season. Still, the Battery’s 28-game home undefeated streak continued, and will stretch past the two-year mark before Charleston’s next home game on May 14 against Toronto FC II.