TAMPA, Fla. – The 2017 USL Regular Season enters its third weekend on Friday night as six teams during this three-day stretch look to continue their perfect starts to the season. The weekend also features a 2016 USL Cup Playoffs rematch of two clubs looking for their first victory of the year.

The first Friday night action of the season sees San Antonio FC welcome Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC to Toyota Field, with SAFC having won its first two games of the season. Also on Friday night, Toronto FC II prepares for its home opener as the Rochester Rhinos head north of the border to the Ontario Soccer Centre.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies will also look to make it three wins in a row to start the season on Saturday night when fellow USL newcomer Ottawa Fury FC visits Al Lang Stadium. Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, Saint Louis FC will try to build on a rousing home opener when defending USL champion the New York Red Bulls II visit, while in the Western Conference OKC Energy FC hosts its home opener against Rio Grande Valley FC in a rematch of one of last season’s unforgettable postseason contests.

Every game of the 2017 USL season will be available on the league’s Match Center, with updates from across the league also available via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

GAMES TO WATCH

Friday, April 7
San Antonio FC vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
9 p.m. ET, Toyota Field
San Antonio FC plays host to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC with the momentum of a home opener victory against the LA Galaxy II in front of 8,081 fans behind it. Head Coach Darren Powell’s side will now try to make it three wins from three against a Switchbacks side that kicks off a two-game trip to Texas.

SAFC (2-0-0, 6pts) has been led this season by Billy Forbes in his return to the Alamo City. With goals in back-to-back games and an assist in a 3-0 victory against Los Dos last Saturday, Forbes has relished the chance to perform in front of SAFC’s fans so far this season. With the backing of a solid new back line that has yet to concede this season, San Antonio has looked ready for liftoff early on in its second USL season.

After a roster overhaul this offseason, the Switchbacks (1-0-1, 4pts) haven’t quite caught fire in the manner they did over the past two seasons, but there have been glimpses that will please Head Coach Steve Trittschuh. Masta Kacher’s first goal for the club last week in a 1-1 draw with OKC Energy FC claimed the USL Fans’ Choice Goal of the Week, and Colorado Springs will likely put up strong resistance to SAFC’s fast-breaking attack.

Saturday, April 8
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Ottawa Fury FC
7:30 p.m. ET, Al Lang Stadium
Tampa Bay and Ottawa renew acquaintances coming off opposing results a week ago. The Rowdies aim to end their season-opening home stand with a third consecutive win and Fury FC looks to put a late defeat behind it as the club looks for its first win of the season.

The Rowdies (2-0-0, 6pts) put together one  of the most complete performances in Week 2 when they defeated Toronto FC II 4-0 last Saturday night. Michael Nanchoff had a pair of assists while Damion Lowe, Joe Cole, Georgi Hristov and Deshorn Brown all found the net. Hristov now has two goals in two games to start the season.

Ottawa (0-1-0, 0pts) rallied back from going two goals down against Saint Louis FC in its season opener last Saturday, but conceded a late own goal to fall 3-2 in its first USL contest. Goals by Eddie Edward – his first for Fury FC – and Onua Obasi moved the visitor to the verge of a point at Toyota Stadium – Saint Louis, only for a late counterattack by STLFC to grab all three points.

OKC Energy FC vs. Rio Grande Valley FC
8 p.m. ET, Taft Stadium
OKC Energy FC and Rio Grande Valley FC will both be looking for a change of fortune as OKC hosts its home opener on Saturday night with neither side having found a victory in its opening two games of the 2017 USL season.

Energy FC (0-1-1, 1pt) earned a 1-1 draw last Saturday in Colorado Springs thanks to Alex Dixon’s  goal, and will carry the memory of last season’s playoff clash with the Toros into the contest at Taft Stadium. Trailing entering stoppage time, OKC got two goals by Colin Bonner to grab a dramatic 3-2 victory in South Texas.

The Toros (0-2-0, 0pts) fell 1-0 for a second consecutive contest last Saturday as Tulsa Roughnecks FC earned the spoils at ONEOK Field. It’s not all doom and gloom for the Toros, who have out-shot and out-passed their opponents in each of their first two games. They will be hoping a little better fortune in front of goal translates to their first three points of the season, and a little revenge for last season’s playoff defeat.

Saint Louis FC vs. New York Red Bulls II
8:30 p.m. ET, Toyota Stadium – Saint Louis
Saint Louis FC will try to continue its undefeated start to the season when it welcomes the defending USL champion New York Red Bulls II on Saturday night, with the Red Bulls II looking to put a midweek defeat quickly behind at a venue where it saw big success in its last visit.

Saint Louis (1-0-1, 4pts) grabbed a 3-2 victory against Ottawa Fury FC last Saturday for the first win under new Head Coach Preki. Forward Christian Volesky – who earned USL Player of the Week honors on Tuesday – had a goal and assist in the opening 10 minutes, but STLFC was pegged back by Ottawa late until Volesky led a counterattack with three minutes to go that ended with Max Alvarez causing an own goal that proved the winner.

New York (1-1-1, 4pts) saw a 12-game regular-season undefeated streak come to an end on Wednesday night when it fell 1-0 to the Harrisburg City Islanders at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls II will be hoping to put together a performance that resembles its last trip to Saint Louis, when a 4-1 victory kicked off a season sweep of STLFC in 2015.

NUMBER CRUNCHING

199 – The New York Red Bulls II’s Arun Basuljevic has attempted a USL-high 199 passes this season, completing 155 in his first three games as a professional.

50 – Dane Kelly became the first player to score 50 regular-season goals in the USL on Thursday night with two goals in Reno 1868 FC’s loss to Real Monarchs SLC.

20 – Sammy Ochoa recorded 20 goals in two seasons for Tulsa Roughnecks FC, which he returns to face on Saturday having notched three goals in two games for new club Sacramento Republic FC.

19 – The Portland Timbers 2’s Kendall McIntosh has recorded 19 saves in three games, putting him on pace for more than 200 saves over a 32-game regular season.

13 – Sacramento Republic FC currently holds the longest regular-season undefeated streak in the USL, with its last defeat coming on July 24, 2016, in a 2-1 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2.

2 – The Tampa Bay Rowdies and San Antonio FC are the only teams in the USL to have yet to concede a goal this season.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES

- The USL announced on Thursday the expansion of its broadcast partnership with ESPN, which will see two regular-season contests and the 2017 USL Cup Final air on ESPNU and the return of the USL Game of the Week on ESPN3 this season. The July 6 game between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and FC Cincinnati at Al Lang Stadium and July 14 game between San Antonio FC and OKC Energy FC at Toyota Field will air on ESPNU.

- The USL also announced on Thursday its first full-season broadcast partnership with SiriusXM FC. The nation’s premier satellite radio broadcaster will broadcast every USL Game of the Week, and also be the home to a new weekly radio show USL Coast to Coast, devoted exclusively to the USL and hosted by Mike Watts on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.

- Week 3 of the USL regular season got underway on Tuesday night as Orlando City B (1-2-0, 3pts) took its first win of the season as it downed Toronto FC II (1-2-0,3pts) at Orlando City Stadium. Goals by Paul Clowes, Hadji Barry and Lewis Neal and a pair of assists by U.S. U19 international Pierre Da Silva led OCB to the victory.

- The Harrisburg City Islanders (1-1-0, 3pts) took their first win of the season on Wednesday night when Manolo Sanchez’s goal proved the difference in a 1-0 win against the New York Red Bulls II (1-1-1, 4pts) at Red Bull Arena. A former player for the Red Bulls II, Sanchez scored in his first game back at Red Bull Arena since the 2015 season he spent with the club.

- Real Monarchs SLC (3-0-0, 9pts) became the first team to reach three victories this season when it recorded a 5-3 win against Reno 1868 FC (0-2-1, 1pt) on Thursday night at Rio Tinto Stadium. Four first-half goals by Chase Minter, Sebastian Velasquez, Chandler Hoffman and Kyle Curinga helped set a club record for goals in a game for the Monarchs, but Reno’s Dane Kelly recorded a late brace – and reached the 50-goal milestone – to get his side within a goal late before Jose Hernandez’s stoppage-time goal for Real.

- Toronto FC II will look to rebound from its loss to Orlando when it hosts its home opener on Friday night as the Rochester Rhinos (1-0-0, 3pts) visit the Ontario Soccer Centre (7:30 p.m. ET | Match Center). The Rhinos grabbed a 3-2 win on the road against Bethlehem Steel FC last Saturday in their first game of the season as rookie Jochen Graf scored a late winner.

- The Richmond Kickers (1-1-0, 3pts) will host Louisville City FC (1-0-1, 4pts) at City Stadium on Saturday evening looking to rebound from their first loss of the season to the New York Red Bulls II last Saturday (5 p.m. ET | Match Center). Louisville is coming off its first win, and could welcome Mark-Anthony Kaye back to its lineup after his recent stint with the Canada U23 National Team in Qatar.

- Two of the USL’s historic clubs meet on Saturday when the Charleston Battery (2-0-0, 6pts) look to continue their perfect start to the season when they host the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (0-1-1, 1pt) at MUSC Health Stadium (7 p.m. ET | Match Center). The Battery have scored two goals in each of their first two games, while the Riverhounds are looking to bounce back from an FC Cincinnati side Charleston defeated in Week 1.

- Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 (0-1-1, 1pt) hosts Seattle Sounders FC 2 (1-1-0, 3pts) at McLeod Athletic Park in Langley, B.C. for its home opener on Saturday afternoon (6 p.m. ET | Match Center). WFC2 earned a 1-1 draw with Reno 1868 FC last Saturday night, while S2 is coming off its first win of the season, a 2-1 victory against the third member of the Cascadia rivalry in the Portland Timbers 2 last Sunday.

- Tulsa Roughnecks FC (1-1-0, 3pts) plays host to Sacramento Republic FC (2-0-0, 6pts) at ONEOK Field on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET | Match Center) as former Roughneck Sammy Ochoa returns to Tulsa with his new club. Republic FC took a 4-0 win against Orange County to earn its second win of the season last Saturday, but the Roughnecks are also coming off a victory after defeating Rio Grande Valley FC 1-0 behind Joey Calistri’s first goal of the season.

- Orlando City B will try to build on its midweek victory when it hosts the Charlotte Independence (0-1-0, 0pts) at Orlando City Stadium on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET | Match Center). The Independence will have 2016 USL Most Valuable Player finalist Enzo Martinez available for the first time this season after missing out on a 2-0 loss to Charleston last Saturday through suspension.

- Phoenix Rising FC (0-2-0, 0pts) will look to earn its first points of the season when it plays host to the LA Galaxy II (1-1-0, 3pts) at the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex on Saturday night (10:30 p.m. ET | Match Center). Rising FC is one of three teams yet to score this season, and will try to break through against Los Dos, who suffered a 3-0 defeat in San Antonio in their last outing.

- The Portland Timbers 2 (0-3-0, 0pts) will try to avoid a four-game losing streak to start the season when they host Orange County SC (1-1-0, 3pts) at Providence Park on Saturday night (10 p.m. ET | Match Center). Orange County also fell last Saturday night in Sacramento, and will be aiming to replicate its victory two years ago at the same venue to continue T2’s struggles.

- FC Cincinnati (1-1-0, 3pts) will look to notch a second consecutive victory when it visits Bethlehem Steel FC (0-1-0, 0pts) on Sunday afternoon at Goodman Stadium (4 p.m. ET | Match Center) ahead of its home opener next week. Djiby Fall has scored in each of FCC’s opening two games this season, recording the winner in a 1-0 win against Pittsburgh last Saturday. Steel FC, meanwhile, will be hoping for an improvement after losing its home opener 3-2 to Rochester.