USL League One - OLUTC Weekly Review
This is it! We’ve reached the final matchday of the 2023 USL League One season and there is still so much in the balance. The Players Shield and the two first round bye spots are still to be decided as well as the final positioning of 4th and 5th - it could go either way. Lastly, the 6th and final playoff spot has not been cemented and it’s gonna be bye bye birdie either way.
Remember that great run Richmond had back in… nah, me either. What happened to this team? They have one chance left to give their supporters something positive to go into the long offseason with. Win at home over Fuego and they can maybe leapfrog Lexington, but if they lose… to the worst team in the league? Come on now.
Everything positive I could say about Central Valley Fuego, I already have. They’ve lost five in a row and there’s no reason to expect they can go to Richmond and get a win except for the fact that I’m not sure Richmond Kickers players believe they can do it themselves.
It's always a weird feeling to know you’re so close to the finish line of a really great season but it might not have been enough. For North Carolina FC, a loss to Union Omaha on September 6th or a loss to Tormenta on September 16th - maybe a draw against Union Omaha on September 19th. The dropped points will haunt NCFC but they can only do what they can do - this final week that will be beating One Knox SC at home and maybe trying to tack on a few extra goals for that ol’ goal total we may be looking at in one week’s time.
It was a valiant effort for the newcomers from Knoxville, but they really needed to beat a soft Richmond Kickers in their final home game to have a crack at the playoffs and they fell short by one late equalizer. I would say they exceeded expectations, however, and proved to be a great addition to the league. They go to Cary, North Carolina and still have a role to play in how the title chase unfolds.
Similar to North Carolina FC, Northern Colorado Hailstorm are a team which looked nearly invincible for stretches of the season may come down to seeing how many goals they can pile onto Red Wolves in the grand finale at Future Legends. They’ll need a bunch, in a winning effort and draws or losses for both NCFC and UO. Even if they don’t get all that to go their way, Hailstorm will at least host a playoff game and probably won’t be somewhere whoever ends up 6th will want to go.
Red Wolves have looked like a whole new team since Scott Mackenzie took over and have earned their way up to 9th. Two wins and a draw in their last three games and now they go away to Northern Colorado to play spoilers. We hope to see them back in the playoff picture this time next season.
Results from October 4th - 7th
Union Omaha 4-1 Charlotte Independence
Central Valley Fuego 1-2 Greenville Triumph SC
One Knoxville SC 2-2 Richmond Kickers
Lexington SC 0-1 North Carolina FC
SG Tormenta FC 0-4 Union Omaha
Chattanooga Red Wolves 2-2 Greenville Triumph SC
Northern Colorado Hailstorm 2-0 Forward Madison FC
THIS WEEK’S FIXTURES:
Forward Madison vs Union Omaha
The Mingos really could have used a result last week, but it's hard going away to Hailstorm… ask anybody! Now they are in a tight spot and need a win to guarantee they are the last team in the playoffs and at least a draw to make it tough. Unfortunately, they go away to a Union Omaha side who have eviscerated the whole league in the last three months and are fighting beak and claw to win the shield. Forward Madison may need to cross their fingers and hope Tormenta come up short.
Los Buhos have come home to roost - a 13 game unbeaten streak and only one draw amongst the 12 wins. They have overcome both Northern Colorado Hailstorm as well as North Carolina FC and are in position to win the shield as well as secure a first round bye. A win, in their final game of the year and it's a done deal - a draw can still do it but will need a draw or a loss from either of the aforementioned contenders as well before getting into goal differential maths.
Charlotte Independence vs SG Tormenta FC
“Started the week in 4th and ended the week in 4th and by the look of things, may finish the season in 4th.” I said this last week and it still stands despite being torched by likely champions Union Omaha. This final game of the season is a doozy, that’s for sure, they’ve clinched a playoff spot but probably would prefer to host it instead of traveling to Greenville. They’ll need to beat Tormenta to ensure it goes like that for them.
On the one hand, Tormenta have done ever so well to be in this position - but on the other hand, they are last year’s Champions and have one of the most potent offenses in the league… it really should not have come down to this. They need to beat Charlotte Independence then hope Forward Madison slip up to get in, otherwise we’ll have to wait until next Spring to see them again.
Greenville Triumph vs Lexington SC
Triumph have only lost 5 games since May 24th! At first that may seem like a high number but those losses have only come at the hands of the four teams above them in the table and otherwise they have earned result after result to stay in the grind for playoffs. Despite a draw away to Chattanooga, Triumph have guaranteed their playoff spot and heck, if they can beat Lexington in the last game and should Charlotte draw or lose, then it's Greenville who gets that home playoff game against Charlotte.
It feels like it wasn’t too long ago that we were thinking maaaybe they could upturn some apple carts and get into the dance - but it’s actually been since late August that they’ve had a win and ever since Stockley announced he was vacating the Head Coaching role, the team have slipped further and further down the ladder. If Lexington don’t win but both Chattanooga and Richmond somehow do, then Lex slip to second-bottom.
Saturday, October 14th
Richmond Kickers vs Central Valley Fuego - 3:00pm (PT) / 6:00pm (ET)
Forward Madison vs Union Omaha - 4:00pm (PS) / 7:00pm (ET)
Greenville Triumph SC vs Lexington SC - 4:00pm (PT) / 7:00pm (ET)
Charlotte Independence vs SG Tormenta FC - 4:00pm (PT) / 7:00pm (ET)
North Carolina FC vs One Knoxville SC - 4:00pm (PT) / 7:00pm (ET)
Northern Colorado Hailstorm vs Chattanooga Red Wolves - 6:00pm (PT) / 9:00pm (ET)
by Joshua Duder