Week 3: April 3 to April 9, 2014
BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
With more teams in action this last week, we are now starting to see numerous players that deserve to be honoured for their performance. Over this past week of matches we saw some really competitive fixtures with new and old faces making big impacts on their club’s results. Kyle Porter of the Richmond Kickers scored a brace in a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday at City Stadium in the capital of Virginia. With the home team leading one to nil, Kyle Porter scored with a slotted ball into the corner of the goal past a charging Greg Blum after receiving a long ball at the top of the penalty area from one of his teammates in the 57th minute. With Pittsburgh pressing for an equaliser later in the match, Porter, who is on loan to Richmond from DC United, scored a goal far post from the edge of the box to seal three points for the Kickers in their home-opener.
WHO TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON
This weekend Arizona United SC are making their debut in USL PRO. They have made many recent additions to their roster and it will be interesting to see how they play with less than a week of training. One player in particular from AZ United to watch out for is Matt Kassel. The New Jersey native made five appearances for the Philadelphia Union and a famous leg-breaking tackle on Brek Shea in a friendly against Stoke City of the English Premier League. This won’t be Matt Kassel’s first time playing in the USL PRO, in 2012 the midfielder played for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Look for Kassel to keep his team organised this weekend in his new club’s opening match.
WHAT YOU CAN’T MISS
Friday night, Dayton Dutch Lions open at their new home against the Rochester Rhinos. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds will be opening their second season at Highmark Stadium on Saturday night hungry for a victory against Wilmington Hammerheads FC. Another notable match on Saturday is the heavyweight clash between Orlando City SC and Charleston Battery at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Late on Saturday night, Arizona United SC begin their USL PRO season at home against Oklahoma City Energy FC; Arizona United SC are a brand new team that just started adding players this week. It will be interesting to see how well they play together without much of a pre-season.