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League One Talking Points – Week 14

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 06/27/19, 4:24PM EDT

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North Texas hosts Lansing in top-three clash, Toronto looks to ward off Madison

After North Texas SC regained top spot in the standings with its midweek victory against FC Tucson, this weekend’s four-game slate brings a focus to the teams directly above and below the playoff line as the regular season reaches its midway point. Here are five things to watch out for over the next two days.

HOME SWEET HOME: North Texas’ bounce-back victory on Tuesday night served as the club’s sixth consecutive home win of the season, a run that has been the biggest factor in NTSC sitting on top of the league standings at the midway point of the campaign. That record could get its biggest test so far on Saturday night, however, with third-place Lansing Ignite coming into Toyota Stadium looking to better finish what it started when the teams drew in their first meeting of the season. North Texas has allowed only four goals on its home turf this season while racking up 13 tallies and also holds a substantial edge in total shots (113-70) and shots on target (33-20). With Ronaldo Damus looking to cap off a month that has already seen him strike five times after his game-winner against Tucson, NTSC will be a tough nut to crack for the visitors.

FINISH THE JOB: Having taken back-to-back home wins to move into the playoff places, Ignite FC does appear to have found its form at just the right moment to take on the challenge North Texas poses. It should also be able to take something from the 2-2 draw that played out on May 18, when goals by Rafael Mentzingen and Alex Bruce gave the side a two-goal lead before NTSC’s young standouts Ricardo Pepi and David Rodriguez answered for the visitors in the final 10 minutes to salvage a draw. Lansing only allowed six shots to North Texas in the opening 70 minutes of that contest but were unable to hold on late as the visitors took seven of the last 10 shots of the game. If Head Coach Nate Miller’s side can come out the same way and this time sustain its defensive work, there could be a big reward waiting at the final whistle.

FLAMINGOS NEED ROAD FIX: The opening game of the weekend offers as much intrigue as the finale in Texas, with Toronto FC II playing host to Forward Madison FC on Friday evening looking to defend not only an undefeated home record but also its place in the top four of the League One standings. TFC II has had more than a week to regroup after its 1-0 loss to Lansing last time out – although on Wednesday night Jacob Shaffelburg shone for the organization’s MLS side in a 3-2 win against Atlanta United FC – and will be aiming to regain the form that sees it sit second in the league with 20 goals this season. Madison is riding a positive wave of momentum after its 4-1 win against North Texas last weekend but has seriously struggled on the road with just a 1-4-1 record so far this campaign. Sitting four points behind Toronto in seventh place, this feels like the sort of game Madison is going to need to win to bolster its playoff chances. The question is whether its two-game home winning streak will translate to the road.

RICHMOND REVIVAL?  The Richmond Kickers commemorated the one-year anniversary of the appointment of Head Coach David Bulow on Thursday, but 365 days after taking the reins from club legend Leigh Cowlishaw things have not gone at all to plan with the Kickers sitting well off the playoff pace in ninth place in the standings. Bulow and his squad have lost five of their last six outings overall, and with Saturday night’s visitor in Chattanooga Red Wolves SC having claimed victory in three of their past four games it figures to get no easier for the Kickers as they head on the road to David Stanton Field. The Red Wolves, meanwhile, will already know how Toronto FC II has fared when they take the field, and whether the door is open for a move into the playoff positions with a third consecutive victory for a club slowly gaining in confidence.

TIME IS NOW FOR TRIUMPH: There were serious reasons for hope for Greenville Triumph SC last Saturday night as it fought back from a two-goal deficit against Chattanooga only to give up a late winner to its hosts. If Head Coach John Harkes’ side is going to make a run at a postseason berth, though, it must carry the positives from that contest into Friday night’s game against an Orlando City B side that has lost three games in a row after a good run of form. After the challenges Greenville has had scoring this season, the loss to the Red Wolves should be particularly galling as the side notched a pair of good finishes. But after racking up 20 shots and seven shots on goal against Chattanooga, there needs to be a similar level of production put up against OCB if Greenville is to take all three points and get back to the edge of the playoff picture. 


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