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What to Watch For – League One Week 19

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 08/02/19, 10:51AM EDT

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Clubs surrounding playoff line face challenging matchups in busy Saturday night slate


Forward Madison FC will be looking for a third consecutive victory when it plays host to FC Tucson for the second time this season on Saturday night. | Photo courtesy Forward Madison FC

Following Forward Madison FC’s emphatic win north of the border and Lansing Ignite FC’s impressive home win on Wednesday, League One’s four-game slate on Saturday night will continue to shape the direction of the race for the postseason with the top seven teams all in action. Here are five things to watch for over this weekend.

MINGOS IN FULL FLOW: It’s a sign of how close the postseason race has become in League One that Forward Madison FC’s back-to-back victories have propelled the side into fourth place after Wednesday night’s action. The 4-1 win on the road against Toronto, though, saw the visitors find their top gear and it’s a performance they’ll be hoping to come close to replicating when they host sixth-place FC Tucson at Breese Stevens Field. The Flamingos have racked up 27 shots and 11 shots on target over their past two outings, putting immense pressure on their foes. With J.C. Banks and Paulo Junior having featured prominently in the last two outings, it could be the turn of Don Smart to turn it on again and earn the club its first three-game winning streak.

TIGHTEN UP TUCSON: The objective for FC Tucson during its current six-game road trip has been simply to remain in touch with the postseason positions well enough that it can take advantage of its home-heavy schedule in the final quarter of the season. It’s been mission accomplished so far with five points from three games, part of a four-game undefeated streak overall as the side reaches Madison. The one area the visitors would probably like to find improvement on Saturday night is a tighter defensive display; Tucson hasn’t recorded a shutout since June 8 in a 0-0 draw against the Richmond Kickers, but while it’s allowed 30 shots on goal in the seven games since, it has only conceded nine times. Figuring out a way to contain Madison’s attack would go a long way to more valuable points on the road.

POTENTIAL POWER SHIFT: As big as Madison’s win was on Wednesday, the bigger midweek result was that of Lansing Ignite FC, which under the pressure of entering its final quarter of the season in advance of its fellow playoff contenders had to have the three points against fellow playoff contender Chattanooga Red Wolves SC. With that win secured, Lansing must avoid a letdown on Saturday night when it takes on last-place Orlando City B at Cooley Law School stadium and make it a two-win week. If everything falls into place for Ignite FC, by the end of Saturday night it could have an eight-point cushion on the teams sitting outside the playoff positions. Those sides below the playoff line would still have multiple games in hand but would be under pressure to win them all to surpass Lansing in the standings, shifting the power balance to the Michigan side.


North Texas SC and Chattanooga Red Wolves SC meet for the first time since the opening weekend of the season each looking to get back in the win column on Saturday night. | Photo courtesy North Texas SC

RED WOLVES REBOUND: Wednesday’s results saw not only Chattanooga Red Wolves SC’s nine-game undefeated streak come to an end, but the side slip out of the top four after being overtaken by Madison. Now technically having flipped to a five-game winless streak, the visit of North Texas on Saturday night to David Stanton Field is going to be a crucial game for the hosts. If there’s good news for the Red Wolves it’s the fact that North Texas is suffering its first real cold patch in front of goal this season, having been held to only two goals in its last four outings, three of which have seen the side held scoreless. In their first meeting since NTSC’s 3-2 win on the opening weekend of the season, Chattanooga will be hoping to turn the tables and boost its playoff hopes in the process.

TIGHTLY FOUGHT: The first two games of the season between South Georgia Tormenta FC and Greenville Triumph SC have seen one goal between them, and with Greenville’s Dallas Jaye and South Georgia’s Pablo Jara sitting 1-2 in the race for the League One Golden Glove at the end of the season there’s every reason to expect more of the same when the teams meet at Legacy Early College. But after its 4-0 win against North Texas SC last weekend, Triumph SC is in need of another three points to keep itself in the playoff picture which could lead the hosts to be more adventurous and create a more open game. Greenville’s Achilles’ heel this season has been stringing together back-to-back results – Triumph SC has only achieved that once in its second and third games this season – but a first league win against its closest rival would be a major boost in the middle of the congested League One standings. 


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