San Antonio FC clinched top spot in Group 4 with victory in the South Texas Derby against Rio Grande Valley FC, while El Paso Locomotive FC, Indy Eleven and Forward Madison FC all clinched their places in the knockout stage of the USL eCup: Rocket League Edition on the final day of group play on Friday.

San Antonio FC’s Josh Richards completed a perfect group stage with a hard-fought victory (7-2, 10-4) against Rio Grande Valley FC’s Christian Sais in the first online edition of the South Texas Derby.

SAFC got out of the blocks quickly with a four-goal lead in the opening 42 seconds that was highlighted by an outstanding angled finish by Richards from the left wall for the third tally. The Toros scored twice to make it a three-goal game with 1:25 remaining, but that was as close as they came to a comeback as San Antonio saw out the win.

Game 2 proved more closely fought, with the sides exchanging goals in the opening 90 seconds as San Antonio held a 3-2 lead. A towering finish just before the halfway mark by Richards made it a two-goal advantage, however, but Said pulled within a goal at 5-4 with 1:51 to play. But a goal five seconds after the following restart for SAFC proved crucial as Richards reeled off a run of three unanswered goals in 40 seconds to secure victory and first place in the group standings.

El Paso Locomotive FC’s Logan Ketterer swept into the knockout stage of the tournament with a 40-goal performance (21-0, 19-0) against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Kenardo Forbes.

Locomotive FC put up five goals in the opening 68 seconds in Game 1 of the series before pulling away to record the side’s biggest scoring output of the group stage. The same pattern emerged in Game 2 as Ketterer logged a cumulative game score of 5,625 points overall.

Indy Eleven’s Chad Irvine bounced back emphatically from defeat earlier in the week to book his side’s place in the Round of 16 with a win (16-1, 13-2) against Greenville Triumph SC’s Doug Erwin.

Indy used its close control to devastating effect early in Game 1 to not only put goals away but keep Greenville from establishing any kind of attacking rhythm. Triumph SC’s only goal came on its only shot of the game, and as Game 2 opened, Irvine continued to impress. After the two sides exchanged goals in the opening 16 seconds, the Eleven went on a run of six consecutive goals to pull away for a comfortable win.  

FC Tucson became the first side to surpass +100 in goal differential for the tournament as Trent Wieland put up another emphatic win (21-0, 22-0) against Las Vegas Lights FC’s DJ Ocho.

Tucson ran out to an early lead, including a spectacular end-to-end aerial finish to make it a six-goal game just past the minute mark. The acrobatic finishes continued into Game 2 as Wieland used every inch of the arena to make his mark with some highlight-reel tallies.

Forward Madison FC’s Mitchell Meerman gutted out an impressive three-game victory (6-4, 4-8, 3-1) against FC Tulsa’s Reilly Maguire to earn his place in the knockout stages of the tournament.

Tulsa took the lead on three occasions in Game 1, but each time Madison hit back to equalize, leveling the game at 3-3 with a lobbed finish just before the halfway point. The Flamingos then took the lead with 2:01 to play with a well-executed collision creating space to knock home a finish from close range. A crucial block by Meerman with just over a minute remaining provided the chance to a counterattack that Madison duly took advantage of to make it a two-goal game, and the Flamingos closed out the with another tally with 29 seconds to go.

Madison then grabbed control of Game 2 with a three-goal run after going behind early, but Tulsa rallied back with two goals in 23 seconds to level the score and grab back momentum with a low finish to the left corner. An emphatic challenge near midfield gave FCT the chance to take the lead soon after, adding to a run that would see the side notch five consecutive finishes and send the series to a deciding game.

With a place in the Round of 16 on the line, Game 3 produced a tense, low-scoring encounter. Madison ran out to a two-goal lead after just 51 seconds before Tulsa replied 14 seconds later with a powerful aerial finish. The Flamingos’ defense remained stout after conceding, however, as Meerman recorded a pair of key saves and both players broke up play well in their defensive ends. With 1:27 to go, however, Madison struck on a great aerial finish from near the halfway line, and that sealed victory for the League One side.

Birmingham Legion FC’s Kaylor Hodges completed a perfect group stage with a solid victory (11-0, 12-2) against Memphis 901 FC’s Raul Gonzalez to claim first place in the group.

Birmingham got rolling early, including a sequence of three goals in 19 seconds around the one-minute mark that gave he side a 4-0 lead. The early lead allowed Legion FC’s Hodges to cruise to victory in Game 1, but Memphis grabbed the lead in Game 2 directly from the opening faceoff. Birmingham quickly restored order, however, tying the game after 35 seconds to start a three-goal run, and while Memphis made it a one-goal game 1:12 into the contest it was unable to find an equalizer as Hodges pulled away for the victory.