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USL eCup Matchday Report – Greenville Triumphs Against Hounds

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 05/12/20, 9:47PM EDT

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STLFC, Omaha, Red Bulls II also advance in Division A; Locomotive FC, Revolution II lead way in Division B

The Quarterfinal matchups for Week 2 in Division A and Division B of the USL eCup: FIFA20 Edition were decided on a thrilling Tuesday night of action that saw Greenville Triumph SC steal the headlines with victory in the final match of what had been an action-packed set of eight games across the evening.

Three Things that Mattered

1. The day’s action saved the best to last, with Greenville Triumph SC’s Giovanny Canas and Poland taking a 3-2 victory against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Alex Williams and Belgium in a back-and-forth contest that saw Greenville take a two-goal lead, Pittsburgh equalize before halftime, and then Triumph SC grab the game-winner midway through the second half. Greenville gets to challenge last week’s finalist Hartford Athletic on Wednesday, where hopefully there’ll be a similar level of entertainment.

2. The game prior to that in Division A also brought some stellar action, and a nice feather in the cap for Saint Louis FC goalkeeper Kyle Morton, who led France to a 2-1 victory against Miami FC’s Austin Robillard. With the game opening up this week to players beyond the regular player rosters, many teams have opted to bring in fans or the club’s eSports players, but a double off the boots of Kylian Mbappe showed that Morton also has something to bring to the table in this arena.

3. As previously mentioned, some teams elected to bring in the specialists on Tuesday, and it showed in their performances. In Division B, El Paso Locomotive FC’s eSports manager Edwin Moreno fired up Argentina to the tune of a 6-1 win against Memphis 901 FC and Austria, while the New England Revolution II’s John “JKO” Oliveira – who also plays eMLS for the Revs – and Russia outshot North Carolina FC 17-1 in a 2-0 victory that could have ended up more one-sided. Keep an eye on their games on Wednesday where promotion to Division A for next week will be on the line. Meanwhile, in Division A the New York Red Bulls II and eMLS player Mike LaBelle produced a 5-1 win with Chile against the Charlotte Independence and Germany to get out to a strong start.

Highlights Central

Around the Brackets

- Most teams have gone beyond their squads with the option to do so this week, but you could score another one for the players alongside Kyle Morton and Saint Louis FC in Division B. The Charleston Battery’s Rennico Clarke picked up a 2-0 victory with Greece against Orange County SC and Cameroon to keep in with a chance at promotion.

- Union Omaha continues to impress after a 4-2 victory with Norway by JP Scearce, who defeated Las Vegas Lights FC’s Jose Carrera and Uruguay to move on. Omaha has only lost twice across both editions of the USL eCup so far, a remarkable level of consistency no matter who’s been on the sticks for the club.

- There were great things from the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ victory against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. First, the performance of Rowdies eSports player Carlos Rueda in a 3-1 victory with Colombia against Colorado Springs’ Cody Costra and Paraguay, but also the goals and celebrations produced by both players. The replay’s well worth a watch.

- Going to be a few of high-profile European countries in Division B next week with the Charlotte Independence (Germany), Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (Belgium) and Miami FC (England) all looking to rebound. Just shows how important last week’s run to the Preliminary Semifinals was for a team like Hartford Athletic (Scotland), which wasn’t threatened with relegation tonight as a result.

Results

Division A
First Round

New York Red Bulls II (Chile) 5, Charlotte Independence (Germany) 1
Union Omaha (Norway) 4, Las Vegas Lights FC (Uruguay) 2
Saint Louis FC (France) 2, Miami FC (England) 1
Greenville Triumph SC (Poland) 3, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (Belgium) 2

Division B
First Round

New England Revolution II (Russia) 2, North Carolina FC (Turkey) 0
El Paso Locomotive FC (Argentina) 6, Memphis 901 FC (Austria) 1
Tampa Bay Rowdies (Colombia) 3, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (Paraguay) 1
Charleston Battery (Greece) 2, Orange County SC (Cameroon) 0

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