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The Front Three: What To Watch For In Week 26

By CAMERON KOUBEK - cameron.koubek@uslsoccer.com, 09/30/21, 12:00PM EDT

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All 12 teams are in action across Friday and Saturday


There's a lot on the line in the second meeting of the season between Chattanooga and Richmond this Saturday / Photo courtesy Chattanooga Red Wolves SC

In this League One season which has been defined by parity, we’re not quite at the point where anyone can clinch their spot in the postseason - but we’re getting close.

For much of the year, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC and Union Omaha have been above the midtable fray, and they still are. But each club and its fans were reminded of how balanced the league is last weekend, when both suffered their first home losses of the 2021 campaign.

With six games this weekend, meaning all 12 teams are in action, the playoff picture is set to become a bit clearer by Sunday morning. Here are three storylines to watch across those games.

Chattanooga Closes In

Despite Chattanooga’s aforementioned loss, the Red Wolves are still in pole position to be the first team to secure a playoff place this season. A win on Saturday against the Richmond Kickers (6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+) and dropped points by North Texas SC in its matchup with FC Tucson later that night (10 p.m. ET | ESPN+) would see the magic number for Head Coach Jimmy Obleda’s side drop to just one, and you’d certainly back them not to lose four straight games to close out the season.

The Red Wolves narrowly defeated Richmond in their only previous meeting this season, a 2-1 result back on May 29 at CHI Memorial Stadium. But going into City Stadium, where the Kickers have lost only 1 of 11 games, is no easy feat.

End of An Era At Erk

Ahead of South Georgia Tormenta FC’s move to a brand-new soccer-specific stadium at the start of the 2022 season, the club will play its final home match at Erk Russell Park in Statesboro this Friday night (8 p.m. ET | ESPN+). It’s a venue where Tormenta fans have made a lot of great memories, and a significant venue in league history as the location where the inaugural USL League One regular season match was played.

Neither Tormenta, nor the visiting Union Omaha, will be there with nostalgia on their minds - there is important business to take care of. South Georgia sits only one point below the playoff line, but with a league-fewest four matches remaining (and therefore, a league-fewest possible points to gain), the final three of which are on the road, Head Coach Ian Cameron’s side is in real need of points.

Omaha’s postseason chances still look very strong despite defeat to FC Tucson last weekend, but los Buhos will be hungry to lock up one of the top two spots in the table as soon as possible in order to secure a bye through the Semifinals of the League One Playoffs.

Renaissances Rolling

After both Greenville Triumph SC and FC Tucson looked down and out, each team has turned things around in some style. Triumph SC is four games unbeaten ahead of its Friday meeting with Fort Lauderdale CF (7 p.m. ET | ESPN+) and Tucson is 5-0-2 in its last seven games, including impressive away results against Greenville (3-3) and Union Omaha (1-0) in recent weeks.

Those runs have the two teams sitting in fourth and third respectively ahead of their games this weekend. But as good as each has been, they will need to keep it up if they’re to secure home games in the first round of the playoffs.


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