Second place will be on the line when Chattanooga Red Wolves SC and Greenville Triumph SC play on Saturday night with hosts Greenville now only two points behind the Red Wolves in the standings with two games to go. | Photo courtesy Jim Myers / Chattanoog
This weekend had a chance for two teams to clinch their playoff spots, and while both the Richmond Kickers and Greenville Triumph SC held up their end of the deal, the teams in the middle of the standings didn’t play along with FC Tucson, North Texas SC and Toronto FC II all picking up victories as well.
We’re onto the penultimate week of the season now, where Union Omaha is within touching distance of clinching the best record in the league and both Triumph SC and the Kickers can get over the line on their own with victories on Saturday night.
Here are three games to watch this week, and where everyone stands overall with two weeks to go in the campaign.
A third consecutive postseason trip isn’t just within Greenville Triumph SC’s grasp on Saturday night, but the potential to earn a bye to the Semifinals of the League One Playoffs as second-placed Chattanooga Red Wolves SC comes to Legacy Early College only two points ahead in the standings. These teams have been going in opposite directions in the past two weeks with Greenville on a three-game winning streak in which it has not conceded, and the Red Wolves having lost three games out of four. If Chattanooga can’t turn things in the right direction, Greenville could take control of second place with a game to play in the campaign, which should make for a tense, playoff-type atmosphere.
Union Omaha could lock up the best record in League One on Wednesday night with a victory against Forward Madison FC, which would take the side to 50 points with two games to go with a chance to equal North Texas SC’s record of 56 points in the regular season in the 2019 campaign with two more wins. Whether or not los Buhos are over the line in that regard, the teams around the playoff line will be hoping for a big performance from the hosts as they try to derail a Kickers side that is now on a five-game winning streak and only three points from booking its first postseason berth since 2016 in the USL Championship.
With only a point separating seventh-placed North Texas SC and the fifth-placed New England Revolution II, there is a lot at stake for both sides in their penultimate game of the season. A playoff berth is within reach of the Revolution II with a win should Toronto FC II fail to take victory against Fort Lauderdale CF on Friday afternoon north of the border. Should it pick up three points, New England would move to 40 points – four points ahead of NTSC with a game each left to play, and at least four points ahead of Toronto FC II should it only draw with FTLCF – but North Texas has only lost twice on home turf this season and after Sunday’s victory at Fort Lauderdale CF it is coming in having won three of its last four outings overall.