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Talking Points - Week 2

By ETHAN TRIEBSCH - ethan.triebsch@uslsoccer.com, 03/27/23, 12:45PM EDT

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Richmond, Charlotte get big wins; pair of draws offer plenty of excitement

Richmond spoiled Greenville's home opener, the Red Wolves and Hailstorm combined for a goalkeeping record, Charlotte got its revenge against South Georgia, and the Owls and Ibises duked it out in Omaha.

Here are the biggest takeaways from each Week 2 League One match.

1. Richmond Spoil Greenville's Home opener

In the 11th all-time meeting between recent League One powers Greenville Triumph SC (0-1-0, 11th) and the Richmond Kickers (1-0-1, 2nd), an early goal from Kharlton Belmar saw the Kickers claim a 1-0 victory to remain undefeated, spoiling Greenville Triumph SC’s season opener at Paladin Stadium.

Greenville's opening-day lineup was composed of a number of new faces, including Leonardo Castro, Lyam MacKinnon and Devin Boyce, complementing the returning veterans of Aaron Walker, Evan Lee and Tyler Polak among others. Richmond rolled out a lineup that was nearly identical to its 2022 squad, minus the omission of Akira Fitzgerald who was replaced by 'keeper Will Palmquist. While Greenville held significant advantages in shots, touches in the opposition box and possession, a special, early goal from new Kicker Kharlton Belmar proved to be the difference.

"It’s not always an easy transition, but exciting nonetheless," Greenville's Aaron Walker said of his side's new venue. "The fans made it a great game, great atmosphere and cheered us on to the very end, which is all we can ask for. We’ll make this a really tough place to play going forward. We’re obviously disappointed with the result, but we move on, and we’ll find ways to make it work."

2. Goalkeeping Masterclass breaks league record

An even contest predicated on strong goalkeeping resulted in a scoreless draw between Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (0-0-1, 7th) and Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (0-0-1, 8th) in the pair’s season opener at a packed CHI Memorial Stadium. With 12 saves in the scoreless contest, Chattanooga's Carlos Avilez and Northern Colorado's Edward Delgado combined for the most saves in a scoreless match in league history.

In his return to Chattanooga, Hailstorm Head Coach Éamon Zayed rolled up to the Den with a good mixture of new and returning players, as newcomers Billy King, Enock Kwakwa, Lucky Opara and Edward Delgado joined returners Rob Cornwall, Irvin Parra, Arthur Rogers and Brecc Evans in the starting lineup. First-year Chattanooga Head Coach Ziggy Korytoski debuted with a new-look side anchored by returning 'keeper Carlos Avilez. Delgado recorded four saves in his Hailstorm debut, while Avilez tallied a Red Wolves-record eight saves on the evening.

"What better way to get the season started than with a clean sheet; hopefully it's the first of many," Red Wolves goalkeeper Carlos Avilez said. "It felt incredible to be back and get things rolling, we didn’t get the full result we wanted, but I think we had a good day, and I want to thank my teammates for all the support in the match."

"Really happy with the clean sheet; we’re going to take the positives from this," Hailstorm Head Coach Éamon Zayed said. "I thought we started off really, really well; we did everything but score. Overall, the guys felt disappointed and we know we possibly could have come away with three points."

"I thought it was a good night, second half particularly, we made a couple of adjustments and were unfortunate not to get a goal," Chattanooga Head Coach Ziggy Korytoski said. "It was exciting in moments, but we are a work in progress, and we'll get to where we need to be. Obviously, we would have liked to get the three points, but we'll take the point."

3. Jacks storm into Statesboro and EXACT their revenge

The Charlotte Independence (1-0-1, 1st) rode into Statesboro and snagged a 3-1 victory over South Georgia Tormenta FC (1-1-0, 4th), exacting their revenge upon the team that ushered them out of the playoffs a season ago. Despite a sensational free-kick goal from Mukwelle Akale, a largely disappointing night for Tormenta FC marks the first time a League One champion has lost its home opener in its subsequent season as a defending champion.

The Jacks certainly still had a sour taste lingering in their mouths following their slim defeat to the Ibises in the 2022 USL League One Playoffs. Hitting the ground running early in their return to Statesboro, a quick, well-struck goal from Brad Dunwell set the tone in the sixth minute before a wondergoal from Akale evened things up in first-half stoppage time. The second half didn't go Tormenta FC's way, however, as Preston Kilwien was sent off in the 52nd minute with his second yellow card and Pablo Jara conceded a pair of shocking scores in the 60th and 83rd minutes, respectively.

"The confidence of winning a game on the road really helps," Charlotte Head Coach Mike Jeffries said. "It took some time for us to do that last year. So, I think it’s a big plus to get the first road win and know that we can find a way to do it on the road."

"It feels great to score, but it’s even better to walk away with three points on the road," Charlotte's Brad Dunwell said.  

"I am extremely proud of our team tonight," Tormenta FC's Mukwelle Akale said. "We played exactly how we wanted to play. We controlled the possession of the ball and created chances. At times, things don't go your way. We keep moving and now focus on next week."

4. Chippy contest at Caniglia Field Ends level after late drama

A chippy affair at a chilly Caniglia Field in Omaha ended in a 1-1 draw between rivals Union Omaha (0-0-1, 6th) and Forward Madison FC (0-0-1, 5th) in the pair’s season opener. The frigid contest started on time thanks to the #OneMeansAll community in Omaha, but once the whistle sounded, the match was heated for the following 90 minutes.

JP Scearce, a member of Union Omaha since its inaugural 2020 season and the Owls' all-time appearance leader, opened his 2023 account with a powerful header off a well-placed Luis Gil corner kick in the 20th minute. Chirping at fans and players alike, new 'Mingo Christian Chaney backed up his talk in the 55th minute with a wild, acrobatic near-post finish to beat Rashid Nuhu in goal. The 1-1 scoreline lasted the duration of the match but was nearly altered in the fourth minute of stoppage time with a wild sequence that featured an on-target bicycle kick from Chaney and a pair of point-blank saves from Nuhu.

"I think all the guys gave a great effort. It’s gonna take time for us to gel 100%, but the guys gave great effort in buying into how we want to play," Omaha Head Coach Dominic Casciato said. "Obviously, we wanted to get the win for the fans but couldn’t quite pull it off today. We struggled to create chances in the second half, but we’ll take a point and move on from here."

"Overall, I’m pleased with the result on the road against a good team," FMFC Head Coach Matt Glaeser said. "We conceded a cheap goal, but the response was positive. Overall, we created better chances in the match and should have won. It’s something to learn from moving forward."

"It felt great scoring the team’s first goal of the season," Omaha's Scearce said. "We’ve been working a lot on set pieces the last couple of weeks in training, so I’m happy I was able to get on the end of the first corner."

"Playing on the road is always difficult," Madison's Christian Chaney said. "It’s a promising sign for us to play well and create many chances. We’re dangerous; we understand each other a lot more."


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