Union Omaha vs. North Carolina FC

Venue: Caniglia Field; Omaha, Neb.
Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
Weather: Rain, 42°
Broadcast: ESPN+
Hashtag: #OMAvNC
Series (First Meeting): 3-0-2, OMA (2021)

Union Omaha (1-0-1, 4th) is prepped to host North Carolina FC (1-1-1, 6th) on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Canigilia Field. Both Omaha and North Carolina will aim to extend a two-match unbeaten streak in league play, but the odds may be stacked against NCFC. North Carolina has never beaten Omaha and have been outscored by a combined nine goals across five previous matchups. Additionally, Omaha has never lost a match prior to April 30 and are a combined 6-1-3 in the months of March and April all-time across all competitions.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

OMA - Noe Meza: Omaha's breakout star and leading scorer from a season ago secured his first score of the season in Week 4, scoring the match-winning goal in the 45th minute against Central Valley to earn Team of the Week honors.

NC - Louis Perez: Perez extended his efficient start to his first season in Cary, leading the league with six fouls won and adding to his side’s Week 4 derby draw with 15 duels won, 10 recoveries and two chances created.

AVAILABILITY REPORT

OMA: N/A

NC: D - DJ Benton (out, suspension), D - Luke Croll (out, fitness), D - Max Flick (out, injury)

Richmond Kickers vs. Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC

Venue: City Stadium; Richmond, Va.
Kickoff: 6 p.m. ET
Weather: Partly cloudy, 79°
Broadcast: ESPN+
Hashtag: #RICvNCO
Series (First Meeting): 2-0-1, RIC (2022)

The only team yet to concede a goal in league play, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (1-0-1, 3rd) will venture into City Stadium in hopes of defeating the Richmond Kickers (1-1-1, 8th) for the first time in club history. Matching up against the 2022 League One champions - South Georgia - and runners-up - Chattanooga - Northern Colorado has gotten off to a strong unbeaten start across all competitions. For Richmond, the 2022 Players Shield winners dropped a tough 2-1 contest against the top-of-the-table Independence in the pair's second meeting of the season to serve as their first loss.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

RIC - Nil Vinyals: Recently tabbed as Player of the Month, Vinyals has tallied an assist, six chances created and 25 duels won early in his fifth League One season.

NCO - Edward Delgado: The only goalkeeper to keep multiple clean sheets this season, Delgado has been crucial to Northern Colorado's early season success.

AVAILABILITY REPORT

RIC: F - David Olsen (out, injury), F - Ethan Vanacore-Decker (out, injury)

NCO: F - Irvin Parra (personal, questionable)

Forward Madison FC vs. Greenville Triumph SC

Venue: Breese Stevens Field; Madison, Wis.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Isolated thunderstorms, 77°
Broadcast: ESPN+
Hashtag: #MADvGVL
Series (First Meeting): 3-1-6, GVL (2019)

Both Forward Madison FC (0-0-2, 10th) and Greenville Triumph SC (0-2-0, 12th) will look to shake slow starts to the season in a clash of League One originals. In 10 prior matchups, the low-scoring contests have been defined by defensive battles with each side averaging just one goal per matchup. For a Greenville side that has accumulated the most wins in League One's five-year history, 2023 marks the first season that Triumph SC has started a season off with three consecutive losses across all competitions.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

MAD - Jacob Crull: The 25-year-old Austrian defender had a productive week to help Madison to its first clean sheet of the season, creating four chances, completing 84% of his 94 passes, winning 12 recoveries and completing six long balls.

GVL - Tyler Polak: Named to the Team of the Week Bench in Week 4, Polak has been a staple along the Greenville backline since its inaugural season. The defender has tallied 15 recoveries and 12 duels won across two matches.

AVAILABILITY REPORT

MAD: N/A

GVL: D - Noah Franke (out, injury), D - Brandon Fricke (out, injury), D - Hassan Gabo (out, injury), GK - Ben Hale (out, injury), M - Tevin Shaw (probable, injury) D - Nate Shultz (out, injury), D - Jamie Smith (out, injury), D - Daniel Wu (probable, injury)

Lexington SC vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC

Venue: Toyota Stadium; Georgetown, Ky.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Sunny, 74°
Broadcast: ESPN+
Hashtag: #LEXvTRM
Series (First Meeting): 0-0-0 (2023)

A week after more than 3,000 fans packed into Toyota Stadium to celebrate Lexington SC's (0-2-1, 11th) inaugural home opener, the defending League One champs, South Georgia Tormenta FC (2-2-0, 2nd), come to town in search of a league-leading third victory. Winless across all competitions, Lexington will look to avoid becoming the fourth expansion team in league history to start its first season in the league winless across four matches. While certainly a tall task against South Georgia, expansion sides have fared relatively well against defending champions. Defending League One champions hold a slim advantage against expansion sides in their first season, going 7-5-7 since 2020.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LEX - Terique Mohammed: The former Canada youth international is back in League One after a two-year hiatus, helping Lexington's backline in the club's inaugural campaign.

TRM - Pedro Fonseca: Week 4's Player of the Week, Fonseca recorded a goal and an assist in Tormenta FC’s 2-0 derby victory over Greenville. The Brazilian also recorded two chances created and 81% passing accuracy. 

AVAILABILITY REPORT

LEX: M - Pierre Mané (out, eligibility)

TRM: F - Arthur Bosua (questionable, injury), D - Jake Dengler (questionable, injury), F - Kazaiah Sterling (questionable, injury)