Richmond, Knoxville Look to improve playoff position

Matchup: Richmond Kickers (5-4-5, 5th) vs. One Knoxville SC (5-4-5, 4th)
Venue: City Stadium; Richmond, Va.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82°
Broadcast: ESPN+
Hashtag: #RICvKNX
Series (First Meeting): N/A (2023)

WHAT MATTERS

• Swing it around: Richmond and Knoxville lead the league in total passes with a combined 11,968. Knoxville has a tendency to be a bit impatient when not on the ball, though, with 50 more fouls conceded compared to Richmond.
• MVP chasing history: Emiliano Terzaghi is now just one goal shy of becoming the first player in League One history to record 50 regular season goals.
• Crisler returns to City Stadium: 2022 League One Defender of the Year runner-up and former Kicker Jalen Crisler returns to City Stadium for the first time since suffering defeat at the hands of the Red Wolves in the 2022 USL League One Playoffs.

PLAYER TO WATCH

• Sean Lewis (KNX): Lewis kept his fifth clean sheet of the season last week – the most in a single season in his eight-year professional career. The 31-year-old shot-stopper has been a huge factor in Knoxville's early season success and will face the Kickers for the first time since 2018.

AVAILABILITY REPORT

• RIC: F - Ethan Vanacore-Decker (out, injury)
• KNX: D - Jan-Erik Leinhos (doubtful, injury), D - Dani Fernandez (questionable, injury), D - Sean O'Hearn (out, injury)

Red Wolves Limp back to CHI Memorial Stadium to Face Jacks

Matchup: Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (3-8-2, 11th) vs. Charlotte Independence (6-3-4, 3rd)
Venue: CHI Memorial Stadium; Chattanooga, Tenn.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Sunny, 85°
Broadcast: ESPN+
Hashtag: #CHAvCLT
Series (First Meeting): 2-1-1, CHA (2022)

WHAT MATTERS

• Top and bottom: A win for Charlotte would see the Jacks top the table for the first time since April 20, while a Red Wolves loss or draw could result in Chattanooga sitting at the bottom of the table for the second time this season.
• Familiar foe for Lomis: The Red Wolves added 2021 All-League forward Marios Lomis last week. Yet to make an appearance, the Dutch forward may be able to provide some insight from the sidelines as he's faced Charlotte more than any other club in his career, recording two goals across six meetings from 2018 to 2020.
• Weekley woes: Chattanooga's 5-1 loss to Greenville in Jimmy Weekley's first match at the helm was Red Wolves' largest since losing 4-0 to FC Tucson in their debut season back in May 2019.

PLAYER TO WATCH

• Austin Pack (CLT): Pack may have his hands full dealing with a batch of frustrated Red Wolves attackers, but the 29-year-old shot-stopper is leading the league with 50 saves.

AVAILABILITY REPORT

• CHA: M - Christian Enriquez (probable, injury), D - Aarón Lombardi (questionable, injury), F - Marios Lomis (out, registration), D - Manuel Madrid (out, injury), M - Chevone Marsh (questionable, injury), M - Yahir Paez (out, injury), M - Andrew Paoli (probable, injury), D - Richard Rentería (out, injury), D - Alex Tejera (out, injury), F - Walter Varela (questionable, injury)

• CLT: M - Bachir Ndiaye (out, injury)

TEAM MATCH PREVIEWS

• Chattanooga
• Charlotte

South Georgia Aim to Down Owls for First Time

Matchup: Union Omaha (2-3-7, 10th) vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC (4-5-3, 8th)
Venue: Werner Park; Papillion, Neb.
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
Weather: Sunny, 87°
Broadcast: ESPN+
Hashtag: #OMAvTRM
Series (First Meeting): 4-0-3, OMA (2020)

WHAT MATTERS

• Owls > Ibises?: Among clubs in the league for more than one season, Omaha is the only League One side that South Georgia has not yet defeated. For the Owls, the Ibises are one of six League One clubs they have never lost to.
• Aiming to avoid history: An Omaha loss paired with wins from Chattanooga and Central Valley would see the 2021 champs fall to the bottom of the table for the first time in club history.
• Even on both sides of the pitch: Through 12 matches each, Omaha and South Georgia have scored 16 goals and conceded 18 and 17, respectively. Both tallies place the sides in the middle of the pack in comparison to other teams.

PLAYER TO WATCH

• Noe Meza (OMA): Omaha's second-year striker is now a brace away from passing Evan Conway as the club's all-time leading scorer across all competitions. The 25-year-old forward has tallied five goal contributions across his last five matches.

AVAILABILITY REPORT

• OMA: D - Eddie Gordon (questionable, injury), D - Stefan Mueller (questionable, injury)

• TRM: M - Matheus Cassini (questionable, injury), D - Preston Kilwien (questionable, injury)

TEAM MATCH PREVIEWS

• South Georgia

Hailstorm Hot, Fuego FC Not

Matchup: Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (5-1-4, 6th) vs. Central Valley Fuego FC (3-8-1, 12th)
Venue: Future Legends Complex; Windsor, Colo.
Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET
Weather: Sunny, 78°
Broadcast: ESPN+
Hashtag: #NCOvCV | #IceAndFireCup
Series (First Meeting): 3-1-0, NCO (2022)

WHAT MATTERS

• Hailstorm heating up: Northern Colorado is riding a club-record and league-leading six-match unbeaten streak. 
• Elite on both ends of the pitch: Heading into the weekend, Northern Colorado leads both the Golden Boot race (Trevor Amann, eight goals) and the Golden Glove race (Lalo Delgado, 0.74 goals against average).
• Fuego FC cold against Hailstorm: Against Northern Colorado, Central Valley has only picked up less points (3) and maintained a worse goal differential (-6) through four or more meetings with one other club: Charlotte.

PLAYER TO WATCH

• Trevor Amann (NCO): The reigning Player of the Month leads the Golden Boot race with his eight scores so far and recently claimed the title of the club's all-time leading scorer.

AVAILABILITY REPORT

• NCO: F - Irvin Parra (questionable, personal)

• CV: GK - Ofek Antman (out, injury), F - Cherif Dieye (out, injury)

TEAM MATCH PREVIEWS

• Northern Colorado