Dramatic Dogwood Derby finale

Matchup: North Carolina FC (7-4-2, 2nd) vs. Charlotte Independence (6-3-5, 3rd)
Venue: WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C.
Kickoff: Friday, June 30; 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Sunny, 87°
Broadcast: ESPN+
Hashtag: #NCvCLT | #DogwoodDerby
Series (First Meeting): 8-7-2, CLT (2015)

WHAT MATTERS

• Old friend alert: Friday's Dogwood Derby will surpass the Charlotte-Richmond series as the longest-active series in the league with its 18th contest. The eight-year rivalry has spanned the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (2015-17), the USL (2018), USL Championship (2019-20) and USL League One (2022-23).
• First things first: If Greenville avoid a loss to Madison, a potential winner of this matchup will earn the top spot on the table heading into Week 17, marking the third time this season that the Dogwood Derby outcome has had first-place implications.
• High-scoring affair: Despite Charlotte leading the all-time series at 8-7-2, North Carolina has historically found the back of the net with ease against its Tarheel State rivals; NCFC has outscored the Jacks 31 to 22 in 17 previous matchups.

PLAYER TO WATCH

• Rayan Djédjé (CLT): The Stade Rennais FC and FC Metz youth product scored and earned Team of the Week honor following his first start for the Jacks a week ago. The promising 21-year-old midfielder is just over a year removed from competing in Belgium's top-flight with RFC Seraing on loan from Metz.

AVAILABILITY REPORT

• NC: D - Luke Croll (out, injury), D - Nelson Flores-Blanco (out, international duty), M - Raheem Somersall (out, international duty)
• CLT: M - Bachie Ndiaye (out, injury)

TEAM MATCH PREVIEWS

• North Carolina
• Charlotte

Madison to be tested against rising Greenville squad

Matchup: Greenville Triumph SC (5-5-4, 7th) vs. Forward Madison FC (7-3-4, 1st)
Venue: Paladin Stadium; Greenville, S.C.
Kickoff: Saturday, July 1; 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 85°
Broadcast: ESPN+
Hashtag: #GVLvMAD
Series (First Meeting): 3-2-6, GVL (2019)

WHAT MATTERS

• Leading the flock: With its win against Tormenta FC on Wednesday, Madison became the final remaining League One original to ascend to the top of the table. A win against Greenville would allow the 'Mingos to stay on top heading into the new week regardless of outcomes elsewhere.
• Greenville growing pains: While Greenville has started to bounce back from its slow start to the season, Triumph SC is in the midst of its slowest start to a season in club history. Through the first 14 matches of its previous four seasons, Triumph SC has been below the playoff line just 27% of the time on average. In 2023, Greenville has spent 71% of the young season out of a postseason position.
• Madison turning things around against Greenville: Greenville started its series against Madison on an unbeaten 3-0-5 run. In the three most recent meetings, though, Madison have gone undefeated against the 2020 champions with a 2-0-1 record.

PLAYER TO WATCH

• Lyam MacKinnon (GVL): The first player in League One history to tally four goals in a single match, MacKinnon exploded for the league’s first haul in only his first professional season, earning Player of the Week honors.

AVAILABILITY REPORT

• GVL: D - Brandon Fricke (probable, injury), D - Hassan Gabo (questionable, injury), D - Tevin Shaw (out, injury), D - Jamie Smith (out, injury), 
• MAD: M - Julio Benitez (out, injury)

TEAM MATCH PREVIEWS

• Greenville
• Madison

Richmond host Red Wolves in postseason rematch

Matchup: Richmond Kickers (5-4-6, 6th) vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (3-8-3, 11th)
Venue: City Stadium; Richmond, Va.
Kickoff: Saturday, July 1; 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 85°
Broadcast: ESPN+
Hashtag: #RICvCHA
Series (First Meeting): 8-4-1, CHA (2019)

WHAT MATTERS

• Recent Red Wolves success: The Kickers have historically struggled against the Red Wolves; Richmond's 30% win percentage against Chattanooga is the lowest against a League One opponent (min. 10 League One meetings).
• Next-man-up mentality: More than half of Chattanooga's roster is either unavailable for selection or carrying an injury designation ahead of its matchup with Richmond. The Red Wolves will need to rely on depth they don't have much of.
• El Rey: Of 17 total League One clubs that Emiliano Terzaghi has had the opportunity to play against since joining the Kickers in 2020, the three-time MVP is the leading goalscorer (or joint leader) against seven of those 17 in League One play, including the Red Wolves.

PLAYER TO WATCH

• Emiliano Terzaghi (RIC): The league’s all-time leading scorer added to his tally with his league-leading 10th Richmond brace last Saturday, simultaneously becoming the first player in league history to score 50 regular season goals.

AVAILABILITY REPORT

• RIC: F - Ethan Vanacore-Decker (out, injury)
• CHA: M - Christian Enriquez (probable, injury), D - Omar Gómez (out, suspension), GK - Ricardo Jérez (out, international duty), D - Aarón Lombardi (probable, 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), M - Ualefi (questionable, injury), F - Walter Varela (questionable, injury), D - Mekeil Williams (out, suspension)

Owls fly west for Central Valley clash

Matchup: Central Valley Fuego FC (3-9-1, 12th) vs. Union Omaha (3-3-7, 8th)
Venue: Fresno State Soccer Stadium; Fresno, Calif.
Kickoff: Saturday, July 1; 10 p.m. ET
Weather: Sunny, 106°
Broadcast: ESPN+
Hashtag: #CVvOMA
Series (First Meeting): 3-1-0, OMA (2022)

WHAT MATTERS

• Meza-mania: Noe Meza is just two goals away from surpassing Evan Conway's mark of 18 goals across all competitions as the Owls' all-time leading goalscorer. The second-year professional is also just one set-piece score away from setting the league's all-time record of three.
• Clean sheet incoming?: Across four all-time meetings, there's never been a Central Valley-Omaha match in which both sides have scored. Historically, the team that scored first went on to secure a shutout victory 100% of the time.
• Ice-cold Fuego FC: Fuego FC's three points through its last five matches are tied for the fewest in that stretch across the league (South Georgia). 

PLAYER TO WATCH

• Rashid Nuhu (OMA): Across an unbeaten, two-match week for Omaha, the defending Goalkeeper of the Year made five saves and recorded a clean sheet against South Georgia on Saturday.

AVAILABILITY REPORT

• CV: GK - Ofek Antman (out, injury), F - Villyan Bijev (out, injury), M - Mouhamed Dabo (out, injury), F - Cherif Dieye (out, injury)
• OMA: F - Steevan Dos Santos (out, suspension), D - Eddie Gordon (questionable, injury), D - Stefan Mueller (questionable, injury)

Lexington looking to make history aginst defending champs

Matchup: Lexington SC (3-6-5, 10th) vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC (4-7-3, 9th)
Venue: Toyota Stadium; Georgetown, Ky.
Kickoff: Sunday, July 2; 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Thunderstorms, 84°
Broadcast: ESPN+
Hashtag: #LEXvTRM
Series (First Meeting): 1-0-1, LEX (2023)

WHAT MATTERS

• Lexington solid against South Georgia: A Lexington win would see the expansion side earn the most points (7) against a defending champion in a team’s first season in League One. Even a draw would mean Lexington tie the aforementioned record and would become the fourth side to remain undefeated against a defending champion in its first season in the league.
• Championship hangover: A South Georgia loss would confirm the lowest table position for a defending champion at this point of a season in league history. Failure to pick up three points would see the Ibis drop to 10th place with the potential to fall to 11th pending a positive Red Wolves result.
• Good to go: Lexington - and arguably more importantly - South Georiga are both injury-free heading into Sunday's match. Matheus Cassini has recovered from a broken collarbone and could suit up for the first time since April 27. Another positive for Tormenta FC: Preston Kilwien and Kingsford Adjei should also be good to go.

PLAYER TO WATCH

• Nico Brown (LEX): Enjoying his most productive professional season and leading Lexington in scoring, the 24-year-old winger recorded his first professional brace in his side’s narrow loss to Madison. Brown also completed 95% of his passes, completed 100% of his dribbles, won five duels and earned three recoveries on the day.

AVAILABILITY REPORT

• LEX: None reported
• TRM: None reported