USL PRO News Release
Thursday, April 12, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. – After a weekend that saw the Richmond Kickers set a new a regular-season club record with more than 5,000 fans at their home opener against the Charleston Battery, USL PRO welcomes another four teams into the fray in its second weekend. The Los Angeles Blues, Rochester Rhinos, Dayton Dutch Lions and Wilmington Hammerheads all open their seasons this weekend as the league’s new video service, USL Live on UNation, kicks into high gear.
Saturday night sees the second leg of the season-opening home-and-home series between the Kickers and Battery, with the action switching to Charleston’s Blackbaud Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. After taking victory in their opening game of the season, the Battery will aim to claim the Pioneer Cup. Led by USL PRO Player of the Week Jose Cuevas’ two goals, the Battery took a 2-1 victory last Saturday at Richmond’s City Stadium. Saturday’s game, which can be seen on USL Live, will determine which club, both of which are celebrating their 20th seasons, will take home the rivalry trophy.
Completing USL Live’s Saturday night doubleheader is the opening game of the season for both the Los Angeles Blues and Rochester Rhinos. After an offseason of transition for both teams, they will be eager to get the season off to a winning start at Fullerton’s Titan Stadium, with kickoff set for 10:30 p.m. ET. The Rhinos have added a number of quality players, including German goalkeeper Kristian Nicht, who bring experience from the Bundesliga The Blues, meanwhile, have overhauled their roster from a year ago while keeping 2011 standout Israel Sesay.
On Sunday night, defending USL PRO champions Orlando City host their home opener against the side that finished second in the regular season standings a year ago, the Wilmington Hammerheads. The Lions are coming off a 2-0 victory on the road against Charlotte, and will be hoping to add another victory in front of a passionate crowd at the Florida Citrus Bowl. Wilmington has seen some changes since a season ago, but with the return of Gareth Evans and Andriy Budnyy, who finished as the fourth-leading scorer in USL PRO a season ago, the Hammerheads should give the Lions a strong challenge. Kickoff for the game, which will be streamed on USL Live, is set for 6 p.m.
The weekend opens on Friday night at Charlotte Latin Stadium as the Dayton Dutch Lions start their season on the road against the Charlotte Eagles. After learning a lot from their first season in USL PRO, the Dutch Lions are feeling confident of success this year. They took a 3-1 victory in their final preseason game against the University of Cincinnati on Tuesday night, and players such as Joel DeLass, Mettin Copier and Bret Jones will offer leadership to the team. The Eagles, on the other hand, will try to take their first victory after falling to Orlando last Saturday night, and with Joseph Kabwe making a solid return to the Eagles line-up with three shots a week ago, Charlotte should be up for the challenge the Dutch Lions will post.
For more details on USL Live, visit www.USLNation.com, and follow USL PRO on Facebook and Twitter for previews, live updates and game reports from all of the weekend’s games.