USL Championship GW 6 Wrap-Up | OneFootball

My colleague the Qooligan handled the pre-game, so I’m taking on the recaps.

Hartford Athletic vs. Indy Eleven

This match was postponed due to weather and field conditions.

Lexington 0 – 0 Las Vegas Lights FC

Oof. You know how some nil-nil draws are incredible matches? This was not one of those.

Charleston Battery 2 – 1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Cal Jennings is an absolute menace up front, one of the most dangerous strikers in the league. He had three on-frame shots, all of which were handled by Riverhounds keeper Eric Dick (who also was the USL Keeper of the Year in 2024). But his incredible shank of a PK in the closing seconds capped a disappointing first half for the hosts, who had conceded against the run of play on Bradley Sample’s long strike.

The second half continued much like the first, with Charleston dominating the possession and forcing Dick to make saves, only this time they also found two goals. The first was a distance shot from midfielder Aaron Malloy; the second a classic Cal Jennings effort into the far corner from a through ball.

Tampa Bay Rowdies 1 – 2 Loudoun United

Thirty seconds into this match Yanis Leerman hit the post for Loudoun, announcing the arrival of the USL’s most dangerous team to Florida. Rowdies’ keeper Dante Campisi made two leaping saves to ensure his team was level heading into the locker room. Tampa was more aggressive and pressured Loudoun in the second half, forcing keeper Hugo Fauroux into the save of the week when he palmed a shot off the line. But some overzealous grabbing in the box gave Loudoun a penalty and 20-year old Egyptian Abdellatif Aboukoura did not miss from the spot. He leads all goalscorer through GW6. Wesley Leggett’s 85th minute strike gave Loudoun their cushion, which was needed as Woobens Pacius was able to hit the net in the fourth minute of stoppage time for the hosts.

FC Tulsa 1 – 2 Oakland Roots

So Oakland did not lose. In fact, they got their first win of the season. The pivotal moment came in a three minute stretch between 28 and 30. Tulsa’s Taylor Calheira found himself in a 1-on-1 and Kendall McIntosh made a critical save. Seconds later, Wolfgang Prentice drifted in from the left to an arcing ball, calmly pounding it into the corner. Owen Damm of FC Tulsa scored in 42 on a screamer from 25 yards out. His first goal for the club. Great skill from Peter Wilson to control the long pass and feed Prentice for his second.

San Antonio FC 1 – 2 Miami FC

San Antonio had never beaten Miami in inter-conference play, but surely this was the year? Apparently not. Outside of the Roots game, this was the biggest shock upset of the GW6. Daltyn Knutson scored his second career USL goal in nearly four years, followed two minutes later by a Francisco Bonfiglio volley that set the host team reeling.

New Mexico United 1 – 0 North Carolina FC

Give the New Mexico fans credit; they show for their team in force even in the face of record-breaking heat. Over 10,000 crammed the Isotopes Park where the temperature was 81°F (27°C) at kickoff. Both sides played a tense first half with neither side making much impact. In the second half, New Mexico unveiled a new player: Cameroonian Thomas Amang. He would prove the difference maker as he redirected Mckinze Gaines’ shot/cross into the net in stoppage time. A tough blow for NCFC, who spent the entire game on the back foot and almost managed to hold on.

Monterey Bay 2 – 1 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

Monterey Bay’s storybook season continues to unfold. They had two on frame chances in the first five minutes before Colorado was able to even their keel. A poor clearance set up Adrian Rebollar’s header in the 38th minute. But the Switchbacks struck back four minutes later when Justin Dhillon’s low velocity shot just creeped over the line before getting palmed out by Nicolás Campuzano. The game did, in fact, go down to the wire and was decided by a Mayele Malango header from Anton Søjberg’s lofting cross. This win, coupled with San Antonio’s defeat, put Monterey Bay atop the West.

Orange County SC 2 – 1 Sacramento Republic FC

Sacramento scored three times in this match, and lost. That’s what happens when your defenders commit two own goals. OCSC somehow managed to gather three points with 40% possession, a paltry three shots on frame and only eleven attempts. It’s not enough to spark a turnaround, but it’s something. Republic have to regather and focus when the U.S. Open underdogs El Farolito come to visit on Wednesday.

Phoenix Rising FC 2 – 3 Detroit City FC

This is a scoreline that doesn’t tell the story. Phoenix were resplendent in the first half, capping a strong performance with a Collin Smith goal in the 42nd minute. The second half was a different story, as Detroit pushed the hosts in the opening fifteen minutes and probably should have had at least one goal to show for their efforts. Then in the 71st minute, against the run of play, Hope Avayevu fired home a goal to put Phoenix up by two. It was looking dire for Detroit, but their pressure finally paid off when Darren Smith took a Rhys Williams cross in a mid-air leap into the net. This started a shocking three goal run in five minutes, which gave Detroit the win.

Birmingham Legion 3 – 1 El Paso Locomotive SC

A few days before this fixture, the Legion announced the firing of Tommy Soehn. Soehn wasn’t just the longest tenured coach in club history, he was the ONLY coach in club history. As it turns out, the bounce works just as effectively in the USL. It wasn’t shaping up to be a good day when Andy Cabrera (son of Los Locos coach Wilmer Cabrera) toe-poked a goal off a looping pass over the defense. But Birmingham would respond three minutes later after Ronaldo Damus beat the keeper with an inside post shot. Damus would convert a PK midway through the second half as the hosts tightened their grip over the game. A stoppage time insurance goal from Dawson McCartney was the capper on the Legion’s first win of 2025.