9.29 Program.Pdf
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IN THIS ISSUE 3 Match Day Preview 4 Stadium Map 9-10 Conference Standings 12-14 Playoff Picture 16-23 Reno 1868 FC Roster 24-25 Technical Staff 26 Brown Earns TOTW Spot Playoff Picture (12) 2 MATCHDAY PREVIEW PLAYOFF DREAMS COULD BECOME A REALITY FOR RENO SATURDAY RENO, Nev. – Reno 1868 FC is on the cusp of a playoff berth and will look to get within at least a point Saturday when the club takes on Tulsa Roughnecks FC. Kickoff for Saturday’s is slated for 6:45 p.m. at Greater Nevada Field. After a huge 4-0 win over RGVFC Wednesday, Reno has a chance to clinch a second-straight trip to the USL Cup Playoffs Saturday should the club win and San Antonio FC fails to top Seattle Sounders FC 2. Should Reno win and San Antonio win, Reno will just need one point to clinch. Should Reno get a draw and San Antonio lose, Reno would still clinch. Leading scorer Brian Brown also has a chance to become Reno’s all-time leading scorer Saturday after tying Dane Kelly’s record (18) Wednesday against RGVFC. Brown ranks Top 5 in all-time assists and goals at Reno 1868 FC. The last time these clubs met, Reno needed a late goal from midfielder Lindo Mfeka to walk out of Tulsa with a 1-1 draw. The draw kept Reno unbeaten during the longest road trip of the season and was a part of a 16-match unbeaten streak (club record). Despite Tulsa already have been eliminated from the playoffs, the club still boasts plenty of talent across the pitch. Former UNLV standout Joaquin Rivas leads Tulsa with 11 goals his year while FC Dallas loanee Jesús Ferreira ranks second with six goals on the season. That being said Tulsa has allowed 68 goals, the most in the Western Conference while Reno has scored 49 goals this year, ranking Top 15 in the USL. Tickets for Saturday’s match can be purchased at both the Greater Nevada Field ticket office and Reno1868FC.com. The first 1,868 fans Saturday will get a free pair of soccer socks courtesy of Reno Orthopedic Clinic. 3 STADIUM MAP FRONT OFFICE Eric Edelstein Doug Raftery President Sr. Director of Corporate Partner- ships Andy Smith General Manager Courtney Baker Corporate Partnerships Samantha Hicks Services Coordinator Chief Revenue Officer Max Simpson Aldo Amato Corporate Partnerships Coordinator Digital Media & PR Manager Robert Ritchie Vince Ruffino Ticket Sales Manager Marketing Manager Zoe Harmon Mckenna Bush Account Specialist - Member Creative Manager Services Stefan Bray Account Executive GREATER NEVADA FIELD 250 EVANS AVE RENO, NEVADA 89501 RENO1868FC.COM ¡Vamos Azules! You Make Our Hometown Renown Official Insurance Plan and Healthcare Partners WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS 7 8 9 Playoff picture 10 USL WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF PICTURE While FC Cincinnati was celebrating its USL Regular Season Championship on Wednesday night, there were other celebrations going on in the Eastern Conference as Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC became the third side to claim its place in the postseason and the Charleston Battery put one foot in the doorway thanks to hard-fought rivalry victories. There’s more drama to come this weekend, however, with big games featuring across both conferences in the battle to either secure a place in the USL Cup Playoffs or claim homefield advantage in each conference. References: FiveThirtyEight.com Playoff Projections WESTERN CONFERENCE 1. Orange County SC Current Record: 19-7-6, 63pts Maximum Points Available: 69 Points Needed to Clinch: Clinched FiveThirtyEight.com USL Cup Odds: 14% Last Game: W 5-3 at Las Vegas Lights FC Next Game: 10/6 vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2, 10 p.m. ET A fourth consecutive victory, and second consecutive five-goal outing, saw Orange County keep the pressure on Phoenix Rising FC to match its outstanding form as the sides duel for top spot in the Western Conference. Orange County will now see Phoenix make up one of its two games in hand on Saturday while hoping that Saint Louis FC can take points from its visit to the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex. 2. Phoenix Rising FC Current Record: 18-7-5, 59pts Maximum Points Available: 71 Points Needed to Clinch: Clinched FiveThirtyEight.com USL Cup Odds: 18% Last Game: W 2-1 at Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Next Game: 9/29 vs. Saint Louis FC, 10:30 p.m. ET Phoenix fans and players probably felt the rollercoaster ride that was Wednesday night’s eventual Orange County SC victory against Las Vegas Lights FC more than most, but now the pressure is back on to match OCSC’s victory to keep in position to claim top spot at the end of the regular season. That may not be an easy task against Saint Louis FC, which is undefeated in its last four and has taken victory in three of those, but the side should be able to pull from the memory of its 3-1 victory when it visited Toyota Stadium – Saint Louis as it returns for its first home game since September 5. 3. Real Monarchs SLC Current Record: 17-11-3, 54pts Maximum Points Available: 63 Points Needed to Clinch: Clinched FiveThirtyEight.com USL Cup Odds: 2% Last Game: L 6-1 at LA Galaxy II Next Game: 9/29 vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, 9 p.m. ET The Monarchs saw their chances of finishing top of the Western Conference slide away on Wednesday night as they can now only match Or- ange County in points with wins in their last three games, but taking victory at home to get the side back on track to host at least one playoff game this Saturday against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC should be the main focus. Real hasn’t won in more than a month, its last victory coming against the LA Galaxy II on August 25, and the Switchbacks handed the Monarchs a 1-0 defeat when they last met at Weidner Field on August 29 in the first game of Real’s current six-game winless streak. 4. Sacramento Republic FC Current Record: 15-7-8, 53pts Maximum Points Available: 65 Points Needed to Clinch: Clinched FiveThirtyEight.com USL Cup Odds: 4% Last Game: D 0-0 vs. OKC Energy FC 11 USL WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF PICTURE USL WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF PICTURE Next Game: 9/29 vs. Portland Timbers 2, 10:30 p.m. ET 9. San Antonio FC Sacramento clinched its place in the postseason with its draw on Sunday evening against OKC Energy FC, but missed out on the chance to move Current Record: 11-12-7, 43pts into the top three with a victory past faltering Real Monarchs SLC. It now gets one of the biggest games of the week with the fifth-place Portland Maximum Points Available: 52 Timbers 2 coming to Papa Murphy’s Park, a game that will be a determining factor as to which side will be looking at a potential top-three finish and Points Needed to Clinch: 10 which may have to start its postseason campaign on the road. FiveThirtyEight.com USL Cup Playoffs Odds: 20% FiveThirtyEight.com USL Cup Odds: <1% 5. Portland Timbers 2 Last Game: L 2-0 at Saint Louis FC Current Record: 16-11-4, 52pts Next Game: vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2, 8:30 p.m. ET Maximum Points Available: 61 San Antonio’s back is further against the wall after Reno’s victory on Wednesday night against Rio Grande Valley FC, and it would likely Points Needed to Clinch: Clinched see its playoff hopes evaporate completely should it fall to Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Saturday night. Even with a win, though, it would FiveThirtyEight.com USL Cup Odds: 2% need plenty of help the rest of the way for Reno, Swope Park and Saint Louis to miss out on the remaining points they need to get to 53 Last Game: D 2-2 at Fresno FC and officially eliminate SAFC from contention. Next Game: 9/29 at Sacramento Republic FC, 10:30 p.m. ET Portland is going to the postseason for the first time, but will be disappointed to have let points slip away as it conceded a late equalizer against Fres- Officially eliminated: OKC Energy FC, LA Galaxy II, Fresno FC, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, Las Vegas Lights FC, Rio no FC on Saturday night. That could prove the difference between a top-four finish and starting the USL Cup Playoffs on the road, unless T2 can Grande Valley FC, Seattle Sounders FC 2, Tulsa Roughnecks FC find a road win against fourth-place Sacramento Republic FC this Saturday night. Victory at Papa Murphy’s Park could open up a path to a third- place finish by the end of the regular season, although it will be a tough road with games against Reno 1868 FC and Phoenix Rising FC to follow. 6. Swope Park Rangers Current Record: 14-10-8, 50pts Maximum Points Available: 56 Points Needed to Clinch: 3 FiveThirtyEight.com USL Cup Playoffs Odds: 88% FiveThirtyEight.com USL Cup Odds: <1% Last Game: D 1-1 at Tulsa Roughnecks FC Next Game: 10/3 at Sacramento Republic FC, 10:30 p.m. ET Swope Park needs just three points from its final two games of the regular season, and would clinch its playoff spot before it takes to the field next week against Sacramento Republic FC should San Antonio fall to Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Saturday night. 7. Reno 1868 FC Current Record: 13-7-10, 49pts Maximum Points Available: 61 Points Needed to Clinch: 4 FiveThirtyEight.com USL Cup Playoffs Odds: 97% FiveThirtyEight.com USL Cup Odds: 3% Last Game: W 4-0 vs.