Eight clubs will match up this Saturday in week nine, prior to a jam-packed week ten starting on Tuesday. Five of the eight clubs playing this weekend will turn right around to play again on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. But all clubs playing Saturday are coming off at least an eight-day break, so everyone should be well-rested.

Greenville Triumph vs. Richmond Kickers

Greenville handed Charlotte Independence its first defeat on Wednesday, May 3rd. After struggling with major injuries, the club showed up in Charlotte with the healthiest roster so far this season and walked away with a 3-1 victory.

Triumph SC is tied for second in goals with ten but also tied for second with goals conceded with ten.

The club is led by forward Lucas Coutinho and defensive midfielder Noah Pilato with three goals apiece, both part of a five-way tie for second in the league. Both currently match their USL League One career season bests in goals only eight weeks into the 2023 season. 2022’s scoring leader was Jacob Labovitz, who has yet to score and has seen his role moved to bench support, but he remains a second-half threat.

Greenville is second in the league in shots, with a 15% conversion rate. Their chances come from various players, with Aaron Walker leading with nine, Coutinho with eight, and Leo Castro and Lyam MacKinnon with seven each. Castro has assisted on four of the ten goals so far this season.

WHO TO WATCH (Greenville): Lyam MacKinnon. The former Nashville SC draft pick has a goal and two assists in seven appearances. The right-winger scored the opening goal in the 3-1 victory over previously undefeated Charlotte Independence last weekend.

Richmond largely shut down Greenville in their first matchup this season with its steady defense and stellar goalkeeping from Will Palmquist, who stepped in for Akira Fitzgerald, resulting in a 1-0 win for Richmond. We expect Fitzgerald in the net this weekend.

Richmond’s defense is one of the best in the league after six matches, with four clean sheets and only three goals conceded.

Richmond’s offense has struggled to break through, with the exception of a 3-1 victory over Tormenta. The other two goals came in one-goal efforts, the 1-0 win over Greenville and a 2-1 loss to Charlotte. Reigning Golden Boot winner Emiliano Terzaghi has been limited to one goal, from a free kick. All five goals have come from different players.

Nil Vinyals is expected to return after missing the last two matches. The midfielder was the league player of the month for the first month of play, with an assist and ten chances created.

WHO TO WATCH (Richmond): Michael Hornsby. The dynamic left-back continues to dazzle in his role, providing a solid defensive presence to help move the ball out of the backfield, but also at times acting as an additional winger. Hornsby has an assist. and five chances created in five matches.

Greenville Absent / Questionable: Jonah Biggar, Leo Castro (probable), Lucas Coutinho (probable), Venton Evans, Noah Franke, Ben Hale, Jamie Smith

Richmond Absent / Questionable: Gabe Cox, David Olsen, Ethan Vanacore-Decker (long-term injury), Nil Vinyals (probable)

North Carolina FC vs. Forward Madison

NCFC’s top-ranked offense hosts the top-ranked defense of Forward Madison on Saturday.

NCFC is led by the league leader in goals, Rafa Mentzingen, who has six goals out of the 12 scored by the club. The 12 goals for the club also leads the league, along with its +7 goal differential.

Rounding out NCFC’s goals are Louis Pérez with three and Oalex Anderson with two. Anderson also has three assists, while Pérez has created 12 chances, tied for second in the league.

NCFC has been unbeaten since a week one loss to Tormenta FC, with five wins and one draw. During this time they have outscored opponents 12-4.

WHO TO WATCH (NCFC): while Rafa and Pérez are the obvious answers, keep an eye on Jaden Servania. The 21-year-old is sometimes overshadowed by his star linemates but has eight chances created, and both shots have been on target, providing a dangerous option when Rafa and Pérez might be covered.

Forward Madison comes off another 0-0 draw, this time at One Knox SC. It was the third 0-0 draw in five matches. A bulk of the five goals scored this season came against Greenville Triumph in a 4-1 victory. Outside of that, the club has struggled to score.

The Mingos have only allowed two goals in five matches, currently leading the league. Goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann is tied for second in the league in clean sheets and tied for fourth in saves.

Christian Chaney leads the club with two goals and 14 shots. Isidro Martinez leads the club with 12 chances created, tied for second in the league with NCFC’s Louis Pérez.

WHO TO WATCH (Forward Madison): Isidro Martinez has quietly risen to the top of the league when it comes to chances created with 12. The midfielder also leads the club in tackles and tackles won, providing a physical presence in the midfield. This will be key against the explosive offense of NCFC.

NCFC absent / questionable: Luke Croll, Max Flick

Forward Madison absent / questionable: none

Lexington SC vs. Charlotte Independence

Lexington SC is desperate for a win as a suddenly struggling Charlotte Independence side comes to town.

Lexington comes off a bye week after a disappointing loss at Chattanooga to finish April. The squad gave up three goals in the second half to blow a 1-0 lead.

The expansion side sits at 1-1-4 with five goals in those six matches and a -5 goal differential.

Lexington SC’s five goals came from five different players. Ates Diouf leads the club in shots at eight but has not scored yet.

Tate Robertson has proven himself the chance creator, leading the team with 11 and two assists.

WHO TO WATCH (Lexington): Ates Diouf is due for a goal, and in a possibly low-scoring affair, could be the difference maker.

Charlotte Independence suffered its first loss in eight matches last week hosting Greenville.

The Jacks were without playmaker Gabriel Obertan and dynamic defenseman and captain Clay Dimmick. Making matters worse, goalkeeper Austin Pack left the match injured and was later spotted on crutches. Pack had been off to the best start of any goalkeeper in the league with 27 saves and four clean sheets. Per the league, neither is listed as officially out today, so we’ll call their appearances questionable.

Charlotte’s seven goals have come from five different players, forwards, midfielders, and defenders. They come off of an extended break in which they may have figured out how to adjust their talent in the absence of Obertan and Dimmick. In particular, look for an increased role for Khori Bennett and Tresor Mbuyu, both of whom scored 11 goals in 2022.

WHO TO WATCH (Charlotte): Tresor Mbuyu. With possible injuries, 2022’s co-leading goal scorer could get his chance to shine after having yet to score in 2023.

Lexington SC absent / questionable: Terique Mohammed (injury)

Charlotte Independence absent / questionable: Luis Alvarez, Fabrice Ngah, Bachir Ndiaye, Clay Dimmick, Gabriel Obertan, Austin Pack

One Knoxville SC vs. Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC

One Knox SC comes off of a 0-0 draw with Forward Madison with ten days rest since.

The club has five goals in its six matches, with a rather dismal 8% conversion rate. They take shots but have trouble finding accuracy.

Jake Keegan has two of the five goals for One Knox SC and has created six chances. The former Greenville Triumph striker seems to be finding new energy in Knoxville, coming off a season where he scored only two total in 23 appearances.

Angelo Kelly-Rosales leads the team in tackles and tackles won, providing a potent physical presence in the defensive midfield. The USL veteran’s absence due to a red card suspension in week seven was notable, and his return the following week against Forward Madison was a big part of keeping the clean sheet there. This will be important against Hailstorm FC, another physical squad.

WHO TO WATCH (One Knox SC): look for Kelly-Rosales to give the Hailstorm offense fits in the midfield. We would not be surprised to see this turn into an affair with a lot of fouls and yellow cards.

Hailstorm FC last played on April 29th in a 3-2 loss to Union Omaha. The squad went down to ten men after an early second yellow, handed to forward Stefan Lukic, but mounted a comeback attempt in the second half on two Trevor Amann goals.

Hailstorm FC has the most matches in hand, having only played four so far this season. The club is on match five of a six-match away streak.

Amann leads the club with two goals and eight shots. Arthur Rogers leads with 11 chances created, tied for fourth in the league.

Hailstorm FC is backstopped by Edward Delgado, who has three clean sheets in four appearances.

The club has only allowed three goals, all to Union Omaha last week.

WHO TO WATCH (Hailstorm FC): Defensively, Bruno Rendón has proven to be a major presence in the backfield and midfield. The off-season acquisition leads the club by far with 22 tackles with 17 won and with 67 duels with 37 won.

One Knox SC absent / questionable: James Thomas

Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC absent / questionable: Stefan Lukic (red card suspension), Irvin Parra (medical)