LD Update: Battery win; Herron injury; PDL signings

Charleston Battery 1:0 Pittsburgh Riverhounds - Nicki Paterson headed the deciding goal in on a 30-yard freek kick from Jose Cuevas just 10 minutes into the contest. The rest of the match belonged to the goalkeepers, Pittsburgh's Hunter Gilstrap in particular with some excellent stops on further Battery chances. - More

NASL News: The Fort Lauderdale Strikers lost one of its top strikers with Andy Herron suffering an MLC sprain and partial meniscus tear that will sideline him for 8-10 weeks.

LD Update: Antigua wins; Weekend previews; International signings

Antigua Barracudas 3:2 Charlotte Eagles - After two weeks off, the island club showed no rust. They immediately took the advantage through Peter Byers in the 12th minute. Jorge Herrera tied the contest up eight minutes before the break, but Stefan Smith scored two in five minutes to give them a commanding 3-1 lead on the hour mark. A tally from Luke Williams, though, made the finish a close contest.

NASL Previews: Saturday night features three matches with teams looking to end winless streaks. First, there is the first-ever meeting between San Antonio Scorpions, who come to North Carolina still searching for their first-ever victory after finally ending their scoreless status last week at home.  And though the Carolina RailHawks have the second best goal total in the league, all they have to show for it are three draws and a loss... The Atlanta Silverbacks are at home looking to end two frustrating streaks with the Minnesota Stars visiting. They have draws in all three games this season, and last year went without a point against Minnesota. The fell, 1-2, at home in the first meeting and were blanked the rest of the way, falling 3-0 and then 2-0 twice... The other host, Tampa Bay Rowdies, are in the complete opposition situation having posted an unbeaten record against rival Fort Lauderdale last year. They finished level, 1-1, at Fort Lauderdale in the opening game of the series and then beat the Strikers in the next three with a 4-2 home win and then a pair of 2-0 shutouts. 

USL Pro Previews: Friday night's lone contest is a meeting of old foes with a unique history as the Charleston Battery play host to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The Battery went winless against the Riverhounds last year with a pair of scoreless draws and two losses. It was unusual for Charleston, which had not lost a regular season game against Pittsburgh since their first-ever meeting in 1999, a stretch of nine games (5-0-4). The only other odd note is that Pittsburgh had won the only playoff series between the two with a two-game sweep in a 2001 season in which they did not face one another.

LD Update: PR loses; NASL suspensions; Cascadia PDL signings

Fort Lauderdale Strikers 3:2 Puerto Rico Islanders – Someone finally got the better of the Islanders as they just could not stop Aly Hassan in Fort Lauderdale. Hassan tallied the opener in the 35th and added a second two minutes into the second half. Jay Needham buried a corner in the 50th and David Foley scored his third goal in four games in the 62nd to level terms. Hassan, however, continued to be a threat and after a few chances, completed the hat-trick with the winner in the 84th.  – More

LD Five Stars – Round 3

A clean sweep on the weekly list goes to NASL players as team efforts were the theme of the week in USL Pro...

1 – Dan Antoniuk – F – Tampa Bay Rowdies: The veteran forward came off the bench to the detriment of two former clubs, setting up an equalizer in a 1-1 against the Carolina RailHawks and scoring the go-ahead goal in a 1-1 road draw against the Atlanta Silverbacks. Both goals were recorded as being in the 70th minute, with only nine seconds difference.

2 – Pablo Campos – F – San Antonio Scorpions: With a goal and an assist, the expansion side tied Fort Lauderdale 2-2. He ended the new club’s scoreless status with a first-half equalizer four minutes before the break. Then, just as it looked like second home loss in as many games, Campos struck a perfectly-placed long ball beyond the defenders’ reach to an awaiting Hans Denissen, who buried the stoppage time equalizer for the club’s first point at home.

3 – Andy Herron – F – Fort Lauderdale Strikers: Herron gave the Strikers the lead twice on the road in San Antonio, lifting his tally to three for the season. He surprised Pat Hannigan from an acute angle in the 32nd minute and restored the lead six minutes into the second half.

LD Update: NASL preview; USL Pro honors; Amateur signings

NASL Preview: In a rematch of the 2011 semifinals, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers play host to the Puerto Rico Islanders Wednesday in the league's lone midweek contest. The Strikers upset the Islanders, 5-2 on aggregate , in the playoffs a year ago after splitting the season series 1-1-2 with each getting a win at home. The meeting will put two the league's top defensive sides against one another as Puerto Rico has allowed just one in four games and Fort Lauderdale two in three.

USL Pro News: The LA Blues fell, 3-2,  in a closed-door scrimmage with the LA Galaxy Tuesday with Matt Fondy setting up Carlos Borja for both goals after trailing by three…  Charleston Battery midfielder Ryan Richter was selected as the Player of the Week , and was the lone player from the club selected for the Team of the Week... The Rhinos inked a partnership that included jersey sponsorship with Rochester-based Excellus BlueCross BlueShield... 

LD Update: NASL honors; PDL & W-League Preseason

NASL Honors: Fort Lauderdale Strikers forward Andy Herron was honored as the league’s Offensive Player of the Week for both goals in a 2-2 draw at San Antonio while Puerto Rico Islanders goalkeeper Richard Martin received the Defensive Player of the Week award for a shutout in a scoreless draw against Edmonton Wednesday and another fine performance in a 3-1 win against Carolina Saturday. 

PDL News: The Brooklyn Knights announced the six newest additions to the squad come from the East Coast Conference (Div II) with players from Dowling College, Molloy College and LIU Post… Mississippi Brilla announced three more players, this time bringing in a set of players from Virginia Commonwealth University… FC Tucson won a 2-1 preseason friendly against Grand Canyon University Friday evening… On Sunday, the Ventura County Fusion edged Cal State Northridge, 1-0, in a preseason friendly with the late loan goal from Frankie Lopez, assisted by Danny Barrera. They play Cal State Bakersfield in the next preseason contest.

LD Update: NASL Game Night; PDL Opener & News

FC Edmonton 3:4 Minnesota Stars – Both clubs went into the contest without a goal or a win. In the end, a Devin Del Do tally on the final play of the game gave Minnesota the road win and immediately vaulted the team into a three-way tie for second. For Edmonton, it was the duo of Shaun Saiko and Yashir Pinto that were key for the home side. Pinto found Saiko for the opener just five minutes in.

Minnesota leveled four minutes later on a Neil Hlavaty penalty and also went up a man as a result of the take down in the box. A loose ball on a free kick allowed Kyle Altman to give the visitors the advantage in the 16th.

LD Update: NASL & USL Pro Game Night

The NASL is quickly becoming the Islanders Soccer League as Puerto Rico seems to be the only club capable of winning regularly. They picked up a 3-1 win at home while the other two contests finished in draws yet again, leaving the Islanders with more wins than all the other clubs combined. In addition, for the second consecutive week, a match ended with hot tempers and multiple ejections. NASL action wraps up with Minnesota visiting Edmonton Sunday.

In USL Pro, the defending champions continue to rule the roost, picking up another road victory to remain perfect through three games.