GREENVILLE, SC – The first rematch of the 2020 season will take place this Saturday as league-leading Greenville hosts Florida side, Fort Lauderdale CF at Legacy Early College (presented by Pepsi). The two clubs met for the first time as the opening weekend fixture for the USL League One season with Greenville taking three points on the road after defeating Fort Lauderdale by a score of 2-0 (A. Morrell, J. Keegan).
Over a quarter of the way through the condensed season and Greenville remains undefeated, scoring seven goals and only allowing two through five matches, while Fort Lauderdale has taken a longer route to find their groove. After opening their inaugural campaign with two losses, the 2W-2L-1D Fort Lauderdale knocked off the 2019 League Champions (North Texas SC) last week. Confidence is rising for the young Fort Lauderdale squad and the target on Greenville’s back continues to grow.
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Kick off: 7:00 PM EST
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Scouting Fort Lauderdale CF
Fort Lauderdale is an exciting squad to watch, young and creative players paired with a few veterans who understand the game well. As with all clubs this season, there has been no “real” preseason to pull those personalities together into a cohesive unit on the field. But as this condensed season moves forward rapidly, so too does the improvement from the well-coached Florida side. Starting their inaugural campaign with two losses quickly flipped to beating the 2019 League Champions 3-2. Fort Lauderdale has not lost since the opening two matches and has climbed from the bottom to the No. 4 spot in the league standings.
The 3-2 victory was led by 15-year-old Felipe Valencia who is now the youngest player to score in L1 history. Other notable names making waves through the league include leading goal scorer Ricky Lopez-Espin (5G) and the assist leader helping him get there, Eduardo Sosa (3A). While the Fort Lauderdale attack has found a way to be dangerous, the club’s defensive struggles are yet to be mended. Fort Lauderdale is one of three teams so far this season to not log a clean sheet (North Texas and Tucson) and keeper, Dylan Castanheira, also leads the league with 19. Meaning what? Meaning his defenders are having a pretty rough go at keeping play in front of them, blocking shots, and making his life easier. For reference: Dallas Jaye has logged only 8 saves so far this season.
What to watch for
Quick Pace at the Start: It’s not hard to assume that Fort Lauderdale will come into the match at a, somewhat, guns blazing pace — they want to even the sheet and continue to grow their confidence. It’s been three weeks since Fort Lauderdale lost and they just logged the biggest win of their season so far. With Greenville’s target growing the longer they remain at the top of the table, Fort Lauderdale has no reason to leave anything behind. That being said, the energy of all the external circumstances will certainly translate to the first 15 minutes of action. For Greenville, maintaining this energy and looking to be a 90 minute team will be key.
In and Out: There’s no shortage of quality midfield players for the Triumph. That was very clear from the first match these two clubs played and has been clear throughout the four games following — when the Greenville midfielders are technically sound and interpreting space well, the rest of the team flourishes, in particular the Triumph attackers. Greenville has been the most successful when balls are won in the midfield and distributed back out to space on flanks that turns into a dangerous service and, oftentimes, a look at goal. The first goal of the season was a great example. Aaron Walker won a battle centrally, picked his head up, switched the point of attack to an oncoming Alex Morrell who was now 1v1 with the keeper. Jake Keegan’s goal, that same night, also came off an early service from the right flank.
MATCH WEEKEND DEALS
Southern Culture Hospitality Group is now an official partner of the Greenville Triumph! Head to Habitap to watch Triumph matches on their big screen get half off your first beer by wearing your Triumph gear! Getting take-out? LTO Burger Bar is offering a match day curbside pick-up discount…get 10% off with online code “Triumph”.
Item of the Week: All green and white Triumph jerseys are currently 30% off. Click here to shop!
Clean Sheet. Clean Car: If the Triumph earn a clean sheet (meaning no goals allowed), you can get $3 off a Top Wash the day after at Fins Car Wash, no promo code required.
Tailgate Package: Download the Chick-fil-A app to earn special rewards the Monday after each match. Simply order food from the Pelham Road location, and put Together We Triumph in the special instructions box.
