WPSL's Best in Washington - Help us Decide

GoalWA.net and Inland NW Soccer News are teaming up to cover the all-Washington WPSL matches between the Spokane Shine and the Seattle-area trio of Emerald City FC, Seattle Reign Reserves (Issaquah SC) and AC Seattle and at the end of the season pronounce the team with the best record as Washington Champions. The only problem is, we don't quite know what to call it. For the past month we have bandied about a few ideas - the usual and creative - and have culled the list down to a few.

Now it is your turn to provide further insight as we search for both a name and a 'trophy.' In addition to the poll, we welcome any other suggestions in case we missed something that truly resonates with the competition at hand. More importantly, if anyone has ideas or something to donate as the trophy, we would love to hear or see it.

Lower Division Five Stars - Round 7

A weekly list of the top five players or performances of each round in NASL, USL Pro and MLS Reserves in all competitions…

ROUND SEVEN (May 13-19)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Simone Bracalello - Minnesota United
Let down by the defense, Bracalello did his part on the offensive end of the pitch with a goal and an assist in a 3-2 loss at home to Tampa Bay.

Lower Division Power Rankings - May 20

The weekly edition of the mixed Lower Division power rankings based on results from all competitions, including the US Open Cup which all the American-based NASL and USL Pro teams play in this week - well, except for Phoenix after their upset loss last week.

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This Week (Last Week) Club (League) :: W-L-D :: Notes

1 (1) Orlando City (USL Pro) :: 7-1-2 :: The Lions headed north and played to a 2-2 draw with one-loss Harrisburg and narrowly defeated Rochester 1-0. 

2 (2) Richmond Kickers (USL Pro) :: 4-0-3 :: The Kickers allowed a late equalizer from the visiting LA Blues in a 1-1 draw. 

3 (4) Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) :: 3-1-2 :: The defending champs took advantage of some sloppy defending, but the dramatic 3-2 win in Minnesota was still impressive.

4 (6) Harrisburg City Islanders (USL Pro) :: 5-1-1 :: Nearly earned a big victory against Orlando City, but settled for a 2-2 draw at home. 

5 (3) Carolina RailHawks (NASL) :: 3-1-2 :: The RailHawks suffered their first loss of the season, falling 2-0 in Atlanta.

Lower Division Recap: Round 7

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The complexity of the season kicked up a notch with the introduction of the US Open Cup this week for four of the USL Pro clubs and will continue with the remaining teams from the league and the NASL entering the event on Tuesday against the First Round winners.

Shine roster taking shape; Lindsay & Walker heading abroad

With the Spokane Shine about to begin tryout sessions Friday night and Sunday afternoon, the squad is already beginning to come together according to new head coach Dan Philp who shared a list of 14 initial players that are lined up to be on the squad this year, including five returning from last year’s division champions. In addition, INWsoccernews has learned that a trio of other area players have made commitments elsewhere with former standout Shine center back Maggie Schrader moving onto the W-League while Eastern Washington goalkeeper Jamie Walker and Spokane’s Megan Lindsay (Seattle U) are expected to be playing abroad.

Gonzaga’s Bevans leads Tucson in US Open Cup upset win over pro club

Initial report that follows from Jon Arnold special to TheCup.us, where you can find the most expansive coverage of the tournament (which I happen to be assistant editor for)…

Conner Bevans

TUCSON, Ariz. - FC Tucson midfielder Conner Bevans wasn’t sure if he’d play against Phoenix FC on Tuesday night. In the end he proved to be the hero as the team upended their in-state professional rivals, 2-1.

After the team’s weekend draw with the Los Angeles Misioneros, the Gonzaga University man stayed behind to spend time with his grandmother, who is in poor health. Despite the coaching staff’s willingness to let him tend to family matters, Bevans flew in Tuesday morning and was seated on the bench hours later. He entered the match in the 81st minute with his team trailing 1-0.

The 18-year-old midfielder scored two goals, including a stoppage-time winner to lift FC Tucson to a 2-1 victory in the First Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

“I knew we were in a tough spot when I came into the game, and they were bringing me on to change it, so I was looking forward and trying to focus on getting the result for my team,” Bevans said.

Lower Division Power Rankings & Open Cup First Round predictions

With the US Open Cup kicking off this week with the inclusion of the first four pro sides here is the debut of my weekly mixed LD Power Rankings for the NASL and USL Pro.

Orlando City (USL Pro) :: 6-1-1 :: Though they aren't perfect with a loss on the road, they appear to be one of the powerful clubs so far this season.

Richmond Kickers (USL Pro) :: 4-0-2 :: They have dominated the competition but have only been on the road once so far.

Carolina RailHawks (NASL) :: 3-0-2 :: Unbeaten in a tight league and starting to show some offensive firepower.