Lower Division Five Stars: Week Thirty

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

ROUND THIRTY (October 21-27)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Pablo Campos - Minnesota United (3)
Played a key role in all three goals in the 3-1 victory over Fort Lauderdale, tallying the opener and final goals as well as setting up the second.

Lower Division Five Stars: Week Twenty-Nine

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

ROUND TWENTY-NINE (October 14-20)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

David Estrada - Seattle Sounders Reserves
Scored the opening goal and set up the third as the Sounders won 4-1 at rival Portland.

Lower Division Recap: Round 29

There was an eight-goal game this week in the NASL, but only two late goals really mattered when it was all said and done as a 76th minute penalty Saturday kept the Tampa Bay Rowdies Soccer Bowl hopes alive for one more day and a 90th minute equalizer for FC Edmonton at New York Sunday kept the Cosmos from clinching the Fall title, at least for one more week. Meanwhile, the MLS Reserve League came to a close* with all three games finishing with at least five goals.

Lower Division Five Stars: Week Twenty-Eight

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

ROUND TWENTY-EIGHT (October 7-13)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Diomar Diaz - New York Cosmos (2)
Set up the opening goal eight minutes in and doubled the advantage in the 53rd as they blanked Carolina 4-0.

Lower Division Recap: Round 28

It is nearly over with three weeks left in the NASL Fall season as the New York Cosmos can only be caught mathematically by the Tampa Bay Rowdies (seven back) and Spring champion Atlanta Silverbacks (eight back). That means with a dozen games left throughout the league, it could all be over next week if Tampa Bay and Atlanta falter Saturday or New York wins at home Sunday against seventh-place FC Edmonton.

Lower Division Five Stars: Week Twenty-Seven

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

ROUND TWENTY-SEVEN (September 30-October 6)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Ryan Finley - Columbus Crew Reserves (3)
Trailing by one at halftime, he scored the equalizer and go-ahead goal in a 3-1 victory at FC Dallas.

Lower Division Recap: Round 27

The New York Cosmos won on the road to move seven points clear with four games remaining in the Fall campaign, making themselves strong favorites to reach the NASL Soccer Bowl in Atlanta in their first season on the field. New York leads a pack of five teams - four tied for second seven back, and Atlanta, which is eight back. Among the foursome is Carolina, which visits New York next week, and Tampa Bay, Minnesota, and Fort Lauderdale.

Lower Division Five Stars: Week Twenty-Six

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

ROUND TWENTY-SIX (September 23-29)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Quincy Amarikwa - Chicago Fire Reserves (2)
Trailing by two at home, he scored twice in a five minute span to pull even with Montreal in a 3-2 victory.

Lower Division Recap: Round 26

The logjam in the NASL continues with only three points separating second and sixth, but the New York Cosmos (5-1-3) used a thrilling comeback victory at home over Tampa Bay in a battle for first to move ahead of the pack by four points. Meanwhile, MLS Reserve League action is winding down for the season with three contests in the past week, including an exciting rally at home by Chicago against Montreal.

Lower Division Five Stars: Week Twenty-Five

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

ROUND TWENTY-FIVE (September 16-22)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Hans Denissen - San Antonio Scorpions (4)
Set up the equalizer and later converted from the spot in stoppage time to sting visiting Carolina 2-1.

Lower Division Recap: Round 25

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It took eight weeks, but teams are beginning to separate into tiers in the NASL with the New York Cosmos and Tampa Bay Rowdies pulling a handful of points clear of the pack. Meanwhile, the MLS Reserve League saw a light week of action with only two contests.

Lower Division Five Stars: Week Twenty-Four

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

ROUND TWENTY-FOUR (September 9-15)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Andre Akpan - New York Red Bulls Reserves (3)
Trailing by one, he scored both goals as the Red Bulls rallied to a 2-1 win against Reserve League East Division leader Toronto.

Lower Division Recap: Round 24

USL Pro crowned it’s champion a week ago, but at the midway point of the NASL Fall campaign, the top seven of the eight clubs are separated by only four points.

Lower Division Five Stars - Week Twenty-Three

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

ROUND TWENTY-THREE (September 3-8)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Andre Akpan - New York Red Bulls Reserves (2)
Scored a goal in a 3-2 loss to FC Dallas early in the week but went on to score four on the road in a 7-2 win at Houston.

Lower Division Recap: Round 23

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One old sports adage certainly was not descriptive of the USL Pro Championship game Saturday as very little defense was to be found in an 11-goal thriller. Sporting Kansas City prospect Dom Dwyer made a triumphant return to Orlando City, where he spent the first half of the season on loan, in leading them to a 7-4 victory with four goals and an assist against the Charlotte Eagles, who did not back down and took the game to the break even at two goals each.

Meanwhile, plenty of action among the rest of the lower divisions finished even in low scoring contests. Three of the four NASL matches finished 1-1 or scoreless and two of the four MLS Reserve League matches finished even. Tampa Bay used a win over Carolina to move atop the table amid the NASL headlines while New York Red Bulls striker Andre Akpan was the highlight of the MLS reserves this week, scoring in a loss to Dallas and tallying four times in a 7-2 win in Houston.

Lower Division Five Stars - Week Twenty-Two

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

ROUND TWENTY-TWO (August 26-September 1)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Pablo Campos - Minnesota United
After falling behind on the road, he rallied Minnesota to the lead with two goals in route to a 3-2 victory at San Antonio.

Lower Division Recap: Round 22

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After a year in which they lost only one game, including the US Open Cup where they were eliminated in penalties, the Richmond Kickers saw their campaign come to a surprising end Saturday when fifth-seeded Charlotte recorded a stunning 2-1 semifinal upset that was the story of the weekend in the lower divisions.

Other items of note included Fort Lauderdale picking up a third consecutive victory and the MLS Reserve League returning to action after a two-week break.

Lower Division Recap: Round 21

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The opening round of the USL Pro playoffs went pretty much as expected with the only quarterfinal upset coming in the five-v-four match Top seed Richmond, however, only slipped by Dayton after suffering just one loss this season. In the NASL, don't look now but Fort Lauderdale has won two straight with a win over the Spring champs while New York is now two-for-two at home.

Lower Division Five Stars - Week Twenty

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

ROUND TWENTY (August 12-18)

Player – Club (5 Star Selections)

Mark Anderson - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Set up the opener just two minuets in and provided the second goal in the 15th minute of a 2-1 win in San Antonio.

Gibson Bardsley - Dayton Dutch Lions
Set up two goals and scored the game-winner in the 3-1 victory against visiting Harrisburg, clinching final playoff berth.

Lower Division Recap: Round 20

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Nearly all of the attention in Week 20 was focused on USL Pro where there were a handful of races and storylines to watch as the regular season came to a close. Commissioner’s Cup contenders Richmond and Orlando squared off in a game that decided the outcome for the top of the table while at the bottom of the standings the road warriors, Antigua Barracuda, had two final opportunities to earn their first points of the season. And, perhaps more crucial, a few teams were still vying for the final playoff spot.