TAMPA, Florida, CMC – Bermudian Zeiko Lewis and fellow midfielder Neco Brett of Jamaica led three Caribbean players that scored in United Soccer League Championship matches over the weekend.
Lewis made two key passes, attempted five shots and scored a stunning goal to help the Charleston Battery to a 2-0 victory over Charlotte Independence in the Carolina derby on Sunday at MUSC Health Stadium, keeping his side unbeaten in their first four matches of the new season in the Eastern Conference.
In the same conference, Brett scored the match-winning goal from the penalty spot to give Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1-0 win for their first victory of the season over Louisville City FC on Saturday at Slugger Field to move them into the top-10.
Cato scored in the first half for OKC Energy FC, but saw Portland Timbers II come back from a two-goal deficit to win on the same day at Taft Stadium in the Western Conference.
And in the same conference, veteran Jamaican defender Jermaine Taylor suffered the ignominy of an own goal that settled the contest also on Saturday at Papa Murphy’s Park, and gave Sacramento Republic FC a 1-0 over the Austin Bold FC that he captains.
In Charleston, South Carolina: The Battery opened the scoring in the 21st minute, when Romario Piggott’s initial effort from the right side of the penalty area was blocked, but Ian Svantesson reacted quickest to sweep home his third goal of the season.
The 24-year-old Lewis almost doubled the home team’s advantage eight minutes before halftime, after he got behind the Charlotte defence, but saw his effort smothered by Independence goalkeeper Brandon Miller.
Lewis forced another save from Miller with a long-range free-kick just after the hour mark and finally made his mark in the 71st minute with a wonderful, curling left-footed shot from the right side of the box that found the top-left corner, extending the Battery’s lead and handing them their second win of the season, placing them fourth in the Eastern Conference.
In Louisville, Kentucky: The 27-year-old Brett beat LCFC goalkeeper Lundt with a powerful strike from 12 yards after Alexis Souahy slid into the back of Anthony Velarde in the penalty area and Riverhounds held on for their first shut-out of the season and all three points.
The result condemned the home team to back-to-back defeats on home turf, after Oscar Jimenez tried to get the home side on the board first in the 12th minute with an ambitious lob from 45 yards out, but Pittsburgh goalkeeper Ben Lundgaard was able to retreat and push the effort over his crossbar.
The Hounds came close to taking the lead in the 66th minute, when Steevan Dos Santos saw his header denied by Lundt, but the visitors finally broke through eight minutes later from the penalty spot.
In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: The 26-year-old Cato followed up a strike from Mike da Fonte in a three-minute span in the first half to give OKC Energy FC the edge before Portland Timbers II stormed back in the second half, culminating with Ryan Sierakowski’s stoppage time tally that gave them a 3-2 win.
Energy took the lead in the 22nd minute, after da Fonte’s got on the end of Alexy Bosetti’s cross following a corner and headed the ball from the left-side of the six-yard box into the bottom left-handed corner.
Midfielder Cato quickly followed up with a rasping left-footed shot from very close range that ripped the bottom left-hand corner of the net, as Energy carried a 2-0 lead into half-time.
Brayan Hurtado cut T2’s deficit in half in the 68th minute, when he ran onto Eryk Williamson’s through ball and blasted a left-footed effort past on-rushing, Energy goalkeeper Cody Laurendi.
Renzo Zambrano made amends for a penalty he missed five minutes after the break, when he set up substitute Zach Kobayashi for the equalising goal in the 79th minute.
Timbers countered to perfection in the first minute of stoppage time with Nathan Smith feeding Sierakowski to slot home a left-footed finish for a dramatic late victory.
In Sacramento, California: The Bold did well to survive for 85 minutes, as Republic forced several saves from the visitors’ net-minder Diego Restrepo.
The breakthrough for the home team came however, when Villareal’s shot off a corner-kick was headed into the goal by the 34-year-old Taylor, as Sacramento rode their luck to victory.
The result plunged Bold to 14th in the 18-team Western Conference table, as Republic climbed to third on goal difference.
