By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com
Austin Aztex and Rochester Rhinos became the first two clubs to secure playoff spots in the USSF D-2 Pro League following the latest round of action.
The Rhinos and Aztex clinched their postseason berths after Rochester registered six points from two games, while Austin won their weekend encounter at home. Vancouver Whitecaps FC remain the best defensive side in the league after completing another five-match road spell undefeated, while Canadian rivals Montreal Impact put their recent woes behind them with a big win in Baltimore.
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Action started with two matches on Wednesday, with Rochester claiming a
2-0 win
at Crystal Palace Baltimore. A Daniel Lader own-goal and late strike by Adam West gave the in-form Rhinos victory in Maryland. Meanwhile, in Carolina, the RailHawks overcame a one-hour weather delay to defeat struggling Miami FC
2-1
at WakeMed Soccer Park. Though Paulo Araujo Jr. gave the Blues an initial lead, the North Carolina club struck twice in the space of three second-half minutes to claim three valuable points. Gregory Richardson and Etienne Barbara had the goals for the RailHawks.
The lone game on Thursday saw FC Tampa Bay earn a 1-1 draw at home to NASL Conference leaders Whitecaps FC. Aaron King cancelled out Blake Wagner's fine early strike at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. The result extended Vancouver's undefeated streak away from home to 10 games.
The same drawn result was recorded in Fenton, Missouri, on Friday night. A Mike Ambersley penalty cancelled out Nicholas Addlery's first-half strike, as Athletic Club of St. Louis
drew 1-1
with Puerto Rico Islanders.
There were three matches on Saturday, with the most notable scoreline occurring in Maryland. After publicly calling out his players last Monday, president Joey Saputo saw his Montreal Impact side snap a six-match winless run on the road with a
5-0 thrashing
of Baltimore. A hat-trick by Ali Gerba helped the Quebec club on their way to an important win over Palace, with former 'Caps striker Eduardo Sebrango and midfielder Antonio Ribeiro also finding the scoresheet for the visitors. In Upstate New York, two goals by Andrew Hoxie gave Rochester a comfortable
3-1 win
over Miami FC. Troy Roberts also scored for the Rhinos, while Danilo Martins had a consolation goal for the Blues on North American Soccer League (NASL) Heritage Night at Marina Auto Stadium, as the Rhinos and Blues went retro by wearing the colours of Rochester Lancers and Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the old NASL. The result took the Rhinos' winning streak in USSF D-2 to six matches. In Minnesota, Portland Timbers claimed a
1-0 win
over NSC Minnesota Stars. Ryan Pore's league-leading 13th goal of the season gave the Oregon outfit all three points on the road after Stars goalkeeper Joe Warren was sent off for pulling down Timbers striker Bright Dike in the Minnesota box for the penalty.
Finally, on Sunday, Austin returned to winning ways with a
3-2 win
at home to Carolina. Eddie Johnson, Yohance Marshall, and substitute Randi Patterson all scored for the Texas state capital club, as they dented the RailHawks' hopes of closing the gap on NASL Conference leaders Vancouver with the result. Daniel Paladini and substitute Allan Russell scored for Carolina.