Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers continue to lead the way in the USL First Division, as the 2007 regular season nears its conclusion.
Montreal Impact completed a four-game road stint this weekend, while Atlanta Silverbacks and Puerto Rico Islanders were the latest USL-1 clubs to clinch playoff berths for next month.
There were two midweek games involving the league’s top two teams, with Seattle defeating Atlanta
3-0
at Qwest Field on Wednesday evening. On Thursday night, a record crowd of 15,833 saw Portland’s Justin Thompson score a spectacular winner in
a 1-0 victory
over Charleston Battery.
Friday evening saw Montreal take their unbeaten run to seven games with an important
2-0 win
at Rochester Raging Rhinos (pictured).
There were three games on Saturday, with Portland all but ending Miami FC’s chances of making the playoffs with
a 2-1 victory
at Tropical Park Stadium. Atlanta recovered from their midweek defeat in Seattle to book their place in September’s playoffs with
a 3-2 win
at Minnesota Thunder. Vancouver Whitecaps, meanwhile, ended a club record 12-game winless streak with a vital 1-0 win over Charleston at Swangard Stadium.
Three more games took place on Sunday, with Puerto Rico taking their place in the post-season after
a 1-0 home win
over Portland. In Cary, North Carolina, a second-half Kupono Low penalty gave Carolina RailHawks
a 1-0 victory
over Montreal. The result keeps Carolina’s hopes of reaching the playoffs in their inaugural USL-1 season alive, with the RailHawks receiving some much-needed help from Seattle. The Sounders went to the top of the USL-1 standings after
a 1-0 home victory
over 10-man Charleston, who had Burnaby native Gordon Chin sent off late in the second half at Qwest Field. The result took Seattle’s unbeaten run in the league to 11 games.
