When FC Tucson (0-1-1) opens up play in Florida on Sunday for the start of three consecutive road matches, itโll do so having competed in just two matches โ while its opponent, Fort Lauderdale FC (2-3), has already played five.
Fort Lauderdale FC began its season back on April 10, while FC Tucsonโs season is less than three weeks old. The two square off Sunday at DRV PNK Stadium โ the 18,000-capacity home for Major League Soccerโs Inter Miami CF.
USL League Oneโs unbalanced schedule to start to the season is by design.
Several of USL League Oneโs clubs, including Fort Lauderdale, serve as reserve and developmental programs for MLS teams, which in turn pushed for their affiliates to begin their seasons in line with the start of MLS play on April 16.
Of course, FC Tucson knows all this.
MLSโ Colorado Rapids, LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, and Sporting Kansas City trained and played exhibition matches in Tucson during March and early April.
โThe clubs get a pool of 45 guys and then train them all together,โ FC Tucson coach John Galas explained of the MLS preseason. โSo when the MLS season started, I believe they wanted to piggyback off those USL One teams. And the USL teams use it to simulate the start of MLS.โ
Galas added that while it makes sense for the joint MLS and USL teams to line up their seasons, itโs puts some teams at a competitive imbalance early in the season. FC Tucsonโs two matches are fifth-fewest in USL โ three other clubs have played just one match, while another team โ Toronto FC II โ wonโt begin their season for another week.
Meanwhile, Fort Lauderdale FCโs five matches are tops in the league.
Galas and FC Tucson coach have opted to start their season sooner, but decided against it. See, the early start leads to consequences later in the season.
โThose teams that start in April as opposed to May will have bye weeks during the middle and end of the year,โ he said. โItโll be interesting to see how it plays out, because we should be hitting our stride right around then.โ
Until that time comes, though, FC Tucson will search for improvement โ and, ultimately, its first victory of the season., Last weekโs home opener against Forward Madison FC ended in a 1-1 draw, and the team fell 3-1 at South Georgia in its May 1 season opener.
There are reasons to be encouraged. The Men in Black lead USL League One with an 87% passing accuracy.
โWe have to start turning in our awesome possession time and passing into quality chances,โ Galas said.
Fort Lauderdale has lost two of its last three, but enters Sunday with a league-leading 62 shots on net and is tied for third in goals scored (five).
โThey like to control the possession, tempo and rhythm of the game,โ Galas said. โTheyโre younger, but they have a ton of talent.โ
That likely ensures whoever is in net for FC Tucson will see a bevy of pressure in front of them. The club features two new goaltenders: Wallis Lapsley and Ryan Shellow.
Lapsley, a 6-foot-4-inch former New York Red Bulls draft pick, has started FC Tucsonโs first two games, stopping five of the nine shots heโs faced.
โWallis gradually and consistently earned the starting job in preseason,โ Galas said. โBut the thing I like about this team is that we have depth and talent, so I donโt think anybodyโs job is safe.โ
Galas expects Sundayโs match in Miami to go down to the wire. It wouldnโt be a surprise either, given these two clubs split last yearโs series, with the score being 2-1 both times.
โI think we match up well against them and itโs usually a good display of quality football,โ Galas said.
