I’m not going to do the math on it, but it’s been approximately 1,300 days since Loudoun United won four matches in a row, doing so with a 7-3 rout of New York Red Bulls II on the last day of the 2019 season. It’s not an easy feat tonight for number five, they’ll be doing it on the road against a Western Conference opponent (their third in the last four USL games), and two of the four wins in this streak have been against lower division opposition, most recently a 5-0 win over NISA side Flower City. But five wins in a row is something this franchise hasn’t yet accomplished, so they’ll give it a go in a tough venue.
The Opposition
In a weird kind of symmetry, Loudoun is going through the Juan Guerra stretch of the schedule, playing (and beating) Guerra’s old team Oakland 2-0 Sunday before playing his new one tonight. Guerra thought highly of D.C. United defender Hayden Sargis, bringing him in on a loan last season but not being able to pick him up this year. There is another D.C. link of sorts as Danny Trejo, who trialed with D.C. this spring after impressing with Las Vegas in 2022, signed with Phoenix this year and has three goals so far. Manuel Arteaga is off to a decent start in his first season with Rising after spending the last two with Indy, and Gabriel Torres moved from Hartford out West and leads the team with a pair of assists so far. There’s a lot to be impressed with by Guerra’s side, and Phoenix has one of the more intimidating atmospheres in the League, so Loudoun will have to stay off the back foot early in order to bring some sort of result back.
Your Random Stat
10 – The amount of unanswered goals Loudoun has scored in the last three games.
How to watch
Match date/kickoff time: Saturday, April 29, 10:30pm ET
Venue: Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium, Phoenix, AZ
Online Streaming: ESPN+
Loudoun Unavailables: Alex Nagy (ACL) and Kwame Awuah (achilles) are both out for the season, Cole Turner (meniscus) is out until approximately August.