07/26/2010 1:07 PM - Week 16 Recap
The first of four midweek games in Week 16 of USSF D-2 Pro League action got underway in Quebec, where the Montreal Impact blanked AC St. Louis 3-0. Over in Minnesota, the NSC Minnesota Stars and the Puerto Rico Islanders played out to a 1-1 draw. The following day, the Rochester Rhinos grabbed a 1-0 win away to the Tampa Bay Rowdies, while the Portland Timbers continued to hold the upper hand against their Northwest rivals Vancouver Whitecaps FC with a 2-1 win on the road. The weekend kicked off with a Saturday afternoon match between Crystal Palace Baltimore and St. Louis in Boyds, Md. St. Louis managed a 1-0 victory against their NASL Conference rivals to go gain three valuable road points. Later in the evening, Puerto Rico handed Rochester a 3-1 loss in Bayamon. Sunday afternoon saw Tampa Bay defeat Miami FC 2-0 at home to split their home games during the week, while Minnesota visited Vancouver to wrap up the weekend with a 1-1 draw.

Week 16 Results

Date    Match    Venue
July 21  NSC Minnesota Stars 1, Puerto Rico Islanders 1       National Sports Center; Blaine, Minn.
July 21  Montreal Impact 3, AC St. Louis 0                                Stade Saputo; Montreal, Quebec
July 22  Tampa Bay Rowdies 0, Rochester Rhinos 1              George M. Steinbrenner Field; Tampa, Fla.
July 22  Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1, Portland Timbers 2        Swangard Stadium; Burnaby, B.C.
July 24  Crystal Palace Baltimore 0, AC St. Louis 1                 Maryland SoccerPlex; Boyds, Md.
July 24  Puerto Rico Islanders 3, Rochester Rhinos 1            Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel; Bayamon, P.R.
July 25  Tampa Bay Rowdies 2, Miami FC 0                             George M. Steinbrenner Field; Tampa, Fla.
July 25  Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1, NSC Minnesota Stars 1 Swangard Stadium; Burnaby, B.C.

Week 16 Quick Hits

    * Portland now holds a 2-0-1 record against Northwest rival Vancouver, including their latest 2-1 victory on the road.
    * Austin, who were idle during Week 16, is the only team with just two losses.
    * Vancouver and Miami, who sit at the top and bottom of the NASL Conference respectively, both hold the most number of draws this season with nine.

Week 17 Preview
Week 17 kicks off on Tuesday when the Carolina RailHawks play host to the Rochester Rhinos at 7 p.m. ET on July 27 in Cary, N.C. Wednesday, July 28 will feature the second and third weekday matches, starting with an all-Canadian matchup between the Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at 7:30 p.m. ET in Montreal, Quebec. That game will be followed by the Portland Timbers traveling to AC St. Louis for a 8:10 p.m. ET kickoff. Four matches will be contested on Saturday, July 31 with Crystal Palace Baltimore and Montreal getting the action started at 7 p.m. ET in Boyds, Md. Down the road in Cary, N.C., the RailHawks and Vancouver will also kick off at 7 p.m. ET. Portland continues their Week 17 road trip when they face the Tampa Bay Rowdies on July 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET in Tampa, while Miami FC meets the league-leading Austin Aztex at 8:30 p.m. ET at House Park in Austin. The week wraps up with a Sunday afternoon match in St. Louis as the NSC Minnesota Stars pay a visit to the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park at 6 p.m. ET.

Week 17 Schedule

Date    Match    Venue
July 27  Carolina RailHawks vs. Rochester Rhinos             WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C.
July 28  AC St. Louis vs. Portland Timbers                             Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park; St. Louis, Mo.
July 28  Montreal Impact vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC        Stade Saputo; Montreal, Quebec
July 31  Crystal Palace Baltimore vs. Montreal Impact         Maryland SoccerPlex; Boyds, Md.
July 31  Carolina RailHawks vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C.
July 31  Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Portland Timbers              George M. Steinbrenner Field; Tampa, Fla.
July 31  Austin Aztex vs. Miami FC                                             House Park; Austin, Texas
Aug. 1   AC St. Louis vs. NSC Minnesota Stars                      Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park; St. Louis, Mo.

Week 17 Notes

    * Rochester will be looking to even their record against Carolina, who were 1-0 victors against the New York club the last time they met on July 17. The Rhinos currently hold a 0-1-1 record against the RailHawks as both teams sit in second place in their respective conferences.
    * Portland is in the middle of a four-game road swing that began last week with 2-1 victory in Vancouver. They face St. Louis and Tampa this week before ending up in Rochester on Aug. 4.
    * Carolina and Vancouver meet in a matchup of the top of the NASL Conference on Saturday evening in Cary, N.C. The teams played to a 1-1 draw the last time they met on June 9 in Vancouver.