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In order to keep tabs on the members of the Claret-and-Cobalt that are donning different colors for their respective USSF Division-2 and USL Second Division squads while on loan, we present to you the opening edition of “RSL’s Loan Sharks” – keeping you up-to-date on the exploits of Alex Nimo, David Horst, and Tim Melia.
We begin in the Pacific Northwest, where Alex Nimo began his second season with his hometown Portland Timbers by coming off the bench and playing the final 21 minutes in a 1-0 win over the Rochester Rhinos in front of a jam-packed crowd of 15,418 at PGE Park. Nimo nearly sent the Timbers Army into a tizzy in the 83rd minute, but his close-range effort off a Ryan pore pass would miss the frame … but the subsequent agony wouldn’t be remembered for long, as Pore’s PK conversion just two minutes later gave Portland the full three points from its season-opener (which also saw ex-RSL’er Ian Joy make his debut for the squad).
Next Timbers match: Home v. AC St. Louis – Thurs., April 22 (8:00 p.m. MT)
Onto Charlotte, NC, where GK Tim Melia made all three of his saves in helping secure a 3-2 victory for the Charleston Battery over the Charlotte Eagles in the Battery’s first match in USL Second Division play. Melia was thrown into the mix just days after joining his new squad, perhaps contributing to a yellow card picked up just 18 minutes in, but he stepped it up in the second half, when he made all three saves of his saves on the night as the Eagles ratcheted up the attacking pressure.
Next Battery match: Home v. Pittsburgh Riverhounds – Sat., April 24 (5:30 p.m. MT)
Defender David Horst will be the last RSL “loanee” to start his season this week, when he and his Puerto Rico Islanders FC squad will play host to NSC Minnesota Stars in their USSF Division-2 opener at the Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel in San Juan on Wednesday night (6:05 p.m. MT). The Islanders will then head to the mainland for the first time on Saturday night to take on Crystal Palace Baltimore at UMBC Stadium (5:00 p.m. MT).
