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Time to recap the week that was for Real Salt Lake’s trio of loaned players – Alex Nimo, David Horst & Time Melia …
We’ll start off with MF Alex Nimo’s limited exploits during the USSF Division 2’s Portland Timbers’ (2-0-1) busy week, when the Oregonians collected a win and draw as they continued a solid start to their 2010 campaign. Last Thursday, Nimo would earn 10 minutes of action against St. Louis AC, as he entered for Brian Farber and helped close out a thorough 3-0 victory at PGE Park in Portland. Nimo would not see any time on Sunday, when the Timbers grabbed their passports and hit the road for the first time this season, earning a 1-1 draw with the Montreal Impact at their home of Saputo Stadium.
Next Match: The “2011 MLS Expansion derby” between Portland and the Vancouver Whitecaps (2-0-1) kicks off Thursday night at PGE Park in front of the Timbers Army. Always a “mark-your-calendar” type of affair when these two meet up, both even more early-season significance for this one with Portland and Vancouver sitting atop the USL and NASL divisions, respectively.
Netminder Tim Melia helped the Charleston Battery (1-0-1) claim a point on Saturday night, his first shutout of the nascent USL Second Division season at the Pittsburgh Riverhounds resulting in a scoreless draw in the Battery’s home opener at Blackbaud Stadium. Melia had a relatively easy night in garnering the clean sheet, a stout defensive effort in front of him allowing only one shot on frame and five shots overall.
Next Matches: Never too early for a top-of-the-table clash, which is what the Battery walk into tonight when they head to the D.C. suburb of Silver Spring to face off against the Real Maryland FC Monarchs (1-0-1). Then it’s back to Blackbaud for the first of three straight home games, a stretch that kicks off Saturday night with an opening day rematch against the Charlotte Eagles (1-1-0).
Paperwork issues have delayed the start of David Horst’s tenure with the USSF Division 2’s Puerto Rico Islanders, but the squad seemed to get off to a fine start in his absence, logging a 3-1 victory over NSC Minnesota in their league opener last Wednesday at the Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel. A change of scenery for the Islanders did not change the result on Saturday at Crystal Palace Baltimore, as Puerto Rico (2-0-0) notched a similar 3-1 scoreline in its 2010 away opener at UMBC Stadium.
Next Match: No reason for the Islanders not to go all out when they travel to Quebec for a Saturday matinee with the Montreal Impact (0-1-1), as it will be Puerto Rico’s last game for 25 days as its quirky 2010 schedule continues to unfold.
