USSF D-II: Saints faces Impact, Stars host Islanders

Posted Jul 21, 2010 by Nick Murray

Updated Jul 21, 2010 at 12:24 PM

Puerto Rico’s road-trip continues in Minnesota, while Montreal hosts St. Louis in Wednesday’s USSF Division II action.

ST. LOUIS (3-9-4) AT MONTREAL (5-7-5): St. Louis dropped its last contest, but has been performing better in recent matches, putting together a three-match undefeated run prior to that defeat. The Saints have also bolstered their defense with the addition of Real Salt Lake center back Chris Schuler, who arrived on loan at the club on Tuesday.

Montreal appeared to have turned a corner with 1 -0 victory against Carolina a week ago, but the Impact then allowed Crystal Palace Baltimore to come back from an early deficit at the Stage Saputo on Saturday, falling 2-1. Sitting in eighth place in the standings, the Impact have also made a move this week, adding former Vancouver Whitecaps defender Wesley Charles to their roster.

PUERTO RICO (5-7-4) AT MINNESOTA (7-9-3): The Stars have played more games than any side in the league, tonight’s game will be their 20th of the season, but they will remain a playoff contender if teams like Tampa Bay and Montreal continue to falter behind them.

The third team that has been disappointingly inconsistent is the Stars’ opponent tonight, with Puerto Rico going winless in its last three games. The last of those results should have resulted in three points, but the Islanders conceded a stoppage time goal against Miami which ended the game in a 1-1 draw.

The Islanders have earned draws in the first two games of their three-game road trip. After a 3-1 win against the Stars to open the season, they’ll be hoping for a similar result tonight and a move up into the playoff places.