Cameron McCann Gonzaga ‘25
Spokane Velocity FC is set to face the red hot Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC for the club’s fifth USL Jägermeister Cup match.
Hailstorm FC holds the top spot in Group Three with a record of 2-0-2 and a goal differential of five. Their most recent win was a 4-3 outing against bottom-ranked Central Valley Fuego FC, with all of the game’s seven goals coming in the second half.
The last time Velocity and Hailstorm played was for regular season USL standings, and Velocity FC notched a 1-0 victory in ONE Spokane Stadium. Luis Gil was the lone goal scorer of the match, taking full advantage of a penalty kick awarded to Velocity in the 35th minute.
Since that early season match in March, Hailstorm FC has only lost twice, and hasn’t been on the wrong end of the score after 90 minutes since April 17.
The offense has been the biggest key to Northern Colorado’s success, with 13 goals in four contests, six more than the next highest club in the cup tournament. Five of these have come off the foot of forward Bruno Manuel Rendon, who leads USL League One in goals scored during Jägermeister Cup play. Not far behind him is his teammate, striker Ethan Hoard, who is tied for third in the league with three goals.
Not only is Hailstorm FC scoring, but off of great finds as well, with Hoard leading the league with three assists in Jägrmeister Cup play alongside teammate Billy King who is tied for second with two assists.
The man in the net for Velocity, Carlos Merancio, stands ready for the challenge, as he is tied for the most saves in cup play alongside Austin Pack from the Charlotte Independence. Thanks to Merancio’s play, Velocity sits around the middle of the pack when it comes to goals conceded.
Another statistic that shows Velocity’s promising play in the Cup is their passing numbers, with Marcelo Lage having the most successful passes in the league and Ahmed Longmire sitting at fifth in the league, while Northern Colorado does not have anyone in the top 10. Lage was a big difference in the previous match between these two clubs, recording three interceptions and six clearances in the first half.
These differences in statistics between the clubs should once again show an exciting cross section of play style come match day, with Hailstorm FC leaning toward a more direct style of play, where instead of methodically passing the ball down the field, they boot it deep to a sea of players and vie for possession. This caused the Velocity strategy in their last matchup to revolve around winning the first ball off of deep kicks and finding ways to disrupt the paths of Hailstorm FC’s biggest threats around the box.
Spokane Velocity FC’s lineup will be different for this game as well, with Hailstorm getting their first look at Masango Akale, who has played admirably in his first couple matches for Spokane. His most recent performance saw him set up striker Josh Dolling for his second goal of the year, and multiple chances being manufactured by the wing’s ability to serpentine his way through opposing defenses. Akale’s play could be instrumental in Velocity getting a win over their group’s top club.
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