Upsets abound in opening weekend as Cincinnati sets record with 30,187 attendance
The matchups for the conference semifinals in the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs were set on Sunday night after a record-setting weekend of action that saw four lower-seeded sides take victories on the road, and FC Cincinnati set a USL Cup Playoffs record as it welcomed a crowd of 30,187 to Nippert Stadium in its postseason debut.
The 2016 USL Cup will air live on ESPNU on Sunday, October 23 at 8 p.m. ET. Every other game of the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs is available on the league's Playoff Center, with updates from across the league also available via Twitter, Facebook, Vine and Instagram.
The Western Conference saw the form book turned on its head, with the No. 4-seed Swope Park Rangers the highest remaining seed in the conference after victories for No. 6-seed Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, No. 7-seed OKC Energy FC and No. 8-seed Orange County Blues FC.
The Eastern Conference played out more conventionally, with the No. 1-seed New York Red Bulls II and No. 4-seed Rochester Rhinos both taking comfortable wins. No. 2-seed Louisville City FC needed overtime to advance, however, while the No. 6-seed Charleston Battery recorded the only upset as they defeated Cincinnati.
2016 USL CUP PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, Oct. 1
No. 4 Rochester Rhinos 3, No. 5 Charlotte Independence 1 - RECAP
Sunday, Oct. 2
No. 1 New York Red Bulls II 4, No. 8 Orlando City B 0 - RECAP
No. 6 Charleston Battery 2, No. 3 FC Cincinnati 1 - RECAP
No. 2 Louisville City FC 2, No. 7 Richmond Kickers 0 (OT) - RECAP
WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
Friday, Sept. 30
No. 4 Swope Park Rangers 3, No. 5 LA Galaxy II 0 - RECAP
No. 6 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 2, No. 3 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 1 - RECAP
Saturday, Oct. 1
No. 7 OKC Energy FC 3, No. 2 Rio Grande Valley FC 2 - RECAP
No. 8 Orange County Blues FC 0, No. 1 Sacramento Republic FC 0 - RECAP
Orange County won 5-4 in a penalty shootout
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
Friday, October 7: No. 1 New York Red Bulls II vs. No. 4 Rochester Rhinos, 7 p.m. ET - NY spotlight | ROC spotlight
Saturday, October 8: No. 2 Louisville City FC vs. No. 6 Charleston Battery, 7:30 p.m. ET - LOU spotlight | CHS spotlight
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
Saturday, October 8: No. 6 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 vs. No. 7 OKC Energy FC, 3 p.m. ET - VAN spotlight | OKC spotlight
Sunday, October 9: No. 4 Swope Park Rangers vs. No. 8 Orange County Blues FC, 4 p.m. ET - SPR spotlight | OC spotlight
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: To be played Oct. 14-16 at higher seed
Conference semifinal winners
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: To be played Oct. 14-16 at higher seed
Conference semifinal winners
2016 USL CUP: Sunday, Oct. 23
Eastern Conference champion vs. Western Conference champion, 8 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
FOLLOW THE USL: The 2016 USL Cup will air live on ESPNU and the WatchESPN app on Sunday, October 23 at 8 p.m. ET. Every other game of the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs is available through the USL Cup Playoffs Center, with updates from across the league also available via Twitter, Facebook, Vine and Instagram.
USL: The United Soccer League, the longest-standing professional affiliate member of U.S. Soccer, is the largest professional soccer league in the United States and Canada, and the world, currently with 29 teams in 19 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces for the 2016 season. The USL has more than doubled in size since 2014 and built a stable, highly competitive professional soccer league on a national footprint with strong ownership groups in major markets positioned for long-term success. The 2016 season has marked the introduction of six teams - Bethlehem Steel FC, FC Cincinnati, Orlando City B, Rio Grande Valley FC, San Antonio FC and Swope Park Rangers. The league has confirmed the addition of Reno 1868 FC in 2017 and Nashville FC in 2018. The USL's teams are divided into two conferences - Eastern and Western - with each team playing 30 regular season games. In addition to league play, USL teams compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well as various domestic and international exhibitions. The USL is the strongest U.S. men's professional soccer league below Major League Soccer (MLS).
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