Reno 1868 (6W, 5D, 3L) kick off tonight’s game in 6th place on 23 points. Rising (7W, 5D, 2L) are top, five places and three points ahead of Reno. Both teams have played 14 games.
Unbeaten this season at Greater Nevada Field, Reno has defeated Austin Bold, New Mexico, Vegas Lights and Los Dos. They’ve also drawn against Orange County, OKC, and the Roughnecks.
Reno have scored a goal every 42 minutes this season, and concede on average 1.5 goals a game. At home, 13 of their 19 goals have been scored in the second half.
Three of the 11 goals conceded by Reno at home have been scored in second half stoppage time. They also threw away a three-goal lead in the last 30 minutes of a home game against OKC at the end of March.
Conceding the second least number of fouls in the USL Championship (147), Reno have collected 7 less cautions than Rising (18 to 25).
This is the first encounter between both clubs this season. Rising won 1-0 in Nevada last season, but were held to a goalless draw at home.
LAST TIME OUT
On Saturday night, Reno overcame a third minute penalty to beat Los Dos 4-2. Their formation of choice at home is usually more of a flat 4-4-2, but Head Coach Ian Russell opted instead for a more fluid 4-1-2-1-2 lineup.
Reno’s goalkeeper against Los Dos was Matt Bersano. A Chandler native and RSL Arizona Academy graduate, Bersano was one of two players with Valley connections in Reno’s starting XI on Saturday. Currently on loan from Reno’s parent club San Jose Earthquakes, this is the third season Bersano has starred at Greater Nevada Field. In 2017 and 2018, he kept an impressive 16 clean sheets in 39 games on loan at Reno. This season, Bersano has conceded 11 goals in eight games with two shutouts and a 72.5% save success rate.
Duke Laroix and Brent Richards were Reno’s fullbacks against Los Dos.
Brent Richards was the first homegrown player to be signed by the Timbers in 2012. He also played USL football at Timbers 2 before moving to Nevada in 2017. Capable of playing at right back or on the wing, Richards is an ever-present for Reno this year.
Left back Duke Lacroix has missed only one league game for Reno all season. This is Lacroix’s second year at Greater Nevada Field. The former Indy Eleven man, who is known for his pace, joined Reno from Orange County SC, after his 2017 season was cut short through injury.
Reno’s two center backs last Saturday were Zach Carroll and Benjamin Galindo.
Captain Zach Carroll’s handball gave Los Dos a 3rd minute penalty lead. Signed from Orlando in 2018, he’s also clocked up all 1,260 minutes league action this season. In 2016, 6 ft 3 Carroll helped New York Red Bulls II win both the USL Cup and USL Regular Season Championship.
Benjamin Galindo played for only the second time on Saturday. The 20-year-old Mexican is currently on loan from C. D. Guadalajara (Liga MX). Galindo’s father, Benjamin Galindo (El Maestro), is an assistant manager at San Jose and a former Mexico international (65 caps, 28 goals).
Seth Casiple served as the link between defense and midfield on Saturday. The San Diego native, who can also play on the left wing, joined Reno from Timbers 2 in 2017. He’s another player to feature in all 14 games this season, but he has been subbed off once. Casiple is currently second in the league for chances created (47). He’s scored two goals for Reno in 2019 – both right footed shots from outside the box against OKC and the Switchbacks. He also averages 3.4 key passes per match – the highest in the Championship.
Gleadle and Mendiola played in front of Casiple.
Englishman Sam Gleadle attended Campo Verde High School (Gilbert) after moving to Arizona as a nine-year-old. Restricted to two U.S. Open Cup appearances for Reno last season, 2019 is proving to be a breakthrough year for the right winger. Gleadle has already scored scored (against OKC and Los Dos) and contributed one assist (for Hertzog against Los Dos) in 10 appearances this season.
Raul Mendiola was Reno’s marquee capture from LV Lights in the winter. An attacking midfielder, Mendiola scored 10 goals in 22 games for Lights in 2018. The Mexican also scored and provided an assist in Lights’ 5-2 demolition of Rising last October. Currently ranked behind Brown and Hertzog for goals (3) and assists (3), Rising will need to keep a close eye on the former Los Dos man tonight.
Sergio Rivas was Reno’s most advanced midfielder on Saturday. Selected 26th overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft by San Jose, Rivas immediately joined Reno on loan. Described as a box-to-box midfielder, Rivas is a fine passer of the ball (82.1% pass success rate). Saturday’s game was Rivas’ fifth start and tenth appearance of the season. He’s scored one goal so far – the opener in a 2-1 home win over New Mexico on April 20, shot from outside the box.
Reno’s two forwards against Los Dos were Hertzog and Musovski.
28-year-old Corey Hertzog has bagged 7 goals in 14 games this season. That ranks him second in goals only to Brian Brown, who will miss the Rising game after playing for Jamaica in their 3-2 Gold Cup win over Honduras yesterday. A close season capture from Saint Louis, Hertzog was selected in the first round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft by New York Red Bulls. The experienced forward has also played for Wilmington Hammerheads, Vancouver Whitecaps, Orlando City, Tampa Bay Rowdies, and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Hertzog has converted 23.7% of his shots this season, and averages a goal every other appearance.
Nevada native Danny Musovski partnered Hertzog against Los Dos. Selected 30th overall by San Jose in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, Musovski scored five goals in 17 loan appearances for Reno last season, before permanently moving to Greater Nevada Field. Opening his 2019 goal account with a 13th minute left-footed shot from close range against Los Dos, he was replaced in the 65th minute by fellow forward Apodaca.
Another 2019 signing, Aidan Apodaca has already scored two goals in five appearances this season (one as a start). Selected 55th overall in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft by the Philadelphia Union, the 5 ft 8 Californian scored twice in 17 games on loan at Bethlehem Steel FC last season.
REST OF THE ROSTER
Midfielder Will Seymore has made 12 appearances this season, ten of them as a starter. A 2015 MLS SuperDraft pick by FC Dallas, Seymore initially joined Reno on loan in August 2018 before signing permanently in January. The veteran has also played USL football for Whitecaps 2 and FC Cincinnati. Seymore has collected the most yellows for Reno this season (4), and is also the Reno player most likely to concede a foul (22).
Damion Lewis was Reno’s back-up keeper on Saturday. The 6 ft 5 keeper is still awaiting a first team debut after joining the club from Chico State University.
James Marcinkowski is the only other keeper to have played this season. On loan from the Earthquakes, Marcinkowski has conceded ten goals in six games this season, with no shutouts. He kept five clean sheets in 24 games for Reno in 2018, and has represented the USMNT at U-14, U-18, U-20 and U-23 levels.
Montenegrin international Emrah Klimenta joined Reno from Los Dos in the close season. The former Sac Republic defender (98 appearances, nine goals) has made eight starts for Reno this season. Also capable of playing in midfield, Klimenta earned his solitary cap in a friendly against Turkey in May 2016.
24-year-old defender Thomas Janjigian was a non-playing sub on Saturday. Strong in the air, he has won 86.4% of aerial duels in seven league games this season. This is Janjigian’s third season at Reno. He was one of five Reno players called up to play in an Earthquakes friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt in July 2017.
Former South Africa U-17 midfielder Lindo Mfeka has featured 9 times for Reno in 2019. Currently in his third season at Greater Nevada Field, he is one of the best passers of the ball on the Reno roster.
Three other players on the bench on Saturday are awaiting their first starts for Reno. Defender and second round MLS SuperDraft signing Nathan Aune is on loan from San Jose. 21-year-old defender Yosimar Hernandez moved to Reno from UC Riverside. Midfielder Marky Hernández played at Cal State Fullerton before joining Reno in the Spring.
From the Ashes Prediction: Rising’s winning streak can’t last forever, and Reno aren’t doing badly themselves. On short rest, this game ends a draw.