Thursday, June 6, 2013
DAYTON, Ohio – Since being eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup in the third round by the Columbus Crew, the Dayton Dutch Lions have turned their attention to the USL PRO regular season and the hunt for a spot in the post-season. That doesn’t mean, though, that the Dutch Lions have simply put the Crew behind them. The Columbus Crew will be travelling to Dayton on Saturday to face the Dutch Lions in a game that counts in the USL PRO standings.
This intrastate match between the Dutch Lions and the Crew was scheduled as part of an affiliation between Major League Soccer and USL PRO that was announced earlier in the spring. The new partnership between the leagues has each USL PRO club playing home and away games against an MLS reserve team in 2013.
Under the guidance of first-year head coach Patrick Bal, the Dutch Lions are off to their strongest start since the team joined USL PRO in 2011. The four wins the club has achieved through eight games this year equals the win total from all of last season. Dayton currently occupies a playoff spot in the league on the strength of the 14 points that have been earned in USL PRO competitions.
Columbus has put together a record of 2-3-0 at this point in the MLS Reserve schedule. The most recent match resulted in a 1-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo Reserves. Matt Lampson, who was in the net for the Crew’s 2-1 victory over the Dutch Lions a couple of weeks ago, made several saves. The Crew attack, however, could not convert on its scoring opportunities.
The second round of the Battle of Ohio will take place on Saturday, June 8 at 7:30 PM at Beavercreek High School.