Miami FC vs. San Diego Loyal SC

Saturday, May 20 @ 4 pm

TV: ESPN+

San Diego Loyal travel to Florida for just the second time ever to take Miami FC for the very first time. Last season, the Loyal took down Tampa Bay Rowdies 3-2 as the only other time playing in the Orange State.

Last Saturday night, Rio Grande Valley got the best of the Loyal 3-2 at Torero Stadium. RGV stormed out to a quick 2-0 lead and eventually held on for the win, despite a late surge from the Loyal.

That loss dropped the Loyal down in the standings a bit, but not by much. The Western Conference remains tight once again, as Sacramento Republic are at the top with 21 points. SD Loyal are 4th with 17 points but only six points up from 10th in the conference (who happens to be RGV).

The fabric of this club. #SDvRGV | #StayLoyal

— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) May 14, 2023

San Diego is (5-3-2) on the season and has a +4 goal difference. Their scoring isn’t where it was at last season, but it is still higher than a majority of the teams in the USL Championship.

As for Miami FC, they are right in the middle of the pack out in the Eastern Conference. With a (2-3-5) record, Miami has 11 points and a dead-even goal difference at zero. They have scored 11 goals and allowed just the same.

Miami is coming off a loss to Louisville City FC 3-1 last Saturday night. The offense has yet to really get going for this club, but they do have three different players with multiple goals on the season. Miami is (1-1-1) against teams in the Western Conference this year.

SD Loyal are tied with New Mexico United for 6th in the USL in goals scored at 15. The problem for the Loyal is that they aren’t having success creating opportunities nor chances. They rank 13th with only 108 shot attempts on the season. The Loyal doesn’t have a standout goal-scorer, as they have given many different forwards starts throughout the campaign.

Evan Conway leads the team with three goals in USL play, while Tumi Moshobane has four total on the season, including U.S. Open Cup play. Adrian Perez and Ronaldo Damus have two each as well. Captain Charlie Adams (despite missing the last few matches) is tied for the USL lead with three assists on the season. Elliot Collier has two, along with Damus.

On the other side of the pitch, Koke Vegas is doing a great job of keeping the Loyal in every match played in so far. He has 21 saves on the season, which is tied for 13th, and also has two clean sheets.

Despite inconsistent play from head coach Nate Miller’s squad, this team still remains one of the top all-around teams in the league. They defend at a high level and have proven goal-scorers.

This will not be an easy test on the road. So far this season, SD is (1-1-2) with five points away from Torero Stadium. Miami has played far better at home this season, scoring seven goals in their last two matches. A win for the Loyal would give them a massive three points, which is needed to gain ground in the conference.

Chris Spiering

Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris is also an athlete and is huge fan of San Diego sports. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and contributes regularly about the Padres.