- The United Soccer League announced on Thursday plans to launch a third-division men’s professional league that will begin play in 2019. The USL’s sophisticated and established model will entertain new markets and fans with an unforgettable professional soccer experience while cultivating the increasing demand for the sport – targeting communities ranging in population from 150,000 to one million. More than 75 million people in these U.S. markets do not have access to a local professional soccer club.

Plans for the third-division league have been in development for more than 18 months, and market discussions are well underway with numerous potential owners who have extensive experience in MiLB and other professional sports leagues. Official branding for the new Division III league, as well as inaugural teams and preliminary competition format will be announced in the summer of 2017.

- Week 2 of the USL regular season got underway on Wednesday night as the Swope Park Rangers (2-0-0, 6pts) took a 1-0 victory against the Portland Timbers 2 (0-2-0, 0pts) at Children’s Mercy Victory Field. Kharlton Belmar scored the only goal of the game as the Rangers continued their strong start to the season.

- Orlando City B played its first game at the new Orlando City Stadium on Thursday night as it hosted Louisville City FC and Head Coach James O’Connor, himself a former Lions player. Another former Lion, George Davis IV, led Louisville (1-0-1, 4pts) to a 3-1 victory as he recorded a goal and an assist, while Cameron Lancaster and Luke Spencer also found the net for the visitors to send Orlando (0-2-0, 0pts) to a second consecutive defeat.

- The Pittsburgh Riverhounds’ Corey Hertzog claimed both the USL Player of the Week award, and the Fans' Choice Goal of the Week award after scoring twice in the Riverhounds’ 3-3 draw with New York last Saturday. Hertzog now has 28 goals in his USL career, including 15 for Pittsburgh since the start of the 2016 season.

- Bethlehem Steel FC (0-0-0, 0pts) welcome the Rochester Rhinos (0-0-0, 0pts) to Goodman Stadium on Saturday afternoon (4 p.m. ET | Match Center) for the opening game of the season for both clubs, and both looking to earn victory in the matchup for the first time. Steel FC and the Rhinos drew all three of their meetings in the 2016 regular season.

- The Charlotte Independence (0-0-0, 0pts) open their regular season against Southern Derby rivals the Charleston Battery (1-0-0, 3pts) at Transamerica Field (7 p.m. ET | Match Center), with the Battery coming off a victory against FC Cincinnati. Both 2016 USL First Team selection Enzo Martinez and Jun Marques Davidson are suspended after infractions in the final game of the 2016 season, which will put added pressure on the side to produce against a strong Battery squad.

- Both the Tampa Bay Rowdies (1-0-0, 3pts) and Toronto FC II (1-0-0, 3pts) will be looking to start the season with a second consecutive victory when they meet at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET | Match Center). Tampa Bay and Toronto both took 1-0 victories a week ago, with Georgi Hristov’s winner for the Rowdies his 35th goal for the club, and Ryan Telfer’s for TFC II his first as a professional.

- Reno 1868 FC (0-1-0, 0pts) will take another crack at its first win in club history when it faces Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 (0-1-0, 0pts) on Saturday night at Greater Nevada Field (10 p.m. ET | Match Center). Reno is also looking for its first regular-season goal in club history after falling 2-0 to Orange County last Saturday, the same score WFC2 fell by against the LA Galaxy II to open its season.

- Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (0-1-0, 0pts) and OKC Energy FC (0-1-0, 0pts) will be looking to bounce back from tough season-opening defeats when they meet at Weidner Field on Saturday (8 p.m. ET | Match Center) for the Switchbacks’ home opener. Colorado Springs crashed to a 4-1 defeat against Tulsa last Saturday, while Energy FC fell 3-1 to the Swope Park Rangers. The game will see the return of Miguel Gonzalez to Colorado Springs for the first time since his offseason move from the Switchbacks to Energy FC.

- The Pittsburgh Riverhounds (0-0-1, 1pt) will try to build on a draw in their opening game of the season when they host an FC Cincinnati side (0-1-0, 0pts) that is looking to rebound at Highmark Stadium on Saturday evening (5 p.m. ET | Match Center). Cincinnati earned a win and a draw in its two visits to Pittsburgh a season ago, but the Riverhounds’ revamped lineup could give FCC’s new additions a test.

- Real Monarchs SLC (1-0-0, 3pts) will take to the field for the first time under new Head Coach Mark Briggs on Saturday evening when it faces Phoenix Rising FC (0-1-0, 0pts) at Rio Tinto Stadium (6 p.m. ET | Match Center). Briggs was appointed on Thursday as Mike Petke’s replacement after Petke was appointed as Real Salt Lake’s new Head Coach, and will hope his side can build on a 2-1 win against Portland last Saturday against a Phoenix club that brings a star-studded lineup to Utah led by Omar Bravo.

- Tulsa Roughnecks FC (1-0-0, 3pts) looks to build on a season-opening victory when it hosts Rio Grande Valley FC (0-1-0, 0pts) and ONEOK Field on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET | Match Center). The Roughnecks scored a 4-1 win against Colorado Springs last Saturday, and will be hoping to replicate their first meeting with the Toros in Tulsa last season when they took a 2-0 victory to make it two wins from two to start 2017.

- The Portland Timbers 2 (0-2-0, 0pts) will conclude a busy eight days to start the season when they visit Seattle Sounders FC 2 (0-1-0, 0pts) on Sunday afternoon at Starfire Stadium (5 p.m. ET | Match Center). Both teams are looking for their first wins, with T2 having fallen on the road against Swope Park on Wednesday night and S2 letting an early lead slip in its 2-1 loss to Sacramento last Sunday.