Virginia Beach United Squares Off With Salem City F.C. in USL2 Round of 32
By Nicholas King — July 18, 2024
After a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory Tuesday Night against the South Carolina United Bantams, Virginia Beach United advances to the Round of 32 in the USL2 playoffs. In its first-round triumph, Virginia Beach defeated the second-place team in the South Atlantic Division. Now, Virginia Beach faces the division’s top team, Salem City F.C., who will surely present a greater challenge for United when the pair face off Friday afternoon. However, before the matchup is broken down, let's first get acquainted with Salem City.
Let's Meet Salem City
Salem City F.C. is known by a multitude a names: North Carolina Fusion U-23, the Carolina Dynamo, the list goes on. What the club is best known for, however, is its historic success in the South Atlantic Division. Since its founding in 2019, Salem has clinched the division title every season. This year, however, has been markedly different. For the first time in club history, Salem finished its regular season campaign with an undefeated record of 9-0-5 in fourteen matches played. Despite remaining unbeaten, Salem did record its lowest total of wins since 2019 and was not featured on the latest USL2 power rankings. Nevertheless, a fourteen-game unbeaten streak is impressive, and marks the first time Virginia Beach will face a team with a longer such streak than its own this season.
Similar to Virginia Beach, Salem City is powered by its suffocating defense. The club’s backline relinquished just twelve goals this season, or 0.86 scores per game, both best in the division. For comparison, Virginia Beach conceded nine tallies, or 0.75 per match. On the other side of the ball, Salem shows some vulnerability. Its thirty goals scored ranked third in the division behind the Bantams and North Carolina F.C. However, their offense is not weak; Salem did not finish a match scoreless all season, thanks largely to their elite forwards Tate Lorentz and Lucas De Oliveria Maruo, who combined for thirteen goals. Despite its talent, Salem lacks the ability to pour it on opposing teams. Its highest single-game goal total was three, whereas United recently marked six in a single match just over a week ago.
Matchup
This showdown promises to be a thrilling defensive battle between two physical and motivated teams. The determining factor in this game, however, will be whether or not United’s offense starts hot. Virginia Beach’s frontline has recently taken time to find its rhythm in matches, possibly due to the absence of key players like Cooper Kieran, Peekay Stoffle, and Sammy Murphy. Nevertheless, the truth remains that Virginia Beach often starts slow. If United can start the game by controlling possession, executing its game plan, pressuring Salem’s backline, and maybe even knotting a score, it will be nearly unbeatable. However, if Salem can stifle Virginia Beach early, throwing its opposition off balance, City’s defense will gain inexplicable confidence, while Virginia Beach’s offense could become emotional, frustrated, and sloppy, as seen in its first postseason match.
Statistically, Virginia Beach has the better offense (2.42 goals per game to 2.14), defense (0.75 goals allowed per game to 0.86), and national power ranking (11 to unranked). However, experience in high-pressure situations, such as the one in Newport News on Friday afternoon, should not be overlooked. Salem has the edge in this regard, having made five consecutive postseason appearances compared to United’s one. While one can speculate on which advantages will hold the most value, the true answer will only be revealed on Friday at 4:30 PM at Towne Bank Stadium.