USL League Two season begins, Becher shines for Reading

The Boston Bolts before their 2019 season opener against Westchester. (Bolts)

The local USL League Two season kicked off this past weekend, and that included four teams out of the Northeast Division getting the ball rolling.

With the introduction of Manhattan SC, the division has expanded to eight teams for the 2019 campaign, while defending champions Black Rock FC won't kick off their league slate until a match this coming Friday at Seacoast United Phantoms.

However, the prep school-centric group began its 2019 season last Wednesday with a 2-1 loss to the New York Cosmos in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup. Wesleyan standout and Berkshire alum Komar Martinez-Paiz (Pawtucket, R.I.) scored the sole goal, and St. Michael's goalie Leland Gazo (Colchester, Vt.) stopped a first-half penalty kick.