“A good trade is something that helps all teams involved,” the RailHawks’ president and general manager said. “This may be the case.”

The full trade had Walker going to Rochester for Diallo. Walker was then packaged with Rhinos goalkeeper Chase Harrison and sent to Portland in exchange for midfielder Andrew Gregor.

Regardless of how Portland and Rochester view the deal, Carolina has to be happy with the move so far. Diallo had an assist in his team debut Friday in Minnesota and he had another one Sunday in Vancouver.

In two games with the RailHawks, both of which he started and played a total of 164 minutes, Diallo contributed more than he had all season in Rochester. The man who was the Rhinos’ 2007 team MVP and scored nine goals in 18 games last year hadn’t scored a goal or earned an assist in any of his eight appearances this year.

Diallo arrived in the Triangle last Wednesday evening, hours after the deal was completed. He had a physical on Thursday morning and then joined the team at RDU airport for its flight to Minnesota for Friday’s game.

Diallo, a native of Ivory Coast, said through an interpreter before getting on the plane that he was happy to join Carolina and that he was looking forward to getting on the field and scoring goals again. In Diallo, the RailHawks got a lightning-fast, proven goal scorer who had fallen out of favor in Rochester.

“He has an element I think we’ve lacked, which is speed up top,”  Economides said. “We’re excited about the possibility with him and  [Dan] Antoniuk up there. Jamil had some speed, but it’s not in the  category that Hamed has.”

Diallo also said he welcomed the challenge of trying to break through the logjam Carolina has at forward. Antoniuk is the only one to start all 16 games this season, while Jacob Coggins, Connally Edozien and Walker all vied for minutes as the second striker.

The inconsistent time led to discontent for Walker.

“Being in and out of the lineup and finding the right rotation has been difficult,” Walker said last week before leaving for Portland. “I was looking to get more of a chance.”

Walker appeared in 13 games for the RailHawks. He started twice in USL-1 play and logged a total of 334 minutes. He joined the squad late in training camp this spring. After a strong outing against Virginia and then scoring a goal against Minnesota, he signed with the team. He scored his lone goal as a substitute against Atlanta on May 10.

Despite a number of offseason acquisitions meant to bolster the RailHawks’ offense, which was second worst in USL-1 in 2007, Carolina’s attack has shown only marginal improvement. The RailHawks have scored 17 goals through their first 16 games and been shut out five times. After starting the season 3-0-4 with a goal differential of plus-3, they are since 1-4-4 with a goal differential of minus-8. 

Through 16 games last season, the RailHawks had a similar record (4-5-7), had scored 11 goals and were shut out seven times.

Weekend recap

The RailHawks picked up two points on the road over the weekend after drawing Minnesota 2-2 on Friday and Vancouver 1-1 on Sunday.

Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute, but Martin Nuñez equalized on a 26th-minute penalty kick. Santiago Fusilier scored five minutes later to give Carolina a 2-1 lead.

Nuñez picked up two yellow cards in the space of two minutes and was sent off in the 64th. He was booked in the 63rd minute for dissent, then again a minute later for encroaching the ball on a free kick. With the man advantage, Minnesota’s Melvin Tarley equalized in the 80th minute.

On Sunday, Antoniuk struck for his third goal of the season in the 74th minute, but Vancouver’s Eduardo Sebrango answered a minute later.

At 4-4-8 and with 20 points, the RailHawks are in eighth place and on the outside of the playoff picture for the time being.

Previewing Puerto Rico

When Puerto Rico and Carolina met on June 12, the Islanders were in last place in USL-1. When the Islanders and RailHawks square off Friday at 7:30 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park, Puerto Rico will be looking down from the top of the table. The Islanders’ 3-0 win over the RailHawks last month kickstarted a 6-2-0 stretch that now has them second in the league, only three points back of Charleston.

Former RailHawks midfielder Jonny Steele has thrived in Puerto Rico. He has tallied two goals and five assists in 13 matches, far more production than the one assist he picked up in 19 matches last season for Carolina. Puerto Rico has owned the RailHawks, too. The Islanders are 2-0-1 all-time against Carolina and have outscored the RailHawks 6-1.

Lead lost

After taking leads in Minnesota and Vancouver, Carolina has had a one-goal lead in 11 of its 17 USL-1 games and it has a record of 4-0-7 in those contests. Only once did the RailHawks take a lead, give it up and then go on to win the game (May 28’s 2-1 win over Seattle).