USL League Two : Conference Finals and National Semifinals
Friday Conference Final:
Des Moines Menace v Kalamazoo FC - 7:30pm - Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISN
The top teams from the Heartland and Great Lakes face off for the Central Conference title and a spot in the National Semi-Finals. Menace finished the season 11-1 before finishing off Flint City Bucks 1-0. Kalamazoo, on the other hand, finished the season with a record of 9 wins, 1 loss and 4 ties and rallied to put away Mississippi Brilla behind the excellence of Parker Smith in a penalty shootout. All in all, Kzoo will face a tough challenge holding down the Menace attack.
Sunday National Semi-Finals:
Menace/Kzoo vs Park City Red Wolves/Portland Timbers 2 - 7:30pm - Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISN
The winners of the Central face the winners of the West. Park City finished top of the Mountain Division with a record of 5 wins, 3 losses and a tie. Timbers 2 had a record of 9 wins, 1 loss and a tie at the top of the Northwest Division.
Western Mass Pioneers/West Chester United SC vs North Carolina Fusion U23/South Georgia Tormenta 2 - 7pm - Erk Russell Park, Statesboro, GA - No Announced Stream
The winners of the East and the South collide. Pioneers racked up 10 wins, 2 losses and 2 ties in the Northeast Division. WCU finished with a record of 11 wins, 1 loss and 2 ties in the Mid Atlantic Division. Fusion finished with 11 wins, 2 losses and a tie in the South Atlantic Division. Tormenta 2 finished second in the Deep South Division, with a record of 10 wins, 3 losses and 1 tie.
All times Central Time.
UWS National Championship
Friday Semi-finals:
Midwest United v CT Fusion - 6pm - Round Rock Multipurpose Complex, Round Rock, Texas - Eleven Sports
The Midwest Regional champion Midwest United out of Grand Rapids, MI have rolled through the season so far, accumulating a record of 9 wins and 1 draw and they dispatched Corktown AFC on penalties to arrive at this stage against the surprising Fusion side. The Eastern Conference playoff champions entered the post season as the #3 seed in the East but with a goalscoring streak similar to MUFC. Midwest United's defense could prove key in this match.
SA Athenians v SC Blue Heat - 8:30 pm - Round Rock Multipurpose Complex, Round Rock, Texas - Eleven Sports
The Southwest Conference #2 seed San Antonio Athenians finished the regular season with 9 wins and a loss but they ended the perfect season of Lone Star Republic in the playoffs to secure the SWC title. They face Santa Clarita Blue Heat, the Western Conference's #1 seed with a record of 4 wins and 2 draws. Both teams have strong defenses.
Sunday:
UWS National Final - 11 am CT - Round Rock Multipurpose Complex, Round Rock, Texas - Eleven Sports
NPSL Midwest Region Round Up: First Round Playoffs
Tuesday night saw the opening of the 2021 NPSL Midwest Regional playoffs. Cleveland SC faced Pittsburgh Hotspurs while Duluth FC hosted Carpathia FC. The two matches could not have gone in more opposite directions. Cleveland dominated Hotspurs from start to finish in Berea, OH.
Vincent Bell's fourth minute goal put CLE on track and Alec Nagucki added one just around the half hour mark. Thomas Beck and Smith Pepper would both add second half goals to give Cleveland a 4-0 win to send them to face FC Milwaukee Torrent.
Duluth FC vs Carpathia could not have been more opposite of that. The BlueGreens' Jake Starling broke the match open with his 26' goal before NPSL Golden Boot winner Sidney Warden added a 38' goal to double their lead.
Things looked to be going well for Duluth but a bad foul inside the box sent Owen Smith to the spot where he gave Carpathia life in the 79'. That life propelled a huge change in momentum and three minutes later Smith added one more to end up forcing Extra Time. After no goals in either portion of ET the match came down to penalties.
Duluth would kick first, which usually gives that team an advantage. That advantage flipped heavily after missing their first shot. Carpathia then scored on theirs and held the lead the rest of the way. The visitors came back from down 2-0 to take the match 6-5 on penalties.
The host for the Regional Semi-Finals and Finals was then announced late Tuesday night after both matches were well finished.
Semi-Finals:
FC Milwaukee Torrent (GL 1) vs Cleveland SC (RB 1): 4 PM - Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis, MN - YouTube
The first of the two matches being played in Minneapolis is the more intriguing of the two. 9-0-1 (27 points) Milwaukee Torrent match up with 8-2-0 (26 points) Cleveland SC. Both sides have been lights out during the regular season having a combined one loss. Torrent will very much have the advantage of rest with their last match having been played on July 17th.
Cleveland on the other hand just played on Tuesday and has a had a much longer trip to MPLS for the Regional Playoffs. Neither side really outmatches the other in their attack or defence making the first Semi-Final a great match to watch.
Minneapolis City SC (N 1) vs Carpathia FC (GL 2): 7:00 PM - Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis, MN - YouTube
The second of the two matches has a huge possibility of being a massive blowout. Not only are the Crows, who have a single loss on the season, at home but they are also very high scoring. In fact Minneapolis City SC is the highest scoring team in the entire league. Facing a team averaging just under four goals per game Carpathia will have a challenge on their hands.
However Carpathia FC is giving up just 1.36 goals per match, showing how stout their defence is in a tough Great Lakes Conference. But in terms of scoring they will have a massive uphill battle against one of the best defences in the league and an All-Conference goalkeeper.
2021 US Open Cup canceled, full 2022 USOC planned
The US Soccer Federation has announced that the 2021 US Open Cup will not take place in any form. There had been many suggestions as to a limited tournament for this year but instead, they have pumped the brakes on this year's Cup and will go from 0-100 next year - with as many as a century of participants expected.
Some of the new participants will be guaranteed professional entrants from NISA and USL expansion, whereas amateur clubs face the usual two options - playoff positioning from NPSL and USL League 2, or qualifiers which will start as soon as September and go through November. From this pool of eventual winners, the eventual round 1 participants will be chosen on January 19th - with the matches to be played on March 22nd and 23rd.
Stay tuned to our site for coverage as the amateur clubs progress through the rounds.
NPSL Midwest Regionals: First Round Preview
The 2021 National Premier Soccer League season has come to a close. All the playoff teams are set and the Region playoffs start tonight. For a full recap of the Great Lakes/North's final week you can check out Tim's recap of Week 11. But Week 11 did a few things, City winning gave them a bye and got Duluth FC in. Cleveland not picking up a win propelled City into first and gave Milwaukee a bye as well.
Quarter-Finals:
Cleveland SC (Rust Belt 1) vs Pittsburgh Hotspurs (Rust Belt 2): 6 PM - George Finnie Stadium, Berea, OH - Eleven Sports
The first of the two matches in the opening round is a match entirely within the Rust Belt Conference. Rust Belt champions Cleveland SC will host second place Pittsburgh Hotspurs in their third meeting of 2021. In their two previous meetings Hotspurs have been outscored a combined 8-2 by Cleveland. This includes a 6-1 loss handed to them in Berea in early June.
A big thing going for Cleveland is they are unbeaten in 2021 with an 8-2-0 record, good for 26 points. Hotspurs also played themselves into a good season going 8-2-0 (24 points) in the conference. Pittsburgh has a massive task on their hands as they have to simultaneously shut down an attack averaging 2.5 GPG and a defence averaging less then one goal against per match.
Duluth FC (North 2) vs Carpathia FC (Great Lakes 2): 7 PM - Public Schools Stadium, Duluth, MN - Eleven Sports
The second of the two is an inter-conference clash with the Great Lakes meeting the North for the first time this season. Duluth FC and their prolific scoring led by NPSL Golden Boot winner Sidney Warden will meet the stellar defence of Carpathia FC. After an up and down season Duluth managed to squeak into the playoffs off the back of a Minneapolis City SC win over Med City FC. The BlueGreens also set themselves up to play at home in the first round with their own win over Sioux Falls Thunder.
Duluth rides in with a three game hot streak on their hands with wins over Aris, Fusion, and the aforementioned Thunder. Carpathia meanwhile is 2-1-0 in their last three and on a three match streak of their own. Carpathia's 2.7 goals per game attack will have a bit of trouble with Duluth averaging giving up 1.67 goals. On the other hand Duluth's lights out attack averages 3.25 goals per game, second in the Region will meet a defence only giving up around 1.3 goals per match.
Midwest Region Playoffs, Stage 2:
Each region in the NPSL has their own design for playoffs. In the Midwest Region the first round is held by high seed, the last two rounds are held at one location. The location for the regional semi-finals and finals are determined on a bid basis.
Based on what Minneapolis City stated the last two rounds will either be hosted by themselves or Cleveland SC. If the Crows host it would be played at Edor Nelson Field on the campus of Augsburg University in Minneapolis. While if Cleveland hosts it will be held at George Finnie Stadium on the campus of Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, OH.
Regardless of host location the matches will be played Friday and Sunday, June 23rd and 25th.
*All Times CT
NPSL Midwest: Week 11 Recap
Friday:
Med City FC 1 vs Minneapolis City SC 2 : Rochester Regional Stadium, Rochester, MN - Eleven Sports
Med City's season ended with a whimper as they fell 2-1 to the Crows, and fell out of the playoff positions. Minneapolis opened the scoring in the 37th minute through Max Stiegwardt and doubled their margin in the 78th minute, with a goal by Aidan O'Driscoll. The Mayhem spoiled the clean sheet with an 86th minute tally from Joshua Balsiger. With their win, Minneapolis City secured the top seed for the playoffs and a bye into the regional semifinals - which they are also hoping to host.
Duluth FC 5 vs Sioux Falls Thunder 2 : Public Schools Stadium, Duluth, MN - Eleven Sports
The BlueGreens rolled over the Thunder and continued their momentum into the playoffs, although they will have to navigate a regional quarterfinal against Carpathia on Tuesday. As for the match itself in Duluth, Dylan Sumner scored twice and Golden Boot winner Sidney Warden, Martin Grzywa and James Westfield all also scored. The South Dakotans bright spark Stephenson Storm got their two goals.
Saturday:
FC Indiana 1 vs FC Milwaukee Torrent 2 : FC Indiana Stadium, Lafayette, IN - Facebook
Torrent regained the second seed for the Midwest region and its bye into the regional semi-finals in a back and forth match against the Lions. Tony Doellefeld opened the scoring for the Torrent before Indiana equalized through Ricardo John. Flavio Cruz then provided the winner for the visitors.
La Crosse Aris 0 vs Dakota Fusion FC 4 : Logan High School, La Crosse, WI - Facebook
Aris made their season debut in La Crosse in their final match of the season. Fusion got doubles from Samuel Coxon and Diego Valle.
Panathinaikos Chicago 0 vs Carpathia FC 5 : Nike Sports Complex, Naperville, IL - No Announced Stream
Carpathia warmed up for the playoffs with a routine 5-0 win over PAO. Doubles from Jeff Adkins and Ryan Williams were completed by a solo shot from Joseph Tinnion.
USL League Two: Conference Semi-Finals Recap
After Friday night's Quarter-Final matches four teams remained to head to the Central Conference Quarter-Finals. You can read our recap of the Quarter-Finals here and those matches left the Des Moines Menace (Heartland Champions), Flint City Bucks (Great Lakes #2), Kalamazoo FC (Great Lakes Champion), and Mississippi Brilla (Mid-South Champion). Des Moines would host Flint City in Des Moines, IA while Kalamazoo faced Mississippi in Clinton, MS.
#1 Des Moines Menace 1 vs #5 Flint City Bucks 0 : Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISNtv
The first of the two matches that kicked off on the night was in Des Moines with the Menace hosting the Bucks. One goal would do the trick when in the 52nd minute Sivert Haugli scored for the Menace in what proved to be the matches only goal.
The lone goal would propel the Menace on to a close 1-0 victory sending them to the winner of the Kalamazoo/Mississippi match that would finish later last night.
#2 Kalamazoo FC 1 (4) vs #3 Mississippi Brilla 1 (1) : Clinton Arrow Stadium, Clinton, MS - Eleven Sports
The other Semi-Final match had the two Mississippi QF winners facing each other. And it was another back and forth drag out affair. Kalamazoo's Enrique Banuelos knotted the match it's first goal of the night in the 60th minute. Then with just seconds remaining Orlando Lozano scored at 90+7' to extend the game into extra time. The two 15 minute periods of ET came and went scoreless, sending the match to PK's. Kalamazoo got the best of Brilla taking them down 4-1 in PK's with Kalamazoo's Parker Smith making some big saves to send his team to face Des Moines Menace next weekend.
USL League Two: Conference QF Recap, SF Preview
Conference Quarter-Finals (First Round) Recap
#4 Chicago FC United 1 vs #5 Flint City Bucks 3 : Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISNtv
The opening match of the Central Conference part of the 2021 USL League Two playoffs pitted a one loss Chicago side against a Flint City team who's been on a tear as of late. It took 38 minutes of deadlocked football before either side could score, and that would be Flint City after an Amadou Cisse goal. Diego Gutierrez knotted the match up for Chicago in the 50th minute with a PK after a foul in the box. It would be the Bucks who would take control in the last 50 minutes with Dylan Borczak scoring in the 75th and Henry Sanchez adding one in stoppage time to send the Bucks on to the Central Region Semi-Finals.
#2 Kalamazoo FC 3 vs #6 Corpus Christi FC 1 : Clinton Arrow Stadium, Clinton, MN - Eleven Sports
After a nearly two hour weather delay the second Quarter-Final match kicked off in Mississippi with KZFC trekking down from Michigan to face the Sharks of Corpus Christi FC. Kalamazoo's Enrique Banuelos scored first in the 38th minute and followed it up with a second half goal in the 47th to secure a brace. Four minutes later CCFC cut the lead in half with a goal of there own. That would be as close as the Sharks would get as Cyrus Harmon put a third one home in the 68th. The two goal win extended Kalamazoo's unbeaten streak to 10 straight dating back to June 9th and their win over South Bend Lions.
#1 Des Moines Menace 5 vs #8 Texas United 0 : Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISNtv
The hosts took to the field for the third match of the day and the second in Central Iowa. All that can be said about this match is pure domination.Des Moines took a huge 3-0 lead inside just 20 minutes with Nil Ayats scoring in the 9th, Manel Busquets in the 15th, and Jordan Skelton in the 20th. The Menace we not done and after Manel Busquets was fouled in the box Ayats took to the spot and drove his second home to secure a brace. Ayats would make that brace a Hat Trick in the 47th after which the Menace would sit back and hold down the lead for the next 43 minutes en route to a Conference Semi-Final match.
#3 Mississippi Brilla 3 vs #7 Kings Hammer 1 : Clinton Arrow Stadium, Clinton, MS - Eleven Sports
The fourth and final match of the night and the second in Mississippi for the day. Like the previous match, it kicked off late due to the weather delay. The weather delay didn't effect the home side and Arturo Astorga proved that with a 5th minute goal from Brilla. Coming back from the half Kings Hammer evened it up with a Marcelo Jones goal in the 46th. Brilla's Jalen James gave the hosts back the lead in the 58th.Remi Emeriau clinched the win for Brilla with a stoppage time goal. The win sent the hosts on to face Great Lakes Division Champion Kalamazoo FC on Sunday.
Conference Semi-Finals (Second Round) Preview
#1 Des Moines Menace vs #5 Flint City Bucks: 7PM - Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISNtv
A massive opportunity is on the line for both sides in West Des Moines tonight. One loss Des Moines hosts a rolling Flint City team in one of the two Central Conference Semi-Finals. Two high powered attacks and shut down defenses will take the turf at Valley Stadium. The Bucks have scored 38 goals across all 15 matches in USL2 play averaging 2.53 GPG. They will have a chore getting to score through Des Moines' stout defense who's only allowed 7 goals in 13 matches an average of .538 per match.
#2 Kalamazoo FC vs #3 Mississippi Brilla: 7PM - Clinton Arrow Stadium, Clinton, MS - Eleven Sports
Great Lakes Division Champion vs Mid-South Division Champion. This match is huge for both sides for more than just the trip to the Conference Finals. Kalamazoo FC has their 10 match unbeaten streak on the line. Brilla would be the only team from their Division to make it out of the first two rounds after Texas United and Corpus Christi were knocked out on Friday night. In order to win Brilla will need to shut down KZFC's Cyrus Harmon who had 8 goals in 12 matches in the regular season and one on Friday night. Brilla's Crio Damine has 7 goals and 1 assist for himself however his last was against Brazos Valley at the beginning of the month.
*All Times CT
UWS Regional Playoffs: Semi-Final Recap and Final Preview
Regional Semi-Final Recaps:
Midwest United FC 3 (6) vs Corktown AFC 3 (5) : Midwest United FC Complex, Grand Rapids, MI – No Stream
In the first Semi-Final, Midwest United FC was tied with Corktown AFC with a score of 3-3 at the end of the full and extra time, the game was sent into Penalty Kicks to help determine the winner after a hard fought 120 minutes. After 6 rounds of back and forth kicks, Midwest United FC was able to put a stop to Corktown AFC winning 6-5 after penalty kicks. Midwest United FC advanced in the Midwest/Central Region playoff where their opponent would be determined in the second match of the night.
Chicago Mustangs 0 vs St. Louis Scott Gallagher 2 : MAC Sports Center, Crystal Lake, IL – Eleven Sports
In the second Semi-Finals, the Mustangs women unfortunately weren't able to score versus the St. Louis Scott Gallagher women who were able to get two goals in. SLSG made a major upset, defeating the Mustangs who were unbeaten at 10-0-0 to that point.. With the upset victory this put an end to the Mustangs season and sent the Central Conference champions to face Midwest United in the Regional Final.
Regional Final Preview:
Midwest United FC vs St. Louis Scott Gallagher: 4 PM - Midwest United FC Complex, Grand Rapids, MI - Eleven Sports
Midwest United FC come into this game with a regular season record of 9-1-0 and a win over Corktown AFC in the Semi-Finals. St.. Louis Scott Gallagher finished the regular season with a record of 5-2-1 in comparison. Each side has women who have given them quality plays and make the effort to show that the teams are here and ready to compete. This will be a heavy handed task for SLSG as they are taking on by far the best team in the area on MUFC's home turf.
USL League Two: Conference Quarter-Finals Preview
The long winding road down the path to the 2021 USL League Two Playoffs has finished, now the teams are in and the playoffs start tonight. The eight teams who qualified for the playoffs out of the Central Conference are now split over two locations. The number 1, 4, 5, and 8 seeds will play at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, IA, the home of the hosts and number 1 seed Des Moines Menace. The 2, 3, 6, and 7 seeds on the other hand will head south to Clinton Arrow Stadium in Clinton, MS, the home of hosts Mississippi Brilla FC.
Conference Quarter-Finals (First Round)
#4 Chicago FC United vs #5 Flint City Bucks: 4 PM - Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISNtv
The first of the four Friday matches has the second place team in the Heartland, Chicago FC United, face the Great Lakes' Flint City Bucks. Chicago is 9-2-1 with 29 points and their only loss of 2021 was to the hosting Des Moines Menace. Flint City went 9-2-3 with 29 points as well. Chicago has a 2-0-1 run of form in their last three with the loss being to the Menace while Flint City is 3-0-0 and has won four straight. Chicago will be a tough team for the Bucks to beat as they are the only side to defeat regular season National Champion Des Moines Menace.
#2 Kalamazoo FC vs #6 Corpus Christi FC: 5 PM - Clinton Arrow Stadium, Clinton, MN - Eleven Sports
The second of four matches on the night and the first in Mississippi. The two seeded and Great Lakes Division champion Kalamazoo FC will play the six seed in order to avoid a divisional clash in the first round. KZFC is 9-4-1 with 31 points and 2-1-0 in their last three along with a nine match winning streak to add. Corpus Christ FC went a much more average 7-2-4 (23 points) in a fairly even Mid-South Division. The Sharks are 1-1-1 in their last three and have lost three of their last five. Kalamazoo has a major advantage in this match.
#1 Des Moines Menace vs #8 Texas United: 7 PM - Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISNtv
The third of four matches on the night and the second of two in Des Moines. Menace went an astounding 11-0-1 with 33 points to win the Heartland Division and Regular Season league championships. DSM are 2-1-0 in their last three with the loss coming to Chicago FC United, they also come into the match off a 5-1 thrashing of SLSG. Texas United went 6-3-5 (21 points) and are 1-2-0 in their last three and on a four match unbeaten streak. With how good the Menace are, Texas has a huge task on their hands tonight in Des Moines own home stadium.
#3 Mississippi Brilla vs #7 Kings Hammer: 7:30 PM - Clinton Arrow Stadium, Clinton, MS - Eleven Sports
Last but not least are the other hosts Mississippi Brilla and Kings Hammer. Brilla won the Mid-South at 8-3-2 (27 points) and are 1-1-1 in their last three. Kings Hammer meanwhile are 8-4-2 (28 points) and are 2-1-0 in their last three. While Brilla enters into the match off a loss KHFC is unbeaten in four straight. So while Mississippi are at home that advantage may not matter against the boys from Cincinnati.
USL League Two: Week 10 Recap
The final week of USL League Two play before the playoffs was a jam packed one with a total of 13 scheduled matches to finish out the season. Five matches were played on Wednesday with four of the five having implications on the playoff race.
Wednesday:
Toledo Villa FC 1 vs Flint City Bucks 5 : University of Toledo, Toledo, OH - Eleven Sports
Kings Hammer 3 vs Fort Wayne FC 1 : Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH - No Announced Stream
South Bend Lions 4 vs Dayton Dutch Lions 1 : TCU School Field, South Bend, IN - No Announced Stream
Grand Rapids FC 3 vs Oakland County FC 2 : Midwest United FC Soccer Complex, Grand Rapids, MI - No Announced Stream
Des Moines Menace 4 vs Chicago FC United 0 : Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISN
Wednesday's win by Des Moines Menace secured them the Heartland Division title and the first seed out of the division with Chicago FC United guaranteed the second seed from the division. In the Great Lakes none of the teams in the playoff race lost, continuing that chase. While South Bend defeated the winless Dutch Lions in a match that really didn't have a ton on the line.
Friday and Saturday had another combined six matches but this time with only three really counting towards anything in the playoff race.
Friday:
Kings Hammer 3 vs Dayton Dutch Lions 2 : Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH - No Announced Stream
Saturday:
Chicago FC United 3 vs FC Wichita 0 : Bridgeview Sports Dome, Bridgeview, IL - No Announced Stream
Dayton Dutch Lions 1 vs Grand Rapids FC 6 : Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium, West Carrolton, OH - No Announced Stream
Flint City Bucks 4 vs Oakland County FC 0 : Atwood Stadium at Kettering University, Flint, MI - Eleven Sports
Green Bay Voyageurs 3 vs Kaw Valley FC 0 : Capital Park, Ashwaubenon, WI - Eleven Sports
Des Moines Menace 5 vs St Louis Scott Gallagher 1 : Valley Stadium, East Des Moines, IA - CISN
Saturday again saw no surprises with Kings Hammer, Grand Rapids FC, and Flint City all winning their matches as they all went after the second and third playoff spots in the Great Lakes Division. In the Heartland Division there was a major change though, both FC Wichita and Kaw Valley FC would forfeit their matches to Green Bay and Chicago respectively.
While those two matches are still listed on the schedule as 3-0 forfeits the teams did play each other in a friendly match that was not listed on the league website. The Voyageurs would end the season on a down note, falling to playoff bound Chicago FC United in that match.
Sunday:
Kings Hammer 2 vs South Bend Lions 2 : Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH - No Stream Announced
Fort Wayne FC 1 vs Kalamazoo FC 4 : Bishop Dwenger High School, Fort Wayne, IN - No Announced Stream
With Kings Hammer having clinched their playoff spot earlier in the week the only thing up for grabs was the rights to the Great Lakes Division title. KZFC would take that crown off a 4-1 away win over Fort Wayne FC dashing the hopes of Flint City Bucks taking the championship.
NPSL Midwest Week 11: Preview
Friday:
Med City FC vs Minneapolis City SC: 6:45pm - Rochester Regional Stadium, Rochester, MN - Eleven Sports
Med City look to limit the damage against the red hot Crows, and in the process keep their playoff run going. A Minneapolis City win would restore some of the momentum lost against Joy last time out and would knock the Mayhem out of the playoffs regardless of the result in Duluth.
Duluth FC vs Sioux Falls Thunder: 7pm - Public Schools Stadium, Duluth, MN - Eleven Sports
With the tiebreakers in their favor, and a kickoff scheduled for 15 minutes later, Duluth FC enter this match against an inconsistent Thunder side looking set for the playoffs. A win by the BlueGreens or matching Med City's result in Rochester would confirm that, and the 5th seed in the playoffs.
Saturday:
FC Indiana vs FC Milwaukee Torrent: 4pm - FC Indiana Stadium, Lafayette, IN - Facebook
Torrent have slid down to the number 3 seed but should have no trouble against the winless Lions, with a -20 goal difference.
La Crosse Aris vs Dakota Fusion FC: 6pm - Logan High School, La Crosse, WI - Facebook
Fusion are nowhere pleasant in the table but Aris are predictably horrendous so the visitors will come into La Crosse hoping for a win.
Panathinaikos Chicago vs Carpathia FC: 8pm - Nike Sports Complex, Napierville, IL - No Announced Stream
The 3-6-0 PAO squad have nothing to play for but pride against playoff bound Carpathia.
*All Times CT
UWS Regional Playoffs: Preview
The entirety of the 2021 United Women's Soccer season has finished and the league officially announced their playoff structure. The Central Conference and Midwest Conference's will combine for a single playoff region. This year the top two teams from the Midwest-North (Midwest United and Corktown AFC) will be joined by the top seed from the Midwest-South (Chicago Mustangs) and the top seed from the Central (St. Louis Scott Gallagher). The two Semi-Final matches will take place from separate locations tonight (Thursday, 15 July) with the Regional Final being held on Saturday (17 July) at a TBD location.
Semi-Final #1 (Midwest-North 1 vs 2)
Midwest United vs Corktown AFC: 6 PM - Midwest United FC Complex, Grand Rapids, MI - No Stream Announced
The first of the two Semi-Final matches pits two clubs who are not only in the same conference but also the same division. MUFC comes in unbeaten at 9-1-0 with 28 points while Corktown is 7-0-3 with 21 points. Midwest United defeated Corktown by a score of 4-2 in each of their two meeting this year, in order to progress Corktown will have a lot of work on their hands.
Semi-Final #2 (Midwest-South 1 vs Central 1)
Chicago Mustangs vs St. Louis Scott Gallagher: 7 PM - MAC Sports Center, Crystal Lake, IL - Eleven Sports
The second of the two Semi-Finals pits the Chicago Mustangs, the champions of the Midwest-South against the Central Conference Champion, St. Louis Scott Gallagher. The Mustangs have the clear advantage at 10-0-0 while SLSG is sitting at 5-2-1 through the eight matches they have played in 2021.
*All Times CT
UWS Week 10: Recap
Monday:
Ladies Steel City FC 3 vs Indiana Elite 0 : DuPage Medical Group Field, Joliet, IL - No Stream Announced
This match has no record or stats however the scoreline indicates that this was a forfeit victory for Ladies Steel City.
Tuesday:
Muskegon Risers 1 vs Corktown AFC 4 : Kehren Stadium, Muskegon, MI - No Stream Announced
The final regular season match of the season saw Corktown travel to Muskegon to face the hosting Risers. On the back of a Itala Gemelli hat trick Corktown AFC sent defeated the Risers fairly handily as they prepare for the UWS Playoffs.
Wednesday:
St. Louis Scott Gallagher 0 vs Gretna Elite 0 : World Wide Technology Soccer Park, Fenton, MO - Eleven Sports
SLSG played their final match of the regular season and all they needed to do to secure a playoff spot was to stop Gretna from winning, and they did that with a nil-nil draw.
Saturday:
FC Wichita 0 vs Gretna Elite 4 : Stryker Sports Complex, Wichita, KS - No Stream Announced
This was the final regular season match for both sides. Gretna defeated Wichita for the second time in 2021, this time on the road. Reagan Raabe led Gretna with a brace on Saturday night.
Detroit City FC 3 vs Lansing United 0 : Keyworth Stadium, Hamtramck, MI - Eleven Sports
Both sides would end their 2021 seasons at Keyworth, for Detroit City they went out in stellar fashion as three separate players scored for Le Rouge to give them a 3-0 win.
Sunday:
Midwest United 5 vs Muskegon Risers 0 : Aquinas College Athletic Field, Grand Rapids, MI - Eleven Sports
Playoff bound Midwest United ended their 2021 regular season against Muskegon Risers at home in Grand Rapids. Emma Berdiner led Midwest United with a brace en route to a 5-0 win over the Risers. With this win Midwest United finished an unbeaten 9-1-0 with 28 points in 2021.
NPSL Midwest Week 10: Recap
Wednesday:
FC Columbus 3 vs FC Indiana 0 : Roberts Field at The Wellington School, Columbus, OH - Eleven Sports
After a rough weekend which saw Columbus draw with FC Indiana then Carpathia win to knock FCC out of the playoffs, Columbus came back looking for vengeance. Amadou Dia broke open the match for Columbus in the 20th minute and Hamid Shariff added another just before the half time break. FCC added yet another when Chukwuemeka Eneli drilled home a PK in the 67th.
FC Milwaukee Torrent 5 vs Panathinaikos Chicago 0 : Hart Park, Wauwatosa, WI - Eleven Sports
The second midweek match effected by the Columbus and Carpathia matches from Saturday was another barn burner, and even more one sided. With a four point lead in the standings over Carpathia the Torrent could clinch the Great Lakes title with a win. And win they did with Malik Mennana earning a brace while Emiliano Caballero, Alexander Filian, and Byron Gutierrez each scored one in Milwaukee's route of PAO Chicago.
Duluth FC 6 vs La Crosse Aris FC 0 : Public Schools Stadium, Duluth, MN - Eleven Sports
A match that in all reality should be a route, was a route. Duluth FC dominated from start to finish in a match that saw the BlueGreens have five different goalscorers. Sidney Warden finished the match with a brace and is pushing hard for the league wide Golden Boot as he had 14 goals through 10 matches.
Joy Athletic Club 0 vs Med City FC 1 : Oriole Stadium, St Louis Park, MN - CCX Sports
Joy started the final week of their first season with their last home match of 2021 against Med City FC. While Joy Athletic has been snakebitten this season they have given most teams a good run for their money. Neither of those things changed as a 34th minute goal for Med City was all that was needed and all that was scored in SLP.
Sioux Falls Thunder FC 1 vs Dakota Fusion FC 3 : McEneaney Field, Sioux Falls, SD - Eleven Sports
Not a ton to say about this one, two teams towards the bottom of the division really just playing each other for the right of which Dakota is supreme. Last time out the Thunder wiped the floor with the Fusion 4-1 in Moorhead. This time out the roles were reversed as the away side Fusion dominated the scoreboard. Jack Pascoe scored two first half goals for the Fusion and Diego Valle added a third goal shortly into the second half. Sioux Falls did manage to keep the home side away from being shut out with David Bizimana's 82 minute goal.
Saturday:
FC Columbus 2 vs Carpathia FC 2 : Roberts Field at The Wellington School, Columbus, OH - No Announced Stream
This would be FC Columbus' swan song for the 2021 season as they hosted Carpathia FC at home. A week after getting knocked out of the playoffs for Columbus and days after Torrent secured the Great Lakes Championship there wasn't much on the line. Hamid Shariff scored first for Columbus before the match was deadlocked at 1-0 for the next 30 minutes. Owen Smith drew the match even in the 61st before teammate Ryan Williams put Carpathia ahead in the 73rd. Chukwuemeka Eneli drew the match even just three minutes later to have each team leave with a single point.
Minneapolis City SC 2 vs Joy Athletic Club 3 : Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis, MN - YouTube
Just two matches remained in the regular season for the Crows while the Goats would end their season in Minneapolis. MPLS City wanted to get one step closer to an unbeaten season while Joy only could disrupt that goal. Emmanuel Iwe opened the scoring after 50 minutes of play then former Crow, Whitney Browne added a second goal for the Goats in the 79th. Steevenson Lamarre brought the match back to a one goal difference with an 84th minute goal. Zinedine Kroeten pushed the lead back to two three minutes later. Luis Magana Cisneros scored one more for the home side before the final whistle to bring the scoreline back to one in what would be City's first loss of 2021.
Dakota Fusion FC 1 vs Duluth FC 2 : Jim Gotta Stadium, Moorhead, MN - Magnitude Sports Network
This meeting could have very well been a cakewalk for Duluth FC, Dakota Fusion did not let that happen in a must win match for the BlueGreens. James Westfield scored in the 4th and a half hour later Sidney Warden scored his 15th goal of the campaign for Duluth. Fusion's Aaron Pike got the home side on the board in the 75th minute for what by all accounts could have been a draw.
Sioux Falls Thunder 2 vs La Crosse Aris FC 2 : McEneaney Field, Sioux Falls, SD - Eleven Sports
Aris has a reputation for being a scrappy team that can steal points if you aren't careful. That's exactly what they did in Sioux Falls on Saturday night. While the Thunder got on the board early, just 9 minutes in, Aris answered back four minutes later. Damien Baltide's 65th minute goal for Aris gave them a lead but Tyler Limmer managed to score a late tying match for Sioux Falls to force a draw in what was close to being Aris first win of the year.