WPSL Wrap Up: Week 2
This Week
Thursday
AFC Columbia 2-3 St Louis Scott Gallagher
AFC CoMo's home opener saw the visitors go ahead in the thirty-seventh minute after a series of unfortunate events that Lemony Snicket would be proud of. There was a shot off the post, and a save by the Columbia goalkeeper before a final sliding shot deflected off her into the net by Sydney Etter. The equalizer came in the forty-third minute, directly from a booming goalkick, with Kailee Wisber outpacing the defense and blasting the ball in. SLSG re-established their lead in the sixtieth minute, when a searching left wing cross by Ashley Martinez was met by the head of Aubrey Mister. The visitors increased their lead only three minutes later when Hannah Larson dribbled inside the six yard box and slotted the ball firmly inside the far post. The final goal of the night came when Caroline Cole was left entirely unmarked in the center of the attacking box. Columbia had a golden opportunity to claim a point when a left wing free kick was headed just wide of the target in the ninetieth minute.
Friday
In a half characterized by near misses from Salvo on crosses into the City box, it was Kirsten Wetterstrom who applied the finishing touch on a Taylor Thomas cross, underneath Payton Cahill in the Salvo net in the 21st minute. That pattern solidified into the road side threatening almost exclusively on the break and Salvo peppering Hailee Fischer's goal, albeit mostly into the bread basket of the City keeper. The equalizer finally arrived in the 87th minute, as Khyah Harper headed in a perfectly placed cross from Katelyn Beulke. Salvo were awarded a PK in stoppage time at the end of the game, but Meredith Haakenson placed the ball wide of the post.
Milwaukee Torrent 6-0 Midwest Muskrats
The Torrent started early. How early?
https://twitter.com/MKETORRENT/status/1662254860975087617?s=20
Torrent dominated possession, but it took until the twenty-fourth minute for the home side to add to their lead, Mia Haertle driving into the box before laying off the ball for Layla Kelbel to show a neat close-control before smashing the ball into the net in the twenty-fourth minute. Maletis made it 3-0 in the twenty-eighth minute, off the inside of the far post, assisted by Ryann Locante. Muskrats struggled to get possession in their attacking third and had zero shots on goal in the first half.
Torrent kept their pressure on, making it 4-0 in the forty-sixth minute. Kelbel driving into the penalty area and setting up Lauren Hernandez. Lainey Higgins took a free kick from deep in the fifty-fifth minute and Sophia Balistreri flicked it home from the top of the box, bouncing home for 5-0 with 21 players stood around expecting the ball to go wide. Kelbel grabbed her second in the 60th minute for 6-0, beginning and finishing a move with a spinning reception before blasting home.
FC Pride 2-0 Dayton Dutch Lions
Pride scored their first goal with a blast from the top of the box via the boot of Samantha King. The second goal came in a similar fashion as Addy Joiner controlled the ball and slotted home.
St Croix Soccer Club 3-0 Joy Athletic Club
The opening goal of this game was an utter freak, a long free kick by Elayna Murdzek from the half way line was pumped forward and skipped and bounced its way into the net. The second goal, in the fourty-fourth minute, was also unusual - Avery Murdzek scoring an Olimpico. St Croix's third and final effort was more of a team effort, with a neat interchange in the center of the pitch followed by Elayna Murdzek dinking the ball over the Joy goalkeeper for her second goal.
Saturday
FC Spirit 0-2 Columbus Eagles
Eagles secured a road win through goals from Sidney Worthy and Katie Cox.
KC Courage 1-0 Lou Fusz Athletic
Courage stole all three points with a goal from Aya Saiki in the 90th minute, on the rebound after an initial shot was saved.
Sunday
Kansas City Scott Gallagher 3-1 Lou Fusz Athletic
KCSG opened the match fast, Reiss Wood side-footing the ball home in the 7th minute after a Greycen Erisman free kick from fully 30 yards out came rocketing back off the stanchion. Following a quick turnover in midfield, Ashlyn Nichols split the Scott Gallagher defense wide open in the thirteenth minute, for Logan Racine to equalize. After an equal few minutes, KCSG wrestled back the lead in stoppage time at the end of the first half after a corner was recycled by Calynn Harbert to Emma Thurston.
Kennedi Hooks eventually added a gloss to the score line, finishing off a Lilian Hollis assist in the eighty-third minute.
A back and forth barn-burner in Centerville. Ashley Gologin opened the scoring for the visitors, with Alaina Huber equalizing. Lacee Bethea put the Eagles on top again, tapping in after a shot was smothered by the Dayton keeper. Bethea scored again but the home side rallied again, Dara Russo making it 3-2. Victoria Kevdzija then made it 4-2, but two goals in the last two minutes by Kylee Simmons rescued a point for Dayton.
Tuesday
Rochester United 0-3 Joy Athletic Club
So far this season, Joy has won 3-0 (twice) and lost 3-0. In the latest 3-0 win, both sides had good chances in the opening 19 minutes but it was a mazy run by Brooke Quam which broke the deadlock, the Joy midfielder driving in from the left wing before chipping the ball in at the far post. Quam also set in motion a chance for Joy to double their lead, driving in from the right hand side before the ball was handled for a PK in the fifty-seventh minute. Unfortunately for Joy, the penalty kick struck the cross bar. The second goal came in the sixty-ninth minute, as a hopeful high ball was misfielded by the United defense and Dare Kroeten finished off the chance past a floundering last second goal line clearance attempt. Joy made it 3-0 (again!) with a blast from outside the area from Allison Wehrman in the eighty-sixth minute.
Coming Up
Tonight
KC Courage v Sunflower State FC - 6pm CT
Iowa Raptors v Quad Cities Rush - 7pm CT
Manitou FC v Minnesota Thunder - 7pm CT
Thursday
FC Pride v FC Spirit - 6:30pm ET
Friday
Manitou FC v Dakota Fusion FC - 6pm CT
MapleBrook Fury v Rochester United FC - 6:30pm CT
Sioux Falls City v Joy Athletic Club - 7pm CT
Salvo SC v St Croix SC - 7pm CT
Lou Fusz Athletic v St Louis Scott Gallagher - 7pm CT
Saturday
KC Courage v AFC Columbia - 2pm CT
Iowa Raptors v Midwest Muskrats - 3pm CT
Lou Fusz Athletic v Sunflower State FC - 3pm CT
Dayton Dutch Lions v Columbus Eagles - 4pm ET
FC Dayton v FC Pride - 7pm ET
Sunday
St Louis Scott Gallagher v Kansas City Scott Gallagher - 2pm CT
Quad Cities Rush v Milwaukee Torrent - 3pm CT
Dakota Fusion v MapleBrook Fury - 3pm CT
Manitou FC v Mankato United - 5pm CT
Columbus Eagles v FC Pride - 5pm CT
Minnesota Thunder v Salvo SC - 7pm CT
Tuesday
Midwest Muskrats v Chicago KICS - 7pm CT
MN Aurora Score Four on the Road, Take Three Points from Chicago Dutch Lions
In their first road match of 2023, Minnesota Aurora out classed Chicago Dutch Lions at a fitting location, Aurora University in Aurora, Illinois, shutting out their hosts 4-0 and taking the top spot in the division with a game in hand.
Head coach Nicole Lukic made only one change from Wednesday's opener, slotting Jelena Zbiljic in on the right wing for Sophie French, placing all four goalscorers from Wednesday in the XI. The Lions had one more game under their belts going into Saturday but with mixed results, opening the season with a 2-1 win over RKC and a 1-0 loss to Chicago City. Their two goalscorers from that opening match, Katrina Barthelt and Anna Stiffler, earned another start against Minnesota, but neither could overcome Aurora's stingy defense. Goalkeeper Caitlin Richards, who had conceded only two goals in two games, made some solid saves on the night but could not hold off a tested Aurora press. The Aurora Way continues in Year Two.
Saturday's goals were not as fast and furious as Wednesday's but they are just as stunning. Kennedy Faulknor got it started in the 21st minute with a rocket from 35 yards out, burying a postage stamp goal past a leaping Richards.
“Their defense was dropping off, and I had a lot of space,” said center back Kennedy Faulknor. “I thought I’d try to take the shot, and it went in!”
https://twitter.com/MNAuroraFC/status/1662619385620488193
Following the goal, both sides spent far more time working the midfield, with Chicago becoming more physical and Aurora stretching their press a bit rather than camping out in the final third. The second goal came in the 38th when Mariah Nguyen, who was a thorn in the side of CDL's midfield, sprinted down the wing and crossed a ball into the box. Maya Hansen was there for the finish, putting Aurora up 2-0. She would do again in the 43rd, after receiving a ball picked out of CDL's midfield by Cat Rapp, and making a central run on goal and going one on one with Richards, forcing the keeper to commit well off her line before sending the ball past her. It was Hansen's third goal of the season and Aurora's third of the night.
The second half was chippy but more even in terms of possession. Aurora's back line did well to prevent Chicago from getting into shooting positions, let alone scoring positions, but they did have to work a little to keep the clean sheet. The best opportunity for the hosts came from a corner, but even that was not incredibly threatening. Mariah Nguyen, the work horse of the left wing, finally got a goal of her own in the 89th minute, putting a bow on the shutout result with a leaping half volley, ending the night 4-0.
The result sees Aurora leapfrog Chicago City SC to first place in the Heartland Division, with identical records aside from a slim margin in goals scored -- Aurora has 9, CCSC 8. Minnesota Aurora will return home to host RKC at TCO Stadium on Wednesday, May 31, at 7:00 PM CST.
NPSL Round Up: Week 2
This Week
Friday
Michigan Rangers 1-0 Akron City FC
Daire O'Riordan settled an even and open match, opening the NPSL account for Rangers in the 29th minute, after a successful high press and some neat interplay down the left wing culminated in an assist by Adam Hanson.
Steel City dominated possession and chances in the opening half, with Columbus relying on Damani Camara's counterattacking threat. Nonetheless, the breakthrough didn't come through until stoppage time before the half - through Tate Mohney. In what amounted to a 1-0 hammering, it took Steel City until the 81st minute to add a clinching second through Michael Sullivan's stooping header from a deep cross.
Saturday
Sunflower State FC 3-1 Club Atletico St Louis
The home team opened the scoring through Tim Smith after an incisive run down the left wing, leaving Smith with an opportunity inside the 6 yard box. The lead was doubled when a ball was pumped right up the spine of the CASL team and finished off by Bryce Dickerson. The match was over as a contest within 30 mins after an attack down the right wing was crossed to Caden McLagen for Sunflower's third. The visiting Bluebirds did manage to spoil the clean sheet in the 48th minute through Cole Hudson.
Milwaukee Torrent 2-0 Ehtar Belleville
After a goal-less first half, Samuka Toure's foray down the right wing was met on the volley in front of goal by Matabishi Kambali in the 70th minute. It took until stoppage time at the end of the match before Torrent were able to finally finish off their visitors, Paco Piscaglia passing across an open net for Will Davis to tap in.
Iowa Raptors 1-4 Des Moines United FC
Jayce Berger opened scoring for the visitors from the south in the 10th minute but the Raptors equalized in the 34th minute through Jordan Webb. Raptors lost the advantage on the scoreboard in the 60th minute through Guilherme Cunha and then swiftly lost the advantage in man-power with a denial of a goalscoring opportunity, seeing Stefan Mijatovic take an early shower. The match ended in chaos, with Kais Sabic (from a PK) and Lincoln Borges scoring in the 90th minute and Raptors Jonathan Williams and Keaton Woods both given straight red cards for abusive language.
Erie Commodores 0-3 Carpathia FC
Joseph Tinnion opened the scoring in the 29th minute, with the visitors doubling their lead through Alexander Demorow in the 52nd minute. The last goal came in the 90th minute, courtesy of Zain Akeel.
Dakota Fusion FC 4-1 Minnesota TwinStars FC
Daniel Helle touched home a left wing cross in the 19th minute to put the hosts ahead. TwinStars levelled matters from the penalty spot after a yellow card challenge in the 43rd minute. It took until the 73rd minute for the deadlock to be broken again, this time with Yu Tsukanome heading home a cross from the right wing. Tsukanome then increased the margin of victory 8 minutes later and he completed the hat trick in the 89th minute.
Duluth FC 3-1 Sioux Falls Thunder
Duluth went behind to a 4th minute strike from a free kick served from just outside the left hand side of the penalty area into the six yard box, by the center back Patrick Hanson. Stefan Roeb levelled the game in the 20th minute, running on to a long pass down the right wing to chip the Thunder goalie from outside the box. It took until the 65th minute for the home side to reassert their lead, with a cross by Kostya Domaratskyy finished off by Dylan Zavatini. Domaratskyy added a goal to his assist in the 75th minute, after a long pass down the middle was neatly finished, dribbling around two defenders in the box before finishing.
Med City FC 1-0 La Crosse Aris FC
In a scoreless first half, the clearest chance came when Aris had a penalty saved in the 20th minute, awarded for handball - with Med City GK Iker Gonzalez also stopping some other opportunities for the visitors. Entering the 50th minute, the match was suspended because one of the floodlight pylons was on fire. Play resumed after a 12 minute delay. Abdirasak Bulale hit the crossbar for Med City's best chance in the 75th minute of play. Scott Neil made the breakthrough for Med City in the 84th minute from a Lucas Hart assist and the home side made the narrow margin stand up.
Sunday
It only took 3 minutes for the home side to move ahead, with Colin Biros breaking through. Five minutes later, they doubled their lead after Josef Paulus scored direct from a corner. Columbus also gained a man advantage in the 52nd minute, as Malick Sow was dismissed. The resultant penalty kick was dispatched firmly by Sammy George.
Michigan Rangers 2-1 Cleveland SC
Chris Mendez had a good chance in the 10th minute, but Cleveland's Ryan Poling made a spectacular save and the rebound was put into the outside side netting. Poling snuffed out all the chances that Rangers produced during a lop-sided first half, but it entered half time goal-less. The visitors took the lead after a PK was awarded following contact at a corner, and dispatched by Jannis Schmidt. In the 68th minute, a Rangers shot was blasted at a Cleveland defender's hand and Chris Mendez stepped up to calmly put the PK in the opposite direction as Poling. Dara O'Riordan swept home a TJ Ifaturoti cross in the 73rd minute to complete the comeback.
Wednesday
Joy Athletic Club 2-3 Med City FC
Noah Kantorowicz opened the scoring for the hosts, scrambling home after a corner wasn't cleared in the 21st minute. The equalizer came off a turnover by the Joy defense, Scott Neil slotting home just before half time. A free kick from Gustavo Augusto Leal Murtha on the left wing, twenty yards out, bounced all the way through to give Med City the lead on fifty-eight. The equalizer came via a deep cross from the left by Zinedine Kroeten, deflected past the Med City keeper. The visitors took a final lead in the eighty-first minute after good close control and finish by Tristan Jumeau, who subsequently received a second yellow card and was dismissed.
La Crosse Aris FC 0-1 Duluth FC
A hard fought win for the visitors as the ball was crossed from the right wing over to Kostya Domaratskyy in the left back berth, who put the ball back past the goalkeeper in the 76th minute. Duluth head coach Sean Morgan was given a red card just before.
Sioux Falls Thunder FC 2-4 Minnesota TwinStars FC
TwinStars broke the deadlock in the tenth minute, Sidike Jabateh driving home a long diagonal into the left back spot, back across the keeper. Jabateh doubled the lead in the nineteenth minute with a solo effort. Another long ball into the channel, this time down the right wing, was neatly finished by Sadra Golzarian in the thirty-second minute. Despite outshooting their opponents 7-4, it took until the fifty-sixth minute for Thunder to score, through a PK from Marcus Harwood after an attack was definitively stopped deep in the box. It was 4-1 in the 59th minute as Jabateh blasted home from inside the box to complete his hat trick. Thunder earned their second goal in second half stoppage time through Harwood.
Coming Up
Friday
Carpathia FC v Akron City FC - 7pm CT
Cleveland SC v Michigan Rangers - 7pm ET
Erie Commodores v Steel City FC - 7pm ET
Saturday
Club Atletico St Louis v Iowa Raptors FC - 6pm CT
Ehtar Belleville v Des Moines United - 6pm CT
Duluth FC v Joy Athletic Club - 7pm CT
Milwaukee Torrent v Sunflower State FC - 7pm CT
Minnesota TwinStars v Med City FC - 7pm CT
Sioux Falls Thunder v Dakota Fusion - 7pm CT
Sunday
Club Atletico St Louis v Des Moines United - 2pm CT
Ehtar Belleville v Iowa Raptors - 2pm CT
FC Columbus v Erie Commodores - 5pm ET
Michigan Rangers v Steel City FC - 6pm ET
Wednesday
Duluth FC v Med City FC - 7pm CT
Joy Athletic Club v Sioux Falls Thunder - 7pm CT
Photo Gallery: Minnesota Aurora v Rochester FC
Month: May 2023
Minnesota Aurora defeated Rochester FC 5-0 at home for the season opener on Wednesday, May 24th, 2023. Here are our photographs from the game.
MN Aurora FC Shuts Out Rochester FC In 5 Goal Opener
(Photo by Seth Steffenhagen/Steffenhagen Photography)
Minnesota Aurora FC opened the 2023 season by hosting expansion side Rochester FC, welcoming the Loons to the league with a five goal shutout. Three returning players tallied four massive goals in the first half to welcome fans back to TCO Stadium, starting what is sure to be a tough season on the front foot.
"Breaking news, the conference champs are still really, really good at soccer," Rochester FC tweeted at full time. The Rochester Loons are one of the Heartland Division expansion sides, bringing some in-state competition to Aurora's calendar. A very young RFC squad put up a good fight, particularly in the second half, but ultimately could not answer the goal tally put up by the Aurora.
Minnesota earned a corner within the first minute, a freekick in the second, struck side netting in the fourth. The first goal finally (yes, finally) came in the 6', a clean finish by Cat Rapp on a cross from Makenzie Langdok. While Rochester took advantage of a few counters, their finishing was not clean or powerful enough to trouble starting goalkeeper Amanda Poorbaugh. But an Aurora offense featuring four returning players (Rapp, Mariah Nguyen, Hannah Adler, Sophie French and Maya Hansen) was no easy match. Mariah Nguyen, who found side netting early, found Hannah Adler in the six yard box in the 14'. Adler settled the ball and sent an inside-of-the-boot finish past keeper Carlota Alcade.
Alcade, who had 12 saves in RFC's 1-0 opening loss against Bavarian SC last week, looked less confident against Aurora. Down 2-0 inside of 15 minutes, it would be a long night for her. A minute after the crossbar denied a Nguyen scissor kick, Hansen found Rapp who slipped past the centerback and beat Alcade again to make it 3-0 in the 35'. Then just after the restart, Adler sent a ball to Hansen whose quick finish made it 4-0 in the 36'.
"It was fun, and I think it helped us settle down a little bit," head coach Nicole Lukic said of the four first half goals. Of Rapp's two goals, Lukic said, "Incredible and not surprising because she's been on fire the last two weeks at training so really happen to see some goals going in for her tonight."
https://twitter.com/MNAuroraFC/status/1661535442506858496
Rapp credited preseason preparation for Wednesday's result:
"We have a mindset and a goal and a plan of what we want to do and because my teammates and all we've been working on for the past couple weeks with coaches and everybody, I was able to just do my job and finish the chances I had."
The score held through to halftime with Rochester growing into the game in those ten minutes but still feeling things out. Aurora's Nguyen tangled with Sera Speltz on the wing a few times, each attempting physical runs.
Each side made three changes to start the half with newcomer Vienna Behnke replacing Nguyen and Lydia Ruppert and Jelena Zbiljic replacing Ostrem and French for Aurora. Emma Knack entered the game for Rochester, replacing Alcade in goal, joined by Becca Cook and Ava Adams. The first half hour of the second half was much like the last ten minutes of the first half with Rochester getting a little more purpose from their possession (Mizutani's freekick attempt in the 53' was high but seemed to renew Rochester's attack) but a took a few more subs for the next goal to happen.
In the 83', after a few well-timed if not powerful shots, Aurora's Kristelle Yewah took advantage of a miscue by Knack, getting behind the keeper and flustering both centerbacks before deflecting a long ball from defender Kennedy Faulknor to Jelena Zbiljic, who tapped it home for the fifth and final goal.
"Incredible ball," Lukic reflected. "Well-weighted, left footed, just floated right into Kristelle's feet."
https://twitter.com/MNAuroraFC/status/1661551215765848065
A five goal shutout with two key players out due to knocks suffered in preseason friendlies (Kelsey Kaufusi - hamstring; Taylor Kane - thumb) is a solid start for a team that expects to score but also concede more in their second season. The crowd of 5,187 fans made the work a little difficult for Lukic and her squad:
"To be honest, I think at times we were still pretty choppy and sloppy through the night and the ball was out of bounds a lot [...] I learned that we're a little more nervous than I thought we would be being back in this environment but that'll come with time and your know, our next game's on the road. So it'd be nice to kind of work on some things and build off of tonight and in a little bit more quiet atmosphere where we can hear each other, because I couldn't even get anything across to the other side of the field today.
Lukic found plenty of things to work on despite the 5-0 result, but this is not a bad problem to have in the first match of a compact but long season. The Aurora face a quick turnaround with match two coming Saturday at Chicago Dutch Lions. But as Lukic noted, that will be a good environment for them to work on communication and any other problems visible in the first competitive runout.
However, as promised in preseason, this 2023 Aurora squad plans to continue scoring and putting on the pressure, even if they [eventually] have to concede a few more goals along the way. They may not all be 5-0 shutouts, but this team is ready to continue the Aurora Way.
Aurora will face the Chicago Dutch Lions on the road Saturday before returning to TCO to host another new opponent, RKC (Racine, WI) in a Wednesday night prime time feature.
Photo Gallery: Minnesota Aurora vs. Rochester FC
(Photo by Seth Steffenhagen/Steffenhagen Photography)
WPSL Wrap Up : Week 1
This week
Wednesday
Sunflower State FC 1-2 KC Courage
A combative Kansas City derby saw the Courage with the better chances in the first half but Sunflower had a counter-attack threat in Mackenzie Dimarco. Neither side were able to breakthrough before the break. Dimarco had a massive chance to put the home team ahead but failed to control the ball when she had rounded the goalkeeper. Addison Steiner made the breakthrough for Courage in the 65th minute, capitalizing on a defensive miscue by Sunflower. Dimarco arrowed the equalizer in the 80th minute, over the Courage goalkeeper Kaylin Williams-Mosier from miles outside the penalty area, following a swift counter attack from their own penalty area. Steiner then applied the finishing touch, grabbing the winning goal in the 89th minute, catching Sunflower up field.
Friday
With a lightning delay mixed in, FC Dayton got their season started on the right foot. Goals by Maddie Thiss and Dara Russo (Assisted by Jenna Hallbeck) were enough to separate the two sides.
Saturday
Sunflower State 5-0 AFC Columbia
AFC CoMo made a forgettable debut on the road in the face of relentless Sunflower State pressure. The home side went ahead on the 10 minute mark when Calista Schechinger connected from a corner. They doubled their lead only 3 minutes later, Mackenzie Dimarco finishing a counter attack. Gabriela Leon made it three in the 17th minute. Goal number four was another breakaway from midfield, finished by Dimarco again, calmly slotting past the advancing keeper, April Mason in the 58th minute. Jaylie Hicklin made it a five-star performance in the 81st minute.
Joy opened their account for the season, Ceilidh Whynott breaking away with pace from a defensive corner, down the left wing and past a despairing goalie with 21 minutes on the clock. The second goal also came down the left wing, with a series of one-two exchanges ending with a bullet finish from Megan Hansen. The match was iced in the 63rd minute, when Sophie Pawlyshyn placed the ball past the Manitou goalie from the right back position across into the far side of the goal.
Sunday
Jasmine Gates lofted a ball from just outside the area into the top left hand corner of the St. Croix goal to put the visitors ahead in the 21st minute. In the 85th minute, St Croix had a wonderful chance to equalize but a corner skidded across the six yard box without anyone making contact. Despite other corners in the waning minutes, Fury held out for a win against their neighbors.
KC Courage 1-1 St Louis Scott Gallagher
Aya Saiki scored for the Courage, SLSG scored through Ashley Martinez.
Coming Up
Thursday
AFC Columbia v St Louis Scott Gallagher - 7pm ET
Friday
Salvo SC v Sioux Falls City - 6pm CT
Milwaukee Torrent v Midwest Muskrats - 7pm CT
FC Pride v Dayton Dutch Lions - 7pm ET
St Croix Soccer Club v Joy Athletic Club - 7:30pm CT
Saturday
FC Spirit v Columbus Eagles - 1pm CT
KC Courage v Lou Fusz Athletic - 2pm CT
Sunday
Kansas City Scott Gallagher v Lou Fusz Athletic - 10am CT
FC Dayton v Columbus Eagles - 6pm ET
Tuesday
Rochester United v Joy Athletic Club - 7pm CT
Photo Gallery: Minnesota Aurora FC Practice
Month: May 2023
Minnesota Aurora FC held an open practice session on Monday, May 22nd ahead of their season opener on Wednesday night against Rochester FC. Check out our photos below.
NPSL Round-Up: Week 1
This week
Saturday
Steel City FC 2-1 Akron City FC
In Steel City's NPSL debut*, all the action came within a ten minute spell at the end of the first half. The home side broke the deadlock in the 36th minute with a penalty after Tate Mohney was upended in the box. Michael Sullivan was the scorer. 4 minutes later, ACFC drew level through Jaden Wright but the hosts reclaimed the lead again in the second minute of stoppage time from the edge of the box through Ryan Mertz.
* The league consider SCFC a continuation of Hotspurs' NPSL side, but the club were marking debuts.
https://twitter.com/SteelCityFC/status/1657527122594856963
After a goal-less hour in Auburn Hills, Jack Foht opened the scoring for the visitors, slotting home a Logan Penton assist after a long, raking diagonal into the left back corner.
Dakota Fusion FC 1-1 Med City FC
Following a scrappy opening 15 minutes, Fusion began to assert some control and had a couple of good chances to score. After another good chance for Fusion was boomed clear, the game levelled out again. Med City had a shot on goal, albeit from 30 yards out and it sailed over the crossbar and through the gridiron uprights. Daniel Helle broke the deadlock after a break down the right wing by Sebastian Acuna in the 40th minute. The half finished with a long throw from Med City into the Fusion box but it was cleared. MCFC had a good, early chance in the 2nd half but it was cleared. Fusion had a corner which went nowhere and pretty much immediately, Med City put a chance straight at the Fusion keeper Jamie Colvill. In the 68th minute, Med City looped a chance over the crossbar and less than a minute later, Lucas Hart equalized for the visitors on a solo effort, driving in from the left wing. It was mostly Med City pressure after that, although no golden chances. Máté Lengyel had a clear chance for Fusion in the 81st minute but Med City goalie Iker González managed to close it down. Med City had a golden chance but also skied it over the crossbar. Med City earned a corner but nothing more as the game entered stoppage time after a shot was blocked clear by Colvill. Fusion had two good chances in stoppage time but the game finished level.
Joy Athletic Club 3-1 LC Aris FC
The Goats' opener saw two penalty kicks, both scored by Zinedine Kroeten for Joy. Scoring was opened in the 33rd minute by Mika Folstad, tapping in a searching cross from Kroeten on the right wing. The first penalty came in stoppage time at the end of the first half when Bennett Kouame was tripped up by the Aris goalkeeper. That was the last action of the first half and the last touch for Kouame, who left injured.
Following some sustained possession by Aris, it was Joy who received their second penalty kick of the game from an agricultural challenge on Spencer Enright near the top of the box in the 51st minute. Kroeten then missed a golden opportunity to bag his hat trick from an Enright cross. In the 65th minute, Joy's goalkeeper Sam Gage saved an Aris shot with his knees. (It should be noted at this point that Gage was referred to as "an emergency goalie" by the club, and is listed as a forward). The visitors made the opportunity pay with a smart header from the corner. Shortly after, Aris took a long range potshot, which skipped off the rain-slicked surface and was scrambled wide by Gage. There then followed a sequence where Gage proved himself worthy of the gloves, denying multiple chances for Aris to draw even closer. Joy missed a solid opportunity when Owen Salzwedel missed. Aris had another good chance in the 85th minute, but the ball was headed wide. In the 89th minute, Aris burst forward but their shot on target crept along the goal line and off a post without going in. In stoppage time at the end of the game, Aris's Sebastian Acosta received a straight red card.
Minnesota TwinStars FC 0-3 Duluth FC
Rory Doyle provided the go-ahead goal for the visitors in the 34th minute. Their lead was doubled by Tyler Limmer in the 58th minute. A third goal came from Kostya Domaratskyy in the 66th minute.
Wednesday
Des Moines United FC 2-1 Sunflower State FC
A debut of two teams saw the home side go ahead in the 27th minute, Lesego Maloma finishing a counter attack. DMU went up by 2 from the penalty spot through Lincoln Borges just before half time, after a defender's shoulder barge was deemed a foul. DMU's Raphael Nascimento received a red card in the 60th minute. Sunflower halved the deficit with their own PK in the 70th minute, slotting past Rayane El Mehdi, who had conceded the penalty after overstretching and clipping an attacker in the area. In the end, despite a string of Sunflower corners, United were able to hang on for a season-opening win.
Coming up
Friday
Michigan Rangers v Akron City FC
Steel City FC v FC Columbus
Saturday
Sunflower State FC v Club Atletico St Louis
Milwaukee Torrent v Ehtar Belleville
Iowa Raptors v Des Moines United FC
Erie Commodores v Carpathia FC
Dakota Fusion FC v Minnesota TwinStars FC
Duluth FC v Sioux Falls Thunder
Med City FC v La Crosse Aris FC
Sunday
Akron City FC v Columbus SC
Michigan Rangers v FC Columbus
Wednesday
Joy Athletic Club v Med City FC
La Crosse Aris FC v Duluth FC
Sioux Falls Thunder FC v Minnesota TwinStars FC
USLW Central Conference Recap: Week 1-2
Week 1
Saturday
Cleveland Force SC 1-2 Kalamazoo FC
AFC Ann Arbor 1-5 Flint City AFC
Week 2
Wednesday
St. Charles FC 0-8 Indy Eleven
Lexington SC 2-1 Kings Hammer FC
Thursday
Kalamazoo FC 3-1 Cleveland Force SC
Saturday
Detroit City FC 0-0 Flint City AFC
Sunday
Kings Hammer FC 3-1 St. Charles FC
AFC Ann Arbor 2-1 Kalamazoo FC
Coming up
Wednesday
Kalamazoo FC v Detroit City FC
Midwest United FC v Flint City AFC
Thursday
Racing Louisville FC v Lexington SC
Friday
Bavarian United SC v RKC Third Coast
Saturday
Cleveland Force SC v Midwest United FC
Flint City AFC v Detroit City FC
Sunday
Rochester FC v Bavarian United FC
St. Charles FC v Racing Louisville FC
Chicago Dutch Lions v RKC Third Coast
USL2 Central Conference Recap: Week 1-2
Week 1
Sunday
St. Charles FC 0-4 Des Moines Menace
Des Moines Menace kicked off their 2023 season and return to the Heartland Division against a debuting St. Charles FC side in St. Charles home opener. The match did not go the way the hosts would have liked as they fell to Des Moines 4-0. The Menace struck early on with a Lagos Kunga strike from inside the six. After the opener in the ninth minute, the Menace struck again in the 33rd minute with a goal from Eliot Goldthorp. Des Moines would earn an own goal in the 65th minute before adding the fourth goal when Leroy Enzugusi sent a low shot into the corner of the goal from 15 yards out.
Week 2
Saturday
Midwest United FC 0-0 Oakland County FC
Midwest United hosted in-state rival Oakland County FC at MUFC's home (and season) opener in Grand Raids, MI. Neither said was able to break a deadlock that would go through the entire 90 minutes, ending the match in the conference's first nil-nil draw in the season.
Minneapolis City SC 1-2 St. Croix Legends
The Crows took to the field to open their USL2 season at home against St. Croix SC in the Twin Cities derby. After falling in their season the previous weekend in Minnesota Super Cup match the against MNUFC's U19 team, Minneapolis City looked for their first win under Carl Craig. In what would become a very chippy match with seven yellows issued, Minneapolis City stuck first with a 31st goal from Hakeem Morgan directly from a free kick. Right after the start of the second half, St. Croix's Nathan Donovan chipped the ball over Minneapolis goalkeeper Oscar Herrera's head, then from near the six sent it in for the easy goal to draw the match level. Six minutes later Otis Anderson kicked in a ball bouncing around inside the six to put St. Croix up 2-1 and earn what would be the match winning goal.
Des Moines Menace 3-0 FC Wichita
After a routing win to open the season for Des Moines, FC Wichita looked to get the season off to a good start against easily the toughest team in the division. After staying even for nearly 30 minutes, the Menace snagged the opener when Eliot Goldthorp scored his second of the season on a rocket from inside the 18. Just four minutes after the opening goal, Lagos Kunga snapped up his second goal of the season when he chipped a ball over Wichita keeper Breno Zanolla, who would later be issued a straight red card, allowing the ball to roll in for the second goal and push the Menace firmly in control. Leroy Enzugusi tacked on the third goal in the 74th minute with an easy finish after receiving a pass inside the six in front of a wide open goal.
Cleveland Force SC 3-3 FC Buffalo
The season opener for both sides and the first ever USL2 match for FC Buffalo would end in each side taking home just one point after playing to a 3-3 draw.
AFC Ann Arbor 5-0 Kalamazoo FC
Another Michigan rivalry match opened the season with AFC Ann Arbor hosting Kalamazoo FC. After going into half-time up 1-0 off a goal from Charlie Sharp, The Mighty Oak broke the match wide open in the second half, with four more goals to secure a dominating win.
Fort Wayne FC 1-0 Kings Hammer FC
Fort Wayne FC edged out Kings Hammer FC in a closely fought contest with Alexandre Frank's 75th minute bicycle kick goal being the deciding factor in the match..
Coming up
Wednesday
Lansing City Football v AFC Ann Arbor
Friday
Kings Hammer FC v Cleveland Force SC
Kalamazoo FC v Flint City Bucks
Rochester FC v Bavarian United SC
Chicago City SC v Springfield Athletic SC
Saturday
Midwest United FC v South Bend Lions
Minneapolis City SC v RKC Third Coast
FC Wichita v Des Moines Menace
Peoria City v St. Charles FC
Oakland County FC v Lansing City Football
Sunday
St. Croix Legends v Bavarian United SC
WPSL Central Region preview
In overview, we have many derbies to salivate over and we have a far-too-large Northern conference. We will be covering all of the Central region except for the Mountain Conference. As ever, there’s been reshuffling:
Research from the league suggests that sixty-nine percent of WPSL players are rostered on teams from their hometown’s metro area. I have no comparison point but this figure seems to track, given the high number of youth-to-WPSL clubs in our region.
In case you are wondering, the winners of the Heartland and Northern Conferences will each get 1 spot in the Central Region playoffs. The champions of the National Road and Lake Michigan divisions of the Midwest Conference will play each other for 1 berth. The champions of the two divisions of the Mountain Conference will likewise play-in for 1 spot in the playoffs. It's a punishing league to be in, in terms of looking for silverware.
Heartland
AFC Columbia. The team from the capital of Missouri has a young squad, with a handful of NAIA players and a couple of D1 players (Sophia Elfrink, Haley Steinke), and one D2 player (Maddy Schrader) sprinkled in.
Lou Fusz Athletic are one of two St. Louis clubs to step into the void left by Fire & Ice’s departure. LFA was founded by its namesake in the 1990s. Their Creve Coeur, MO complex is home to soccer, lacrosse and gridiron. The roster is exclusively made up of current NCAA D1 and D2 players, even as a first year side and despite recruitment from the other club in town.
St Louis Scott Gallagher are based 13 miles South, at the former home of St. Louis FC in Fenton, MO but they also list Creve Coeur amongst their facilities. In a historical soccer city, SLSG’s predecessors stretch all the way back to the 1970s and the history of company-sponsors names (in this case Scott-Gallagher metals) The players they have announced are all D1 players.
Kansas City Scott Gallagher are one of three teams in the Kansas City metropolitan area , in their case based in Lee’s Summit, MO. They are affiliated with SLSG. The roster is extensively made up of D1 and D2 athletes, with a smattering of high school kids mixed in.
Over to the west in Overland Park, Kansas, KC Courage make their move from the UWS with a roster dominated by D1 athletes, and three D1 graduates (Georgia Vernardakis, Taylor Wagner, Kaylin Williams) and players from NAIA schools also listed.
Lastly, sitting just on the Missouri side of the border with Kansas, the Sunflower state, Sunflower State FC complete the triumvirate of KC clubs. The roster is structured around NAIA and NCAA D2 players, and capped with the D1 athlete Jaylie Hicklin.
In a very compact conference, the longest road trip is the 250 miles from Kansas City to St Louis and the shortest is a short jog across the Kansas City metro for KCSG or Courage. I expect Lou Fusz to finish on top of this conference.
Midwest — Lake Michigan
Chicago KICS are proudly based on the southside of Chicago. Their public roster is incomplete and out of date.
Milwaukee Torrent are firmly settled in Wauwatosa, WI — next door to the city of Milwaukee. Their team is made up of current D1 and D2 players, with one member of the roster playing D3 ball (and one former D1 athlete who is now a D1 coach).
Iowa Raptors are based in Cedar Rapids, IA. There is no public information on the makeup of their squad.
Midwest Select SA Muskrats are based in St. John, IN — an hour south of Chicago. The roster is headlined by D1 athletes Kailyn Smith, Olivia Hansen and Kayla Green. Added to this are players from the D2, D3, NJCAA and NAIA levels as well as some high schoolers.
Quad Cities Rush are based in Davenport, IA. The roster features D1 athletes Emily Bollman, Madison Bulin, Caroline Hazen and Morgan Rinker, as well D2, D3 and NAIA players. One player plays on a school which is sanctioned by the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (I have to admit that I know next to nothing about the level of their competition). There is a former athlete who is now a physical therapist. They will hope that this season is better for them than their rookie year in the WPSL.
This conference lost a rivalry when Bavarians moved to USL W but there is potential for KICS — Torrent or Raptors — Rush to develop into rivalries.
The longest trip is from Milwaukee the Quad Cities, at 211 miles. The shortest is the Iowa Raptors to Quad Cities Rush (82 miles)
Midwest — National Road
Columbus Eagles are based in Bexley, OH. Their roster is not yet announced.
Dayton Dutch Lions are based in West Carrolton, OH. Suzy Hayes is a D1 player on a roster of D2, D3 and NAIA players.
FC Dayton is based in Centerville, OH. Their roster is dominated by current D1 talent and also includes D2 and D3 players.
FC Pride are based in Indianapolis. They could field an 11 exclusively of D1 players, and have enough for a deep bench.
FC Spirit are based in Evansville, IN. A young squad is capped by a quartet of D1 players in Ryleigh Anslinger, Annah Hopkins, Camryn LaGrange and Kaylee Woosley.
This is certainly aptly named National Road. The longest road trip is Evansville to Columbus at 330 miles, whereas the shortest is the 7.5 miles between Centerville and West Carrollton. One of the few ‘road trips’ in the WPSL which could be a brisk walk.
Northern
The Northern conference continues to grow, with the puzzling addition of St Croix (whose men’s team is in USL L2). This was too large last year, and got even more so this year — at least the geographical footprint didn’t expand *that* much. Please, WPSL, for the love of all that’s holy, split this conference in two next year. After all, that solution has already been adopted across the entire remainder of this region.
As addressed in my NPSL preview Dakota Fusion are out on an island up in Fargo-Moorhead (North Dakota/Minnesota border), a situation even more extreme in this league — since there is no Duluth women’s team. They have a new head coach, who has an interesting bio. The roster is headlined by D1 athletes Ashleigh Heeley, Olivia Watson and McKenna Strand, backed by a D2-heavy roster and a sprinkling of players from NAIA schools.
Down the I-29, Sioux Falls City are rolling into their second season having made waves during their expansion season. Karoline Riisnaes leads the club's D1 contingent, joined by Delaney Kenney, Mary Perez, Rylee Haldeman, McKenna Lehman, Hailee Fischer and Barbie Castellanos as well as players from D2 and NAIA levels.
Mankato United is led by Maggie Smither, both a D1 goalkeeper and volunteer coach and Ella White. The roster is dominated by the D2 powerhouse Minnesota State Mankato. A notable absentee is future pro Jenny Vetter, who graduated last season.
Down US 14, Rochester United is one of three different organizations operating in the Med City (with separate clubs operating NPSL and USL W squads too). Their roster is led by D1 players Haley Archuleta, Ashley Concolino, Sienna Latta, Briana Johnson, Samara Nunn, Kiara Oliver and Maysa Walters.
Now we move on to the six teams clustered around the Twin Cities.
Joy Athletic in St Louis Park are anchored by Katharine Ashley, Ella Bryant, Ella Clow and Ceilidh Whynott. Also worth noting is Lennon Folstad, whose brother plays for the Goats in NPSL. The club is the tip of the Joy of the People youth club.
Manitou FC in White Bear Lake is led by Molly Knoblauch and Anna Koepke and backed by D2 and high school players from the area.
The limited roster listed for Maplebrook Fury in Maple Grove features D1 athletes Abby Brantner, Brooke Davies, Kaitlynn Delveaux, Annika Eckroth, Izzy Smith, Jasmine Gates and Hannah Zahn.
Minnesota Thunder in Richfield is easily the most famous name in this crowded area, and its academy is a veritable factory of talent. This year's WPSL squad includes enough D1 athletes to fill the roster. They also feature a US U21 player in Caroline Smith.
Salvo SC in Roseville has been the class of the conference and made it to the national quarterfinals last season. They are led by Molly Fiedler, fresh from professional play and currently coaching at D3, and her team mate in Serbia Emily Heslin, together with a panoply of D1 talent.
St Croix Soccer Club in Stillwater is led by D1 players Abby Carlson, Jenna Hallen, Lauren Heinsch, Olivia Knoepfle, Liv Muehlberg, Avery Murdzek, Elayna Murdzek, Jenna Nyblom and Anna Wagner, and backed by a handful of D2 players.
I think Salvo and Thunder will once again fight for the one and only WPSL playoff spot from this conference.
This week's fixtures
Wednesday
Sunflower State v KC Courage
Friday
FC Dayton v FC Pride
Saturday
Joy Athletic v Manitou FC
Sunflower State v AFC Columbia
Sunday
St Croix v MapleBrook Fury
KC Courage v St Louis Scott Gallagher
USL2 Central Conference Preview
Deep North Division
Clubs: 7
Clubs Lost: 2 (moved to Heartland Division)
Expansion sides: 3
Matches: 12
Playoff Spots: TBD (2 in 2022)
The 2022 season in the Deep North was dominated by perennial National Championship challengers, Des Moines Menace and expansion side Peoria City. Both of those sides have been moved out of the Deep North and into the Heartland Division for 2023. Thunder Bay Chill, FC Manitoba, St. Croix SC, and Minneapolis City SC will continue in the division, the existing four sides will be joined by three expansion clubs. RKC Third Coast is the only tried and true expansion side as Bavarian United and Rochester FC are additions to already existing clubs.
With the changes to the division the geography has been massively reduced and now is similar to, though larger than, the NPSL North Conference. After their performance last season, tying Peoria City on 21 points, Thunder Bay Chill are unquestionably the favourites in the league. On the flip side of that Minneapolis City SC finished dead last in the division in 2022. The Crows new, and former MNUFC (NASL) and Forward Madison boss Carl Craig will look to right the ship and rebound in 2023.
Great Lakes Division
Clubs: 7
Clubs Lost: 0
Expansion sides: 0 (gained 1 from Valley)
Matches: 12
Playoff Spots: TBD (2 in 2022)
The Great Lakes Division is the most stable division, with only one change, in the conference and looks to be the most competitive as well. 2022 Valley Division champion South Bend Lions join the Great Lakes and will play alongside: AFC Ann Arbor, Flint City Bucks, Kalamazoo FC, Lansing City Football, Midwest United FC, and Oakland County FC.
After an ultra-competitive 2022 where the top four sides finished within 9 points of each other, 2023 looks to be even more wild. The addition of South Bend Lions throws in another very good team who look to push further after being knocked out of the USL2 playoffs in the first round. The Lions will have their work cut out for them as Kalamazoo, Flint City, and AFC Ann Arbor are looking to stake their claim in at the top of the table. Oakland County, Lansing City, and Midwest United all finished the previous season losing more than half their matches, OCFC is looking to build off the best season in club history while Lansing and Midwest United will be looking to improve on their season one performances.
Heartland Division
Clubs: 7
Clubs Lost: 3 (not playing in 2023)
Expansion sides: 1 (gained 2 from Deep North)
Matches: 12
Playoff Spots: TBD (2 in 2022)
From 2022 to 2023 the Heartland Division has had a number of big changes. First of those are that three of the top four finishing teams in 2022, Chicago FC United, Kaw Valley FC, and St. Louis Lions, have all left the division. The division will not have the number of sides change as they have gained back Des Moines Menace from the Deep North, Peoria City also joins from the Deep North, The new look Heartland is rounded out with expansion side St. Charles FC.
After last year's performance in the Deep North, Des Moines and Peoria City along with Chicago City SC, will be easy favourites to win the division and gain it's playoff spot (or spots). After a good performance putting up 19 points last season, FC Wichita will also look to challenge the top teams in the conference for the playoff spots. Springfield Athletic SC will look for major improvement after obtaining just 7 points on 14 matches in 2022. Chicago Dutch Lions make a surprising return to USL2 after having finished the previous season as the division punching bag, earning -3 points after forfeiting the last three matches of 2022.
Valley Division
Clubs: 6
Clubs Lost: 1 (moved to Great Lakes Division)
Expansion sides: 1
Matches: 12
Playoff Spots: TBD (2 in 2022)
Rounding out the Central Conference is the six team Valley division. 2022 division champion South Bend Lions have been moved to the Great Lakes division. All five of the other sides from the 2022 season return to the Valley. Finishing out the division is USL expansion side FC Buffalo, who make the move over to USL2 after playing in the NPSL since 2010.
Kings Hammer and Fort Wayne FC enter as the favourites to win the division in 2023. The Kentucky and Indiana based clubs were the only two teams to come anywhere close to South Bend's 32 points last season. Kings Hammer tying them on points, but losing the tiebreaking and Fort Wayne finishing just six points back from the KHFC and South Bend. Toledo, Dayton, and Cleveland will all be looking to improve on overall awful 2022 season, that saw each side lost at least 65% of their matches. Having only qualified once for the NPSL playoffs and having their last winning season come in 2018, FC Buffalo will have their own major challenges to face as they will see an increase in level of play compared to the NPSL.
NPSL Midwest Preview
Welcome back to NPSL coverage on Northern Lights Football.
This year, we will be covering the whole Midwest Region, except for the Heartland Conference — because their closest club would be Kansas City Sol and their furthest away is Tulsa Athletic. I may live in Summit League country, but I’m not prepared to stretch that far. Strangely, NPSL has Kansas City Sol in the Heartland and Sunflower State in the Gateway. Anyway, on to those clubs we do cover.
The Gateway Conference features two clubs from Greater St. Louis, Des Moines United and Iowa Raptors in the Hawkeye State, Sunshine State FC on the Kansas City Kansas/Missouri border and Milwaukee Torrent in Wisconsin.
Club Atletico St Louis is fielding a young side in the conference. Regarding the roster, they have Erik Pereira, who seems to be a professional indoor player in town. I have seen players from NCAA D1, D2 and D3 schools in St. Louis. They are operating teams in NPSL, Midwest Premier League and UPSL and have suggested that the there will be movement between the three before the lists are finalized in June. They have a 60 man pool and only 8 players listed with the league as of today.
Across the river, but still in the St. Louis metropolitan area, Ehtar Belleville FC will bring NPSL football to a city which has previously hosted the storied WPSL program Fire & Ice SC. There is little public information on the makeup of their squad at this time. Of the 11 men listed with the league, Cody Blentlinger used to play pro indoor soccer for St. Louis Rush, Wyatt Fowler is a current pro arena player for St. Louis Ambush, Adam Knight is a coach at D2 level, Connor Woulahan is a coach at D3 level. There are also former players from NCAA D2, D3 and NJCAA level. The two St. Louis clubs are separated by only 33 miles, but seemingly by a chasm of organisational focus.
Des Moines United FC play at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, familiar to anyone who watches the extremely accomplished Des Moines Menace over in USL League Two. They are an expansion club, born out of the professional indoor club DemonHawks, like their conference mates, the Raptors. DMU list Menace GM (and current DemonHawks player) Charlie Bales on their roster — as well as current NCAA D1 players Evan Carlson, Austin Holtebeck, Erich Legut, Lesego Maloma, Kevin Qi, NJCAA coach Raphael Nascimento, and a present D3 player. They also include former USL Championship player Mawolo “Gabe” Gissie and former players from NCAA D1, D2, NAIA, NJCAA levels.
Further north in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Raptors are an established side but there is zero published data on their roster this season. Like CASL, they are also operating (outdoor) teams in UPSL and Midwest Premier League.
Milwaukee Torrent are another club with a professional outlook and a well-established presence at Hart Park in Wauwatosa. They also presently have no roster published. They are somewhat on an island, owners of the furthest road trip in the conference — 560 miles to KC.
Sunflower State FC play at Rockhurst University, in Kansas City, Missouri, about 5 miles from the border of the Sunflower State (Kansas). Their roster includes current D1 players Ryder Barrett, Kevin Hubbell, Caden McLagan, Grant Peters and current D2 players Connor Brummett, Miguel Cobos, Bryce Dickerson, Garrison Hill and Tim Smith. There’s also current NAIA players.
This conference has the potential for healthy derbies, CASL vs Ehtar and DMU v Raptors although we are denied a KC derby by the strange decision of NPSL to place two KC teams in separate conferences. I guess that’ll have to wait for the playoffs.
I’m gonna say that Des Moines United will be the team to beat in the Gateway.
The Great Lakes Conference has been expanded. It features teams from the Cleveland, Akron, Detroit, Columbus, Grand Rapids (MI) and Pittsburgh metropolitan areas as well as Erie, Pennsylvania.
Akron City FC play at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, whose most famous alumnus is the NBA’s all time leading scorer, LeBron James. Their roster includes a 2022 College Cup winner in Colin Biros and 14 other D1 players (Nathan Childress, Gyuwon Chong, Dyson Clapier, Samuel George, Will Jackson, Ryan Kolonick,
Adam Lubell, Brent Nanchoff, Josef Paulus, Roarke Schmeider, Levi Stephens, Sam Tojaga, Cameron Victor, Jaden Wright). They also have a D2 player (Luan Tufani) as well as some D3 and high school kids from the local area.
Carpathia FC are based in the Detroit metropolitan area, splitting between Avondale, MI and Pontiac. They include 10 players from D1 (Zain Akeel, John deLeon, Kieran Hayes, Hunter Johnson, Finn Jurak, Luke Morell, Spencer Nolff, Dawsun Schrum, Michael Teller, Dylan Wismont) D2 (Adrian Rakipi) and D3, as well as NJCAA and NAIA players and NAIA coaches. They also list former D1 players.
Cleveland SC play at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. They are a seasoned lineup, with some D1 (Thomas Beck, Parker Csiszar, Matthew Skye Harter, Corban McAvinew, Julian Pellegrini, Jannis Schmidt) D2 (Ben Bolinger, Conner Hollett, Angel Murillo) D3 players and coaches and an indoor professional (Haralambos Tsirambidis) . They also return the veteran Vinny Bell and other former college players.
Erie Commodores FC play at Gannon University. Their lineup includes present players from D1 (Tyler Card, Adam Hunt, Blaise Liess, ) D2 (Reise Corpuz, Joseph Gasper, Connor Hartwell, Frank Lovett, Charlie Petersen, Marcus Rathburn, Philipp Strube, Luis Jonathan Trapp, Ezequiel Villarreal, Kevan Wambugu, Simon Zahalka) and D3 as well as former college players.
FC Columbus play at the Wellington School. Their roster information is incomplete and possibly out of date.
Michigan Rangers FC play at Davenport University and will split games between Grand Rapids and Caledonia, MI. They have 8 D1 (Grant Balcer, Giuseppe Barone,Elliott Bentley, Lito Esquivel, Miltiadis Hadjipanayiotou, Michael Howell, George Pitsillides, Max Wilhelm) and 5 D2 (Anthonius Berkeley, Adam Hanson, Kaffie Kurz, Chris Mendez-Sanchez, Daire O Riordan) players. They also include NAIA players, a D2 coach and former D2 players and high school players. Finally is the familiar name of Vitalis Takawira Jr, who was last seen playing for Muskegon Risers in the last post-season.
They are the most isolated club in this conference, with a longest road trip of 415 miles to Steel City.
Steel City FC are the NPSL side founded by Pittsburgh Arsenal and Hotspurs (which is ironic in an English context, but anyway…) They play at Pittsburgh Harlequin Rugby Club’s Founders Field in Cheswick, PA. Their roster is a strong one, headlined by twenty D1 players (William Afawubo, Bryan Akongo, Evan Anderson, Rami Bensasi, Giuseppe Croce, Anthony DiFalco, Jack Emanuel, Ethan Hackenberg, Nolan Hutter, Keaton Jennings, Justin Kopay, Ryan Kopay, Ryan Landry, Charlie Lawrence, Eben McIntyre, Ryan Mertz, Tate Mohney, Gabe Norris, Zander Plizga and Michael Sullivan) and backed up by four D2 players (Bryce Ghandi, Daniel Rodgers, Mikel Ubeda, Garret Watson) as well as a former pro (Nicky Kolarac) and a former D2 player.
This division has some of the most obvious rivalries, with a true derby ( Akron v Cleveland, only 40 miles apart) , and two intra-state rivalries (Carpathia v Rangers, Steel City v Erie)
Prediction: Akron City and Steel City fight for their conference title.
North Conference
Dakota Fusion FC have never played in North Dakota. However, their home stadium in Moorhead, MN is 2.5 miles from the Red River and whence into ND. They are up on an island, with the closest teams being Sioux Falls Thunder (244 miles South) and Duluth (238 miles East), and much like the Torrent are on an island in the Great Lakes conference, Fusion’s position in the Red River Valley makes for some daunting travel — the most of which will be 320 miles to Med City in Rochester. The roster is headlined by D1 athletes Wasi Ewnetu and Rashaad Ogun with a D2-heavy mix, (Jeremie Briquet, Ben Colborn, Dylan Ellingson, Máté Lengyel, Yuto Nakamae, Benjamin Nicholson, Xavier O’Garro, Cai Pritchard, Mohammad Sanyang and Kenshiro Yamaguchi) and JuCo players sprinkled in and 2021–22 Gatorade High School Player of the Year in North Dakota, Gannon Brooks.
Duluth FC play at Public Schools Stadium. Their roster includes a Mr Soccer finalist, Parker Chastey, Four D1 athletes (Tom Akinola, Conor Behan, Paul Bobai, Myles Edmondson) leading the way on a roster with ten D2 members (Kostyantyn Domaratskyy, Rory Doyle, Duban Santiago Erazo Medina, Colin O Mahony, James Price, Liam Pritchard, Stefan Roeb, Luis Felipe Santos, Andres Solares, Jake Starling) and an NAIA coach.
Joy Athletic play at St Louis Park High School’s Oriole Stadium. They are the tip of the Joy of the People youth club setup and their roster is largely made up of former Joy youth players. That said, they have moved on to D1 (Aiden Cavenaugh, Bennett Kouame) D2 (Philip Caputo, Noah Eklund, Mika Folstad, Noah Kantorowicz and Zinedine Kroeten) and D3.
It has been announced in a fun way. As featured in that graphic, the club/program is best known for Emmanuel Iwe, who is in the farm system of Minnesota United.
Aris are slated to play at Logan High School but they have a history of changing venues, so stay tuned. Aris are another club with a strong youth focus, but have struggled to translate this into effective play on the pitch. Of the 8 players announced, Anfernee Stokes stands out as a D1 player.
Nicknamed for the Mayo Clinic’s strong presence in the city, Med City FC is based at Rochester Regional Stadium in Rochester, Minnesota. Their roster is powered by D1 (Jack Hilton-Jones,
Abdul-Quddoos Hypolite, Tristan Jumeau, Matias Milla) and D2 players (Noah Gjervik, Lucas Hart, Julian Heppner, Julio Rojo, Ricardo Schroeder and William vanHoornbeek). Chileshe Chitulangoma is at Clemson but not as a varsity player.
Minnesota TwinStars will split games between Minnetonka High School and Spring Lake Park High School, both in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. They are returning to action following a hiatus, and can trace their history overall all the way back to 1997. Their roster is led by D1 athletes Sadra Golzarian, Andrew Holmes, Sidike Jabateh and
Alex Lynch, and D2 players Yuken Harmon, Jonathan Harris, Matthew Janke and Cullen McSweeney.
Sioux Falls Thunder play at University of Sioux Falls’s Bob Young Field.
Their roster remains a mystery as they still have their 2022 lineup posted with the league and on their club site. Of the players who have been announced on Twitter, a couple of guys from D2 Montana State University, Billings jump out (Callum Bryan and Guillermo Gonzalez).
The potential for rivalries sits with the remaining Twin Cities derby between St Louis Park’s Joy Athletic and the more mobile TwinStars, and the I-29 derby between Fargo’s Dakota Fusion and Sioux Falls Thunder.
Prediction: The North will be a scrap.
So, all in all, looks like another fun season with the usual mixture of college athletes, with a sprinkle of high school aged kids and men who have graduated but want to keep playing.
Playoff note:
If you are new to this league, the top two teams in the North, Great Lakes and Gateway (as well as the Heartland) will advance into the playoffs based on points-per-game. More on who will play whom nearer that time.
This week’s fixtures
Saturday 13th:
Steel City FC v Akron City FC
Carpathia FC v Cleveland SC
Dakota Fusion FC v Med City FC
Joy Athletic Club v LC Aris FC
Minnesota TwinStars FC v Duluth FC
Wednesday 17th:
Des Moines United FC v Sunflower State FC
Friday 19th:
Michigan Rangers v Akron City FC
Steel City FC v FC Columbus
2023 USLW Central Conference Preview
The 2023 USL W League season is underway in a much expanded league from 2022. USLW has increased the number of teams from 44 last season to 65 this season, having lost five teams and added 26 new clubs to the league. This increase in clubs has seen a few changes in the league for the 2023 campaign. Similar to NPSL, USL2, and WPSL the divisions in USLW will now be split into four different conferences, The Eastern Conference is made up of the returning Metropolitan and Mid-Atlantic Divisions, the Southern Conference consist of the South Atlantic, South Central, and Southeast divisions, all returning from 2022. Brand new for 2023 is the entire Western Conference, made up of 13 clubs split between the Northwest and NorCal divisions. Lastly the Central Conference consists of the returning Great Lakes and Heartland divisions as well as the new Valley Division.
With the increase in teams, divisions, and conferences the USL W League has expanded the playoffs for 2023. The new playoff format will see 16 clubs qualify, double the amount from last season,. Each division is awarded at least one qualifying spot and each conference is awarded a total of four. In the Central Conference the winner of each the Great Lakes, Heartland, and Valley will earn a berth to the playoffs. The final berth will be awarded to the Great Lakes or Heartland division side with the highest points per game at the end of the season.
Great Lakes Division
Clubs: 6
Clubs Lost: 3 (moved to Valley Division)
Expansion sides: 1
Matches: 12
Playoff Spots: 1 (Possibility of 2)
The Great Lakes Division will see quite a shakeup for 2023. Defending champion Indy Eleven have moved over to the new Valley Division along with Racing Louisville and Kings Hammer. Cleveland Force are the only expansion side for the division, rounding out the line-up at six clubs; AFC Ann Arbor, Cleveland Force, Detroit City FC, Flint City AFC, Kalamazoo FC, and Midwest United FC. Three of the six clubs, Detroit City , Flint City, and Midwest United will enter with new head coaches as they see David Dwaihy, Michele Krzisnik, and Joe White take over their sides respectively.
Two (DCFC and FCAFC) of those three sides season all lost more than 50% of their games in 2022 and are wanting to rebound in 2023. Midwest United's new manager will look to push them to top of the division after finishing in second last season. Rob Miller will step behind the bench for Cleveland Force as the women aim to have a better debut campaign then the men's side did last season when they went 1-9-4 with 7 points. AFC Ann Arbor finished mid-table in the Great Lakes division last season and will aim to compete with Midwest United for the Great Lakes title.
Heartland Division
Clubs: 7
Clubs Lost: 2 (not playing in 2023)
Expansion sides: 3
Matches: 12
Playoff Spots: 1 (Possibility of 2)
Changes are a plenty for the Heartland Division as USLW heads into the reborn leagues second season. Three new sides in Bavarian United, RKC Third Coast, and Rochester FC have joined the conference, while the division lost Kaw Valley FC and St. Louis Lions. Bavarian United will have a leg up on expansion sides RCK and Rochester as the Bavarian Women have been competing in the WPSL for the past two seasons.
"Yeah, the league has definitely got better. It's going to be a lot harder to be successful in playoffs."
- Nicole Lukic, Minnesota Aurora head coach
After finishing the season with their only loss coming in the USLW Championship, Minnesota Aurora will look to do one better by winning the league in 2023. For more on Minnesota Aurora you can check out Bridget McDowell's piece on their preseason. Green Bay Glory found their stride in 2022 after multiple years of rough results in the WPSL before joining USLW. The Glory will look to improve upon their second place finish in 2022 to try and dethrone defending champions Minnesota Aurora. Both Chicago sides, the Dutch Lions and Chicago City SC, are returning for 2023. City will also look to be in the hunt as they finished in third, just below Minnesota and Green Bay. The Dutch Lions on the other hand are a slightly surprising return after the women's side forfeited their final two matches of 2022 to Kaw Valley FC.
Valley Division
Clubs: 5
Clubs Lost: 0 (new division)
Expansion sides: 2 (gained 3 from Great Lakes)
Matches: 10
Playoff Spots: 1
2023 sees the debut of the brand new Valley Division as part of the new Central Conference in USLW. Indy Eleven, Kings Hammer, and Racing Louisville come into the division after having played 2022 in the Great Lakes division. Those three are joined by expansion sides Lexington SC and St. Charles FC who's also have expansion men's sides playing in USL1 and USL2 respectively.
“I am super pumped and grateful for the opportunity to be coaching young, passionate and competitive ladies for the Racing W League team this summer. This is a great time to continue development for these ladies and compete at a high level in a professional environment. We will be intentional about getting 1% better every time we step on the pitch in preparation for our league games while also preparing them to go back to their college teams ready to compete at their best for their upcoming seasons.”
- Callie McKinney, Racing Louisville USLW Head Coach
A new division and new teams mean new faces on the pitch and behind the bench. Expansion side Lexington SC will be lead behind the bench by Florida Gators associate head coach Alan Kirkup. Fellow expansion side St. Charles FC will be lead by long time Missouri Baptist University head coach Deno Merrick. Racing Louisville meanwhile will have an all new look on the bench and on the pitch with Callie McKinney taking over the manager role and with most of the 2022 roster departing as well. Vince Gentile returns as head coach of Kings Hammer, who finished second to last in 2022. Indy Eleven enter the season as the division favourites after handily winning the Great Lakes Division in 2022, having not suffered a defeat until the playoffs. Eleven will be assisted heavily in their attempt at winning the division as they return top scorers Katie Soderstrom and Maddy Williams. Soderstrom and Williams combined for 21 goals over the 12 game regular season, with Soderstrom also averaging a goal per game..
Photo Gallery: MN Aurora Preseason Practice
Month: May 2023
Minnesota Aurora preseason practice kicked off this week and the team invited media to attend practice at TCO Stadium on Tuesday, May 9th, 2023. Here are some of our photos from the day.
