Vlora FC (Burnsville, MN – MASL/UPSL) v FC Milwaukee Torrent (Wauwatosa, WI – NPSL)
Bob Pates Stadium at Burnsville High School, Burnsville, MN. Thursday at 7pm.
The Twin Citians won a coin toss to host the supposedly seeded Torrent, who enter at this point. Vlora FC has already played two matches in this year’s tournament, beating MN Blizzard in regulation fashion and then United Serbian SC in a less orthodox match . They are 3-0-2 in Division 2 of the Minnesota Amateur Soccer League, but 5-1-3 in the UPSL Premier Midwest West Division. Last year, they lost to the Torrent in the regional semifinals. The key men are the Zürcher Easton Hoch, who has 6 goals, Bahian Rodolfo Batisti anchors the defense and has 4 and the Senegalese striker Ibrahima Ndaw has 3.
Milwaukee Torrent are 5-0-0 in the Central States Conference of the National Premier Soccer League, the #4 ranked team overall in the national league. Last year, they won the Bill Davey Cup for the Region II Amateur Cup and made it to the Fritz Marth Cup Final for the overall US Amateur Cup title, but lost 6-0 to NY Pancyprian Freedoms, one step shy of a berth in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Their leading goalscorers are the former pro Michigander Alejandro Steinwascher, Stuttgarter Max Ludwig and the New Zealander Jamie LeComte with 3 goals each.