NPSL North Playoff Preview
#1 Duluth FC are the top seed despite a new head coach in Rio de Janeiro's Thomas Pazo. The perennial contenders for the North are defending Midwest Region champions and Liam Pritchard continues to torment opposing defenses. Felipe Oliveira and JJ Oyebamiji are their leading goalscorers, with 4 and 3 respectively.
#2 This is only Siouxland United's second season of existence, and following a 6-0-6 debut season, the Outlaws have been a surprise to everyone but themselves, beginning the season with two straight road losses but being unbeaten before losing to Duluth FC yesterday. Leading the way has been Rio de Janeiro's João Rocha, who has five goals, tied for second best in the conference. In the technical area is Alex Trent, who coached Dakota Fusion to an unbeaten regular season, before losing in the inaugural North Conference Final to Duluth FC. The Kansan has attracted a number of his players from 2024 to follow him to Sioux City.
We've overcome a lot of adversity as a group and we are in a great place now as a team with a strong bond together. We're learning how to win in different ways and winning has become the expectation. Our aim has always been getting home playoff games for our fans and club as we keep growing as a club in our second year and first year making playoffs.
- Alex Trent, Head Coach of Siouxland United FC
#3 The chance to be Siouxland United's opponents in the North Conference playoffs turned out to be a scrap between two wildly inconsistent teams, the Iowa Demon Hawks from Des Moines and the Sioux Falls Thunder. A new rule making it necessary for the matchups to be decided "on geography and/or other economic criteria" ensures that the teams from the South of the conference will meet each other.
Sioux Falls Thunder have a 4-1-5 record, with Aran Hernandez-Vivar having scored four and a rotating cast of others having added one to the record.
#4 Facing the BlueGreens in the Twin Ports are Joy Athletic, led by the Golden Boot nominee Philip Caputo, from Eagan, MN via Porto Alegre in the south of Brasil. He is the latest product of the Joy of the People "free play" system to make a name for himself in the NPSL, following Emmanuel Iwe (currently playing in the German 3.Liga) and Zinedine Kroeten (who is playing for Milwaukee Torrent in the Central States Conference). Buffalo, MN's Carver Tierney has ably assisted Caputo, to the tune of 5 goals.
I'll update this piece once I receive the quotes from the other clubs.
Coming Up - Wednesday
Duluth FC v Joy AC
Duluth won one (rallying from 1-0 down to win 4-1) and drew one (which Joy should have won) in the regular season series.
Siouxland United FC v Sioux Falls Thunder FC
The two sides have split the regular season series with a win each, however the wins were not equal - a last kick win for Thunder having trailed in the 80th minute versus a 7-2 hammering by the Outlaws.
Saturday
NPSL North Conference Final
As for last year, it is only the winner of this match who can claim the Conference Champions trophy. Duluth FC won last year and made it to the National Semifinals.
WPSL North Lakes Conference Championship Review - Legacy prevail at the death
FC Milwaukee Torrent 2-2 St Croix Legacy (Legacy win 6-5 on penalty kicks) - Wednesday July 2nd - Uihlein Soccer Park, Milwaukee, WI
While it is not a road game for Torrent, the hosts are based at Uihlein Soccer Park in the north of Milwaukee rather than the more centrally located Hart Park. The 600-mile round trip for the visiting club is three times the longest road trip they had taken in divisional play.
Add to that, the Facility Director told the teams and WPSL that the lights needed to be off at 11:30pm and therefore the match skipped over the usual Extra Time (and any stoppage time) and straight from 90 mins to a penalty shootout.
There was an hour-long delay for lightning before the game even kicked off and the stormy silence was broken by a rough challenge on Leyla Kelbel in the Legacy box, resulting in a penalty kick in the 20th minute. Kelbel's kick was stopped by Johnson but the ball dropped invitingly for the Wisconsinite, who tapped home the rebound.
Five minutes later, Ashlyn Skinner-Barrett broke free and added a second Torrent goal but Legacy were not to be rolled over. Torrent goalie Kate Hopma smothered an initial shot by Wren Van de Walker from the Legacy left but the ball is smuggled home by Amara Smith.
In the 67th minute, Legacy drove down the right, the ball was dribbled across and Wren Van de Walker added a goal to her earlier assist.
It would be last goal in open play as both sides played out a scoreless 20 minutes and then the ground rules got involved.
In the seventh round of PKs, defender Emily Hinze out of Mendota Heights, MN sidefooted the ball past Kate Hopma and the visitors prevailed. It was 11:35pm Central Time.
Speaking to us after the final whistle, St Croix Soccer Club Executive Director Nathan Klonecki said
With the time change, and the lightning delay and the halftime delay and down 0-2, (coming) back that is how they have been all year. It is fun to see that effort and desire pays off!
Coming Up...
St Croix take their place at the Central Regional table for the first time. The hosting assignment is rotated across the Conferences and this year falls with the Midwest Conference, whose winners were Oklahoma City FC. That means a bumper diet of football in the state, first on July 12 and 13th in OKC and then at the National Championships at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK the following weekend.