NPSL Spotlight: Joy AC v Dakota Fusion FC

Wednesday

Sioux Falls Thunder 0-2 Dakota Fusion

Fusion continue to set the pace, with goals from substitutes Felix Buabeng and Takumi Sato and riding out five mins down to ten men due to a second yellow card for captain Gael Gonzalez.

Minnesota Blizzard 0-3 Duluth FC

Edouard Nys scored twice and Jireh Oyebamiji got one as Duluth kept up the pressure on the top spot.

Joy Athletic Club 4-1 Siouxland United

Philip Caputo netted a first half hat trick and Zinedine Kroeten scored in the 79th minute to lift the Goats over the Outlaws, who spoiled the clean sheet through Magloire Makila.

Friday:

Sioux Falls Thunder 3-0 Siouxland United

Tiago Alfieri Garcia Cipullo Sobral, Cesar Requena and David Bizimana had the goals in a feisty Siouxland Showdown.

Saturday Spotlight Match

Joy Athletic Club 0-0 Dakota Fusion

Joy held serve at home, rattling the crossbar and missing a penalty kick but failing to take three points which at times seemed to be coming their way. Fusion, on the other hand, lacked a finisher in a season when seven men have scored two goals, but no one man has more than two.

Minnesota TwinStars 3-1 Sioux Falls Thunder

Goalscorer information is not available at time of publication.

 

Since this is the last time the top two clubs will be on even games played until July, here is the table:

Coming Up:

Tuesday:

Joy Athletic Club v Minnesota TwinStars

Wednesday:

Duluth FC v Sioux Falls Thunder

Minnesota Blizzard v Siouxland United

Saturday:

Minnesota TwinStars v Dakota Fusion

Joy Athletic Club v Duluth FC

Sioux Falls Thunder v Minnesota Blizzard


WPSL Wrap Up: Week 5

Week 5 of WPSL action sees the last two clubs in the North finally make their season debut (in St Croix’s case, after two postponements). More about that match later, here’s the full recap of the week’s action.

 

Wednesday

Salvo SC 1-0 Minnesota Thunder

A lone goal by Khyah Harper, from Molly Fiedler, gave last year’s national finalists a win against the defending conference champions.

Friday

Salvo 3-0 Mankato United

Khyah Harper from Riley Lijewski broke the deadlock in the 65th minute. Becca Smith from Khyah Harper in the 79th minute made it sure and there was a late own goal.

Dakota Fusion FC 0-3 St Croix Legacy

St Croix came into Fargo-Moorhead having seen two successive season openers (one at home and then one on the road) postponed. For Fusion, this is the regularly scheduled opener. They are the only two sides in the ten-team WPSL Northern Conference not to play yet this season. Legacy finished fourth in the conference standings having managed to finish the season without a single draw and a record of 5-4 in their nine games. Fusion also did not draw a single game, but accumulated a conference worst record of 0-9 and a goal difference of -43. The hosts have a new head coach, in the shape of Chris Andreasen, who was director of coaching at Red River Soccer Club before they merged with Fusion in the offseason. 

After a strong opening to the match, two goals in six minutes provided some scoreboard separation as Avery Murdzek swept home from the top of the box in the twentieth minute and then her sister Lainey tapped in off a rebound after a blast from the middle of the box. 

It would remain 2-0, as the visitors missed a number of chances to widen the margin but it would be the home side with the best chance, a penalty kick after a tangle of legs near the top of the box in the 51st minute. Unfortunately, the shot was hammered off the post and the rebound saved.  

Five minutes later, Legacy hit the crossbar with a shot and near chances for Legacy would continue to be a theme, albeit with Fusion providing some of their own. Their best chance from open play cane in the 66th minute as a Fusion free kick just outside the box culminated in a shot on target, punched wide by Kendall Ellis. 

The icing on the St Croix performance came when Lainey Murdzek tapped in, off the post and in from a Henneman cross in the 75th minute. Both clubs would force flying saves from the opposing keeper but it finished 3-0.

Sioux Falls City 2-0 Minnesota Thunder

Thunder fell further behind in the race for the conference, with Sioux Falls City getting goals from Mia Mullenmeister and Yui Fujii.

Joy Athletic 1-3 Rochester United FC

A twenty minute flurry for Rochester saw two from Kylie Miranto and one from Savannah Maley, before Lennon Folstad scored the home team’s only tally.

Sunday

Salvo SC 7-0 Dakota Fusion FC

Salvo steamrolled Fusion, with braces from Angela Gutierrez, Khyah Harper and Sophia Barjesteh and a solo goal from Alma Beaton.

Manitou FC 0-6 Sioux Falls Thunder

Keyera Harmon, Yui Fujii, Katharina Oelschlaeger, Mia Mullenmeister and a double from Kaydence Ramirez put Manitou to the sword.

St Croix Legacy 2-1 Minnesota Thunder

Lainey Murdzek and Lexi Huber put the Legacy into the lead. Thunder got a consolation in the 78th minute, the well-practised combination of Paige Kalal to Paige Peltier with the goal.

Rochester United FC 0-0 MapleBrook Fury

Here is the top of the WPSL Northern Conference standings ahead of tomorrow’s games:

The top four of the WPSL Northern Conference: Sioux Falls City 4-0-0, +17 Goal Difference. Form = 4 wins Salvo SC 4-0-0, +15 Goal Difference. Form = 4 wins. Rochester United 2-1-1, -1 Goal Difference. Form = Draw, 2 wins, 1 loss. St Croix Legacy 2-0-0, +4 Goal Difference. Form = 2 Wins
Courtesy of Women’s Premier Soccer League

Coming Up:

Tonight

Minnesota Thunder v Manitou FC

St Croix Legacy  v Salvo SC

Friday

Dakota Fusion FC v Manitou FC

Rochester United SC v Mankato United SC

Saturday

Joy Athletic Club v St Croix Legacy

Sioux Falls City v MapleBrook Fury

Sunday

Mankato United v Dakota Fusion


NPSL Round Up: 8th June 2024

Dakota Fusion FC 2-0 Sioux Falls Thunder FC

Fusion fans brought a drum. The team proved them worthy of the accompaniment. 

Fusion dominated possession in the opening 10 minutes but the first Fusion shot on goal came via Brandon Garcia at 9:45. Sioux Falls Thunder’s keeper Jack Howard played much of the match either out of his area or out of his goal, and in the 14th minute, Fusion took a snap shot with Howard out of his net, wide. 

Fusion spent much of the opening half knocking on the door,  including a flying volley by Nicolo Lai, saved by Howard diving one way and using his opposite hand. The first half would end goal less, chiefly courtesy of scrambling defense by Howard and center-back Colin Burke.   

Just before the hour mark, a blasted clearance by Fusion defender Ahmad Hijaz from within his own half took a lucky deflection off a Thunder player for a corner. Lai was the first to a ricocheting ball in a goalmouth scramble, to poke the ball home for a home lead. 

After yet more Fusion attacks were repelled by Thunder, the match took an unexpected turn in the 74th minute as a free kick for Fusion in their own penalty area led - for reasons that were unclear - to Lai being sent off for dissent.

The Thunder man advantage made no substantial difference to the flow of the game, and the match ended 10 v 10 as the visitors saw their own red card in the 87th minute. With nothing left to lose, Jack Howard fully released the hand brake and spent the last 5 minutes of the game in the Fusion penalty area. It was the hosts who scored, though, when a long clearance from Will Devine in the Fusion net in the second minute of stoppage time came all the way through to a Fusion attacker who was fouled. Takumi Sato hammered the penalty kick off the crossbar and down for the death blow.

Duluth FC 7-1 Minnesota TwinStars

The BlueGreens got revenge in grand style, putting up a touchdown against the TwinStars. Goals from Liam Pritchard and Jake Starling, a brace from Eduoard Nys and a hat trick by Jireh Oyebamiji were the emphatic answer to a third minute go ahead goal by the visitors - Fatorma Conneh seizing on a weak header back by Dylan Zavatini.

Siouxland United FC 5-0 Minnesota Blizzard FC

Early and then often, the home side turned over the Blizzard. Kenny Hewitt, Magloire Makila and Ben Shields made it three, and Nick Walker scored twice in the 89th minute, the last one a penalty kick. 

 

Here are how the teams stand:

Dakota Fusion FC 6 games played, 5-1-0 (WDL). Goal Difference of +14 and 16 points.  Duluth FC 7 games played, 4-1-2. GD of +9 and 13 points.  Minnesota TwinStars 5 games played, 3-0-2. GD of -2. 9 points.  Siouxland United 5 games, 2-0-3. GD of +1, 6 points.  Joy St. Louis Park 4 games, 1-1-2. GD of -6, 4 points.  Sioux Falls Thunder 4 games, 0-2-2. GD of -5, 2 points.  Minnesota Blizzard 5 games, 0-1-4. GD of -11, 1 point.

The conference table for the North Conference of the National Premier Soccer League (source: NPSL)

Coming Up:

Wednesday

Sioux Falls Thunder v Dakota Fusion

Joy Athletic Club v Siouxland United

Minnesota Blizzard v Duluth FC 

Friday:

Sioux Falls Thunder v Siouxland United 

Saturday:

Minnesota TwinStars v Sioux Falls Thunder

Joy Athletic Club v Dakota Fusion


WPSL Wrap Up: Week 4

Friday

Mankato United 0-3 Minnesota Thunder

A comfortable win, with goals by Kaitlyn MacBean (from Paige Peltier), Paige Kalal (from Paige Peltier) and Kalal again (from Mackenzie Jacobson). Here's the opening two goals - the second showing stunning ball control, via our friends at Equal Time Soccer and courtesy of Mankato United:

https://twitter.com/EqualTimeSoccer/status/1796703091326099735

 

Rochester United 0-7 Sioux Falls City

An absolute rout for City on the road, with a hat trick from Mia Mullenmeister and goals from Kaydence Ramirez, Katharina Oelschlaeger and Isabella Boccia Gomes de Moraes.

Manitou FC 1-1 MapleBrook Fury

Manitou got a goal from Tatum Trettel, and MapleBrook scored through Olivia Lovick.

Sunday

Joy Athletic Club 1-3 Sioux Falls City

Allison Wehrman scored for the Goats but City continued their red hot start to the season, with goals from Hailee Christensen, Mia Mullenmeister and Lourdes Moreno.

MapleBrook Fury 1-2 Mankato United

Kendall Stadden scored for the hosts but Mankato claimed all three points with goals from Ava Stanchina and Avery Korsching.

Manitou FC 0-0 Mankato United

Coming Up

Tuesday

Manitou FC v St Croix Legacy 

Wednesday

Salvo SC v Minnesota Thunder

Friday

Dakota Fusion FC v St Croix Legacy

Sioux Falls City v Minnesota Thunder

Joy Athletic v Rochester United FC

Sunday

Salvo SC v Dakota Fusion FC

St Croix Legacy v Minnesota Thunder

Rochester United FC v MapleBrook Fury

Manitou FC v Sioux Falls Thunder


NPSL Spotlight: Minnesota Blizzard v Sioux Falls Thunder

Spotlight Match: Minnesota Blizzard FC 1-1 Sioux Falls Thunder FC

In a first half of few chances, Blizzard broke through in the 38th minute, Ashton Hosler finishing a counter attack which he had led, beginning with an interception at the top of their own defensive area.

Thunder equalized in the 60th minute as Benjamin Schoenherr blasted the ball in from the left side of the area following a recycled corner.

Wednesday:

Siouxland United FC 0-2 Dakota Fusion FC

Fusion extended their lead at the top of the division with goals from half time substitutes Ryosuke Miyata and Felix Buabeng.

Minnesota TwinStars FC 3-1 Duluth FC

Fatorma Conneh scored and Rolando Barclay came on late to score twice and seal a home win. The BlueGreens’ goal came courtesy of Edouard Nys.

Saturday:

Sioux Falls Thunder 1-4 Duluth FC

Duluth with a road win courtesy of goals by Rory Doyle, Eduoard Nys and Paul Bobai. Thunder scored through Eric Beltran.

Minnesota TwinStars FC 4-2 Siouxland United FC

The Outlaws took the lead in the 8th minute through Magloire Makila but conceded goals from Chigozie Eneje, Fatorma Conneh, Rolando Barclay and David Diawara, punctuated by a penalty kick by Kenny Hewitt for the visitors.

Dakota Fusion FC 4-0 Joy Athletic Club

After an opening few minutes when Joy had the better possession, an injury stoppage was followed by Fusion finally putting together calmer possession of their own, before attempting to thread passes from midfield through the Goats back line.  In the end, it was a lofted ball onto the right wing, crossed across the 6 yard box for a tap in by Fusion’s Lucas Peruzo in the 14th minute which broke the stalemate. 

Action would ebb and flow with Joy having a good chance punched clear by Fusion keeper Will Devine and a couple of other chances which they failed to finish. The visitors would be caught on the counter attack in the 26th minute as Brandon Garcia poked the ball over the line after an initial shot was stopped by the Joy keeper, Drew Moseman. 

Joy continued to have decent possession in midfield but could not threaten the Fusion goal. The half ended with Fusion defense and keeper in no hurry, sideways and backward passes and Joy’s high press making no impact. 

The second half began with the Fusion head coach demonstrably upset about something, resulting in him getting a yellow card. In a scrappy start to the second half, it was Joy who would have a corner cleared but Fusion again who found the finishing touch. 

A hard tackle at the top of the Joy penalty area was whistled as a foul and Toshiki Makimoto hammered the ball off the face of the left post and into the inside of the right side netting for a goal in the 54th minute. 

After another Fusion chance only two minutes later was saved by Moseman, Alberto Romano Sanchez made it 4-0 on the hour mark, mopping up from the left after a shot was taken from the right and parried away. 

Seven more minutes had elapsed when Fusion had had two chances of their own snuffed out, only for Devine to pull out a lightning double save to keep the clean sheet intact at the other end. 

Much as in the previous game at Jim Gotta Stadium, there was late goalmouth action, as Joy saw a shot ping audibly off the crossbar before dropping on the foot of a defender for a scrambled clearance, which became a two on one Fusion counter, although the home team could not capitalize. 


UPSL Men's Spotlight: Minneapolis City Futures U21 v Worthington Community FC

UPSL Men's Spotlight: Minneapolis City SC U21 v Worthington Community FC

Saturday 18th:

18×26 Academy 4-1 Granite City FC

Worthington Community FC 2-1 FC Minneapolis

Austin Villa FC 2-1 Minneapolis City U21

Sunday 19th:

Leon FC 8-2 Superior City FC

St Croix Legends II 2-0 St Paul Blackhawks

Saturday 25th:

St Paul Blackhawks 7-1 Austin Villa FC

Superior City FC 1-5 Vlora FC

Saturday Spotlight – Minneapolis City U21 4-3 Worthington Community FC

Two goals from Mizael Harris and solos from Carter J Hermanson and Tomas S Menna proved the difference for ten men City against the Toros, who got goals from Miguel M Perdomo, Juani Mackrey and Jonathan A Banegas.

Sunday 26th:

FC Minneapolis 2-3 18×26 Academy

Granite City FC 0-7 Leon FC

Wednesday 29th:

Vlora FC 1-0 Granite City FC

Leon FC 4-0 FC Minneapolis

Austin Villa 0-1 St Croix Legends II

18×26 Academy 3-5 Minneapolis City SC Futures U21

Worthington Community FC 1-7 St Paul Blackhawks

Coming Up:

Tonight

Minneapolis City SC Futures U21 v Leon FC

Sunday

Granite City FC v Superior City FC

St Croix Legends II v Worthington Community FC

Wednesday

Worthington Community FC v Austin Villa FC

18×26 Academy v St Croix Legends II

Leon FC v St Paul Blackhawks


WPSL Spotlight: Minnesota Thunder v Joy Athletic Club

Tim Abbott

Spotlight Match: Minnesota Thunder 2-0 Joy Athletic Club

Last year’s national leading goalscorer Kaitlyn MacBean returned for another Summer and led Thunder past their neighbors, with tallies in the 13th (from Rilyn Rintoul) and the 90th (from half-time sub Ashley Thirk).

Other Results:

Joy Athletic Club 1-5 Salvo SC

Salvo’s Khyah Harper opened the scoring within 45 seconds, completing a high press with a curled effort past Mallorie Benhart in the Joy goal.  Harper added a second in the 19th minute, driving in towards goal from the right before shooting low into the goal. In the 22nd minute, Harper netted her hat trick, driving down the left wing before cutting inside and blasting another shot past Benhart. It was 4-0 in the 25th minute when a right wing corner was recycled to Emily Heslin for Kaitlyn Beulke to hammer a shot high into the net from the back post.

In a half with plenty of midfield action, an Emily Heslin free kick on the top of the box, drilled into the bottom left corner of the Goats’ net was the only goal until the last kick. With that last kick, Ari Vargas broke the Goats scoreless stretch, chipping Ayden Gagner in the Salvo net from 30 yards out.

Coming Up:

Friday

Mankato United v Minnesota Thunder

Rochester United v Sioux Falls City

Manitou FC v MapleBrook Fury

Sunday

Joy Athletic Club v Sioux Falls City

MapleBrook Fury v Mankato United

Manitou FC v Mankato United

 


NPSL Spotlight: Sioux Falls Thunder v Joy Athletic Club

Tim Abbott

Spotlight Match: Sioux Falls Thunder 1-1 Joy Athletic Club

Owen Salzwedel opened the scoring for Joy Athletic Club in the 19th minute, but the Goats were unable to hold off Sioux Falls, with the Thunder equalizer coming courtesy of Natinael Ayalew in the 79th minute.

Other Results:

Wednesday:

Duluth FC 0-0 Dakota Fusion FC

Saturday:

Dakota Fusion FC 3-1 Duluth FC

After a relatively even opening ten minutes, close refereeing dominated the opening exchanges before a goalkeeping error by Vicent Sanchis gifted the ball to Edouard Nys, who slotted it calmly past him for a Duluth lead in the 20th minute. Fusion’s first real chance came in the 35th minute, deflected wide by a defender and the subsequent corner went wide. 

The second half saw multiple chances for Duluth but the BlueGreens were unable to capitalise. Then in the 70th minute, the hosts began to string together more close possession in the Duluth penalty area. Nonetheless, the equalizer took a moment of class by Inchun Han, who dribbled in from the right wing and smashed a shot past the previously imperious Zeke Foltz’s far post. 

Fusion went ahead when a free kick was lobbed into the area and Foltz was beaten to a header by Gael Gonzalez, with the clock barely in the 90th minute. 

Duluth mounted a counter offensive, but a couple of corners were wayward and in the fifth minute of stoppage time at the end of the game, a quick breakaway down the Fusion left was squared for a tap-in by Ryosuke Miyata. 

Siouxland United 2-1 Minnesota TwinStars FC

The Outlaws secured another win courtesy of goals from Magloire Makila and Nick Walker. TwinStars tally came from Chigozie Eneje.

Joy Athletic Club 3-2 Minnesota Blizzard

A back-and-forth match ends in favor of the hosts, with goals from Eric Riera, Grant Luce and Zinedine Kroeten. Blizzard scored through a brace from John-Terry Broughton

Coming Up:

Monday:

Minnesota Blizzard FC v Sioux Falls Thunder FC

Wednesday:

Siouxland United FC v Dakota Fusion FC

Minnesota TwinStars FC v Duluth FC

Saturday:

Sioux Falls Thunder v Duluth FC

Minnesota TwinStars FC v Siouxland United FC

Dakota Fusion FC v Joy Athletic Club


USL League Two Spotlight: Minneapolis City SC v St Croix Legends

Tim Abbott

Nathan Donovan proved to be the decisive factor in a combative Twin Cities derby, scoring in the 15th and 52nd minute and laying on the assist for the Legends’ third goal in the 90th minute from Dylan Olson, at which point the Crows had been reduced to 10 men by the dismissal of Max Kent for a second bookable offense in the 80th minute.

May 24, 2024In USL League Two

Other Scores:

Rochester FC 1-4 Bavarian United

 


UPSL Women's Spotlight: MN TwinStars v MN Aurora 2

Spotlight Match – Minnesota TwinStars FC 1-2 Minnesota Aurora FC

Minnesota Aurora’s new reserve squad opened play on the road at Minnesota TwinStars, who have had a women’s side intermittently throughout their history but who are also new to the Women’s division of UPSL.

After a fairly even opening few minutes, with no clear chances for either side, it was Karlee Torisk who broke the deadlock with an audacious chip of the TwinStars goalkeeper from 25 yards out. 

The home side hit the side netting from a corner in the 37th minute but it was the closest they would come in the first half.  Five minutes later, Molly Knoblauch swept a free kick in from 20 yards out on the right wing and Mandy Elton blasted home from the middle of the box.

TwinStars scored their first goal of the season, in the 75th minute as Mikala Bocan beat a defender to a long free kick from midfield to flick past the Aurora keeper from the penalty spot with her head. 

Other Results This Weekend

NOSC Blast 7-0 Skills FC

Berit J Parten notched four goals as Blast ran riot. Jessica M Eischens and Hannah L Kvant also scored from open play and Evie Birk from the penalty spot.

Vlora FC 0-3 Tonka Fusion Elite 2

Abby Missman scored twice and Ella Wade once for the visitors.

Northern Tide FC 3-2 St Croix Legacy II

Ana Munyon and Julie Bergan scored for NTFC. Ariana Green and Preslee I Nepote scored for Legacy.

Granite City FC 3-3 Superior City FC

Two goals by Anna Tobias and one from Gwendolyn Lilly for Superior City were met by two goals from Chloe Voss and one from Sophia Haase.


NPSL Round Up: Week 1

Wednesday:

Duluth FC 3-0 Joy Athletic Club

Duluth FC's Charlie Wood had a couple of good chances with 5 mins on the clock, but the crosses in from the left were missed. Two corners back to back eventually resulted in an easy catch for the Joy keeper. Joy's best early chance was a turnover by Jamie Colvill in his area in the tenth minute. Limmer forced a save in the 12th minute. The breakthrough came in the twenty-fifth minute, as Liam Pritchard stole the ball in midfield and played in last season's club-leading goalscorer Tyler Limmer. The initial shot was stopped by the trailing foot of Joy's keeper Oscar Herrera but Limmer picked up the rebound. BlueGreens' Nathan Porter missed from point-blank in the thirty-third minute. Joy's Dinielsen Martinez received a straight red card in the forty-fifth minute for a confrontation with Colvill, who received a yellow card. Felipe Santos made it 2-0 on a penalty kick, after he himself was taken down in the eighty-third minute. Limmer scored his second, and Duluth's third, tapping in a pass from Manny Morales in the eighty-ninth minute.

Saturday:

Duluth FC 2-1 Siouxland United FC

Duluth FC win a wild one on a 65th minute winner from Myles Edmondson. Charlie Wood opened the scoring for the BlueGreens in the 47th minute but the visitors answered right back, their first ever goal, through Flynn Faulkner. In the 62nd minute, Rory Doyle was sent off, reducing the hosts to ten men, but the numerical disadvantage became a scoreboard advantage. SUX saw their own red card, to Hibiki Mizutani, in the 84th minute.

Dakota Fusion FC 4-0 Minnesota Blizzard FC

The brand new Blizzard, fresh from a narrow defeat in their opening game against TwinStars, met a Fusion side who have retooled under a new coach and the departure of league-leading goalscorer Yu Tsukanome to MLS Next Pro side Tacoma Defiance. It was the hosts who would have the bulk of possession and the most threatening chances.

Within the opening three minutes, Fusion had pinned Blizzard in their own half and the first chance came soon after, with Toshiki Makimoto on the front foot - a recurring theme in a busy game for the man from Hiroshima. 

Blizzard's first chance came on a long free kick into the Fusion penalty area from midfield, eventually cleared for a goalkick after a scramble, but only a minute later, Alberto Romano Sanchez made it 1-0 Fusion from a Makimoto assist in the 12th minute. 

Chances continued to come for the hosts as Blizzard defenders, and goalkeeper Shae Wirt, blocked the way to goal until the 27th minute, when Makimoto drove in from the left and Lucas Peruzo slotted home for 2-0. With more pressure from Fusion to finish the first half, it could have been a more emphatic scoreline if it weren't for shots over the crossbar and so the first half ended with the score only 2-0. 

Four minutes after the break, Makimoto himself made it 3-0, with the Fusion high press forcing a turnover before he slotted it past Wirt from close range.

It was the 65th minute before Blizzard had a sustained period of possession, down their left, but they could not threaten the Fusion goal. The home side yet again threatened Wirt's goal in the 76th minute, but a curled shot rose just past the angle of post and bar. It would be academic as half time substitute Kairi Saito blasted one low past Wirt in the 78th minute for a 4-0 scoreline. There would be further shots on target but the game finished as a comfortable home win.  

Coming Up:

Wednesday

Sioux Falls Thunder FC v Joy St Louis Park

Duluth FC v Dakota Fusion FC

Saturday:

Siouxland United FC v Minnesota TwinStars FC

Dakota Fusion FC v Duluth FC

Joy St Louis Park v Minnesota Blizzard FC


UPSL Men's Round Up: Week 3

Saturday

Worthington Community FC 0-6 Superior City FC

The Navy rolled into the home of 2-0-0 WCFC and left with all three points courtesy of a devastating display of attacking. Ryan Tomsche scored twice and David Lopez Perez, Henrico Zena, Siji Gonzalez and Bruce Boldt all claimed solo tallies.

St Paul Blackhawks 2-2 Mpls City U21

Mikaelle Daniel and Sam W Kaeding scored for the Young Crows. Liam K Hafenbrack and Samuel C Hoyt scored for the Hawks.

18x26 Academy 1-2 Vlora FC

Vlora's goals were scored by Suad Suljic and Franklin P. Schwendimann. 18x26 returned with a goal by Mubashir A Nour.

Austin Villa 7-1 Granite City FC

Villa saw a hat trick by Jose Valladares and single goals by Lucas Monteiro, Sergio Traitel, Julio Hernandez and Luis Armando Lofego. Granite City could only muster one goal in response, from Eli B De Jongh.

Sunday Spotlight Match

St Croix Legends II 3-2 FC Minneapolis

St Croix Legends II (in the black) contest a ball with FC Minneapolis during their match at Pony Stadium in Stillwater, Minnesota on Sunday, May 12 2024. Photo by Jason Morales Ortiz.

The first half saw a number of Legends corners and the ball in the net more than once, only to be ruled offside.  In the end, FC Minneapolis went down to ten men in the first half an hour and subsequently broke the deadlock in the 51st minute through Pedro Belmont.

Legends equalized at the hour mark with a scrambled effort by Porter Ball off a long throw into the penalty area. With only 10 minutes left, Luca Contestabile scored a free kick, after consultation between the referee and his assistant, to put the Legends back ahead. The Lion Kings levelled it with a screamer from the top of the box in the fourth minute of stoppage time, courtesy of Andrei Filho but there was still enough time for a last sting in the tail as Will Kidd finished, from a Contestabile corner with the stopwatch reading 90+12.

Will Kidd is congratulated by team-mates after heading in the winning goal for St Croix Legends II during their match at Pony Stadium in Stillwater, Minnesota on Sunday May 11th 2024. Photo by Jason Morales Ortiz.

 

Wednesday

Mpls City U21 5-3 St Croix Legends II

Mitchel M Munzing and Tomas S Menna scored two each and Camel Htoo got a single goal for the Crows. Gora G Gora scored twice and Carter E Thiesfeld scored a solo effort for the Legends.

FC Minneapolis 1-1 Austin Villa

Austin Villa survived a red card to claim a point on the road.

Thursday

Granite City FC 0-1 Worthington CFC

The Toros stole a late winner on an own goal.

Friday

Vlora FC 1-1 Leon FC

A strange evening in Burnsville, where a match only lasted 70 minutes due to bad weather. In between the interruptions, a match broke out, with both sides notching breakaway solo efforts. Franklin Schwendimann scored for Vlora, Medo had the reply.

Coming Up:

Saturday:

18x26 Academy v Granite City FC

Worthington Community FC v FC Minneapolis

Austin Villa FC v Minneapolis City U21

Sunday:

Leon FC v Superior City FC

St Croix Legends II v St Paul Blackhawks


NPSL Season Opener: Minnesota TwinStars v Minnesota Blizzard


Two white soccer players in black kits run either side of a black man in a white kit, who is controlling the football
During the match between Minnesota TwinStars FC and Minnesota Blizzard FC at Pride Stadium in Brooklyn Park, Minn., on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
(Photo by Seth Steffenhagen/Steffenhagen Photography)

Read more


UPSL Men's Round Up: Week 2

Spotlight Match:

Vlora FC 0-3 Worthington Community FC

It took 5 mins for either side to find a shot on target and only a minute after Vlora had their first look, Worthington really should have gone ahead with theirs as the ball was intercepted in midfield from a high press by WCFC but the shot from the top of the box sailed high and wide. The Toros continued to press high and force Vlora into defensive miscues. A long ball over the top in the 11th minute was missed by Jesus Galvan-Garcia attempting to head it back to Austin Gunkel in the Vlora net, and the Worthington shot was just fractionally wide. In the 18th minute, a snapped header by Robert Cooper from close range was plucked out of the air by Worthington keeper Ricardo Maldonado. A free kick in the 23rd minute was a good chance for Vlora, claimed by Maldonado.

The break through came only two minutes later as Worthington made a strong diagonal pass from right to left which was slide tackled out for a corner. Chris Cerda's delivery was whipped in from the left and Miguel Perdomo rose to nod it home.

Worthington Community Football Club #9 Miguel Perdomo opens the score for WCFC during the Vlora Football Club v Worthington Community Football Club match on Sunday, May 5, 2024 at Bob Pates Stadium in Burnsville, Minnesota. (Photo by Jason Morales Ortiz)
Red shirted soccer player with arms aloft in frustration. White shirted player center-frame pointing to the right
Worthington CFC's #9 Miguel Perdomo points to #3 Chris Cerda who assisted the first goal through a corner kick during the Vlora Football Club v Worthington Community Football Club match on Saturday, May 5, 2024 at Bob Pates Stadium in Burnsville, Minnesota. (Photo by Jason Morales Ortiz)

Only one minute after scoring their first, another WCFC counter attack led to a shot wide from the top of the box.  Vlora returned fire up the other end, a shot off a corner was deflected out for another corner, a sequence repeated almost exactly a second successive time but while Vlora maintained possession, it could not threaten the goal again.

The second goal came after a scrappy passage of play where the ball was ineffectively cleared a number of times before falling to Juani Mackrey, who swept it home from close range with half an hour gone.

Mackrey netted his second and Worthington's third when after a period of back and forth play, a cross was driven in from the right wing by Cerda and tapped in by Mackrey in the 39th minute.

A white shirted player standing between doubled-up red shirted defenders points in celebration.
Worthington CFC #19 Juani Mackrey points to #3 Chris Cerda after scoring off his pass during the Vlora Football Club v Worthington Community Football Club match on Saturday, May 5, 2024 at Bob Pates Stadium in Burnsville, Minnesota. (Photo by Jason Morales Ortiz)

The second half saw neither side firing on all cylinders as it took 15 minutes for either side to muster a further corner and Vlora saw their best chance of the second half go begging as a corner was whipped in from the right but missed everyone's head and was claimed in a scrum by Maldonado. Worthington's own corner from their right was comfortable for Gunkel.

Vlora managed to hit a shot off the gridiron crossbar and saw another shot deflected over, with a third shot just wide in the 75th minute. Esteban Badillo applied some pressure of his own for the home side but his shot was wide. As the home side pressed forward, a ball was lofted in in the 86th minute for Vlora, but another header went wide. Ortega had a strong shot on the Worthington goal in stoppage time, but it was secured by the goalie.

Vlora FC fall to 0-2 on the young season, with their visitors ascending to 2-0.

 

Worthington CFC #19 Juani Mackrey celebrates with #21 Anton Cordes and #20 Alex Ruiz Garcia during the Vlora Football Club v Worthington Community Football Club match on Saturday, May 5, 2024 at Bob Pates Stadium in Burnsville, Minnesota. (Photo by Jason Morales Ortiz)

Other Results:

Sunday:

Superior City FC 4-1 Austin Villa

Bryce Boldt opened the scoring for the Navy in the 5th minute, Austin Villa equalized but Boldt puts the home team back ahead soon after. Ryan Tomsche made it 3-1 in stoppage time and the scoring was completed by Mally Lumsden in the 84th minute.

Granite City FC 0-9 St Croix Legends II

The Legends put up a touchdown at St Cloud Tech, and didn't stop at that. Nathan Donovan got a hat trick (and two assists!), Will Miers scored two and there were single goals for Porter Ball (and a assist), JT Olson, Carver M. Tierney (and an assist) and Minneapolis City's all-time leading goalscorer Will Kidd.  Will Heinen got two assists and Alex Paredes and Agostino Quadrio Curzio also got assists.

Thursday:

Superior City FC 1-2 FC Minneapolis

The Lion Kings opened up the scoring through Yushi Nagamatsu in the 17th minute. Superior City equalized late in the first half through center back Matti Sysimaki from a corner. The visitors were reduced to ten men after Ayodele Gafer was sent off for handling outside the penalty area in the 65th minute, with Michael taking over as goalie. Aerial Gbalenchey then followed him into the away showers in stoppage time. Mally Lumsden finally broke the deadlock in the fourth minute of stoppage time, off a long cross-field pass from David Lopez Perez.  The match ended with 11 yellow cards, 4 of which turned into 2 red cards.

Coming Up:

Saturday

Worthington Community FC v Superior City FC

St Paul Blackhawks v Mpls City U21

18x26 Academy v Vlora FC

Austin Villa v Granite City FC

Sunday

St Croix Legends II v FC Minneapolis

Wednesday

Mpls City U21 v St Croix Legends II

FC Minneapolis v Austin Villa

Thursday

Granite City FC v Worthington CFC

Friday

Vlora FC v Leon FC


A pink shirted goalkeeper in the center of the frame stops a football with 5 other players looking on

UPSL Men's Round Up: Week 1


Saturday

Austin Villa 1-0 Vlora FC

CJ Tree, the 2023 Post Bulletin All-Area Boys Soccer Player of the Year, provided the decisive tally for the home team, late in the match.

St Croix Legends II 4-2 Superior City FC

It only took ten minutes for St Croix Legends II to break the deadlock as Nathan Donovan received the ball, shrugged off a defender and unleashed a ball from 20 yards out, across the goalie and in. Five corners are indicative of the strength of the Legends in the opening half-hour, capped by a second goal - Agostino Quadrico Curzio from a Luca Contestabile cross. Carter Thiesfeld made it three in stoppage time before half-time, as a Legends high press forced an interception in the City penalty area.

The second half started with a few minutes where St Croix were happy to cede possession to Superior City and play, very effectively, on the break. The home side scored their fourth when Thiesfeld blasted a rocket from fully 25 yards out at the hour mark. City finally got on the scoresheet in the 66th minute, Henrico Zena with a burst down the left wing and a solo finish on the second attempt after the first shot was parried. It was 4-2 in the 70th minute as a cross field diagonal from the right side of defense landed on the City left wing. Henrico Zena reversed the ball into the middle of the box and Mark Fehringer deeked a defender and planted the ball firmly into the roof of the Legends net.

Worthington Community FC 4-3 Leon FC

WCFC opened the scoring against last year's D1 winners in the 16th minute through Anton Cordes. Juani Mackrey made it 2-0 with a header off of the cross from Prince Lebbi. In a back and forth second half, Leon scored through Eric Contreras before Isaac F. Correa assisted a second Mackrey goal for the Toros and the home team made it 4-1 when Cordes scored his second. Leon put together a furious late rally, with further goals by Eric Contreras and Luis Contreras but in the end, the visitors fell just short.

Coming Up:

Sunday

Vlora FC v Worthington Community FC

Superior City FC v Austin Villa

Leon FC v 1826 Academy

Granite City FC v St Croix Legends II 

Thursday

Superior City FC v FC Minneapolis