NPSL Round Up: Week 5
Wednesday
Minnesota Blizzard 1-0 Joy Athletic Club
Shannonsider Cian Mcgoey ran all night, frequently ending offside but also popping up on the hour mark as an outlet pass for Carter Hermanson, a former Mpls City Futures product out of St Paul, MN. Mcgoey calmly dispatched the chance and Blizzard collectively defended from midfield back as the division's hottest striker, Phil Caputo with 9, put them under severe pressure. There were at least 3 calls for a penalty kick for Joy turned away, although Mcgoey also could have earned one at the other end.
Saturday
Joy Athletic Club 1-2 Siouxland United
Siouxland United took the lead after half an hour, João Rocha with a clean half volley strike in at the near post after he chested down a recycled ball from a 35 yard free kick whipped in from the left wing. In stoppage time at the end of the first half, the Outlaws high press produced a second, blasted into the far side netting by Daniel Contreras Portorreal. The Goats were only able to spoil the clean sheet with a soft penalty kick award, the ball hammered at a Siouxland defender from close range for a handball. Nonetheless, Phil Caputo stepped up and scored his tenth goal of the campaign.
Iowa Demon Hawks 0-3 Sioux Falls Thunder FC
In the 13th minute, a tough sequence saw the visitors break the deadlock. Max Matthies chipped the ball past the advancing Demon Hawks keeper Luan Teles, who clattered into him - leaving the Thunder player on the ground but the ball in the net. The goal was awarded, a penalty kick (or caution) was not. The hosts were, however, reduced to ten men in the 63rd minute when Matheus Barbosa da Silva received his second yellow card.
A mis-hit clearance in the 69th minute left Aran Hernández Vivar to slide the ball home for Thunder's second. Luke Waeschle added the icing to the visitor's cake in the last ten minutes, softly cushioning a header back across the keeper from a right wing cross.
Minnesota Blizzard FC 1-2 Duluth FC
The BlueGreens scored all three of the game's goals, opening the scoring from the wrong end in the 13th minute as a corner bounced fortuitously off a defender. It took them 15 more minutes to level the match, Liam Pritchard picked up the ball in midfield, beat three defenders and wrong footed the Blizzard keeper by reversing to put the ball in at the near post. The Tees-sider scored his second, and the game's winning goal, in the early stages of the second half with another near post effort, this time playing off the shoulder of the left back and blasting it into the roof of the net.
Coming Up:
Tuesday
Thursday
Siouxland United FC v Sioux Falls Thunder FC
Saturday
Iowa Demon Hawks v Minnesota Blizzard FC
Duluth FC v Sioux Falls Thunder FC (in Superior, WI)
NPSL Round Up: Week 4
Friday
Sioux Falls Thunder 0-2 Duluth FC
The undefeated BlueGreens took the win after goals from the 57th minute through the Mineiro Felipe Oliveira, who attends Wisconsin-Superior. The game was put beyond doubt by half time substitute, Londoner Harvey McLoughlin (also attending Wisconsin-Superior) in stoppage time at the end of the second half.
Joy Athletic Club 3-0 Iowa Demon Hawks
Stop me if you've heard this before, St Cloud State standout Philip Caputo scored twice and Jessie Juarez added a third as Joy saw off early pressure and snagged goals in the 21st and 29th, with the third in the early going of the second half.
Saturday
Minnesota Blizzard FC 2-2 Iowa Demon Hawks
A counter attack down the right in the 12th minute by Evan Carlson to put the visitors on top, but only a minute later Owen Johnson was sent off for handling the ball outside his area. The subsequent free kick was whipped past the makeshift "goalkeeper" (and defender) Mauricio Groppo by Cian Mcgoey to level the score and that is how it would stand at half time.
Around the hour mark, it looked like Blizzard would join Demon Hawks, Thunder, Joy and Siouxland with at least 6 points in an almighty log-jam for playoff positioning, when J Morgan slotted home from an attack down their right. Instead, the ten men got up off the canvas and punched back only two mins later, Carlson blasting home his second from the top of the area.
Siouxland United 1-0 Duluth FC
Siouxland United provided a spark in second half stoppage time of a match otherwise dominated by box to box midfield action. A long throw from the right was flicked on by a Duluth defender, into the path of Sporting KC academy graduate (out of Kansas City, MO) Abdulmuni Abdalla, who proceeded to take off his shirt in celebration and receive a second yellow card for delaying the restart. It is the second game in a row that the Outlaws have lost their discipline late, but they are now on a three game winning streak and have taken the first points of the season off the BlueGreens.
Coming Up:
Wednesday
Minnesota Blizzard v Joy Athletic Club
Saturday
Joy Athletic Club v Siouxland United
Iowa Demon Hawks v Sioux Falls Thunder FC
Minnesota Blizzard FC v Duluth FC
NPSL Round Up: Week 3
Tuesday
Duluth FC 1-0 Minnesota Blizzard FC
When you aren't destroying teams, just find a way to win. A draw is possible in this game we love, but that was not to be for the visitors, who conceded a fatal late free kick, 20 yards out on the right wing.
Duluth FC had a couple of half chances in the opening ten minutes but the Blizzard were steadfast in their defense. The Blizzard's first chances came shortly after back to back corners resulted in an unmarked shot from the top of the box, wide. Luis Vergara shot high from a corner in the 19th minute for Duluth, and the BlueGreens saw a goal disallowed for offside in the 25th. The home side's first corner took 27 minutes to arrive, and it resulted in a counter for Blizzard, albeit ended by a Mark Donaldson interception. Adrian Mejia nearly broke through for the hosts in the waning moments of the first half but the shot went wide. Blizzard had 5 corners in the opening 45 but could not threaten the goal.
Devan DiGrado (a St. Thomas graduate) provided the first shot in anger from the Blizzard in the second half, but it was blocked before it could make the box. Duluth had their own shots around the hour mark. Donaldson had the closest chance, side footed just wide from the edge of the Blizzard area in the 62nd minute. Bryant + Stratton's Cian McGoey (out of Limerick, Ireland) whipped the ball across the six yard box two minutes later for Blizzard, but it remained tied. The visitors' Evan Moreno (a Northern Arizona grad) received a red card, which turned yellow after consultation with the assistant referee in the 69th minute.
The rule (Law 12) governing denial of a goalscoring opportunity is convoluted, so I'm going to quote it:
Where a player commits an offence against an opponent within their own penalty area which denies an opponent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and the referee awards a penalty kick, the offender is cautioned if the offence was an attempt to play the ball or a challenge for the ball; in all other circumstances (e.g. holding, pulling, pushing, no possibility to play the ball etc.), the offending player must be sent off.
João Magalhaes, who was fouled, saw his PK saved by Evan Siefken (formerly of St Johns and Minneapolis City) . The Mineiro Felipe Oliveira (who plays at Wisconsin-Superior) saw his shot blocked at point blank range in the 81st minute by Siefken.
Stoppage time degenerated into a sequence of fouls by Blizzard, the last of which was a killer for the visitors. The ball was whipped all the way from the right wing over to the left, then headed back across the penalty area and tapped into the goal by the Quiteño[Teddy Miranda (William Carey University) from inside the 6-yard box in the 6th minute of second-half stoppage time.
Friday
Sioux Falls Thunder 2-4 Joy AC
So what's new for Joy Athletic? Philip Caputo (a local product, and original St. Cloud State Husky) scored a first half hat trick, totaling 7 in his last two games. The first came courtesy of a ball into the left channel, expertly controlled and slotted across the keeper into the far side netting in the 15th minute. The second was a penalty kick fifteen minutes later. Caputo sealed his hatty with a lung busting run down the left wing, again finished into the far side netting.
The Goats kept pushing forward, but it would be the 60th minute before their fourth, a 25 yard free kick from Shakopee, MN's Jessie Juarez - who transferred into Hamline from Augsburg and has previously played for Duluth FC. The ball whipped over the wall and past the keeper at full stretch into the side netting.
Thunder scored their first after a left wing corner pinballed around and was poked home by local product and Gustavus Adolphus Gustie Tallen Dobson in the 70th minute. 3 minutes later, a counter attack made it 4-2 through the Canary Islander Aran Hernández Vivar, currently attending Western Iowa Tech. Unfortunately for the crowd at Bob Young Field, there would be no rousing rally this time.
Saturday
Sioux Falls Thunder 2-1 Minnesota Blizzard
It didn't take the Thunder long to break into this game, Hooper hammered the ball into the roof of the Blizzard net from the top of the penalty area with only 7 minutes on the clock, after the visitors failed to scramble the ball clear. However, a free kick on the right side in the 15th minute hit the wall and Devan DiGrado hammered home the rebound to equalize from close to 20 yards out.
2 mins into the 2nd half, the home side reasserted control. A burst down the left wing by local product Nick North, who attends SD School of Mines, culminated in an easy finish for Aran Hernández Vivar inside the six yard box. A draw might have been a fairer result, but 8 mins of stoppage did not yield a game changing goal and the home team secured their second win of the season.
Siouxland United 5-0 Joy AC
It took half an hour for a side to break the deadlock in Sioux City, and it was the Carioca product of Lewis and Clark Community College, João Lutz beating the defense down the middle to put Siouxland United ahead. Two minutes after half-time, Takumi Sato slid in a second at short range from a right wing cross. It was 3-0 in the 63rd minute, as Outlaw center back and St. Bonaventure player Xavier Davidson connected on a right wing corner. The game was iced in the 77th minute, when the Ontarian Christian Piewe Tientcheu (who goes to school at West Virginia Tech) tapped in on a counter-attack. A fifth goal was scored in the 86th minute on the counter again by Keitatsu Yoshida (From Osaka, Japan and currently lacing them up for Cowley College). Remarkably, Siouxland United's Yotaro Furutani (from Tokyo, via Munroe University) received a second yellow card in second half stoppage for a late challenge.
Duluth FC 3-1 Iowa Demon Hawks
In the 28th minute, Duluth took the lead after a header from Alejandro Ruiz Garcia squirmed past the Demon Hawks' keeper. A 37th minute penalty kick put the BlueGreens up two at half time. Iowa's sole goal came in the 47th minute through Saiheed Jah (Moline, IL via Drake). Bayerische Tobias Gerber (NE Community College) scored the third home goal in the 55th minute.
Sunday
Siouxland United 4-1 Minnesota Blizzard
The week's last action came in less than favorable weather conditions, high 80 degree heat and wildfire smoke triggering hydration protocols. It took the Outlaws of Siouxland United just 15 seconds after resumption from one of those hydration breaks to score the first goal via Keitatsu Yoshida. Daniel Contreras Portorreal doubled the lead. Christian Piewe Tientcheu made it 3-0 and Yoshida scored his second and SUX's fourth in the 71st minute. Carter Hermanson drifted a free kick in, and Ryan DeBois placed it past Bradley Ironside for Blizzard's only tally of the game in the 85th minute but a rally was not forthcoming. After starting their season with two losses, Siouxland United are now 2-2 and sit second, three points behind Duluth but with a game in hand and the two sides meeting next Saturday at Bishop Heelan in Sioux City.
Coming Up
Friday June 6th
Sioux Falls Thunder v Duluth FC
Joy Athletic Club v Iowa Demon Hawks
Saturday June 7th
Minnesota Blizzard v Iowa Demon Hawks
Siouxland United v Duluth FC
NPSL Round Up: Week 2
Wednesday May 21st
Sioux Falls Thunder 3-0 Iowa Demon Hawks
After a promising opening 10 minutes for the Thunder at Bob Young Field, the Demon Hawks grew into the match. A back-and-forth period finished with the visitors opening the scoring in the 31st minute as Jeanderson Pereira hit the ball low from the penalty arc and it deflected before spinning away from Joseph Valler in the Thunder net. The hosts refused to lie down but the Iowa lead was doubled in stoppage time at the end of the first half when Saiheed Jah hammered home from the left side of the penalty area, from a square pass from the right.
Thunder had their chances to lessen the score-line but failed to break through, and their chances were further hurt by a 66th minute injury to Valler. The substitute keeper Aimar Aramendia would concede the final goal 10 minutes later. Mauricio Groppo crossed from the left and Robin Vanderwalle sliced it home.
Saturday May 24th
Iowa Demon Hawks 1-6 Joy AC
Two games in the week, two lopsided losses. This time it was Joy who took advantage of the Hawks. Philip Caputo, who has been in the Joy system since he was 8 years old and just left St Cloud State as an original member of the 4 year-old program - and an all time statistical leader for the Huskies - decided tonight was the night to light up the NPSL North too. His first goal came in the 21st minute, blasting low at the goalkeeper's near post from the edge of the area. Two minutes later, Carver Tierney hammered a ball into the roof of the net from the right, also at the keeper's near post, to make it 2-0. In the 32nd minute, Caputo chipped Tom Gallagher in the Demon Hawks net from the top of the box to make it 3. The Hawks' sole goal came from Guilherme Lima, only a minute later - slotting home from a quick counter. However, it was Caputo's game, and the striker completed his hat trick with an almost identical strike to his first, snapped hard and low to the keeper's near post with the first half not yet over.
Caputo truly put his seal on the game in the 71st minute when a ball straight down the middle from Joy split the Demon Hawks defense and he raced on to slot home his fourth goal. Tierney completed the rout in the 87th minute with his second, a self-made half-volley from the penalty spot.
Coming Up:
Tuesday May 27th
Duluth FC v Minnesota Blizzard FC
Friday May 30th
Sioux Falls Thunder v Joy AC
Saturday May 31st
Sioux Falls Thunder v Minnesota Blizzard
Siouxland United v Joy AC
Duluth FC v Iowa Demon Hawks
Sunday June 1st
Siouxland United v Minnesota Blizzard
NPSL North kicks-off
Saturday May 10th
Sioux Falls Thunder 2-1 Siouxland United
Thunder left it late with goals from Sunao Midorikawa in the 82nd minute and Nick North in the 5th minute of second-half stoppage time to reverse the tide of a Siouxland derby which had seen the visitors go ahead in the 32nd minute through Harumi Yunaiyama.
Thursday May 15th
Duluth FC 3-1 Joy AC
Fresh from a National Semifinal, Duluth FC opened their league season at home against Joy Athletic Club, having already fallen in the US Open Cup to Forward Madison FC . An 8th minute cross from the right, headed back past the keeper from the left by Joy's Carver Tierney put the visitors ahead However, it was honors even at half time after sustained BlueGreen pressure told in the 37th minute, Teddy Miranda squaring from the right and Felipe Oliveira tapping it in from close range.
Early in the second half, Felipe Olivera picked it out from under his feet and slotted home from a Guerrero cross. In the 71st minute, Duluth FC played a searching diagonal ball to Liam Pritchard on the right, who crossed in for Caio Gomes to finish it and cap the win.
Saturday May 17th
Iowa Demon Hawks 2-1 Siouxland United
Guilherme Pereira scored twice for the Demon Hawks, opening the score from the penalty spot in the 16th minute and adding a goal from open play in the 26th minute. In what was a comfortable win for the home side, the Outlaws did get their own penalty goal from Takumi Sato in the 82nd minute but fall to 0-2 on the early season.
Minnesota Blizzard 3-0 Sioux Falls Thunder
This match was closer than the final score-line would indicate but it will go down in Blizzard history as the club's first outdoor win, following a disappointing debut season in NPSL. Jadon Morgan opened scoring in the 28th minute, tapping in from inside the 6 yard box after Cian Mcgoey burst down the left and crossed into his strike partner. Mcgoey himself made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute, lifting a free kick from inches outside the penalty arc over the outstretched Thunder keeper into the top corner of the net. He notched his second after a clearance from their own penalty area was allowed to skip unopposed to the Irishman, who finished from the edge of the Thunder area.
Blizzard now move to 1-0-0 on the NPSL season and Thunder drop to 1-0-1.
Coming Up:
Wednesday May 21st
Sioux Falls Thunder v Iowa Demon Hawks
Saturday May 24th
Iowa Demon Hawks v Joy AC
MN Blizzard host Vlora FC in an early season Amateur Cup test
Burnsville-based Vlora FC make the short trip to Eagan to face Lakeville-based Minnesota Blizzard FC as this regionalized, national tournament makes its opening visit to Minnesota for this year.
Vlora operates a UPSL squad, but they entered the draw as Minnesota Amateur Soccer League members. In that league, they finished third in the third division and won promotion to the second division for this upcoming season. They are two games into their UPSL season and are currently 2-0 with a 2-1 win over FC Minneapolis at home followed by a 5-0 drubbing of Rochester FC on the road. The squad will presumably be more UPSL than MASL because the latter schedule clashes with this match.
Minnesota Blizzard reserves also play in the third division of the MASL, and share a player pool with the first team NPSL squad from which the club will select their USAC squad. This match is the season debut for the team from the South Metro, who will follow up with a friendly against Wisconsin Conquerers. The NPSL season begins May 17th against Sioux Falls Thunder FC.
The US Amateur Cup has been played since 1923. The country is divided into the four regions of the United States Adult Soccer Association. There's a fuller explanation here, but for our purposes, it's only relevant that Northland falls in Region 2. 24 teams enter in the first round, and those winners face another round before the 6 left standing are joined by Milwaukee Torrent and Bavarian United for the quarter-finals. Torrent and Bavs received seeded entry because of their progress in last year's tournament.
The ultimate winners of Region 2 win the Bill Davey Cup and qualify for a national semifinal against one of the other three regions' winners. Whoever emerges from the national semifinals and the final the same weekend takes the National Amateur Cup title and a guaranteed spot in the 2026 US Open Cup.
So 5 wins (or 2, if you're the Milwaukee clubs) and you get a trophy. 7 (or 4) and you get a second trophy and qualification for a third.
Check back after the game for a photo gallery from the game by our Photography Director, Michael Lake.
A new North is unveiled by NPSL
There are no brand-new clubs to the North Conference of the NPSL, but it is getting longer and shorter at the same time with Dakota Fusion's hiatus and the entry of former Gateway Conference members Iowa Demon Hawks.
Of the four playoff qualifiers from the North in 2024, two (Dakota Fusion and Minnesota TwinStars) are not part of 2025's festivities. The TwinStars leave after 20 years at this level and a 30-year history overall that made them by far the oldest club in this division.
Duluth FC will be defending their region with a new head coach for the first time since 2020, with the departure of Sean Morgan. Their fellow playoff team, Joy Athletic Club, is joined by Lakeville's Minnesota Blizzard (who also play in MASL2 alongside the Demon Hawks) as the only presence in the Twin Cities metro.
The Demon Hawks arrive in the North, having lost in the Regional Semifinals to Duluth FC (as Des Moines United). The Demon Hawks are also an established MASL2 indoor team. There is a possible fresh rivalry between the Des Moines-based Demon Hawks and the Sioux City-based Siouxland United. On the subject of the latter, the Outlaws bring in Alex Trent as head coach off the back of his undefeated regular season with Fusion. Lastly, Sioux Falls Thunder remain in the conference and at Bob Young Field as another potential rival to the Iowans.
Also, a little note about the US Open Cup. The tournament saw Duluth FC seize a priority bid as regional winners and it turns out that Fusion were offered a spot (turned down because of hiatus) as spectacular regular season participants. The BlueGreens are on the road against Forward Madison of USL League One for the second consecutive year, largely as a consequence of two things: Relatively close proximity and a desire to match all amateurs against a pro side in the 1st round. We will be covering that for you.
NPSL National Semifinals: El Farolito 3-0 Duluth FC
Duluth FC finished the regular season as the 33rd ranked team by points-per-game, the metric used to determine hosting priority for the playoffs. It is eerily similar to the last time they made this stage. Their odyssey has so far taken them on a 500 mile round trip to Fargo and back for the Conference Championship, a 830 mile round trip to Des Moines for the Regional Semifinal and now a 4000 mile round trip to San Francisco for the National Semifinal against #5 El Farolito . The hosts made their debut at this stage of the tournament, having fallen in the regional championship each of the past two seasons.
After strong Farolito possession to open the match, the best chance for either side came on a Duluth counter in the fourth minute, but the ball across the box bobbled into the hands of the keeper Johan Lizarralde. An El Farolito corner in the 7th minute was followed quickly by Jonatan Valdivia blasting one in, on the run into the penalty area. The hosts continued to dominate possession but Duluth FC threatened from a left wing free kick, which became a corner. The ball swung just over, cleared by a defender. Corner #2 goes out for a third but they could not bump the ball over the line.
As the half wore on, the BlueGreens began to funnel the ball into Liam Pritchard’s right channel.
Gabriel Arias made it 2-0 in the 31st minute, finishing from outside the box from a Kipre Sacre pass.
The visitors had a late flurry of chances in the first half. First, Jireh Oyebamji with a chance for Duluth, snuffed out by the keeper in the 41st minute. Two minutes later, Jesus Martinez made a strong slide challenge on a streaking Liam Pritchard in the box. No call. Finally, in stoppage time, Pritchard was denied by Lizarralde at point blank range, sliding out to meet him in the box.
The second half was almost entirely a tale of El Farolito squandering good chances. Eric Arias missed an open goal, and there was a corner headed well over before Duluth FC were required to defend - and Jamie Colvill made a flying save of Edgard Kreye’s point-blank header. Kreye and Arias were joined by Valdivia in placing a chance wide but the closest that Duluth came before the hour mark was a Duluth throw-in, which forced a save. Liam Pritchard, so dangerous against Steel City last weekend, drove a chance too high in the 62nd minute. It marked a short spell of BlueGreen ball control, with two corners in four minutes - the second of which was driven right under the crossbar, forcing Lizarralde to punch it out. Shortly after, attacking substitute Tyler Limmer squared the ball but it was stopped by the keeper. The pattern of El Farolito misses continued as substitute Carlos Rodriguez did so twice in two minutes, first with a diving header from a Valdivia cross and then with his foot.
Somehow, the chances kept coming (and going) for El Farolito, with Jhohann Yabur and Valdivia both stopped by the BlueGreen defense. It took until virtually the last kick of the game for the hosts to score their first of the second half, Rodriguez finally finishing a chance.
Midnight struck like the hammer of a grandfather clock on the dreams of Lake Superior's Cinderella as the 5330 mile odyssey of the BlueGreens came to an end. That also marks the end of another eventful season of NPSL coverage for you on Northern Lights Football, as El Farolito conclude their season with a mammoth 2888 mile trip out to Madison, New Jersey.
Stay tuned for our coverage of women’s professional football on this very site and if you have not already done so please check out our Patreon for ways to support our ongoing mission as a non-profit.
NPSL Midwest Playoff Final
Steel City FC 2-3 Duluth FC (After Extra Time)
Steel City reached this stage last year, before falling to eventual champion Tulsa Athletic on penalty kicks. Duluth can reach a bit further back and recall their own Midwest Region Championship in 2018. They came perilously close to the mandatory 10pm lights out (per the broadcast crew) but in the mean time, the two teams produced a gutsy match.
The match began with Duluth FC dominance, culminating in a neat, close control and finish by Liam Pritchard in the 7th minute. Steel City responded with their own period of pressure, both metaphorically with a high press and literally with a tough challenge on Jamie Colvill. In the 16th minute, the hosts rang the crossbar from a corner and corners (and chances) kept coming in from Steel City. Colvill, up to the task, flew at full stretch in the 21st minute to deny Mikey Sullivan. Liam Pritchard found himself in a pocket of space in the 29th minute, only to be foiled by a last gasp tackle. Two minutes later, Sullivan was back on the ball for the hosts from a midfield free kick, he dribbled all the way to the penalty spot and laced an equalizer into the top corner.
The BlueGreens had another period of possession as the first half ended, but could not break through.
With 48 on the clock, Eduoard Nys shot, only to see it cleared off the Steel City line. Back and forth the possession went but chances went over the gridiron posts or wide. Dylan Sumner drove into the box for Duluth but was whistled for a foul against the defender. A ball in from Nicky Graeca is met with no home team runners. Duluth call for a handball in the 71st minute off a scrambled corner, but the referee didn’t give it. Back up the other end, Steel City had a free kick on the right wing, whipped in but the bicycle kick was ruled offside.
From the 77th minute onward, Duluth pinned Steel City back, they had a missed chance in the 81st minute, but only needed a minute to make up for it as Felipe Santos, who goes to college a couple of hours north of the Steel City at Mercyhurst University, drove into the box unchecked and hammered home what looked like the winning goal in the 82nd minute. Steel City had a corner, cleared, and then a long throw, cleared. However, down to the last gasp, with two minutes of stoppage time elapsed, a scramble in the Duluth box culminated in a goal. The scorer is still unknown at time of publication. Less than a minute later, the visitors were reduced to ten men by a flying two-footed challenge for a straight red card.
Duluth started Extra Time on top, Felipe Santos putting the ball just over, and then Felipe Carli connected with a deep run from Liam Pritchard to slot home in the 99th minute. The game finished with Steel City having their own shout for a penalty in the 113th minute, denied and five other chances just missed as time ran out on (yet another) #1 seed in the Midwest.
It’s difficult to even put into words the scale of achievement by this Duluth FC squad. So far in the playoffs, they have gone on the road to Dakota Fusion (and won) and on the road to Des Moines United/Iowa Demon Hawks (and won) and now on the road to Steel City (and won). In a league where road matches mean short benches, it is staggering. As the 33rd ranked team by points-per-game, their odyssey continues with a National Semifinal in San Francisco against #5 El Farolito.
Talking to us after the game, Head Coach Sean Morgan took a moment to acknowledge the scale of achievement:
It’s just an incredible achievement by a group of incredible young men like how they’ve battled through the season with adversity at different times winning games when we’re coming off the back of bad runs and, like you said the road games that we’ve had to deal with in the last two weeks have been enormous mentally and physically and to be able to put all that to the side and just give it everything I’m just so so proud of the guys can’t be more proud. It’s phenomenal.
NPSL Midwest Playoff Semifinal
Iowa Demon Hawks 0-2 Duluth FC
Duluth FC and Iowa Demon Hawks kicked off from Indianola High School, about 30 minutes south of Des Moines for the right to face the region's #1 seed, Steel City FC in Pittsburgh.
Duluth FC went 7-1-4 in the regular season and beat Dakota Fusion in the North Conference Final.
The Demon Hawks (aka Des Moines United) , went 6-2-2 in the regular season and advanced out of the Gateway Conference playoffs with a 2-0 win over Milwaukee Torrent in their conference championship match.
After an even opening 25 minutes, both teams would register shots on goal, but it would remain goal less going into half time. The BlueGreens would have a couple of shots across the six yard box not converted before Liam Pritchard broke the deadlock in the 65th minute, dribbling inside and out of his defender before finishing at the near post. Only four minutes later, Duluth FC rang a shot off the post and in the seventy-fifth minute, a Demon Hawk shot from distance was tipped onto the crossbar by Jamie Colvill. That would be the closest that the home side would come, and the door slammed firmly shut in the 80th minute as Rory Doyle acrobatically volleyed the ball in from the top of the box.
The visitors face another long road trip in their pursuit of more silverware, facing Steel City FC in Pittsburgh on Saturday to decide the NPSL Midwest Regional Champion. Steel City reached this stage last year, before falling to eventual champion Tulsa Athletic on penalty kicks. Duluth can reach a bit further back and recall their own Midwest Region Championship in 2018.
NPSL North Playoffs Final
Dakota Fusion hosted the BlueGreens of Duluth FC last Saturday night in Moorhead, MN for the inaugural NPSL North Conference playoff title, with a spot in the Central Regional playoffs on the line. Fusion who won the regular season title at 9-3-0 (W-D-L) defeated Joy AC 2-1 to advance to the Conference title match. The BlueGreens meanwhile finished the season 7-1-4 in second place in the North. Duluth FC took down the Minnesota TwinStars 2-0 in their conference semi-final to advance to the North final.
Late in the first half it was Duluth's Edouard Nys putting a ball into the corner of goal for what would turn out to be the only goal the evening. A weather delay extended the halftime break in Moorhead, but when both sides came back out for the second 45' neither club could muster another goal.
Duluth FC's win sent them into the revamped NPSL Midwest Region playoff where they'll face plays Moines United (aka Iowa Demon Hawks) in the Midwest Region semi-final in Indianola, IA. Des Moines United, who went 6-2-2 in the regular season advanced out of the Gateway Conference playoffs with a 2-0 win over Milwaukee Torrent in their conference championship match.
The winner of tonight's match will face a lengthy trip to the Pittsburgh area this weekend for the Midwest Region final. Great Lakes Conference champion Steel City FC secured themselves the top seed in the region and a bye to and hosting rights for the final. Duluth FC and Des Moines United will kickoff tonight at 7pm from Indianola High School about 30 minutes south of Des Moines. The match will be viewable on the Iowa Demon Hawks YouTube channel.
NPSL North Playoff Semi Finals
Wednesday
(#= Conference seeding/National ranking)
#1/6 Dakota Fusion 2-1 #4/38 Joy Athletic Club
Fusion v Joy is the league's stingiest defense against the joint Golden Boot winner Philip Caputo.
It took Joy Athletic 20 mins to register a chance, in a first 40 minutes dominated by the home side. Nonetheless, it was Joy’s Zinedine Kroeten who put the visitors ahead with the first of two penalty kicks this evening. The lead lasted barely a minute, as Takumi Sato headed in a left wing corner in the 41st minute.
The second half was much more even, but Ryosuke Miyata made the decisive blow, a smooth, sliding finish from a right wing cross in the 83rd minute. In the seventh minute of stoppage time, Fusion goalie Vincent Sanchis nearly conceded again after a header back to him went over his head and he palmed it away.
Fusion Men's Head Coach Alex Trent talked to us after the game:
Playoffs always bring a new challenge. Our guys showed great resilience, which I'm really proud of. We know Duluth will give us their best and we are looking forward to another good matchup with a trophy on the line.
#2/31 Duluth FC 2-0 #3/39 Minnesota TwinStars (Game halted because of red cards)
Duluth FC v TwinStars went into extra time tied at 0-0, with TwinStars down to ten men following a melee in the 90th minute. Dylan Sumner broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 98th minute. Felipe Santos made it 2-0 in the 105th minute before a fifth red card for the visitors triggered a forfeit in the 115th minute.
Coming Up:
Dakota Fusion FC v Duluth FC Saturday at 7pm.
NPSL Round-Up: July 1-6
Tuesday:
Siouxland United 3-1 Sioux Falls Thunder
A 43rd minute goal by Lucas Foreman and two from Ben Shields were countered by a goal by Simon Woods for Thunder.
Dakota Fusion 6-1 Minnesota TwinStars
A strong wind blew left to right, in the faces of Fusion, at the backs of TwinStars for the first half. It was a broken opening 10 with multiple TwinStars down and Chigoze Eneje out injured a couple times.
Fusion had three different players shoot on target before Rich Busmeister scored for Fusion in the 18th minute. TwinStars scored direct from the kick-off, wind assisted by Carlos Boquin, over the head of Devine, who was upfield congratulating the goalscorer. Both sides had chances but it was Busmeister who made it 2-1 in the 30th minute, finishing off a passage of close passing down the middle, slotting it calmly past the keeper into the corner.
In the 40th minute, a Fusion corner was recycled and Sho Toda ran in on goal but was tackled by Balakiyem Katanga in the TwinStars goal, leaving both down and the goal empty. Ryosuke Miyata chipped the ball in.
Jino Agbassa made it 4-1 off a neat passage of play just to the right of center, again calmly dispatched. James Narke curled one off the post before Telvin Vah cushioned the ball and slotted it home in the 61st minute from the top of the box to make it 5-1. Will Devine stopped TwinStars at point blank range a few times before the last goal came close to the end, Vah with his second, off a neat interchange.
The result seals the #1 seed for Fusion, and a home playoff game against the #4 team in the North, which was yet to be settled.
Speaking to us after the match about the season to this point, Fusion head coach Alex Trent said:
Minnesota Blizzard 2-5 Joy Athletic
Bennett Kouame opened the scoring but Carter Hermanson equalized for Blizzard. Philip Caputo scored twice to put Joy back on top for good, despite an Ashton Frost goal. Zinedine Kroeten scored a penalty and Caputo finished his first half hat trick. The result, and the TwinStars loss, put Joy in 3rd and moved TwinStars down to 4th, with the two teams meeting on Saturday.
Saturday:
Minnesota Blizzard 0-8 Dakota Fusion
The Blizzard bid farewell to their inaugural season with a hammering by the #1 seed in the Midwest region, Dakota Fusion. They are ranked #7 in the national poll, with that seeding determining who hosts. So stay tuned. In tonight's match, Richard Busmeisters scored two, Brandon Garcia also got two (one from the penalty spot), Inshun Han, Sho Toda, Alex Benitez and Rysuke Miyata all scored.
Siouxland United 3-2 Duluth FC
Duluth finish the season down to 10 men after the dismissal of their goalkeeper, Zeke Foltz, although the loss essentially does nothing to the standings.
The BlueGreens took the lead through Dylan Sumner but Ben Shields equalized. Liam Pritchard put the away side back ahead before Kenny Hewitt equalized. Following the red card for Foltz, Marcus Horwood scored to make it 3-2.
Minnesota TwinStars 4-2 Joy Athletic Club
A Joy AC win, which was on the cards in this exciting end-to-end game at one point, would have moved Joy into second place and the Outlaws into the #4 seed.
TwinStars goals came from Sadra Golzarian, Abdousalam Akinola and David Diawara twice. Joy's goalscorer information is pending.
Coming Up:
Wednesday
#1 Dakota Fusion FC v #4 Joy Athletic Club
Fusion beat Joy 4-0 in the regular season version of this match, and remain unbeaten.
#2 Duluth FC v #3 Minnesota TwinStars
The BlueGreens hammered TwinStars in the regular season edition of this match-up, so they will be hoping for a better trip up to the banks of Lake Superior this time around.
Saturday
Top remaining seed hosts the other winner for the Conference Championship.
NPSL Round-Up: 23-29 June 2024
Wednesday
Duluth FC 10-0 Minnesota Blizzard
Tyler Limmer scored a hat trick, Dylan Sumner scored twice, Myles Edmondson, Felipe Santos, Felipe Carli, Manny Morales and Golden Boot leader Eduoard Nys all scored one.
Sioux Falls Thunder 0-0 Minnesota TwinStars
Siouxland United 3-0 Joy Athletic Club
Ahmed Dosso, Magloire Makila and Marcus Harwood scored for the Outlaws.
Saturday
Joy Athletic Club 4-0 Sioux Falls Thunder
Bennett Kouame, Mika Folstad, Philip Caputo and Zinedine Kroeten scored for the Goats as they lock the TwinStars in every category other than head to head (which the Goats lead)
Minnesota Blizzard 0-2 Minnesota TwinStars
Abdoulsalam Akinola and Sadra Golzarian led the TwinStars past the Blizzard.
Dakota Fusion 3-2 Siouxland United
An end to end opening 10 minutes led into a straight red card for Queenslander Flynn Faulkner from Siouxland United for verbal abuse of an opponent in the 15th minute.
Even as the team with the numerical advantage, it took another 15 minutes before Fusion scored, through Gael Gonzalez. Only 5 mins after that, Sho Toda finished a passage of intricate passing to make it 2-0 and it looked like the home side were going to play out a copy of their smash and grab 2-0 on the road in Sioux City.
Outlaws came out with renewed vigor in the second half, and Kenny Hewitt broke through for Siouxland, poking home from a corner in the 62nd minute. Felix Buabeng made it 3-1, capitalizing on a square pass by a Siouxland defender to break away and score in the 81st minute. Marcus Harwood scrambled home a second goal from a ball over the defense, in the third minute of stoppage time but they were unable to tie it up.
The win takes Fusion clear of Duluth FC at the top of the Conference.
Speaking to us after the win, Dakota Fusion head coach Alex Trent had this to say:
We were great in possession in the first half and then we got away from what was working halfway through the second half. Proud of the effort of the team to get into good areas offensively and put the ball in the back of the net, but we had a few lapses on things defensively that normally we're great at. We're looking forward to another challenge on Tuesday against TwinStars.
I have reached out to Siouxland United and will update the story when I hear back.
Coming Up:
Tuesday:
Siouxland United v Sioux Falls Thunder
Dakota Fusion v Minnesota TwinStars
Minnesota Blizzard v Joy Athletic
Saturday:
Minnesota Blizzard v Dakota Fusion
Siouxland United v Duluth FC
Minnesota TwinStars v Joy Athletic Club
NPSL Round-Up: 16-22 June 2024
Tuesday:
Joy Athletic Club 2-1* Minnesota TwinStars
This back and forth match was brought to a halt in the 48th minute by torrential rain and high winds. Grant Luce put Joy ahead in the 14th minute. Akinola equalized for TwinStars five minutes later. Philip Caputo put the hosts back ahead in the 35th minute.
If this result stands, Joy have taken 4 points off teams around them in playoff positioning in the past two matches. Next visitors to St Louis Park on Saturday, a Duluth side needing to keep winning to fight for first place.
Wednesday:
Duluth FC 6-1 Sioux Falls Thunder
Eduoard Nys notched another two goals and Jireh Oyebamiji also got two. Dylan Sumner and former Thunder player Tyler Limmer picked up solo goals. Thunder made it 2-1 briefly with a penalty kick.
Minnesota Blizzard 2-3 Siouxland United
Blizzard opened the scoring in the 53rd minute through Landon Atkins. Flynn Faulkner equalized in the 84th minute before Atkins instantly put Blizzard back ahead. The Outlaws stole the three points for their journey home with a penalty kick from Marcus Horwood in the 90th minute and a goal from open play in stoppage time from Hibiki Mizutani.
Saturday Spotlight Match
Our full coverage of Minnesota TwinStars v Dakota Fusion is here.
Joy Athletic Club 4-2 Duluth FC
Joy continued their trend of taking points off their fellow playoff contenders, Phil Caputo scoring four on the way to a home victory. Eduoard Nys continues his red hot form, opening and closing the scoring for the BlueGreens.
Sioux Falls Thunder 1-1 Minnesota Blizzard
In a game of dueling penalty kicks, Thunder dispatched theirs in the 30th minute but Blizzard missed one just before half-time. However, Max Just provided the equalizer in the 85th minute.
Coming Up:
Wednesday
Duluth FC v Minnesota Blizzard
Sioux Falls Thunder v Minnesota TwinStars
Siouxland United v Joy Athletic Club
Saturday
Joy Athletic Club v Sioux Falls Thunder
Minnesota Blizzard v Minnesota TwinStars
Dakota Fusion v Siouxland United