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
Leagues
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.
MN Aurora Open Second Preseason with Positivity
The snow is gone, the kits are out, and MN Aurora FC has begun preseason training ahead of their second season in the USL-W League. Following a busy offseason of recruiting and building out the front and technical offices, the club returned to TCO Stadium in Eagan, Minnesota, on Monday, May 8. With 17 of 28 players returning from the inaugural squad, the team already seemed to be coming together on the second day of training when players and coaches met with the media.
"They've been great. It's now about you know, getting people to just settle down a little bit," said head coach Nicole Lukic, after the open session. "There's tons of energy floating around out here in a great way but getting people to relax and shake out the nerves and just start trusting each other is what this week is going to be about."
Players like Mariah Nguyen, Kristelle Yewah, Taylor Kane, Bayliss Flynn, and Morgan Stone, have returned from successful (both on and off the pitch) school seasons. They are joined by a number of new players who bring their own impressive resumés and experiences - Vienna Behnke, Tianna Harris, and Hannah Adler. Four more players will join by the weekend, after completing their college finals: Rami and Eli Rapp (two of the returning Rapp Trio) and newcomers Brenlin Mullaney and Paola Then. Ahead of a season that may look far different than their groundbreaking inaugural year, the focus this week is on what Lukic calls the Aurora Way.
"When you're recruiting you see film and obviously we have a lot of returners, but they all play differently with their collegiate or professional teams that they're normally a part of. So to get them out here and start teaching them the Aurora way -- it feels really good and really fun to just watch them play and start connecting with each other."
One of those returning players is midfielder Morgan Stone. After scoring a Sports Center Top 10 goal, Stone went on to start every match for Boise State in the 2022 season, contributing 4 goals and 5 assists. She is excited to return to an expanded league and an expanded team.
"It's a lot of returners but there's a lot of new people on the team and it's nice because I know some of the girls super well, they're some of my best friends. But we are a completely different team and we still have to learn each other," Stone explained. "I think the teams have grown a lot so we can't come in confident that we're gonna win every game like we did last season. We have to be confident in who we are, but respect our opponent enough to know that we have to put up a fight every day and everybody's going to be coming for us."
Asked about the league expansion, Coach Lukic pointed to growth in markets that Minnesota has struggled to match for generations: "There are two brand new divisions on the west coast and the west coast is loaded with soccer talent. A lot of those players are playing in spaces year round that people in Minnesota don't or aren't fortunate to have."
But that's precisely what this league was designed for: To challenge and prepare young players seeking to go to the next level. Lukic explained: "We don't want an easy environment. Our players are here they want to grow and get better every day. Us coaches as well so it's really nice to see the W League growing and making a name for itself on the women's side."
This season's roster includes a couple of players who have already made that jump. Midfielder Vienna Behnke played her collegiate career at UW-Milwaukee before joining Haukar in the Lengjudeildin league, Iceland's second division, in 2017. She scored 32 goals in 71 appearances for Haukar before joining Fylkir (Reykjavik, Iceland) in 2022. Following another impressive, impactful season, Behnke has returned to the Midwest for a competitive offseason, closer to family and friends.
"This is the first time I've been in the US playing - for the last five years I was overseas. And actually the away games that we have [in Wisconsin] are closer to where I'm from so I think I'll have some cohorts of fans at the away games," Behnke said. "I've got a couple lined up. They're excited for the opener."
Behnke and Lukic already knew each other so it was an easy move to make and early impressions of the club are all positive.
"I've been kind of in a lot of different [playing] environments and this one is extremely organized, well put together. Like the coaches know what they're doing; the board knows what they're doing. The owners are involved and that's like a really transparent way to run a club. And that's really refreshing to have everybody all on the same page."
While everyone agrees the club likely won't repeat their undefeated season and league-leading defense, players and staff alike are embracing the process. They've added a mental skills coach in Jenn Ireland to bolster a "new year, new squad" mindset. ("Last year was great but now it just has to be neutral thoughts," Lukic explained.) The front office has also grown with the arrival of the club's first Chief Operations Officer, Jessica Poole. And the 3080 community owners elected two representatives, Jamie Becker-Finn and Mai-Ahn Tran, to the board.
But most importantly, they are embracing the journey.
"I think everybody here is very serious about soccer, and everybody respects the game and has the same passion and love for the game," Stone said. "It really reminds me of why I love soccer and why I'm passionate for this sport, because it can go through ups and downs in your career. But being around people that just love the game as much as you is just such a fun environment to be in."
Aurora fans will have their first opportunity to add to the environment at TCO Stadium in Eagan on Wednesday, May 24, when Aurora opens the season against W League newcomers Rochester FC.
Photo Gallery: MN Aurora Kit Reveal and Team Welcome
Leagues
On Sunday, Minnesota Aurora hosted a Kit Reveal and Team Welcome event at the Mall of America where the team unveiled their 2023 “Instant Classic” Home Kit, welcomed back returning players, and introduced new players for the 2023 season.
Aurora begins their season with a match against Rochester at TCO stadium on Wednesday, May 24th at 7pm.
Photo Gallery: Minneapolis City vs Minnesota United U19's in the MN Super Cup
Minneapolis City SC hosted the Minnesota United u19 squad during an MN Super Cup match at Edor Nelson Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 5th, 2023. The Minnesota United u19 squad, coached by Fanendo Adi, was able to overcome Carl Craig’s Crows by a score of 1-0 behind a goal from Miguel Leon.
USL League Two : Conference Finals and National Semifinals
Friday Conference Final:
Des Moines Menace v Kalamazoo FC - 7:30pm - Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISN
The top teams from the Heartland and Great Lakes face off for the Central Conference title and a spot in the National Semi-Finals. Menace finished the season 11-1 before finishing off Flint City Bucks 1-0. Kalamazoo, on the other hand, finished the season with a record of 9 wins, 1 loss and 4 ties and rallied to put away Mississippi Brilla behind the excellence of Parker Smith in a penalty shootout. All in all, Kzoo will face a tough challenge holding down the Menace attack.
Sunday National Semi-Finals:
Menace/Kzoo vs Park City Red Wolves/Portland Timbers 2 - 7:30pm - Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISN
The winners of the Central face the winners of the West. Park City finished top of the Mountain Division with a record of 5 wins, 3 losses and a tie. Timbers 2 had a record of 9 wins, 1 loss and a tie at the top of the Northwest Division.
Western Mass Pioneers/West Chester United SC vs North Carolina Fusion U23/South Georgia Tormenta 2 - 7pm - Erk Russell Park, Statesboro, GA - No Announced Stream
The winners of the East and the South collide. Pioneers racked up 10 wins, 2 losses and 2 ties in the Northeast Division. WCU finished with a record of 11 wins, 1 loss and 2 ties in the Mid Atlantic Division. Fusion finished with 11 wins, 2 losses and a tie in the South Atlantic Division. Tormenta 2 finished second in the Deep South Division, with a record of 10 wins, 3 losses and 1 tie.
All times Central Time.
UWS National Championship
Friday Semi-finals:
Midwest United v CT Fusion - 6pm - Round Rock Multipurpose Complex, Round Rock, Texas - Eleven Sports
The Midwest Regional champion Midwest United out of Grand Rapids, MI have rolled through the season so far, accumulating a record of 9 wins and 1 draw and they dispatched Corktown AFC on penalties to arrive at this stage against the surprising Fusion side. The Eastern Conference playoff champions entered the post season as the #3 seed in the East but with a goalscoring streak similar to MUFC. Midwest United's defense could prove key in this match.
SA Athenians v SC Blue Heat - 8:30 pm - Round Rock Multipurpose Complex, Round Rock, Texas - Eleven Sports
The Southwest Conference #2 seed San Antonio Athenians finished the regular season with 9 wins and a loss but they ended the perfect season of Lone Star Republic in the playoffs to secure the SWC title. They face Santa Clarita Blue Heat, the Western Conference's #1 seed with a record of 4 wins and 2 draws. Both teams have strong defenses.
Sunday:
UWS National Final - 11 am CT - Round Rock Multipurpose Complex, Round Rock, Texas - Eleven Sports
NPSL Midwest Region Round Up: First Round Playoffs
Tuesday night saw the opening of the 2021 NPSL Midwest Regional playoffs. Cleveland SC faced Pittsburgh Hotspurs while Duluth FC hosted Carpathia FC. The two matches could not have gone in more opposite directions. Cleveland dominated Hotspurs from start to finish in Berea, OH.
Vincent Bell's fourth minute goal put CLE on track and Alec Nagucki added one just around the half hour mark. Thomas Beck and Smith Pepper would both add second half goals to give Cleveland a 4-0 win to send them to face FC Milwaukee Torrent.
Duluth FC vs Carpathia could not have been more opposite of that. The BlueGreens' Jake Starling broke the match open with his 26' goal before NPSL Golden Boot winner Sidney Warden added a 38' goal to double their lead.
Things looked to be going well for Duluth but a bad foul inside the box sent Owen Smith to the spot where he gave Carpathia life in the 79'. That life propelled a huge change in momentum and three minutes later Smith added one more to end up forcing Extra Time. After no goals in either portion of ET the match came down to penalties.
Duluth would kick first, which usually gives that team an advantage. That advantage flipped heavily after missing their first shot. Carpathia then scored on theirs and held the lead the rest of the way. The visitors came back from down 2-0 to take the match 6-5 on penalties.
The host for the Regional Semi-Finals and Finals was then announced late Tuesday night after both matches were well finished.
Semi-Finals:
FC Milwaukee Torrent (GL 1) vs Cleveland SC (RB 1): 4 PM - Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis, MN - YouTube
The first of the two matches being played in Minneapolis is the more intriguing of the two. 9-0-1 (27 points) Milwaukee Torrent match up with 8-2-0 (26 points) Cleveland SC. Both sides have been lights out during the regular season having a combined one loss. Torrent will very much have the advantage of rest with their last match having been played on July 17th.
Cleveland on the other hand just played on Tuesday and has a had a much longer trip to MPLS for the Regional Playoffs. Neither side really outmatches the other in their attack or defence making the first Semi-Final a great match to watch.
Minneapolis City SC (N 1) vs Carpathia FC (GL 2): 7:00 PM - Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis, MN - YouTube
The second of the two matches has a huge possibility of being a massive blowout. Not only are the Crows, who have a single loss on the season, at home but they are also very high scoring. In fact Minneapolis City SC is the highest scoring team in the entire league. Facing a team averaging just under four goals per game Carpathia will have a challenge on their hands.
However Carpathia FC is giving up just 1.36 goals per match, showing how stout their defence is in a tough Great Lakes Conference. But in terms of scoring they will have a massive uphill battle against one of the best defences in the league and an All-Conference goalkeeper.
2021 US Open Cup canceled, full 2022 USOC planned
The US Soccer Federation has announced that the 2021 US Open Cup will not take place in any form. There had been many suggestions as to a limited tournament for this year but instead, they have pumped the brakes on this year's Cup and will go from 0-100 next year - with as many as a century of participants expected.
Some of the new participants will be guaranteed professional entrants from NISA and USL expansion, whereas amateur clubs face the usual two options - playoff positioning from NPSL and USL League 2, or qualifiers which will start as soon as September and go through November. From this pool of eventual winners, the eventual round 1 participants will be chosen on January 19th - with the matches to be played on March 22nd and 23rd.
Stay tuned to our site for coverage as the amateur clubs progress through the rounds.
NPSL Midwest Regionals: First Round Preview
The 2021 National Premier Soccer League season has come to a close. All the playoff teams are set and the Region playoffs start tonight. For a full recap of the Great Lakes/North's final week you can check out Tim's recap of Week 11. But Week 11 did a few things, City winning gave them a bye and got Duluth FC in. Cleveland not picking up a win propelled City into first and gave Milwaukee a bye as well.
Quarter-Finals:
Cleveland SC (Rust Belt 1) vs Pittsburgh Hotspurs (Rust Belt 2): 6 PM - George Finnie Stadium, Berea, OH - Eleven Sports
The first of the two matches in the opening round is a match entirely within the Rust Belt Conference. Rust Belt champions Cleveland SC will host second place Pittsburgh Hotspurs in their third meeting of 2021. In their two previous meetings Hotspurs have been outscored a combined 8-2 by Cleveland. This includes a 6-1 loss handed to them in Berea in early June.
A big thing going for Cleveland is they are unbeaten in 2021 with an 8-2-0 record, good for 26 points. Hotspurs also played themselves into a good season going 8-2-0 (24 points) in the conference. Pittsburgh has a massive task on their hands as they have to simultaneously shut down an attack averaging 2.5 GPG and a defence averaging less then one goal against per match.
Duluth FC (North 2) vs Carpathia FC (Great Lakes 2): 7 PM - Public Schools Stadium, Duluth, MN - Eleven Sports
The second of the two is an inter-conference clash with the Great Lakes meeting the North for the first time this season. Duluth FC and their prolific scoring led by NPSL Golden Boot winner Sidney Warden will meet the stellar defence of Carpathia FC. After an up and down season Duluth managed to squeak into the playoffs off the back of a Minneapolis City SC win over Med City FC. The BlueGreens also set themselves up to play at home in the first round with their own win over Sioux Falls Thunder.
Duluth rides in with a three game hot streak on their hands with wins over Aris, Fusion, and the aforementioned Thunder. Carpathia meanwhile is 2-1-0 in their last three and on a three match streak of their own. Carpathia's 2.7 goals per game attack will have a bit of trouble with Duluth averaging giving up 1.67 goals. On the other hand Duluth's lights out attack averages 3.25 goals per game, second in the Region will meet a defence only giving up around 1.3 goals per match.
Midwest Region Playoffs, Stage 2:
Each region in the NPSL has their own design for playoffs. In the Midwest Region the first round is held by high seed, the last two rounds are held at one location. The location for the regional semi-finals and finals are determined on a bid basis.
Based on what Minneapolis City stated the last two rounds will either be hosted by themselves or Cleveland SC. If the Crows host it would be played at Edor Nelson Field on the campus of Augsburg University in Minneapolis. While if Cleveland hosts it will be held at George Finnie Stadium on the campus of Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, OH.
Regardless of host location the matches will be played Friday and Sunday, June 23rd and 25th.
*All Times CT
NPSL Midwest: Week 11 Recap
Friday:
Med City FC 1 vs Minneapolis City SC 2 : Rochester Regional Stadium, Rochester, MN - Eleven Sports
Med City's season ended with a whimper as they fell 2-1 to the Crows, and fell out of the playoff positions. Minneapolis opened the scoring in the 37th minute through Max Stiegwardt and doubled their margin in the 78th minute, with a goal by Aidan O'Driscoll. The Mayhem spoiled the clean sheet with an 86th minute tally from Joshua Balsiger. With their win, Minneapolis City secured the top seed for the playoffs and a bye into the regional semifinals - which they are also hoping to host.
Duluth FC 5 vs Sioux Falls Thunder 2 : Public Schools Stadium, Duluth, MN - Eleven Sports
The BlueGreens rolled over the Thunder and continued their momentum into the playoffs, although they will have to navigate a regional quarterfinal against Carpathia on Tuesday. As for the match itself in Duluth, Dylan Sumner scored twice and Golden Boot winner Sidney Warden, Martin Grzywa and James Westfield all also scored. The South Dakotans bright spark Stephenson Storm got their two goals.
Saturday:
FC Indiana 1 vs FC Milwaukee Torrent 2 : FC Indiana Stadium, Lafayette, IN - Facebook
Torrent regained the second seed for the Midwest region and its bye into the regional semi-finals in a back and forth match against the Lions. Tony Doellefeld opened the scoring for the Torrent before Indiana equalized through Ricardo John. Flavio Cruz then provided the winner for the visitors.
La Crosse Aris 0 vs Dakota Fusion FC 4 : Logan High School, La Crosse, WI - Facebook
Aris made their season debut in La Crosse in their final match of the season. Fusion got doubles from Samuel Coxon and Diego Valle.
Panathinaikos Chicago 0 vs Carpathia FC 5 : Nike Sports Complex, Naperville, IL - No Announced Stream
Carpathia warmed up for the playoffs with a routine 5-0 win over PAO. Doubles from Jeff Adkins and Ryan Williams were completed by a solo shot from Joseph Tinnion.
USL League Two: Conference Semi-Finals Recap
After Friday night's Quarter-Final matches four teams remained to head to the Central Conference Quarter-Finals. You can read our recap of the Quarter-Finals here and those matches left the Des Moines Menace (Heartland Champions), Flint City Bucks (Great Lakes #2), Kalamazoo FC (Great Lakes Champion), and Mississippi Brilla (Mid-South Champion). Des Moines would host Flint City in Des Moines, IA while Kalamazoo faced Mississippi in Clinton, MS.
#1 Des Moines Menace 1 vs #5 Flint City Bucks 0 : Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISNtv
The first of the two matches that kicked off on the night was in Des Moines with the Menace hosting the Bucks. One goal would do the trick when in the 52nd minute Sivert Haugli scored for the Menace in what proved to be the matches only goal.
The lone goal would propel the Menace on to a close 1-0 victory sending them to the winner of the Kalamazoo/Mississippi match that would finish later last night.
#2 Kalamazoo FC 1 (4) vs #3 Mississippi Brilla 1 (1) : Clinton Arrow Stadium, Clinton, MS - Eleven Sports
The other Semi-Final match had the two Mississippi QF winners facing each other. And it was another back and forth drag out affair. Kalamazoo's Enrique Banuelos knotted the match it's first goal of the night in the 60th minute. Then with just seconds remaining Orlando Lozano scored at 90+7' to extend the game into extra time. The two 15 minute periods of ET came and went scoreless, sending the match to PK's. Kalamazoo got the best of Brilla taking them down 4-1 in PK's with Kalamazoo's Parker Smith making some big saves to send his team to face Des Moines Menace next weekend.
USL League Two: Conference QF Recap, SF Preview
Conference Quarter-Finals (First Round) Recap
#4 Chicago FC United 1 vs #5 Flint City Bucks 3 : Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISNtv
The opening match of the Central Conference part of the 2021 USL League Two playoffs pitted a one loss Chicago side against a Flint City team who's been on a tear as of late. It took 38 minutes of deadlocked football before either side could score, and that would be Flint City after an Amadou Cisse goal. Diego Gutierrez knotted the match up for Chicago in the 50th minute with a PK after a foul in the box. It would be the Bucks who would take control in the last 50 minutes with Dylan Borczak scoring in the 75th and Henry Sanchez adding one in stoppage time to send the Bucks on to the Central Region Semi-Finals.
#2 Kalamazoo FC 3 vs #6 Corpus Christi FC 1 : Clinton Arrow Stadium, Clinton, MN - Eleven Sports
After a nearly two hour weather delay the second Quarter-Final match kicked off in Mississippi with KZFC trekking down from Michigan to face the Sharks of Corpus Christi FC. Kalamazoo's Enrique Banuelos scored first in the 38th minute and followed it up with a second half goal in the 47th to secure a brace. Four minutes later CCFC cut the lead in half with a goal of there own. That would be as close as the Sharks would get as Cyrus Harmon put a third one home in the 68th. The two goal win extended Kalamazoo's unbeaten streak to 10 straight dating back to June 9th and their win over South Bend Lions.
#1 Des Moines Menace 5 vs #8 Texas United 0 : Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISNtv
The hosts took to the field for the third match of the day and the second in Central Iowa. All that can be said about this match is pure domination.Des Moines took a huge 3-0 lead inside just 20 minutes with Nil Ayats scoring in the 9th, Manel Busquets in the 15th, and Jordan Skelton in the 20th. The Menace we not done and after Manel Busquets was fouled in the box Ayats took to the spot and drove his second home to secure a brace. Ayats would make that brace a Hat Trick in the 47th after which the Menace would sit back and hold down the lead for the next 43 minutes en route to a Conference Semi-Final match.
#3 Mississippi Brilla 3 vs #7 Kings Hammer 1 : Clinton Arrow Stadium, Clinton, MS - Eleven Sports
The fourth and final match of the night and the second in Mississippi for the day. Like the previous match, it kicked off late due to the weather delay. The weather delay didn't effect the home side and Arturo Astorga proved that with a 5th minute goal from Brilla. Coming back from the half Kings Hammer evened it up with a Marcelo Jones goal in the 46th. Brilla's Jalen James gave the hosts back the lead in the 58th.Remi Emeriau clinched the win for Brilla with a stoppage time goal. The win sent the hosts on to face Great Lakes Division Champion Kalamazoo FC on Sunday.
Conference Semi-Finals (Second Round) Preview
#1 Des Moines Menace vs #5 Flint City Bucks: 7PM - Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISNtv
A massive opportunity is on the line for both sides in West Des Moines tonight. One loss Des Moines hosts a rolling Flint City team in one of the two Central Conference Semi-Finals. Two high powered attacks and shut down defenses will take the turf at Valley Stadium. The Bucks have scored 38 goals across all 15 matches in USL2 play averaging 2.53 GPG. They will have a chore getting to score through Des Moines' stout defense who's only allowed 7 goals in 13 matches an average of .538 per match.
#2 Kalamazoo FC vs #3 Mississippi Brilla: 7PM - Clinton Arrow Stadium, Clinton, MS - Eleven Sports
Great Lakes Division Champion vs Mid-South Division Champion. This match is huge for both sides for more than just the trip to the Conference Finals. Kalamazoo FC has their 10 match unbeaten streak on the line. Brilla would be the only team from their Division to make it out of the first two rounds after Texas United and Corpus Christi were knocked out on Friday night. In order to win Brilla will need to shut down KZFC's Cyrus Harmon who had 8 goals in 12 matches in the regular season and one on Friday night. Brilla's Crio Damine has 7 goals and 1 assist for himself however his last was against Brazos Valley at the beginning of the month.
*All Times CT
UWS Regional Playoffs: Semi-Final Recap and Final Preview
Regional Semi-Final Recaps:
Midwest United FC 3 (6) vs Corktown AFC 3 (5) : Midwest United FC Complex, Grand Rapids, MI – No Stream
In the first Semi-Final, Midwest United FC was tied with Corktown AFC with a score of 3-3 at the end of the full and extra time, the game was sent into Penalty Kicks to help determine the winner after a hard fought 120 minutes. After 6 rounds of back and forth kicks, Midwest United FC was able to put a stop to Corktown AFC winning 6-5 after penalty kicks. Midwest United FC advanced in the Midwest/Central Region playoff where their opponent would be determined in the second match of the night.
Chicago Mustangs 0 vs St. Louis Scott Gallagher 2 : MAC Sports Center, Crystal Lake, IL – Eleven Sports
In the second Semi-Finals, the Mustangs women unfortunately weren't able to score versus the St. Louis Scott Gallagher women who were able to get two goals in. SLSG made a major upset, defeating the Mustangs who were unbeaten at 10-0-0 to that point.. With the upset victory this put an end to the Mustangs season and sent the Central Conference champions to face Midwest United in the Regional Final.
Regional Final Preview:
Midwest United FC vs St. Louis Scott Gallagher: 4 PM - Midwest United FC Complex, Grand Rapids, MI - Eleven Sports
Midwest United FC come into this game with a regular season record of 9-1-0 and a win over Corktown AFC in the Semi-Finals. St.. Louis Scott Gallagher finished the regular season with a record of 5-2-1 in comparison. Each side has women who have given them quality plays and make the effort to show that the teams are here and ready to compete. This will be a heavy handed task for SLSG as they are taking on by far the best team in the area on MUFC's home turf.
USL League Two: Conference Quarter-Finals Preview
The long winding road down the path to the 2021 USL League Two Playoffs has finished, now the teams are in and the playoffs start tonight. The eight teams who qualified for the playoffs out of the Central Conference are now split over two locations. The number 1, 4, 5, and 8 seeds will play at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, IA, the home of the hosts and number 1 seed Des Moines Menace. The 2, 3, 6, and 7 seeds on the other hand will head south to Clinton Arrow Stadium in Clinton, MS, the home of hosts Mississippi Brilla FC.
Conference Quarter-Finals (First Round)
#4 Chicago FC United vs #5 Flint City Bucks: 4 PM - Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISNtv
The first of the four Friday matches has the second place team in the Heartland, Chicago FC United, face the Great Lakes' Flint City Bucks. Chicago is 9-2-1 with 29 points and their only loss of 2021 was to the hosting Des Moines Menace. Flint City went 9-2-3 with 29 points as well. Chicago has a 2-0-1 run of form in their last three with the loss being to the Menace while Flint City is 3-0-0 and has won four straight. Chicago will be a tough team for the Bucks to beat as they are the only side to defeat regular season National Champion Des Moines Menace.
#2 Kalamazoo FC vs #6 Corpus Christi FC: 5 PM - Clinton Arrow Stadium, Clinton, MN - Eleven Sports
The second of four matches on the night and the first in Mississippi. The two seeded and Great Lakes Division champion Kalamazoo FC will play the six seed in order to avoid a divisional clash in the first round. KZFC is 9-4-1 with 31 points and 2-1-0 in their last three along with a nine match winning streak to add. Corpus Christ FC went a much more average 7-2-4 (23 points) in a fairly even Mid-South Division. The Sharks are 1-1-1 in their last three and have lost three of their last five. Kalamazoo has a major advantage in this match.
#1 Des Moines Menace vs #8 Texas United: 7 PM - Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, IA - CISNtv
The third of four matches on the night and the second of two in Des Moines. Menace went an astounding 11-0-1 with 33 points to win the Heartland Division and Regular Season league championships. DSM are 2-1-0 in their last three with the loss coming to Chicago FC United, they also come into the match off a 5-1 thrashing of SLSG. Texas United went 6-3-5 (21 points) and are 1-2-0 in their last three and on a four match unbeaten streak. With how good the Menace are, Texas has a huge task on their hands tonight in Des Moines own home stadium.
#3 Mississippi Brilla vs #7 Kings Hammer: 7:30 PM - Clinton Arrow Stadium, Clinton, MS - Eleven Sports
Last but not least are the other hosts Mississippi Brilla and Kings Hammer. Brilla won the Mid-South at 8-3-2 (27 points) and are 1-1-1 in their last three. Kings Hammer meanwhile are 8-4-2 (28 points) and are 2-1-0 in their last three. While Brilla enters into the match off a loss KHFC is unbeaten in four straight. So while Mississippi are at home that advantage may not matter against the boys from Cincinnati.