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.
Coming Up:
Saturday June 8th:
Dakota Fusion FC v Sioux Falls Thunder FC
NPSL North preview
The Northern Conference of the National Premier Soccer League has kept the same number of teams but it has traded in the unambitious Aris SC for the deeply ambitious Minnesota Blizzard FC. Here's a look at the landscape in the conference.
Duluth FC
The BlueGreens finished the 2023-24 season with an almost perfect record (one draw, 11 victories, no defeats) and topped the Northern Conference by a comfortable margin, although they would eventually fall to Med City FC in the Conference Final. Tyler Limmer scored 7 times for Duluth FC, as the leading scorer.
The Conference Champion Mayhem have merged into their neighbors Rochester FC and the Loons have gone on hiatus in the NPSL this year. The decision raises questions about the most heated rivalry that Duluth will have this season.
Dakota Fusion FC
Fusion powered their way to second place in the regular season table on the back of 16 goals in 10 games (the Golden Boot winning top tally in the entire national league) from Yu Tsukanome, who has moved on to Tacoma Defiance in MLS Next Pro. He will obviously be a huge loss for the team from Fargo, who lost in the first round of the North Conference playoffs, to the Mayhem. The Zandbroz derby with Sioux Falls Thunder remains the most interesting match-up for Fusion.
Sioux Falls Thunder FC
The South Dakotans only managed 1 win and finished bottom of the Conference regular season standings, managing to give Aris a farewell gift of not winning the wooden spoon on their way out of the league. Thunder drew three matches.
Siouxland United FC
86 miles South of Sioux Falls on the I-29 is its Siouxland rival, Sioux City, Iowa. The regional nickname covers a tristate area (South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska) along the Big Sioux River basin. SUFC are a brand new club with a detailed, but pretty standard, ethos.
Joy Athletic Club
Powered by Joy (of the People), a St. Paul non-profit, they have a well-worn pipeline from their academy sides up into the NPSL but have struggled to translate that into playoff performance and finished last season 4-8.
Minnesota TwinStars FC
The TwinStars are a really, really difficult club to track. The Twin Cities metro team finished last season fourth, 8 points out of the playoffs. They have most recently played at Minnetonka High in the west of the Twin Cities metro.
Minnesota Blizzard FC
Lastly, the spectacularly named Blizzard have arrived in Lakeville, an area on the Southern end of the Twin Cities metro which has not previously hosted NPSL games.
NPSL Midwest: Conference XIs
https://twitter.com/NPSLSoccer/status/1682104281468370944
These Conference Best XIs throw up some interesting results. Sunflower State FC and Club Atletico St Louis have the most members of the Gateway, even though they both failed to make the playoffs. On the other hand, 8 of the 12 selections in the Great Lakes, Heartland and North all come from the Conference Finalists. Obviously, if you want to spin that as a bad thing, that could point towards recency bias and against good performers on bad teams.
Three of the top four in goals per game make their respective XIs (Yu Tsukanome, Miguel Arellano and Colin Innes) as does the player with the tenth highest number of mins per game (Colin Biros). Benjamin Colborn makes the charts with the tenth highest number of games played. I assume that the players voted into these XI form the nominees for the Regional XI (voting this weekend), therefore the Gateway's voting in of non-playoff players will presumably not be reflected in the latter vote.
NPSL Round Up: Week 8/9
This Week
Friday
Cleveland SC 3-2 Erie Commodores
Twelve minutes into the game, Erie broke through after a free kick was deflected for a corner and the corner was headed home by Joe Gasper. It was 1-1 in the seventeenth minute as Janis Schmidt put his foot through a ball from over twenty yards out and laced it into the back of the net. Paul Katende tripped Julian Pellegrini and in the forty-third minute it was a Cleveland PK by Bojan Kolevski, for the lead.
Shota Toyama hammered a ball home from the top of the area off a corner to make it 2-2. Benjamin Hryszko made it 3-2 in the sixty-second minute, intercepting a ball on the edge of the area. With the win, Cleveland SC secured the third seed in the Great Lakes Conference.
Carpathia's Mohammed Hammoud virtually dribbled the ball into the net in the twelfth minute on the high press, to put his team ahead. The visitors made it 2-0 in the fortieth minute, as Marco Mazzei blasted a ball from the edge of the area, whilst nearly falling down. Rounding out the first half, a PK was awarded for Carpathia after Doug Hainer was stood on. Luke Morrell's shot was saved but Morell himself snapped up the rebound.
The home side started the second half with a bang, Damani Camara lacing a shot into the net on the half volley to make it 3-1. Camara chipped the ball over the keeper on the run to make it 3-2 in the sixty-second minute. Columbus's Yusuf Dabo hit the post in the 70th minute. Camara hit the crossbar in the eighty fifth minute, but still it remained a Carpathian lead. Hainer made it 4-2 in the eighty-seventh minute, capitalising on a searing run down the endline, crossed in by Alex DeMorow. Matarr Sowe made it 4-3 in second half stoppage time.
Saturday
Ehtar Belleville 1-1 Milwaukee Torrent
After a goal less first half, it was the hosts who struck first. David Cole laying the ball perfectly into the path of Brandon Nyagurungo to finish in the fifty-first minute. Torrent rescued a point in the fourth minute of second half stoppage time through Jonas Luskey Sanders's bobbled shot through traffic from the top of the box into the bottom corner.
Steel City 3-2 Michigan Rangers
Three minutes into the game, Chris Mendez converted a right wing cross to put Michigan Rangers on top. Nathan Prex equalized in the eleventh minute, dribbling in from the left and slotting the ball past the keeper into the bottom right corner of the goal. Prex then hit the post in the fourteenth minute.
Anthony DiFalco put Steel City ahead in the sixtieth minute, firmly into the right corner of the goal while running away to the left. In the seventy-third minute, Tomas Echevarria equalized, placing the ball hard into the roof of the net. Michigan Rangers' Adam Hanson got two yellow cards in seventeen minutes and was dismissed in the seventy-seventh minute. Bryan Akongo put the home side back ahead, with a solo dribble and juke before slotting the ball home. Rangers' Nicolas Baigrie received a straight red card for Serious Foul Play in the eighty-fifth minute, scything into a challenge in midfield and both he and Hanson will be suspended for the playoff match Rangers will play.
Sunflower State FC 5-2 Iowa Raptors
Elyes Ellouz broke the deadlock in the seventh minute for Sunflower but the Raptors replied almost immediately, through Saiheed Jah. Kolby Godbolt made it 2-1 to Raptors on the breakaway. Ellouz turned provider in the fifth minute of first half stoppage time, slotting the ball through to Kevin Hubbell.
Bryce Dickerson put Sunflower ahead in the seventy-fifth minute with a delicate chip from a pass after Prince Idornigie had tight-roped the left touchline. Ellouz made it 4-2 in the eighty-second minute. Two minutes later, Colin Innes scored a PK for Sunflower (at the second ask) after an agricultural challenge. The win vaults Sunflower ahead of Torrent in the race for the second place in the Gateway Conference Championship.
Dakota Fusion 8-2 Joy
Interesting scenario. Joy traveled to Moorhead with their black jerseys, but that was also the kit that Fusion were expecting to wear, so the operations staff for the home team scrambled to get an alternative kit on site. Such a scenario is not unheard of, but the stadium is in the middle of a building site and the floodlights are out of action so there was a hanging question mark over whether a) the game would be completed before sunset and b) if it would be called at sunset.
Fusion started the game on the front foot, including a couple of corners and a cross across the six yard box but no goal. Yu Tsukanome put the home side ahead in the twelfth minute, sweeping the ball home after a scramble in the six yard box. Fusion doubled the lead in the twenty-seventh minute, a neat passage of passes ended on the foot of Tsukanome via a Cai Pritchard run for him to tap home. Rashaad Ogun scored the third goal for the home side in the thirty-fifth minute, intercepting a misplayed square pass at the back and finishing past Edward Holmes. Only a minute later, Pritchard to Tsukanome again for his hat trick. Joy struck back immediately, Philip Caputo whipping a free kick from the left wing 20 yards out, inside the near post. Owen Salzwedel made it 4-2 in the forty-fifth minute, on a series of passes right down the gut of the Fusion defense.
Joy began the second half in much better nick than the first, having chances on goal and more controlled possession in midfield but could not make further inroads. In the seventieth minute, Tsukanome hammered a shot at Holmes but the Joy goalkeeper was equal to it. In the seventy-seventh minute, Tsukanome took sole possession of the lead in the NPSL Golden Boot with his fourth goal of the game (and his fifteenth goal in ten games), connecting on a through pass. Tsukanome scored his fifth goal in the eighty-seventh minute, catching another defense splitting pass. Eddie Burgos made it 7-2 in the ninetieth minute, also connecting with a nice through pass. Brandon Gasper made it 8-2 less than a minute later. Thankfully, the daylight held out.
Sunday
Club Atletico St Louis 2-3 Milwaukee Torrent
The visitors started early, with Khedive Konde Gwo rocketing a ball into the net from a right wing corner with only five minutes on the clock. Torrent had a golden opportunity to make it two in the twenty-first minute but a shot from in close went sailing over the goal. Konde Gwo then made it two in the twenty-fifth minute, capitalising on a series of deflections to tap home from within the six yard box - with CASL calling in vain for offside. CASL had a goal called back in the fortieth minute.
In the sixty-fifth minute, Torrent went 3-0 ahead, Konde Gwo finishing from a right wing cross to collect his hat trick. It was 3-1 in the seventieth minute as Nedim Sarajlija blasted home from the edge of the area. Only three minutes later, the home side scored again, Zach Renz smashed the ball home from a corner. CASL were reduced to ten men in the eighty-seventh minute, as Xavier Brown was dismissed for a denial of a goal scoring opportunity. The result puts Torrent within one point of the second spot in the Gateway Conference Championship, but they were to face fellow challengers Sunflower State FC next, in what amounted to a play-in game. See below for details of that match.
Med City FC 1-1 Duluth FC
After an intricate sequence of passes down the left by the hosts, it was Tristan Jumeau who laced one from just outside the area into the back of the net in the seventeenth minute.
The equalizer came from Conor Behan in the forty-ninth minute off a free kick six yards out on the left wing. A Med City free kick in the sixty-fifth minute struck the wall and the rebound from Scott Neil went flying past the outside of the far post. Julio Rojo narrowly missed a headed chance to put the hosts back ahead in the eightieth minute. What were Duluth's first dropped points of the entire season, could have been even more pronounced. In a strange sequence in the eighty-eighth minute, a PK was awarded to Med City - and then rescinded on consultation with the linesman - but a red card was issued to Duluth FC's Colin O'Mahony for abusive language.
Akron City FC 0-1 Carpathia FC
Francesco Mazzei provided the decisive blow, slotting into the side netting on the far post after a sequence of exchanges between Mazzei and his brother, Marco in the thirty-eighth minute.
Erie Commodores 3-0 FC Columbus
The Commodores announced that the game was canceled, and the league has it as a 3-0 win, so our best guess is that it has gone in the books as a Columbus forfeit.
Wednesday
Med City FC 3-0 Sioux Falls Thunder
Scott Neil rocketed home from just outside the penalty area in the twenty-fifth minute from a pull back by Tristan Jumeau to put the hosts ahead. Gio Soares set up a second Neil goal in the fortieth minute, placed into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
Joshua Seyer received a straight red card in the fifty-fifth minute for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity. From the resultant free kick, Lucas Hart curled one over the wall and into the top corner of the goal to make it 3-0.
As well as a playoff date in Fargo-Moorhead on the 12th, Med City also have a Minnesota Super Cup semifinal at home on the 22nd.
Minnesota TwinStars 5-1 Aris
Aris went ahead through Ernesto Ascenzo in the twenty-fifth minute after a long ball down the left flank sprung the TwinStars offside trap, three minutes later TwinStars equalized as a series of close passes in the middle of the pitch culminated in Miguel Arellano finishing the chance. The home side went up 2-1 in the thirty-fifth minute when a cross from deep on the right was driven hard and low into the goal by Arellano. It was 3-1 in the fortieth minute as Sadra Golzarian finished off a move triggered by an interception of aimless passing by Aris twenty yards from their own goal.
A long ball up field bounced high off the turf in the fifty-fifth minute and Sidike Jabateh beat the goalkeeper to the spot and headed it home for his hat trick. Five minutes later, Aris scored again, a solo dribbling effort followed by a curled shot into the bottom right corner by Stan Cargill. In the seventy-first minute, it was 5-2 as an interception in midfield led Arellano on a run of his own, including a cheeky move around the keeper for his hat trick. The win seals TwinStars place in the playoffs, although they face the daunting task of a road trip to Duluth.
Sunflower State FC 0-4 Des Moines United
With Sunflower fighting for the only remaining spot in the Gateway Conference Championship, Evan Carlson dribbled across the top of the area and through a challenge from a defender before curling it beyond the Sunflower keeper Noah Reuscher, to put Des Moines in front in the eleventh minute. Sunflower had a period of possession around the half-hour mark and it gave them their first shot on goal in the twenty-ninth minute.
Jayce Berger set up Erich Legut in the fifty-first minute to make it 2-0, with a rocket from close range into the roof of the net. In the seventy-seventh minute, United's Andre Lopes made it 3-0, also from close range after he connected with a long ball upfield. A neat sequence of passing lead to number four, scored by Kais Sabic. This defeat is immaterial to Sunflower's playoff hopes, which hinged entirely on the game against Milwaukee Torrent (outlined below). Des Moines United secured their spot a while ago.
Friday 7/7
A fifth minute PK was ordered for Carpathia after a Columbus defender clumsily ran into the back of a counterpart, and it was successfully taken by James Todd.
The lead was doubled by Joshua Rubin, finishing off a neat exchange of passes between the gridiron hashes in the fifty-first minute.
Cleveland SC 1-1 Steel City FC
Ryan Landry nailed a header from six yards out from a left wing cross in the thirty-ninth minute to put the division winners on top. Bojan Kolevski dribbled into position along the top of the penalty area and slotted the ball into the bottom left corner of the net for the equalizer in the fifty-first minute. Pedro Alves in goal for Cleveland blocked an immediate effort by Steel City to reclaim the lead but that was the best chance either side had in the second half. The Pittsburghers have earned slightly more than a week of rest before the Great Lakes Conference Final on the 15th, whereas Cleveland will have to play on Wednesday the 12th and then again on Saturday.
Saturday
Sunflower State FC 0-1 Milwaukee Torrent
Sunflower needed a win, but came away with a loss.
After a goal-less first half, Sunflower had a PK early in the second half to go ahead. Unfortunately for the hosts, it was well saved by the Torrent goalie Nick Chiappa. Torrent eventually gained the goal which would be insurance in the eightieth minute as Cole Stephens took advantage of a Sunflower team pushed high in search of their essential goal.
Duluth started quick. Rory Doyle scored a penalty earned by Tyler Limmer in the twelfth minute and made it 2-0 only two minutes later through Joshua Bellamy. Fusion scored three goals against the BlueGreens. Unfortunately, two of those goals were in their own net. Benjamin Colborn scored the only time they struck at the right end. In the end, this match was academic in every sense but one: If the top seeds both win their semi-finals, this is the exact two opponents and venue that will host the North Conference championship on Saturday.
Minnesota TwinStars 0-2 Joy Athletic
An own goal in the sixty-third minute gave Joy a lead in this Twin Cities derby, and victory was sealed when Freddy Fernandez scored in the ninetieth minute.
Sioux Falls Thunder 1-1 Aris
Sioux Falls finished the first half leading thanks to a late goal by Lubos Polacko. Benjamin Pena scored the equalizer in the fifty-sixth minute.
Erie Commodores 1-1 Michigan Rangers
Michigan Rangers took the lead on a thirtieth minute Max Wilhelm PK after an attacker was clipped in the box. Erie found their equalizer in the seventy-second minute through Kaito Ueki but in the end it was a drawn game to end the Commodores' season and send the Rangers back home for the playoffs.
Goalscoring Note
Dakota Fusion forward Yu Tsukanome has finished the regular season with 16 goals from 10 games NPSL North schedule, or 1.6 goals per game. This means he has won the Golden Boot as the regular season's top goalscorer across all the entire league. This is the third time in three years that the Midwest has contributed the Golden Boot winner (2021 saw the award go to Duluth FC's Sidney Warden, also with 16 goals, last year it went to Damani Camara of FC Columbus, with 15 goals).
Tsukanome is also in pole position for the Golden Ball, awarded to the best player overall. That award last went to someone in our region in 2017, when Jade Johnson (also of Dakota Fusion) won it with a Fusion-record 17 goals but a GPG of 1.3077, which meant he was pipped to the Golden Boot by 1 goal.
Coming Up - Playoffs:
(# = National ranking)
North
#1 Duluth FC v #51 Minnesota TwinStars
#12 Dakota Fusion v #28 Med City FC
Great Lakes
#20 Michigan Rangers v #36 Cleveland SC
Heartland
#16 Tulsa Athletic v #61 Demize NPSL
#22 OKC 1889 v #48 Kansas City Sol
For more about these match-ups, go here.
NPSL Round Up: Week 7
Our survey said...
https://twitter.com/Lights_Football/status/1669745556481093638?t=-ctu5FEbkKCX4Mo6Cl4aVw&s=19
This Week
Friday
Sunflower State FC 2-1 Ehtar Belleville
Blake Barrick opened the scoring for Sunflower just before half time, finishing off a defense splitting pass from midfield by Cooper Forcellini. Colin Innes blasted home a free kick from just outside the penalty area in the fifty-eighth minute to make it 2-0. Ehtar halved the deficit in the eighty-fifth minute, Wyatt Fowler capitalizing on the goalkeeper parrying the ball right back into their path.
Cleveland SC 4-3 Akron City FC
The home side went up 1-0 in the twelfth minute, on the counter attack. A possible foul throw by Cleveland was instead ruled a re-throw by the referee and it was that re-throw which flew into the area to Julian Pellegrini, whose pass was deflected by the goalie into the path of Thomas Beck. Colin Biros equalized in the twenty-fifth minute, driving across the top of the area from the right before letting fly. Beck made it 2-1 in the thirty-fourth minute, hammering the ball home at the top of the penalty area. Nathan Childress equalized again for Akron City in the thirty-seventh minute, another firmly hit shot from the apex of the area. In the forty-first minute, the visitors took the lead with another shot from the same range - Ryan Kingsford with the finish.
Admir Suljevic whipped a ball into the box from the left and Keegan Dawson equalized in the fifty-first minute. Bojan Kolevski put Cleveland into the lead in the seventy-eighth minute as he fought his way through Akron defenders and poked the ball home from close range. Akron pushed everyone forward in search of the final equalizer but it did not come.
Saturday
Carpathia FC 3-5 Erie Commodores
The visitors scored within the opening ninety seconds through an own goal. They doubled their lead through Jacob Hancock, volleying a shot from close in, only five minutes in. Carpathia made it 2-1 in the ninth minute off a Francesco Mazzei counter attack down the left wing. The Commodores stretched their lead again in the 17th minute, Hancock powering down the left before turning inside the right back and slotting the ball high into the net. It was 3-2 in the twentieth minute as Ryan Williams calmly finished a pass from the left wing. In the twenty-seventh minute, it was 4-2 as Joseph Gasper went on a solo counter down the right wing and finished it himself. Mazzei made it 4-3 in the fifty-sixth minute but Kaito Ueki made it 5-3 in the sixty-second minute.
Dakota Fusion 5-4 Sioux Falls Thunder
Shoki Yoshida put Fusion ahead in the 15th minute, connecting on a long clearance up field before putting the ball under the onrushing goalkeeper. Thunder equalized only five minutes later through Marcus Horwood's bullet header from close range, off a right wing cross. Sioux Falls went ahead in the forty-first minute when Fusion only partially cleared an attempted shot inside the penalty area, the deflection was rifled home by Horwood. The Midwest region's leading goalscorer Yu Tsukanome levelled matters only three minutes later on a counter attack.
Yoshida scored his second goal in the forty-ninth minute to put Fusion ahead, blasting in from the left side of the penalty area. Callum Bryan provided the South Dakotans' third goal of the game, hammering the ball home after an initial save. Tsukanome missed an easy chance in the eightieth minute to re-establish the Fusion lead, as a shot was parried right into his path but he put the shot high. Two minutes later, however, Fusion did take the lead as a neat 1-2 led Edward Burgos to the heart of the box. Thunder went right back up field and equalized through Eric Beltran. Fusion then returned the favor, Mate Lengel getting the fifth goal.
Milwaukee Torrent 2-0 Iowa Raptors
A goal in each half was enough for Torrent to claim all three points. Paco Piscaglia scored the opener for Torrent in the fourth minute, tipping home a Max Ludwig worm-burner of a free kick. Lucas Nesthus made it two in the sixty-third minute, converting off a Khedive Miguel Konde Gwo pass with the defense hopelessly out of position.
Joy Athletic Club 1-3 Duluth FC
Duluth went ahead through Colin O'Mahony in the fifth minute but Joy equalized from the penalty spot via Zinedine Kroeten in the thirty-fifth minute. Liam Pritchard re-established the BlueGreen lead in the thirty-ninth minute.
Tyler Limmer scored the third Duluth goal, in the seventy-second minute. Five minutes later, the home team were reduced to ten men as David Riera was sent off for a second bookable offense, the first having been unsportsmanlike behavior.
Med City FC 1-1 Minnesota TwinStars
TwinStars went into the lead in the fifty-fourth minute through Eric Rosas-Rosas, with close control in the box after a cross from the left. Henry Tolbert was the finisher after a swift counter attack down the left for Med City's equalizer in the eighty-fifth minute.
Sunday
Ehtar Belleville 0-0 Club Atletico St Louis
The second Gateway Derby went scoreless, despite plenty of action. Club Atletico had the best chance, with a free kick on the edge of the area tipped wide by Jose Ogaz.
The opening salvo in this game was struck with four minutes on the clock, when an Akron City snap shot forced an acrobatic tipping of the ball over the crossbar. From this small opening, the visitors forced a sustained few minutes of attacking one way, culminating in a goal by Daniel Baumgartner from a direct ball into the box in the ninth minute. Baumgartner got his second of the match in the twelfth minute, heading a cross from the right back across goal. He had a chance for his hat trick in the fifteenth minute but his shot went just over the crossbar. Just before the nineteenth minute, another direct ball up the center of the Columbus defense led to Jaden Wright slotting the ball home through the keeper's legs for 3-0. In the twenty-fifth minute, Columbus were awarded a penalty kick, although the offense was unclear. Damani Camara scored their first goal in six games.
Baumgartner again had a chance for his third in the seventieth minute but Raymel Bowden in the Columbus net stuck out a hand and denied his point blank header. Columbus's best chance in the second came from Ridwan Abdi, but Cameron Victor in the Akron net shut it down.
Steel City FC 3-2 Cleveland SC
Chris Cvecko put the visitors on top early, a close range opportunity after the ball was turned around the back of the Steel City defense by Cleveland. Tate Mohney equalized off a driven Anthony DiFalco cross from the right with the last kick of the first half.
Five minutes into the second half, Justin Kopay wound his way across the top of the penalty area before sliding the ball to DiFalco who uncorked a curler past the goalkeeper to put Steel City ahead. They were only ahead for six minutes after a handball by a Cleveland player was adjudged to have happened just outside the penalty area. Marcus Pereira made the distinction academic as he drove a free kick off the underside of the wall and in at the far post. The final twist came only five minutes later, a cross-field pass by Mohney led to a shot by Copay and the rebound was finished by Ryan Landry. A flurry of late attacks from Cleveland foundered on the rocks of a sturdy Steel City defense.
Wednesday
Dakota Fusion v Aris
Yu Tsukanome opened the scoring for the home team in the fourth minute of play, connecting on a long ball down the right to blast the ball past Aris's Jacob Havlik from the edge of the area. That goal gives the Japanese player 11 goals from 9 games. A ball from the right was met by Herman Fernandez Ortega at the near post to equalize in the twenty-third minute. Rashaad Ogun made it 2-1 only two minutes later as a goalmouth scramble resulted in a header for Fusion to go back ahead.
Cai Pritchard doubled the lead for Fusion in the fifty-second minute, slotting home a Brandon Gasper pass from the edge of the area - moments after he had joined the game as a substitute. Tsukanome hammered a free kick from twenty yards out but Havlik was equal to it.
Sioux Falls Thunder 6-1 Joy Athletic Club
Sioux Falls took the lead in the twentieth minute after a promising attack was cut short by a foul in the penalty area. The PK was converted by Marcus Horwood , hard to the keeper's right. In the thirty-fifth minute, Joy equalized when a long ball upfield was misjudged by the Sioux Falls center backs and Denilson Ramos ran past them, to make it 1-1.
Thunder went back ahead in the fifty-first minute, a recycled ball from a partially cleared corner was slotted home from within the six yard box by Jack Crombie. A long ball down the middle in the fifty-ninth minute saw Crombie round the right back and slot the ball calmly home for his second. In the seventy-first minute, a bullet header by Trace Dobson from a raking ball from the right wing made it 4-1. Crombie set on a dribbling run across the left wing before sliding home the fifth goal, and his hat trick, in the seventy-eighth minute. A pass from the left, flicked into the area was finished off by Eric Beltran in the eighty-seventh minute.
Schedule note: Duluth FC's match with Med City FC was postponed due to bad air quality in Rochester, MN. The postponement could make life interesting for Med City and Dakota Fusion, who both have to face the Duluth buzzsaw before they can secure their playoff seed.
Playoff Projection - as of 6/30. (# = National points-per-game ranking)
North
#1 Duluth FC v #60 Minnesota TwinStars
#21 Dakota Fusion v #28 Med City FC
Great Lakes
#11 Michigan Rangers v #33 Cleveland SC
Winner plays #5 Steel City FC
Heartland
#19 Tulsa Athletic v #55 Demize NPSL
#25 OKC 1889 v #41 Kansas City Sol
Gateway
#10 Des Moines United v #35 FC Milwaukee Torrent
Coming Up
Tonight
Cleveland SC v Erie Commodores - 7pm ET
FC Columbus v Carpathia FC - 7:15pm ET
Saturday
Ehtar Belleville v Milwaukee Torrent - 6pm CT
Steel City v Michigan Rangers - 6pm ET
Sunflower State FC v Iowa Raptors - 6pm CT
Dakota Fusion v Joy - 7pm CT
Sunday
Akron City FC v Carpathia FC - 6pm ET
Club Atletico St Louis v Milwaukee Torrent - 6pm CT
Erie Commodores v FC Columbus - 7pm ET
Med City FC v Duluth FC - 7pm
Wednesday
Med City FC v Sioux Falls Thunder - 7pm CT
Minnesota TwinStars v Aris - 7pm CT
Sunflower State FC v Des Moines United - 7pm CT
Friday 7/7
Carpathia FC v FC Columbus - 7pm ET
Cleveland SC v Steel City FC - 7pm ET
Erie Commodores v Michigan Rangers - 7pm ET
Saturday
Sunflower State FC v Milwaukee Torrent - 6pm CT
Duluth FC v Dakota Fusion - 7pm CT
Minnesota TwinStars v Joy Athletic - 7pm CT
Sioux Falls Thunder v Aris - 7pm CT
NPSL Round Up: Week 6
This Week
Friday
Thomas Beck opened the scoring in the Grampa's Cheese Barn Derby in the seventh minute, dribbling in from the left before slotting home. Chris Cvecko made it two in the thirteenth, powering home from close range after a pass along the ground from the left. Emilio Spetic scored the third, driving a shot in from the top of the penalty area.
Des Moines United 1-0 Iowa Raptors
United took the lead in the forty-fifth minute, Jayce Berger converting from close range after a 1-2 with Eloge Iradukunda. The ball was scuffed and dribbled slowly across the line. Rayane El Mehdi made a key save in the last ten minutes to preserve the lead. The victory secured United a playoff spot from the Gateway Conference.
Saturday
Ehtar Belleville 3-2 Sunflower State FC
Sunflower opened the scoring from the spot, Cooper Forcellini with a PK. Ehtar equalized in the twentieth minute, Brandon Nyagurungo blasting home from the touchline. Nyagurungo then took Ehtar into the lead, intercepting a pass back to the goalkeeper before rounding the keeper from the left and slotting into an open net. Nyagurungo hit the crossbar in the thirtieth minute, but no goal. Tim Smith equalized for Sunflower from a second PK of the game in the thirty-eighth minute.
Arthur Ferreira secured the winning goal for Ehtar with the last kick of the match, steaming in when a Tristan Austin penalty kick was saved.
Akron City 0-1 Michigan Rangers
A thirteenth minute goal by Tomas Echevarria was enough to separate these two sides in a match with seventeen shots but only that one on target. Echevarria drove inside off the right and placed the ball past the despairing dive of the ACFC keeper from the middle of the penalty area.
The visitors broke open the game in the fifth minute as Nathan Prex struck from outside the box but Carpathia had the majority of possession between then and half time.
In the fifty-first minute, Steel City made it 2-0 as a ball was laid across for Michael Sullivan to smash it in first time from twenty-five yards out. Another long distance pile-driver, this time from Tate Mohney , gave Steel City a three goal cushion in the sixtieth minute. The sole tally for the home side came in the ninetieth minute when a long ball between the gridiron hashes was met by the foot of Reece Still, who chipped the keeper.
Duluth FC 6-1 Minnesota TwinStars
The home side started early, fluid play from left to right and then a cross from the right was finished by Felipe Santos in the seventh minute. Tom Pritchard made it 2-0 in the tenth minute, on the run on the edge of the area. Tom Akinola scored the third goal from a corner in the sixteenth minute. Conor Behan increased the BlueGreen lead in the seventeenth minute, a neat finish on the half volley coming into the area. Famade Bamba was upended in the box in first half stoppage time and the PK was dispatched by Sadra Golzarian.
Rory Doyle headed home from close range off a Stefan Roeb cross from the right to make it 5-1 in the fifty-fifth minute. Tyler Limmer then followed up only a minute later, stepping on to a Santos pass. Unaccountably, there were no goals in the last thirty minutes.
Milwaukee Torrent 7-0 Club Atletico St Louis
Following a lop-sided opening twenty-five minutes, albeit with no goals, a clumsy challenge on Will Davis resulted in a PK for Torrent, slotted away by Jules Peycelon. Tyler Howard headed home from a left wing corner to make it 2-0 in the thirty-third minute. Davis himself got a goal, finishing off an overhit cross from the left at the far post, in the thirty-eighth minute. Just before half time, Lucas Nesthus lashed a ball home from the left edge of the area.
Nesthus's second of the game made it 5-0 in the fifty-eighth minute, off a lightning counter, finished when he lifted the ball over the advancing keeper. Sam Abreu chested down the ball and volleyed it home from the top of the box in the eighty-ninth minute. Paco Piscaglia made it 7-0 with the last kick of the game.
Aris 1-0 Joy
An Abdul Samet Ankaoglu goal in the nineteenth minute was the difference as Aris claimed all three points for only the second time this season.
The home side were much the more patient and possession-oriented team during a scoreless first half but Fusion arguably had the best chance to score when Med City keeper Iker Gonzalez ran out of his goal and lost possession. The onrushing Fusion attackers could not score into an open net from distance.
Henry Tolbert broke the deadlock in the sixty-third minute after the Mayhem had spun the Fusion defense into knots. Both goalkeepers made big stops to keep the score tight.
Sunday
The second Cheese Barn Derby in a week went the way of Cleveland courtesy of a nineteen minute scoring outburst at the start of the match. Thomas Beck opened the scoring in the opening ten minutes, off a rebound from a shot. Beck then doubled the lead with a PK. A deflected shot in the eighteenth minute made it 3-0. Carter Hancock blasted home number four only three minutes later.
Wednesday
Aris 1-7 Med City FC
Matt Roberts opened the scoring for the visitors in the nineteenth minute, on the volley after a series of bounces and attempts from close range. In the thirty-third minute, their second goal left no such doubts, Toby Millward curling a free kick around the wall and into the top right hand corner from twenty yards out. A PK in the fortieth minute for a hard foul was dispatched by Tristan Jumeau. Roberts got his second as a high press caused a turnover twenty five yards from goal and the Mayhem outsprinted the defense. The home side spoiled the clean sheet with a neatly played ball right down between the gridiron hashes, finished by Jacob Battista. Aris finished the half with only ten men, after Luis Vergara received a red card awarded for violent conduct.
Martin Rasmussen made it 5-1 at the hour mark, controlling a bouncing ball before volleying it in from the edge of the penalty area. Another rifled shot from the top of the box, this time by Lucas Hart, made it 6-1 only seven minutes later. The seventh goal came via a flicked header by Gio Soares off a cross from the right in the eighty-first minute.
Minnesota TwinStars 1-2 Dakota Fusion
The visitors took the lead from a forty-second minute goal by Yu Tsukanome, but TwinStars equalized in the eighty-seventh minute through Anthony Mator's calmly slotted shot past the keeper and in off the post. Fusion stole the lead back in second half stoppage time, on the counter attack as Shoki Yoshida finished off a teasing cross from the right into the six yard box.
Sioux Falls Thunder 0-1 Duluth FC
The runaway leaders of the North took the lead in the twenty-seventh minute as Dylan Viebrantz-Zavatini headed home a corner and the BlueGreens cruised to a victory against the winless Thunder.
Thursday
Iowa Raptors 3-1 Milwaukee Torrent
A stroll for Raptors. Saiheed Jah opened the scoring in the thirty-first minute and Jonah Dancer doubled the lead just before half-time.
Kolby Godbolt made it 3-0 for Raptors in the sixty-second minute before Khedive Miguel Konde Gwo spoiled the clean sheet in the eighty eighth minute.
Michigan Rangers 4-2 Carpathia FC
It took Carpathia precisely 55 seconds from kickoff to score, Mohamed Hammoud with the finishing touch after a one two in the box released him into the right back berth. Rangers nearly equalized through Chris Mendez in the eleventh minute, but his header was deflected out and the corner came to nothing. The Carpathia keeper, Marko Matovski also made a point blank save off Tomas Echevarria in the twentieth minute. Elliott Bentley chipped the ball in from an acute angle on the left two minutes after that but that goal was disallowed. Francesco Mazzei headed the visitors into a two-goal lead in the thirty-second minute from a left wing corner against the run of play and making Carpathia 2-for-2 in converting shots on target into goals. Unfortunately for the team from Detroit, that would be the best it got. TJ Ifaturoti halved the deficit in the thirty-eighth minute, with Rangers' fourth shot on goal - from a Echevarria pass down the gut of the Carpathia defense. Another defense splitting pass, this time by Mendez, finished off by Echevarria for the equalizer in the forty-third minute.
Matovski pulled off a full length dive to the top corner of his net to deny Rangers a go-ahead goal in the fifty-third minute. Ifaturoti put the home side ahead just before the hour mark, reeling in a bouncing ball while dribbling across the penalty box in the fifty-ninth minute, slotting the ball home from the left back position. Only a minute later, it was 4-2 when a pass back towards the goalkeeper (shout out When Playing It Out Of The Back Goes Wrong) was intercepted by Dara O'Riordan.
Coming Up
Tonight
Sunflower State FC v Ehtar Belleville - 6pm CT
Cleveland SC v Akron City FC - 7pm ET
Saturday
Carpathia FC v Erie Commodores - 7pm ET
Dakota Fusion v Sioux Falls Thunder - 7pm CT
Milwaukee Torrent v Iowa Raptors - 7pm CT
Joy Athletic Club v Duluth FC - 7pm CT
Med City FC v Minnesota TwinStars - 7pm CT
Sunday
Ehtar Belleville v Club Atletico St Louis - 4pm CT
FC Columbus v Akron City FC - 5pm CT
Steel City FC v Cleveland SC - 5pm ET
Wednesday
Dakota Fusion v Aris - 7pm CT
Med City FC v Duluth FC - 7pm CT
Sioux Falls Thunder v Joy Athletic Club - 7pm CT
NPSL Round Up: Week 5
This Week
Friday
Des Moines United 2-1 Ehtar Belleville
Ehtar took the lead with a deflected chip over the Des Moines United goalkeeper in the thirty-sixth minute from 20 yards out for the only goal of the first half.
Lesego Maloma levelled the game in the fifty-fifth minute, picking up the loose ball on the edge of the area and shooting - with the ball deflected away from the Ehtar keeper. The home side went ahead in the ninetieth minute, a long free kick pumped into the box, flicked past the keeper by Kais Sabic.
Steel City 2-1 Erie Commodores
The home side took the lead early in a back and forth first half, after a period of head tennis at half way led to a ball down the left. The shot was parried, but the rebound snaffled by Nicholas Graeca. Erie equalized just before half time when the high press caused a turnover in the right back position and the player who stole the ball was unceremoniously taken down by the defender he'd dispossessed. The PK was dispatched by Thomas Binkowski
Steel City stole a winner on the break in the eighty-ninth minute. A ball down the left was passed along the penalty area to the right wing for Anthony DiFalco to beat the Erie keeper back into the left hand corner.
Cleveland travelled 40 miles south on I-77 for a goal-less draw. Cleveland hit the side-netting in the ninth minute and Akron hit the crossbar in the ninth minute. The home side out shot their visitors 13-8 but there were no shots registered on target and only a few saves by either keeper. Cleveland had more corners. Both sides did attack in search of a winner, rather than settling for a draw.
Iowa Raptors 2-3 Club Atletico St Louis
Kyeron Daws opened the scoring for Club Atletico in the sixth minute. Jonah Dancer equalized in the twenty-ninth for the Raptors. Zach Renz re-established the Bluebirds' lead just after half time and they added to their lead through Nick Faddis in the seventy-seventh minute. Keaton Woods grabbed a late consolation for the Raptors.
Michigan Rangers 10-0 FC Columbus
The most astounding thing about this game is that it was scoreless for the first twenty minutes. Chris Mendez opened the scoring in the twenty sixth minute, latching on to a long ball down between the gridiron hashes. Mendez doubled the lead only a minute later, somersaulting in to connect with a long diagonal from the left wing. It was 3-0 in the thirty-third minute as TJ Ifaturoti blasted home from the edge of the area. Mendez sealed his hat trick in the thirty-fifth minute, flicking home a cross from the right at the near post. Two minutes later it was 5-0, Giuseppe Barone applying the finishing touch to a move which included a right wing cross prefaced by a beautiful turn around the Columbus left back.
The second half goalscoring started in the fifty-third minute when a Barone flick fractionally beat a defender and the goalkeeper to make it 6-0. In the sixty-sixth, George Pitsillides dribbled in from the right and Alexis Mendez finished the seventh goal. Daire O'Riordan made it eight from the spot in the seventy-seventh minute, sending the keeper the wrong way. Liam Smith made it 9-0 five minutes later with the second PK of the match. O'Riordan completed the rout in the eighty-sixth minute.
Saturday
Des Moines United 1-0 Club Atletico St Louis
The first half was goal-less. The decider came from Jayce Berger, driving the ball across the keeper from the right wing to the left side netting in the seventy-seventh minute.
Iowa Raptors 6-3 Ehtar Belleville
Raptors got out to a fast start with goals from Keaton Woods in the fifteenth and Ombeni Mubake in the twenty fifth minutes. They also got off to a similar start to the second half, with goals from Woods and Kolby Godbolt in the forty-ninth and fiftieth minutes. Then Ehtar rallied, Arthur Ferreira scoring in the seventy-fourth minute. Unfortunately for the visitors, Raptors' Jonah Dancer immediately made it 5-1. Brandon Nyagurungo then made it 5-2 in the seventy-seventh minute. Ferreira narrowed the gap further to 5-3 in the eighty-first minute but the final nail was delivered by Lucas Duball a minute later.
Duluth FC 5-0 Aris La Crosse
Duluth took a fourth minute lead, breaking with pace directly from a defensive corner, Tyler Limmer provided the finish. The home side finally made the game safe after endless BlueGreen pressure, when Conor Behan finished off a ball flicked carefully in from the left in the sixty-fifth minute. In the seventy-first minute, it was 3-0 after Felipe Santos tapped home from a right-sided pass, only two minutes after entering for Behan. In the seventy-eighth minute, Felipe Arteaga was clothes-lined by an Aris player in the box and Andreas Solares finished off a PK. In the eighty-sixth minute, Santos claimed his second of the game with a tap in after high press by Rory Doyle. In the eighty-eighth minute, Aris went down to nine men after two players received a second yellow card in one sequence.
Med City 4-0 Joy Athletic
A cross from the right wing to the left in the 11th minute was played back to the top of the area by Lucas Hart and dispatched with fury by Scott Neil. They doubled their lead in the sixty-first minute, Henry Tolbert driving inside from the right and blasting a shot from the top of the area. Five minutes later it was 3-0, Toby Milward with a neat finish coming in from the left. Noah Jervik made a long, curving pass into the path of Tolbert who beat the keeper to make it 4-0 in the seventieth minute.
Minnesota TwinStars 3-3 Sioux Falls Thunder
The TwinStars took the lead in the nineteenth minute from the penalty spot after an agricultural challenge in the right back position. Anthony Mator converted the PK. They doubled the lead as Diego Yang belted a magical ball up and then under the crossbar from the edge of the area. Sioux Falls scored in the thirty-fourth minute, Marcus Horwood finished from close range - utterly unmarked from a right wing pass. A swift turnover in the midfield became the third TwinStars goal, Sadra Golzarian with the finish in the fifty-fourth minute. Thunder narrowed the gap with a counter attack from deep in their half to a tap in from Ryushiro Morita in the six yard box. Then, in the seventh minute of stoppage time at the end of the second half, Horwood unleashed a furious shot from twenty-five yards out into the goal to level the game.
Sunday
Erie Commodores 1-0 Cleveland SC
In a hard fought match, the decisive blow was struck by Jacob Hancock, tapping in at the far post after a driven cross from the right in only the third minute of play.
After dominating the opening ten minutes in Columbus, Steel City took the lead with Brice Ghandi hammering a shot from the penalty spot on the drive into the roof of the net. Gandhi again scored in the thirty-fifth minute to make it 2-0, finishing off a driven cross from the left. Eben McIntyre scored the third goal, on the rebound after a shot was initially blocked by the keeper.
Soon after the restart, Nathan Prex made it 4-0, sweeping the ball home from the middle of the penalty area. In the 70th minute, the ball passed through three sets of Columbus feet from the left wing to the right hand edge of the penalty area and Amadou Dia finished off the move with the first time shot home.
Wednesday
Akron City 5-0 Erie Commodores
Ryan Kingsford headed home for Akron from a right wing corner by Josef Paulus with only two minutes on the clock. Paulus then received a straight red card in the twenty-fourth minute for violent conduct(?). Colin Biros served a left wing free kick in for the second goal by William Jackson in the fifty-fifth minute against the run of play to make it 2-0. The ten men made the game safe in the sixty-third minute when a PK was dispatched by Kingsford. Dyson Clapier made it 4-0 in the seventy-fifth, on the rebound after a save from a Gyuwon Chong shot. Adam Lubell made it 5-0 in second half stoppage time, blast home from the left back berth.
Joy Athletic 2-5 Dakota Fusion
Joy went ahead in the seventeenth minute as a ball in midfield was intercepted and Zinedine Kroeten slotted it calmly past the onrushing Fusion keeper, Jamie Colvill. Bennett Kouame doubled the lead in the twenty-first minute, capitalizing on another interception in midfield. The visitors pulled one back in the thirty-fifth minute after Noah Eklund was nutmegged and the ball was squared across the penalty area for Mate Lengyel to score. Yu Tsukanome equalized for Fusion in the forty-third minute, turning the left back inside out before sliding it home to tie the game.
Shoki Yoshida took the visitors into the lead with a free kick from twenty five yards out, on the left with an hour on the clock. Yoshida then finished a minute later from open play, sliding home from close range after a one-two into the area. Yoshida made it 5-2 in the seventy-fifth minute, short-circuiting an offside trap before slotting home.
LC Aris 3-4 Minnesota TwinStars
TwinStars made the trip to Wisconsin and (just) got the win. The visitors took the lead in the fourteenth minute through Sadra Golzarian but their lead only lasted two minutes, Abdul Samet Ankaoglu with the equalizer. Golzarian then made it 2-1 in the twenty-second minute. Isaac Petersen made it 2-2 in the thirty-eighth but it was a short-lived tie as Golzarian completed his hat trick just three minutes later.
Ankaoglu made it 3-3 in the fifty-fifth minute but TwinStars would have the last say, Sidike Jabateh making it 4-3 after yet another short space of time.
Sioux Falls Thunder 1-1 Med City
The Thunder took the lead in the nineteenth minute, as Jack Crombie went on a mazy run and blasted the ball past the Med City keeper from the edge of the area. Unfortunately, the lack of confidence showed in a Sioux Falls side who have no wins in the season so far and the visitors equalized in the seventy-seventh minute when a long run down the endline was crossed back to the top of the box with Scott Neil powering home.
Thursday
Carpathia FC 0-1 Michigan Rangers
After holding out for twenty minutes against an aggressively offensive-minded Rangers team, Carpathia finally gave up the go ahead goal when Chris Mendez converted the rebound from his own PK. The home side gradually climbed back into the game but were unable to break through before halftime.
A Carpathian free kick from twenty-five yards out was the best chance of the second half but it whistled safely into the arms of the Rangers keeper. They also hit the crossbar, with the rebound seeing an attacker offside. At the end of a fiercely contested second half, Rangers kept their clean sheet intact.
Coming Up
Tonight
Cleveland SC v FC Columbus - 7pm ET
Des Moines United v Iowa Raptors - 7pm CT
Saturday
Ehtar Belleville v Sunflower State FC - 4pm CT
Akron City v Michigan Rangers - 7pm ET
Carpathia FC v Steel City - 7pm ET
Duluth FC v Minnesota TwinStars - 7pm CT
Milwaukee Torrent v Club Atletico St Louis - 7pm CT
Aris v Joy - 7pm CT
Med City FC v Dakota Fusion - 7pm CT
Sunday
FC Columbus v Cleveland SC - 5pm ET
Wednesday
Aris v Med City FC - 7pm CT
Minnesota TwinStars v Dakota Fusion - 7pm CT
Sioux Falls Thunder v Duluth FC - 7pm CT
Thursday
Iowa Raptors v Milwaukee Torrent - 7pm CT
Michigan Rangers v Carpathia FC - 7pm ET
NPSL Round Up: Week 4
This Week
Friday
Michigan Rangers 1-2 Erie Commodores
Rangers took the lead shortly after a hydration break in the thirty-first minute, as a run down the right was squared to the center and Adam Hanson half-volleyed a ball which had been saved. Commodores equalized after Roberto Lagoa unleashed a shot into the roof of the net from fully 18 yards out in the thirty-fifth minute. Erie secured a PK in first half stoppage time and Chanin Orlandin calmly sent the keeper the wrong way to make it 2-1. In an evenly contested second half, Rangers were nonetheless unable to prevent their visitors from picking up a first win of the season.
Akron City FC 0-6 Steel City FC
Steel City took the lead in the twelfth minute as a cross from the right was swept home by an unmarked Michael Sullivan in the center of the area. A solo run down between the hashes provided an opportunity for a second goal for Steel City, the finish dispatched with aplomb into the bottom right hand corner of the goal by Nicholas Graeca in first half stoppage time. A ball across from the right into the heart of the penalty area saw Tate Mohney make it 3-0 in the fifty-eighth minute. It was only four minutes after that that it was 4-0, Nathan Prex scoring in similar fashion after a close pass from the right. The score hit 5 in the sixty-seventh minute, as the ball squeezed through traffic along the end line and was finished off by Gabriel Norris at the near post. A sixth goal came in the eighty-seventh minute, Eben McIntyre sliding in to take the ball in from the right.
Ryan Williams tapped in to put Carpathia ahead in the thirty-sixth minute, following a goalmouth scramble from a corner - capitalizing on a period of pressure. However, the home side equalized in the forty-fourth minute after a long route one pass was slotted home by Julian Pellegrini. Logan Pinton hammered the go-ahead goal for Cleveland home in the seventieth minute, coming in from the right.
Des Moines United 1-1 Milwaukee Torrent
An in-swinging cross from the left into the penalty area was finished off by Lucas Nesthus in the twenty-seventh minute to put Torrent ahead. Torrent goalie Nick Schiappa parried a firmly hit shot by DMU and Torrent retained their lead. The visitors also skewed wide with another chance to equalize in the fortieth minute. The home side equalized in the seventy-ninth minute through a Erich Legut header, back where a long cross from the right wing had come.
Saturday
The opening ten minutes saw a flurry of Duluth corners, but Fusion held steady and had their own period of possession. Nonetheless, the visitors did break through in the fifteenth minute, via Stefan Roeb. They doubled their lead just two minutes later, a pass from the right credited to Roeb but seemingly deflected past the Fusion goalie Jamie Colvill. In the twenty-first minute, the BlueGreens made it three, continuing their domination of the right wing. A long ball over to the left was then passed back towards the center for Tyler Limmer to finish. Fusion had their first shot on goal in the twenty-seventh minute, but it was saved easily. The fourth goal of the match came about in first half stoppage time, Kostya Domaratskyy sweeping the ball home from the center of the box having been involved in a give and go down the left wing. Shoki Yoshida spoiled the clean sheet in the fifty-seventh minute, feeding off a Tsukanome one-two. Paul Bobai made it 5-1 in the sixty-eighth minute, following an attempt on goal by Domaratskyy.
Iowa Raptors 3-2 Sunflower State FC
Carson Wilcox put the visitors ahead in the sixth minute but Ombeni Mubake equalized in the twenty-fifth. Less than ten minutes later, Raptors' Enrique Horna was dismissed for violent conduct but Ronaldo Rojas made it 2-1 for the ten men in the 42nd minute but Tim Smith levelled scores in the 45th and it took an eighty-sixth minute winner from the Raptors' Connor Patton to separate the two sides on the scoresheet.
Joy Athletic Club 5-3 Minnesota TwinStars
TwinStars took the lead in the twenty-ninth minute through Miguel Arellano. Joy equalized in the thirty-sixth, with Zinedine Kroeten the scorer. TwinStars took back the lead in first half stoppage time, with a Famade Bamba strike.
In the fifty-second minute, Spencer Enright tied the game for the Goats. Kroeten grabbed his second of the game only six minutes later to put the home side on top. Despite a double save, Joy made it 4-2 in the sixty-fourth minute through David Riera's volley from twenty yards out. Anthony Mator made it 4-3 with a tally for TwinStars but the hosts had the last laugh, a PK in the seventieth minute sealing a hat trick for Kroeten.
La Crosse Aris FC 2-1 Sioux Falls Thunder
Lewis Albert put the South Dakotans ahead in the fifteenth minute but the home side equalized in the thirty-eighth minute through Stan Cargill and scored the Game Winning Goal just before half time, Anfernee Stokes the scorer.
Club Atletico Saint Louis 1-2 Ehtar Belleville
The visitors made the 30 mile road trip West for their first St Louis derby and went ahead in the nineteenth minute, when Adam Knight dinked a ball over the keeper from close range after Ehtar had successfully fought for possession in the right back spot. Anthony Brown equalized for Club Atletico from the penalty spot in the thirty-second minute. The visitors retook the lead in the fifty-seventh minute, as Wyatt Fowler finished a sweeping move which started on the edge of their own penalty area.
Sunday
Erie Commodores 1-0 Akron City FC
Commodores took all three points on the back of a Philipp Strube goal from a corner in the first minute of second half stoppage time.
Steel City FC 1-1 Carpathia FC
Michael Teller opened the scoring for the visitors in the eleventh minute but Steel City grabbed an equalizer in the seventieth minute from Tate Mohney.
FC Columbus 0-4 Michigan Rangers
Liam Smith opened the scoring for Rangers in the thirty-third minute, ending a rapid counter attack with a powerful strike across the goalkeeper and into the far side netting. Three minutes later it was 2-0, as Max Wilhelm finished off a swift breakaway. Smith claimed his second of the game after Cameron Power drove in from the left and saw his shot parried away. George Pitsillides made it 4-0 with a strong drive from the middle of the area back across the keeper.
Wednesday
Club Atletico Saint Louis 3-4 Sunflower State FC
The Bluebirds of CASL conceded an early penalty when an attack was rudely interrupted by a foul in the area. Tim Smith stepped up and dispatched the PK. Sunflower went up further only two minutes later after an attack down the left was centered and Jack Souder finished it off. Nick Faddis halved the deficit on thirty-two when his free kick from forty yards out on the left was allowed to bounce and skip its way untouched into the goal. In the sixty-first minute, the game was tied as Kyeron Daws capitalized on inattentive defending and hung around the back line as a goal kick was headed back towards him. Daws flicked the bouncing ball up over the Sunflower keeper. Two minutes later, the visitors had taken the lead again, Smith heading home a searching cross from the left. Blake Barrick then made the game safe in the sixty-ninth minute, somehow evading the dive of the Bluebirds keeper. CASL attempted to rally, on the back of an eightieth minute penalty but were unable to score the equalizer.
Milwaukee Torrent 0-2 Des Moines United
On an evening when the finishing product was missing for the home team, the first shot on target for Torrent was registered in the sixty-third minute, and it would be the seventy-first before the deadlock was broken. A long pass downfield was chested down by Jayce Berger and slotted home. Lesego Maloma scored in the second minute of second half stoppage time to salt away the win.
Thursday
La Crosse Aris FC 0-6 Dakota Fusion
A Yu Tsukanome hat trick (his second of the season) was punctuated by goals from Shoki Yoshida, Mate Lengyel and Ben Colborn to put the Fusion back in second place.
Coming Up
Tonight
Des Moines United v Ehtar Belleville - 6pm CT
Steel City v Erie Commodores - 6pm ET
Akron City v Cleveland SC - 7pm ET
Iowa Raptors v Club Atletico St Louis - 7pm CT
Michigan Rangers v FC Columbus - 7pm CT
Saturday
Des Moines United v Club Atletico St Louis - 2pm CT
Iowa Raptors v Ehtar Belleville - 6pm CT
Duluth FC v Aris La Crosse - 7pm CT
Med City v Joy Athletic - 7pm CT
Minnesota TwinStars v Sioux Falls Thunder - 7pm CT
Sunday
Erie Commodores v Cleveland SC - 4:30pm ET
FC Columbus v Steel City - 5pm ET
Wednesday
Akron City v Erie Commodores - 7pm ET
Joy Athletic v Dakota Fusion - 7pm CT
LC Aris v Minnesota TwinStars - 7pm CT
Sioux Falls Thunder v Med City - 7pm CT
Thursday
Carpathia FC v Michigan Rangers - 7pm CT
NPSL Round Up: Week 3
This Week
Friday
Carpathia FC 3-0 Akron City FC
Mohamed Hammoud opened the scoring for the home side, finishing off a flowing team move with a shot from the top of the box in the seventh minute. Their lead was doubled in the 12th minute after Alexander Demorow headed home. Hammoud then put the match to bed in the 57th minute.
Cleveland SC 1-2 Michigan Rangers
Julian Pellegrini opened the scoring for the home side in the 7th minute but Rangers equalized through Daire O Riordan, chipping the ball off the near post and in with twenty-one minutes on the clock. Two minutes later, Chris Mendez of Michigan Rangers was dismissed for violent conduct.
Despite the man advantage, Cleveland were out-possessed by Rangers, who eventually broke through - with O'Riordan claiming his second goal of the game (and fourth of the season), slotting calmly home from the top of the box after a cross from the right wing.
Erie Commodores 1-3 Steel City FC
The home side broke the deadlock in stoppage time at the end of the first half, Connor Hartwell with a dipping free kick from just outside the penalty area into the bottom corner of the Steel City net. With substitute goalie Keaton Jennings making some key saves, the visitors equalized following a neat sequence of passing down the gut of the Commodore defense, finished off by Nathan Prex in the 75th minute. Steel City then took the well-deserved lead in the 86th minute, when a free kick on the far right wing was recycled from the left, flicked on with one player's head before Eben McIntyre headed into the net. McIntyre then made it a 3-1 game in second half stoppage time.
Saturday
Club Atletico St Louis 4-1 Iowa Raptors FC
CASL broke open the tie in the 7th minute, Xavier Brown scoring on the counter. They went up two in the thirtieth minute as Jake Karolczak drove inside and kissed the ball off the far post and in. The Raptors had a golden opportunity to score in the 40th minute, but a header from close in, was headed over. A left wing corner in the forty-second minute just went through to the Bluebirds keeper. The home side made it three as a counter down the left was volleyed ferociously in by August Harp in the 67th minute. Raptors got a goal from Jonah Dancer via the penalty spot after the Bluebirds keeper dwelled on the ball too long and had the ball stolen from him. The Bluebirds got another goal in the 76th minute after Harp juggled the ball in front of goal and eventually finished it off.
Ehtar Belleville 3-2 Des Moines United
The home team took the lead in a closely contested match in the twentieth minute, when Brandon Nyagurungo drove inside the box from the left wing and slotting home. Adam Knight made it two in the twenty-ninth minute, finishing from close range after a drive and curled pass from the left wing into his path. Ehtar then had a free kick close in on the left, but it was successfully cleared. DMU finished the half with their own spell of pressure, but two corners straight and a couple of counter attacks didn't climax in any goalmouth action. Ehtar extended their lead after the half, as a long, raking cross-field pass in the fifty-seventh minute released Triston Austin to slot past the onrushing goalie. The away side broke their shutout in the 66th minute with a tidy finish from ... off a left wing cross that was laid back into his path. DMU made it close, getting a close range second in the eighty-sixth minute after pressure down the right and ending the match tilting the field in their favor. However, Ehtar survived the pressure.
Duluth FC 6-0 Joy Athletic Club
The home side blitzed the goats in a five minute spell. Kostya Domaratskyy opened the scoring in the 25th minute, to open the scoring off a deep cross-field pass into the six yard box. Tom Akinola doubled the lead in the twenty-eighth, finishing off a bobbling ball. Akinola then added a third only a minute later. Stefan Roeb made it 4-0 in the thirty-fifth minute, tapping home after a goalmouth scramble from a corner. It was 5-0 in the 52nd minute, with Tyler Limmer putting the finishing touch on it. Limmer also scored in the 65th minute to make it 6-0, finishing off a neat pass through the offside trap.
Milwaukee Torrent 2-2 Sunflower State FC
Torrent opened the scoring in the 13th minute, Samuka Toure with a tidy finish through a crowded box after a corner. In the twentieth minute, a cross from the right went all the way through the area to Colin Innes on the left, who blasted it in at the near post to tie the game. A free kick from the right was driven in, with Sunflower taking the lead in the twenty-seventh minute, Blake Barrick heading the ball in. Torrent equalized, Khedive Miguel Konde Gwo saw his effort rebound off the crossbar and Paco Piscaglia bundled it home in the 68th minute. Sunflower State had a chance to regain the lead from the penalty spot in the 74th minute as Sam Novak knocked over an attacker, but the PK was saved by Nick Chiappa in the Torrent net. A late red card for two yellow cards did not impact the result.
Minnesota TwinStars 2-0 Med City FC
TwinStars made the home crowd happy with a battling win over Med City. Neat play saw a defense splitting ball finished by Miguel Arellano. The clinching goal came in odd circumstances, with a free kick being awarded in mysterious circumstances. Nonetheless, the linesman was emphatic in flagging and Sidike Jabateh was equally emphatic in scoring a thunderous shot from right on the penalty D.
Sioux Falls Thunder 0-1 Dakota Fusion
Fusion broke the deadlock in the thirtieth minute, patient buildup followed by a ball across the six yard box, tapped home by Yu Tsukanome for his fourth goal of the season. Thunder had a strong chance in the 67th minute, with a free kick leading to a goalmouth scramble but they failed to finish the chance. The second half fluctuated but Thunder were unable to break back.
Sunday
Club Atletico St Louis 0-1 Des Moines United
Sora Noda was the difference as the team from Iowa notched another win.
Ehtar Belleville 3-5 Iowa Raptors
After an even opening 19 minutes, it was Raptors who struck first - a PK by Ombeni Mubake after a rash tackle on a Raptors forward on the left edge of the area. The lead was doubled by Derek Huffman only five minutes later, on the counter attack following an equalizer for Ehtar being waved off for offside. The home side hit the post and then secured their own PK after handball. Triston Austin scored from the spot, just beating the dive of the Raptors keeper.
Huffman lifted a ball past the Ehtar goalie into the far corner from the top of the box just after play was resumed for the second half. John Edward Schwering brought the home team back to 3-2 in the fifty-fifth minute, sealing a finish after Brandon Nyagurungo made a searing run. Jordan Webb scored after a corner in the sixty-fifth minute to make it 4-2. A neat passage of play from one wing to the other in the 80th minute climaxed with David Cole sliding in to make it 4-3, but the home side were never able to fully rally back and they conceded again in the 89th minute. Ronaldo Rojas headed home the final goal of a back and forth game.
FC Columbus 1-0 Erie Commodores
Ayoub Ouhammou was the difference after his cross from the right drifted in, over the goalkeeper and into the far side of the goal in the fifty-sixth minute.
Michigan Rangers 1-2 Steel City FC
Charlie Lawrence put the visitors ahead in the 27th minute and their lead was doubled by Nicky Kolarac ten minutes later. Rangers rallied to make it a one goal game after Tomas Echevarria scored in the fifty-third minute but the home side were unable to avoid the loss. On the other hand, Steel City move to the top of the division.
Wednesday
Duluth FC 1-0 Med City FC
Duluth's patient buildup came up against Med City's high press. The strongest effort on goal of the opening half hour was a snap shot from Kostya Domaratskyy just past the near post. Colin O'Mahony then had a good chance in the forty-second minute but that also went wide. Med City had a PK awarded and then waved off in the fifty-third minute. Up the other end, Duluth had their own penalty call ignored. The BlueGreens took the lead after Tyler Limmer drove a ball into the box in the sixty-third minute, headed home by Liam Pritchard.
Joy Athletic Club 2-0 Sioux Falls Thunder
Spencer Enright finished off a Joy move which saw the ball patiently moved from side to side and forward, although it took an interception in the penalty area and a header off an initial save for Enright to notch the first goal in the 19th minute. The home side put the game to bed in the seventy-second minute as ... finished off a neat interchange of passes via a deflection which wrong footed the Thunder goalie. The visitors had a route back into the game in the 77th minute, but a PK was saved by the diving Joy keeper.
Coming Up
Friday
Michigan Rangers v Erie Commodores - 6pm ET
Akron City FC v Steel City FC - 7pm ET
Cleveland SC v Carpathia FC - 7pm ET
Des Moines United v Milwaukee Torrent - 7pm CT
Saturday
Club Atletico Saint Louis v Ehtar Belleville - 7pm CT
Dakota Fusion v Duluth FC - 7pm CT
Iowa Raptors v Sunflower State FC - 7pm CT
Joy Athletic Club v Minnesota TwinStars - 7pm CT
La Crosse Aris FC v Sioux Falls Thunder - 7pm CT
Sunday
Erie Commodores v Akron City FC - 2pm ET
Steel City FC v Carpathia FC - 3pm ET
FC Columbus v Michigan Rangers - 5pm ET
Wednesday
Club Atletico Saint Louis v Sunflower State FC - 7pm CT
Milwaukee Torrent v Des Moines United - 7pm CT
Thursday
La Crosse Aris FC v Dakota Fusion - 7pm 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.
NPSL Midwest Week 11: Preview
Friday:
Med City FC vs Minneapolis City SC: 6:45pm - Rochester Regional Stadium, Rochester, MN - Eleven Sports
Med City look to limit the damage against the red hot Crows, and in the process keep their playoff run going. A Minneapolis City win would restore some of the momentum lost against Joy last time out and would knock the Mayhem out of the playoffs regardless of the result in Duluth.
Duluth FC vs Sioux Falls Thunder: 7pm - Public Schools Stadium, Duluth, MN - Eleven Sports
With the tiebreakers in their favor, and a kickoff scheduled for 15 minutes later, Duluth FC enter this match against an inconsistent Thunder side looking set for the playoffs. A win by the BlueGreens or matching Med City's result in Rochester would confirm that, and the 5th seed in the playoffs.
Saturday:
FC Indiana vs FC Milwaukee Torrent: 4pm - FC Indiana Stadium, Lafayette, IN - Facebook
Torrent have slid down to the number 3 seed but should have no trouble against the winless Lions, with a -20 goal difference.
La Crosse Aris vs Dakota Fusion FC: 6pm - Logan High School, La Crosse, WI - Facebook
Fusion are nowhere pleasant in the table but Aris are predictably horrendous so the visitors will come into La Crosse hoping for a win.
Panathinaikos Chicago vs Carpathia FC: 8pm - Nike Sports Complex, Napierville, IL - No Announced Stream
The 3-6-0 PAO squad have nothing to play for but pride against playoff bound Carpathia.
*All Times CT
NPSL Midwest Week 10: Recap
Wednesday:
FC Columbus 3 vs FC Indiana 0 : Roberts Field at The Wellington School, Columbus, OH - Eleven Sports
After a rough weekend which saw Columbus draw with FC Indiana then Carpathia win to knock FCC out of the playoffs, Columbus came back looking for vengeance. Amadou Dia broke open the match for Columbus in the 20th minute and Hamid Shariff added another just before the half time break. FCC added yet another when Chukwuemeka Eneli drilled home a PK in the 67th.
FC Milwaukee Torrent 5 vs Panathinaikos Chicago 0 : Hart Park, Wauwatosa, WI - Eleven Sports
The second midweek match effected by the Columbus and Carpathia matches from Saturday was another barn burner, and even more one sided. With a four point lead in the standings over Carpathia the Torrent could clinch the Great Lakes title with a win. And win they did with Malik Mennana earning a brace while Emiliano Caballero, Alexander Filian, and Byron Gutierrez each scored one in Milwaukee's route of PAO Chicago.
Duluth FC 6 vs La Crosse Aris FC 0 : Public Schools Stadium, Duluth, MN - Eleven Sports
A match that in all reality should be a route, was a route. Duluth FC dominated from start to finish in a match that saw the BlueGreens have five different goalscorers. Sidney Warden finished the match with a brace and is pushing hard for the league wide Golden Boot as he had 14 goals through 10 matches.
Joy Athletic Club 0 vs Med City FC 1 : Oriole Stadium, St Louis Park, MN - CCX Sports
Joy started the final week of their first season with their last home match of 2021 against Med City FC. While Joy Athletic has been snakebitten this season they have given most teams a good run for their money. Neither of those things changed as a 34th minute goal for Med City was all that was needed and all that was scored in SLP.
Sioux Falls Thunder FC 1 vs Dakota Fusion FC 3 : McEneaney Field, Sioux Falls, SD - Eleven Sports
Not a ton to say about this one, two teams towards the bottom of the division really just playing each other for the right of which Dakota is supreme. Last time out the Thunder wiped the floor with the Fusion 4-1 in Moorhead. This time out the roles were reversed as the away side Fusion dominated the scoreboard. Jack Pascoe scored two first half goals for the Fusion and Diego Valle added a third goal shortly into the second half. Sioux Falls did manage to keep the home side away from being shut out with David Bizimana's 82 minute goal.
Saturday:
FC Columbus 2 vs Carpathia FC 2 : Roberts Field at The Wellington School, Columbus, OH - No Announced Stream
This would be FC Columbus' swan song for the 2021 season as they hosted Carpathia FC at home. A week after getting knocked out of the playoffs for Columbus and days after Torrent secured the Great Lakes Championship there wasn't much on the line. Hamid Shariff scored first for Columbus before the match was deadlocked at 1-0 for the next 30 minutes. Owen Smith drew the match even in the 61st before teammate Ryan Williams put Carpathia ahead in the 73rd. Chukwuemeka Eneli drew the match even just three minutes later to have each team leave with a single point.
Minneapolis City SC 2 vs Joy Athletic Club 3 : Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis, MN - YouTube
Just two matches remained in the regular season for the Crows while the Goats would end their season in Minneapolis. MPLS City wanted to get one step closer to an unbeaten season while Joy only could disrupt that goal. Emmanuel Iwe opened the scoring after 50 minutes of play then former Crow, Whitney Browne added a second goal for the Goats in the 79th. Steevenson Lamarre brought the match back to a one goal difference with an 84th minute goal. Zinedine Kroeten pushed the lead back to two three minutes later. Luis Magana Cisneros scored one more for the home side before the final whistle to bring the scoreline back to one in what would be City's first loss of 2021.
Dakota Fusion FC 1 vs Duluth FC 2 : Jim Gotta Stadium, Moorhead, MN - Magnitude Sports Network
This meeting could have very well been a cakewalk for Duluth FC, Dakota Fusion did not let that happen in a must win match for the BlueGreens. James Westfield scored in the 4th and a half hour later Sidney Warden scored his 15th goal of the campaign for Duluth. Fusion's Aaron Pike got the home side on the board in the 75th minute for what by all accounts could have been a draw.
Sioux Falls Thunder 2 vs La Crosse Aris FC 2 : McEneaney Field, Sioux Falls, SD - Eleven Sports
Aris has a reputation for being a scrappy team that can steal points if you aren't careful. That's exactly what they did in Sioux Falls on Saturday night. While the Thunder got on the board early, just 9 minutes in, Aris answered back four minutes later. Damien Baltide's 65th minute goal for Aris gave them a lead but Tyler Limmer managed to score a late tying match for Sioux Falls to force a draw in what was close to being Aris first win of the year.
NPSL Midwest Week 9: Recap
Wednesday:
Carpathia FC 2 vs FC Columbus 3 : Avondale High School, Auburn Hills, MI - Eleven Sports
In a must win match FC Columbus surprised the home side by pulling out an upset victory to keep their playoff hopes alive. Carpathia took an early 1-0 lead but Columbus would tie it up a quarter-hour later. FCC held the lead the rest of the night scoring their second and third goals before Carpathia managed their second.
Duluth FC 1 vs Minneapolis City SC 6: Public Schools Stadium, Duluth, MN - Eleven Sports
Minneapolis City SC just needed a win to wrap up back to back to back NPSL North Championships, and a win did they get. It didn't look great initially as Duluth's Aidan Hill scored just two minutes in to give the BlueGreens the lead. Jack Berry tied up the match for the Crows inside the 20 minutes and it stayed that way for a while. However after receiving two yellow cards Aidan Hill was sent off in the 53rd minute, which allowed City to blow the doors off the match. The Crows scored 5 unanswered goals starting in the 60th minute en route to a 6-1 win and their third straight North title.
La Crosse Aris vs Med City FC: 7 PM - Arcadia High School Stadium, Arcadia, WI - No Announced Stream
Sioux Falls Thunder 3 vs Joy Athletic Club 3 : 7 PM - McEneaney Field, Sioux Falls, SD - Eleven Sports
Both teams have had their highs and lows through what has been a rough year for both the returning Thunder and expansion Goats. The season wouldn't really get any better or any worse for either side as Sioux Falls and Joy Athletic drew at three all in Sioux Falls.
Saturday:
FC Indiana 2 vs FC Columbus 2 : Legacy Sports Club Stadium, Lafayette, IN - Facebook
Another must win match to either keep the playoff hopes alive or possibly improve them pending the result of the evening match between Carpathia and FC Indiana. Ricardo John scored first for the Lions and was shortly followed up by Sean Bonval getting the Lions their second goal. Michael Chilton drew the game within one with a 61' goal for FCC. FC indiana knocked in an own goal just minutes later in what proved to be the final goal of the match.
Carpathia FC 4 vs FC Milwaukee Torrent 0 : Adams High School, Rochester Hills, MI - Eleven Sports
After the FC Indiana/FC Columbus result from earlier in the day, Carpathia just needed a win to punch their ticket to the Region Playoffs. Not only did Carpathia win but they dominated the Torrent. Ryan Williams scored first for Carpathia in the 13th, Owen Smith would knot a brace on back to back goals, and Charles Braithwaite wrapped up the match with Carpathia's fourth goal of the night.
*Note – All Times CDT
NPSL Midwest Week 10: Preview
Wednesday:
FC Columbus vs FC Indiana - 6pm - Roberts Field at The Wellington School, Columbus, OH - Eleven Sports
FCC face a winless Indiana squad, with only pride on the line.
FC Milwaukee Torrent vs Panathinaikos Chicago - 7pm - Hart Park, Wauwatosa, WI - Eleven Sports
After their perfect season came to an end vs Carpathia, Torrent looking to get back on the beam and fight for the playoff bye. PAO will be looking to improve their sub zero goal differential.
Duluth FC vs La Crosse Aris FC - 7pm - Public Schools Stadium, Duluth, MN - Eleven Sports
Duluth's battle for the second playoff spot continues with the visit of the -20 goal differential of Aris and one of the hottest strikers in the entire league in Sidney Warden.
Joy Athletic Club vs Med City FC - 7pm - Oriole Stadium, St Louis Park, MN - CCX Sports
The other half of the battle for the North's second spot sees the visitors from Rochester try to hold off a hot and cold Joy Athletic team who nonetheless have a hot striker in Immanuel Iwe and a well drilled squad.
Sioux Falls Thunder FC vs Dakota Fusion FC - 7pm - McEneaney Field, Sioux Falls, SD - Eleven Sports
2-5-2 Thunder plays 2-7 Fusion in a match when both teams could enter wishing there was overtime, since a tie does neither much good.
Saturday:
FC Columbus vs Carpathia FC - 6pm - Roberts Field at The Wellington School, Columbus, OH - No Announced Stream
Carpathia have secured their spot in the playoffs, but will have to watch out for Chukwuemeka Eneli.
Minneapolis City SC vs Joy Athletic Club - 6pm - Edor Nelson Field, Minneapolis, MN - YouTube
The second Twin Cities Derby sees Joy visit Minneapolis. The first match was one of City's few competitive matches, and the visitors will hope for a repeat but with a more generous result. The Crows, on the other hand, have perfection on the line.
Dakota Fusion FC vs Duluth FC - 7pm - Jim Gotta Stadium, Moorhead, MN - Magnitude Sports Network
Duluth's game in hand sees the BlueGreens visit Moorhead against the struggling Fusion, in what should be a chance for the visitors to build up their goal differential.
Sioux Falls Thunder vs La Crosse Aris FC - 7pm - McEneaney Field, Sioux Falls, SD - No Announced Stream
Two struggling sides face each other in Sioux Falls, but Thunder should still have the fire power to finish off Aris.
NPSL Midwest Week 9: Preview
Wednesday:
Carpathia FC vs FC Columbus: 6 PM - Avondale High School, Auburn Hills, MI - Eleven Sports
Two playoff spots are on the line in each division in the Midwest Region. With four games left to play the points difference makes this a do or die for FC Columbus. If they win they keep their hopes of making the playoffs alive. If the hosts Carpathia FC win, the playoff representatives from the Great Lakes are set with every team still having 3-4 matches to play.
Duluth FC vs Minneapolis City SC: 7 PM - Public Schools Stadium, Duluth, MN - Eleven Sports
Host Duluth FC needs to win to keep the Crows from winning their third straight North Conference title. However Minneapolis City SC are heavy favourites entering the match tonight against Duluth.
La Crosse Aris vs Med City FC: 7 PM - Arcadia High School Stadium, Arcadia, WI - No Announced Stream
A win for Med City and the Mayhem could take over the second spot from Duluth FC provided City wins on Wednesday night. Once again the match will not be played at Logan High School in La Crosse but rather Arcadia High School Stadium an hour away from La Crosse.
Sioux Falls Thunder vs Joy Athletic Club: 7 PM - McEneaney Field, Sioux Falls, SD - Eleven Sports
After a great run of matches for Sioux Falls the Thunder are now sitting mid table and along side them is their opponents Joy Athletic. The Goats will look to try and finish out their season on a high note after a fairly poor run of form in their last three matches.
Saturday:
FC Indiana vs FC Columbus: 3 PM - Legacy Sports Club Stadium, Lafayette, IN - Facebook
An impromptu win on Wednesday over Carpathia FC has kept the playoff hopes alive for FC Columbus. FCC trails Carpathia by just four points with three matches to play. With a win Columbus could pull as close as one point away from Carpathia. They also come into the match with the advantage, already having defeated FC Indiana 4-0 back in May. The Lions however are 0-1-5 with one point and will be looking for an upset win to get themselves their first three points of 2021.
Carpathia FC vs FC Milwaukee Torrent: 5 PM - Adams High School, Rochester Hills, MI - Eleven Sports
An upset loss to FC Columbus held off Carpathia FC's playoff hopes until this weekend and has stunted their chances at a Great Lakes Division title. Now Carpathia will play host to the unbeaten Torrent tonight, a win is desperately needed for the hosts tonight. A Milwaukee win would not only hand the Torrent the Great Lakes title but also will make the playoff race even tighter entering the final two matches.
*Note – All Times CDT