Fleet Veterans 7/28/19
July 28, 2019
Here is how former Jacksonville Armada players performed during the past week.
Matt Bahner – Played the full 90 minutes for Saint Louis FC. The defender created one chance and made four clearances and one tackle. Saint Louis scored a few minutes before half time and added two goals early in the second half for the 3-0 victory over Bethlehem Steel.
JC Banks – Went the distance in Forward Madison’s match at Orlando City B. He scored the lone goal of the match in the 57th minute.
Brian Bement – Played the final 14 minutes of the match in service of Forward Madison. He received a yellow card in the 89th minute for “persistent infringement”.
Jack Blake – Served as Captain for Real Monarchs. He acheived 92.7% accuracy on 82 passes (91.1% in the opponent’s half). He created three chances and put a shot on target in the 87th minute was saved. He received a yellow card in the 62nd minute for taking down a San Antonio player from behind. His teammate Lionel Etoundi received a red card in the 41st minute. San Antonio were 3-1 victors. The yellow card was Blake’s fifth of the season and he will be suspended from his side’s match at Colorado Springs Switchbacks next week.
Wes Charpie – Put in a full shift for Memphis 901 as they faced Ottawa Fury. The defender won four of five duels and made four tackles and three interceptions.
Alex Dixon – Played the full 90 minutes of Hartford Athletic’s match versus Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The midfielder achieved 91.7% accuracy on 24 passes and made one clearance. Hartford were down three goals before getting on the scoreboard and the match ended as a 2-4 loss.
Peabo Doue – Loudon United are scheduled to take on Louisville City at 7:30 PM tonight.
Conor Doyle – Went the distance for Chattanooga Red Wolves as they took on FC Tucson. The Irish midfielder had a shot blocked and made one tackle, one clearance, and one interception. He received a yellow card for arguing with the referee in the 59th minute. Chattanooga conceded in the opening minute but Eamon Zayed nicely scored in the 69th and the match ended as a 1-1 draw.
Marcos Flores – Played the entirety of Adelaide City’s 0-2 loss to Para Hills Knights.
Kevan George – Went the distance in Charlotte Independence’s match at Atlanta United 2 on Wednesday. The midfielder attained 88.5% accuracy on 62 passes and won seven of ten duels. He made
three clearances and two tackles. After this team trailed 2-1 at halftime, Aaron Maund scored in the 72nd minute and Charlotte earned a 2-2 draw.
He put in a full shift on Saturday as well. The midfielder created one chance and made a pair of tackles and clearances. He received a yellow card in second half stoppage time for a tackle that got the player and not the ball. A goal scored by JJ Williams in the 28th minute was the difference in Birmingham Legion’s 1-0 victory at Charlotte.
Jonathan Glenn – IBV are scheduled to face Grindalvik at 12:00 PM today.
Jemal Johnson – Played the final 19 minutes of Fresno FC’s match at Austin Bold. His shot taken in the 77th minute was saved by Austin’s goal-keeper. Isaac Promise scored the lone goal of the match and Austin were 1-0 victors.
Ciaran Kilduff – Went the distance for Shelbourne FC. He opened the scoring for his side in the 11th minute with a header. He then scored his squad’s third goal of the match by converting a penalty in the 34th minute. Shelbourne defeated Wexford Youths 5-2.
Shane McInerney – Stayed on the bench for Dandenong Thunder during their 3-0 loss to South Melbourne FC.
Ciaran McKenna – Played the full 90 minutes for Hamilton Academical’s Scottish League Cup match at Airdrieonians. His side conceded two goals early and did not start to provide answers until the second half. Ross Cunningham converted two penalties and Marios Ogkmpoe scored in the 89th to give their side the win. Accies did not win its group, but was one of the top second-place teams and that was enough for them to advance to the Cup octa-finals.
Pascal Millien – The Haitian midfielder was a “plank-owner” of Jacksonville Armada and made 33 starts and scored seven goals over the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He spent 2017 with League of Ireleand Premier Division side Finn Harps and 2018 with Rayong FC of Thai League 2. He left Thailand early this year and joined Florida Tropics of the UPSL. He started their national semifinal match against Bavarian SC. on Saturday His side won in dramatic fashion with a goal at the end of extra time. They will face Utah Murcielagos in the championship game at 12:00 today.Live stream
Karl Ouimette – Was an unused subtitute for Indy Eleven as they lost to Nashville SC 2-0.
Kalen Ryden – Went the distance for Real Monarchs. The defender acheived 95% accuracy on 40 passes (93.8% in the opponent’s half). He created one chance and made two tackles and three clearances. He received a yellow card in the 90th minute for impeding the progress of an attacking player.
Junior Sandoval – Served as Captain for Las Vegas Lights and played 84 minutes of their match at Tacoma Defiance on Wednesday. A shot of his was saved in the 74th minute and he put shots off target in the 15th and 39th minutes. He created one chance and made one clearance. He received a yellow card in the fourth minute for putting an elbow to an opponent’s face during an aerial duel. Three of his teammates received red cards (70′,75’and 86′). The last of those was received by Sammy Ochoa, who had replaced Sandoval just two minutes prior to being sent off.
He wore the Captain’s arm-band again on Saturday for his squad’s match versus Rio Grande Valley. The midfielder placed two shots off target and one on. He made four clearances and one interception. Las Vegas were 2-1 victors.
Zach Steinberger – Played the first half of Tampa Bay Rowdies’ match at New York Red Bulls II. Playing as a forward, he created one chance and had a shot come close to target in the 33rd minute and a shot taken in the 42nd minute also missed the mark. The score was 2-0 when he exited the game and that was the final score as well.
Not in the 18 for their side’s scheduled match: Akeil Barrett (Tulsa Roughnecks, long term injury), Pekka Lagerblom (FC Lahti), Sean Lewis (Tulsa Roughnecks), Michael O’Sullivan (South Georgia Tormenta), Caleb Patterson-Swell (Toronto FC II), Tyler Ruthven (Atlanta United 2), Lucas Scaglia (Las Vegas Lights), Christian Silva (Lansing Ignite).
Next Week: El Paso Locomotive return to action with a Wednesday night match at rival New Mexico United at 9:00 PM. They will then host Portland Timbers 2 for a Saturday night match at 9:30 PM. Fresno FC takes on Las Vegas Lights at 10:30 PM.
NPSL Playoffs Update 7/27/19
July 27, 2019
Though there were a number of twists and turns along the way to get here, but we have arrived at the final that we have been expecting since the start of last season.
New York Cosmos B defeated the Cinderellas of the playoffs, ASC San Diego, 2-0 to earn the right to host the national championship. San Diego’s goalkeeper, Jean Antoine had work to do, but answered all bells in the first half and the match went to halftime with the score at 0-0. David Diosa broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute.
Diosa was taken down in the box in the 73rd minute and Junior Burgos converted the ensuing penalty.
New York, the top lower-level soccer team per the rankings of the Grassroots Soccer Media Union since their inception, cruised to the final whistle.
The lightning-delayed ** Miami FC-Cleveland SC also went to halftime at 0-0. Miami FC had a couple of shots on goal early (Tomas Granittio, 10′, Miguel Gonzalez, 11′) and Cleveland had a chance go across the face of goal shortly thereafter and its most threatening first-half opportunity, via its first corner-kick of the match was cleared in the 18th minute. Ariel Martinez provided the last chance for Miami before the first-half whistle, but it was saved by Marijo Musa.
Callum Chapman-Page, who made the squad as a trialist this spring, scored in the 53rd minute via a corner kick delivered by Ariel Martinez. Martinez scored a goal of his own, his seventh of the 2019 playoffs, two minutes later. Miguel Gonzalez added to the tally in the 80th minute. Mike Derezic scored on a long-distance banger in the 83rd minute. Cleveland maintained pressure shortly thereafter and threatened to further close the gap, but Harrison Heath scored in the 89th minute to put the match away. Miami FC will travel to New York for the August 3 National Championship.
It is, of course, a title defense for Miami FC (who won the league as Miami FC 2). While this is the first appearance in the NPSL Championship for New York since the demise of the North American Soccer League, New York Cosmos B (as a “proper” B side), defeated Chattanooga FC for the title in 2015.
As was the case in the run-up to these semifinal matches, there will be a “preview” post for Saturday’s championship match that will go up on Thursday.
** In his preview published Thursday afternoon, your correspondent uncritically relayed the forecast, which at the time offered only a nominal chance of rain at game-time. He ought to have mentioned that one can never rule out thunderstorms in South Florida in July. As it turned out, thunderstorms covered the area in the late afternoon and the match did not start until over an hour past its scheduled time.
After seeing the 91 teams of the NPSL reduced down to 38 playoff teams, we are now down to four teams contending for the championship.
New York Cosmos B
How they reached the playoffs
New York were one of two teams in the NPSL to go undefeated this season (Tulsa Athletic, who had two more draws, were the other). Partially due to that, they have enjoyed a wire-to-wire run atop the Grassroots Soccer Media Union‘s rankings, thus far. The sole blemish on their record came in a July 3 match versus eleventh ranked Brooklyn Italians. Their highest scoring match was a 7-1 victory versus Greater Lowell Rough Diamonds on May 17. That margin of victory was equaled in a 6-0 defeat of Kingston Stockade on July 6. Thirteen different players received credit for the 46 goals scored by the team in the regular season. Bjedi Bardic, who notched a hat trick in the June 8 match at Brooklyn, led the team in scoring with ten goals. Efrain Burgos was behind him with six goals and ahead of three players who scored five goals each.
How they reached the semifinals
Thanks to their conference having only two berths for its playoff and having the best record in the Northeast Region, which gave them a bye into the region final, New York had only two playoff matches to contest.
Ansi Agoli, who was not one of the team’s goal-scorers in the regular season, scored the lone goal in the 72 minute of New York’s defeat of Brooklyn Italians in the conference final. After FC Baltimore were reduced to ten men, Agoli scored what would end up being the winning goal in New York’s 3-1 victory in the region final. Isaac Acuña (4′) and Efrain Burgos (82′) provided the rest of the scoring for their squad. Forward Aaron Dennis, who scored two goals in the regular season, received a red card near the end of the match and will be suspended on Saturday.
ASC San Diego
How they reached the playoffs
It was a near run thing. One can point the the 2-0 victory over (then second ranked) Orange County FC on June 15 as the decisive factor. (It is worth noting that under last year’s playoffs scheme, ASC San Diego and Orange County FC would have faced each-other one more time in a play-in game for the West Region playoff.) Only two of their losses came after their three week break in April: 0-2 to FC Arizona (May 12) and 2-1 at Temecula FC. San Diego managed to stay off the radar of GSMU voters until week 9 (July 9) and even then, were the recipients of just one vote.
Ten different players scored the team’s 36 goals. Christian Enriquez led the team with eight and Elija Rice scored seven (despite not joining the squad until half-way through the season). San Diego posted two 6-0 victories in the regular season: June 8 versus City of Angels FC and in the June 22 regular season finale versus Oxnard Guerreros. Rice scored braces in both matches while Enriquez managed “only” a brace in the June 8 match and one goal on June 22.
How they reached the semifinals
It was mostly a matter of not being over-awed by their supposed betters and making their penalty kicks. In the July 7 region quarterfinal, Elijah Rice scored the opening goal in the 71st minute, but second-ranked FC Golden State equalized four minutes later and subsequently took the lead in the 111th minute of stoppage time. Evans Frimpong, who had not scored in the regular season, scored in the 120th minute, only four minutes after stepping on to the pitch, to force penalty kicks. San Diego were 4-2 victors in the penalty kick session as they upset the team that was ranked second in the country at the time.
They then traveled to Redmond, WA for their July 12 region semifinal match. Ozzie Ramos scored in the 70th minute. Crossfire Redmond equalized in the 82nd minute. The match went to penalty kicks and ASC San Diego came out on top once again (Apparently with some credit belonging to the efforts of goalkeeper Jean Gamaine.)
San Diego, still bubbling under in the “Receiving Votes” portion of the rankings, then went on the road one more time to take on FC Arizona, who was then ranked fourth. Jakub Waligorski scored in the 17th minute and San Diego’s tally went up twelve minutes later due to an own goal. San Diego held on for the 2-1 victory. That upset finally earned respect from the GSMU voters; ASC San Diego are ranked tenth this week.
A careful reader will have noticed that that San Diego have road victories against three teams that were ranked in the top four at the time of the match. ASC San Diego will look to continue their run of upsets away from home while New York Cosmos B will seek to maintain their #1 ranking. Their clash is scheduled for 7:00 PM EDT on Saturday (Live Stream). The winner advances to the August 3 National Championship.
Miami FC
How they reached the playoffs
Miami FC rolled through a conference that was very nearly perfectly stratified (i.e. every team had on the pitch victories against every team below it in the standings). Local rival Miami United upset that perfect stratification with a 2-0 victory on April 27. Miami FC took out their frustration against a short-handed Storm FC team on the following week and handed the hapless side a 0-10 defeat (they posted a 10-1 victory in the return fixture). Miguel Gonzalez scored four goals in that first thrashing. He finished the season with thirteen goals. If the statistics used for the Golden Boot award had been adjusted to reflect goals per match, he would have been the recipient (1.3 GPM vice 1.0 for FC Arizona’s Cesar Mexia, who played eight additional matches). Dario Suarez, who notched braces in both of the matches against Storm FC, tallied nine goals in the course of the season. Mohamed Thiaw rounded out the top three with eight. In all, thirteen different players scored 48 goals.
Miami FC, smarting from their shock defeat at the hands of Florida Soccer Soldiers in the US Open Cup five days earlier, were ranked sixth in the debut GSMU poll. Their ranking then fluctuated between third and eighth before going back to third in on June 18 and moving to second in the July 9 edition, where they currently sit.
How they reached the semifinals
Miami FC scored a lot of goals in the second halves of their playoff matches (11 of 13). Against a Jacksonville Armada U-23 side that was filled with college players, Mohamed Thiaw scored two goals (65′,77′) while Dario Suarez (25′) and Ariel Martinez (50′) provided the other two goals for the 4-0 victory. The conference final, a Magic City Classico, was a spicier affair. Ariel Martinez scored in the eleventh minute but Miami United equalized twelve minutes later and took the lead eleven minutes thereafter. It took a second goal by Ariel Martinez (57′) and one by Miguel Gonzalez (67′) to advance Miami FC to the South Region semifinals.
Against seventh-ranked Southeast Conference champion Chattanooga FC, Hector Morales scored in the 66th minute and Ariel Martinez secured victory in the 81st. In the region final, 11th ranked Tulsa Athletic took the lead in the 25th minute. Miami FC once again waited until the second half to open up the scoring and secure victory. Miguel Gonzalez (61′), Dario Suarez (69′), and Ariel Martinez (83′, 89′) saw to that.
Clevelend SC
How they reached the playoffs
Cleveland SC righted the ship after suffering successive losses to Erie Commodores (1-3) and Rochester Lancers (2-1) on the weekend of May 31 and finished the regular season with six consecutive victories. The team posted 5-1 victories in its regular season opener and finale (at Syracuse FC, May 19 and versus FC Buffalo on July 13). Thomas Beck scored a hat trick in that season opener and finished the season with five goals. Vincent Bell notched a brace in that match and scored eight goals over the course of the season, which led the team. Antonio Manfut made the scoresheet six times. The trio plus two additional players scored in the season finale. Cleveland made one brief appearance, at 25, in the rankings (May 28), but were otherwise un-ranked until the end of the regular season when they suddenly appeared in the July 16 rankings at 15.
.How they reached the playoffs
They survived and advanced. Thanks to having the best points per game figure in the Midwest Region, Cleveland had a bye to the region semifinals. In the semifinal match, they faced conference foe Rochester Lancers, who had finished their quarterfinal match the night before. Their rival scored two goals in the opening seven minutes. Vincent Bell responded with a goal in the 20th minute, but his side did not score again until Michael Derezic put the ball in the back of the net in the 82nd. Rochester took the lead again three minutes later, but Thomas Beck scored with his head in the 90th to send the match to extra time. Bell scored again in the 94th minute, but Rochester answered and the match was level going into the second half of extra time. Bell added to his tally with a goal scored in the opening minute of that final period. Things got tense for Cleveland in the 110th minute, when Admir Suljevic received his second yellow card of the match (apparently for a retaliatory shove, after receiving his initial yellow card for a tactical foul in the 99th minute). Bell scored his fourth goal of the match, though, in the 118th minute to secure victory for his side. (Note that the match report incorrectly lists one of Bell’s goals, the final one, as having occurred in the 101st minute.)
Cleveland faced third-ranked Detroit City in the Region final. The Great Lakes Conference champion scored two goals in the first half. Thomas Beck scored for Cleveland in the 52nd minute and Antonio Manfut made the equalizer in the 61st. Beck and a Detroit City player were both shown red cards in the 75th minute (Note that this was not the first time Beck has had a discipline issue this season; he received a three game suspension for an “Abusive Language” offense comitted on May 31). The match went to extra time and Cleveland had to survive a second half barrage as Manfut went off the pitch for a few minutes before eventually being substituted out and Detroit City had three scoring chances in the closing minutes. The match went to penalties, however. Cleveland’s goalkeeper, Mario Musa, had his attempt saved, but his teammates (Derezic, Corbin McAvinew, and Bell) all converted their attempts while three of Detroit City’s penalty takers put their efforts over the frame. Cleveland SC advanced to the National Semifinals and moved up to fifth in the rankings.
Cleveland SC will make the trek to Miami. The match will take place at the same time as the other semifinal match, 7:00 PM EDT on Saturday (Live Stream). Both matches should feature fair weather. The current National Weather Service forecast shows only a 20% chance of rain in Miami with a game-time temperature of 86° (95° heat index). Meanwhile, in New York, there is only a nominal chance of rain forecast and the temperature is expected to be 80° at kickoff (82° heat index). We shall see whether there is yet one more plot-twist (or two) or we finally get the clash of the NASL refugees that we have been anticipating since the start of last season.
Rankings, per Grasroots Soccer Media Union (Highest/Lowest)
1. New York Cosmos B (1/1)
2. Miami FC (2/8)
5. Cleveland SC (5/unranked)
10. ASC San Diego (10/unranked)
Leading Goal-Scorers, Regular Season, Goals Per Match (Total Goals)
| 1 | Miguel Gonzalez | MFC | 1.3 | (13) |
| 2 | Dario Suarez | MFC | 0.9 | (9) |
| 3 | Thomas Beck | CLE | 0.83 | (5) |
| T4. | Mohamed Thiaw | MFC | 0.8 | (8) |
| T4. | Vincent Bell | CLE | 0.8 | (8) |
| 6 | Elijah Rice | ASC | 0.78 | (7) |
| 7 | Bijedi Bardic | (NYC | 0.71 | (10) |
| T8. | Dylan Mares | MFC | 0.6 | (6) |
| T8. | Antonio Manfut | CLE | 0.6 | (6) |
| 10 | Christian Enriquez | ASC | 0.47 | (7) |
Playoff Goal-Scorers, Total Goals (Goals Per Match)
| Ariel Martinez | MFC | 6 | (1.5) |
| Vincent Bell | CLE | 4 | (2) |
| Thomas Beck | CLE | 2 | (1) |
| Mohamed Thiaw | MFC | 2 | (0.5) |
| Dario Suarez | MFC | 2 | (0.5) |
| Miguel Gonzalez | MFC | 2 | (0.5) |
| Efrain Burgos | NYC | 1 | (1) |
| Ansi Agoli | NYC | 1 | (0.5) |
| Isaac Acuña | NYC | 1 | (0.5) |
| Michael Derezic | CLE | 1 | (0.5) |
| Antonio Manfut | CLE | 1 | (0.5) |
| Hector Morales | MFC | 1 | (0.33) |
| Elijah Rice | ASC | 1 | (0.3) |
| Evans Frimpong | ASC | 1 | (0.3) |
| Ozzie Ramos | ASC | 1 | (0.3) |
| Jakub Waligorski | ASC | 1 | (0.3) |
Number of matches played this month
| Miami FC | 5 |
| Cleveland | 4 |
| New York Cosmos B | 4 |
| ASC San Diego | 3 |
(The author compiled goal statistics from NPSL Game Reports. Unless otherwise noted, goal credits also come from the Game Reports.)
NPSL Playoffs Update 7/21/19 (Evening Edition)
July 21, 2019
We are now down to four teams contending for the NPSL title.
Note that all times are Eastern. Rankings are from Grassroots Soccer Media Union.
Northeast Region
Isaac Acuña opened the scoring for top-ranked New York Cosmos B in the fifth minute. Nick Gumbs provided the equalizing goal in the 45th minute. Baltimore were reduced to ten men in the 60th minute when right back Joseph Glos received a red card for shoving Ansi Agoli. Agoli then scored just his second goal of the season for New York in the 70th minute. Junior Burgos scored in the 82nd minute to put the match away. New York’s Aaron Jennings was shown a red card in the 90th minute. New York Cosmos B advance to the National Semifinals for the first time (they were upset by FC Motown in the Region Final last year). They will face West Region champion ASC San Diego.
(Descriptions and goal credits from the live stream).
Midwest Region
Thirteenth ranked Cleveland SC upset third ranked Detroit FC to advance to the National Semifinal in front of 4568 fans at Keyworth Stadium. The match was a classic featuring “A little bit of everything”. Shane Lawson (40′) and Max Todd (45’+) repeated their Friday goal-scoring performances for Detroit City in the first half. Todd scored his via penalty kick after he was taken down in the box by Colton Long of Cleveland. Lawson’s goal was setup by a pass to the left wing by Daniel Deakin to Tendai Jirira who then put the ball across the face of goal.
Tom Beck scored for Cleveland in the 52nd minute. Todd nearly provided an immediate response, but his shot went off the post in the 54th minute. Antonio Manfut scored the equalizing goal in the 60th minute. Beck and Detroit’s Will Perkins were sent off for an apparent off-the-ball altercation in the 75th minute.
The match went to extra time. Detroit’s Hunter Morse made a key save in the first half. Ten players faced nine for a few minutes in the second half when Manfut came off the pitch with apparent leg cramps before being substituted out. Deakin put a low bouncing shot on goal in the 116th minute. Steve Carroll had a shot deflected that Cleveland’s Mario Musa managed to save in instinctual fashion. Carroll put a header just over the bar a minute later. Not for a lack of effort, Detroit did not manage to break the deadlock and penalty kicks followed.
Mike Derezic converted the first penalty for Cleveland SC. Max Todd responded in kind for Detroit. Mario Musa’s attempt was saved by a leg lift performed by Hunter Morse as he was diving towards a corner.
That is when the agony began for Detroit City.
Sebastian Harris put his effort over goal. Corbin McAvinew scored for Cleveland. Hunter Morse saved a weak attempt by Daniel Koniarczyk. The window was open for Detroit City to take control.
But Steven Carroll put his shot high.
Vinny Bell converted.
Shawn Lawson needed to score to keep the session going, but his shot was high as well. Cleveland SC won without their goalkeeper making a save in penalty kicks.
They advance to the National Semifinal and will travel to Miami FC.
(Description and goal credits from the live stream.)
South Region
Miami FC, the second ranked team, once again, fell behind early as Aboubakr Diallo scored for Tulsa Athletic in the 25th minute. The goals were not answered until the second half. Miguel Gonzalez (61′)*. Dario Suarez (69′), Ariel Martinez (83′, via penalty), and Ariel Martinez, once again, (in open play, 89′), provided the responses that allowed Miami FC to continue their defense of the NPSL title into the semifinals, which will be held on July 27.
*Last night’s update incorrectly credited the goal to Tomas Granitto. Granitto hit a shot off the crossbar that Gonzalez collected for the goal.
Miami FC will host either Cleveland SC in the national semifinal.
West Region
Un-ranked ASC San Diego continued its Cinderella run with a 2-1 upset of FC Arizona. Jakub Waligorski scored in the 17th minute (the goal had originally been credited to Ewout Gouwe , but the attribution was corrected and the match report corresponds with the corrected credit). The match report shows San Diego’s 29th minute goal as an “own goal”. FC Arizona’s sole response came in the 52nd minute via Omar Nuno. ASC San Diego held on for the win. The national semifinals are the furthest that the club has advanced in its four year history.
The national semifinal matches are scheduled for July 27 and a club will claim the league championship on August 3.
The next update will be posted later this week (probably on Thursday) to preview the national semifinal matches.
NPSL Playoffs Update 7/21/19 (Afternoon Edition)
July 21, 2019
Cleveland SC won a thriller of a match to advance to the National Semifinals.
Note that all times are Eastern. Rankings are from Grassroots Soccer Media Union.
Midwest Region
Thirteenth ranked Cleveland SC upset third ranked Detroit FC to advance to the National Semifinal in front of 4568 fans at Keyworth Stadium. The match was a classic featuring “A little bit of everything”. Shane Lawson (40′) and Max Todd (45’+) repeated their Friday goal-scoring performances for Detroit City in the first half. Todd scored his via penalty kick after he was taken down in the box by Colton Long of Cleveland. Lawson’s goal was setup by a pass to the left wing by Daniel Deakin to Tendai Jirira who then put the ball across the face of goal.
Tom Beck scored for Cleveland in the 52nd minute. Todd nearly provided an immediate response, but his shot went off the post in the 54th minute. Antonio Manfut scored the equalizing goal in the 60th minute. Beck and Detroit’s Will Perkins were sent off for an apparent off-the-ball altercation in the 75th minute.
The match went to extra time. Detroit’s Hunter Morse made a key save in the first half. Ten players faced nine for a few minutes in the second half when Manfut came off the pitch with apparent leg cramps before being substituted out. Deakin put a low bouncing shot on goal in the 116th minute. Steve Carroll had a shot deflected that Cleveland’s Mario Musa managed to save in instinctual fashion. Carroll put a header just over the bar a minute later. Not for a lack of effort, Detroit did not manage to break the deadlock and penalty kicks followed.
Mike Derezic converted the first penalty for Cleveland SC. Max Todd responded in kind for Detroit. Mario Musa’s attempt was saved by a leg lift performed by Hunter Morse as he was diving towards a corner.
That is when the agony began for Detroit City.
Sebastian Harris put his effort over goal. Corbin McAvinew scored for Cleveland. Hunter Morse saved a weak attempt by Daniel Koniarczyk. The window was open for Detroit City to take control.
But Steven Carroll put his shot high.
Vinny Bell converted.
Shawn Lawson needed to score to keep the session going, but his shot was high as well. Cleveland SC won without their goalkeeper making a save in penalty kicks.
They advance to the National Semifinal and will either travel to Miami FC or host FC Baltimore-Christos.
South Region
Miami FC, the second ranked team, once again, fell behind early as Aboubakr Diallo scored for Tulsa Athletic in the 25th minute. The goals were not answered until the second half. Miguel Gonzalez (61′)*. Dario Suarez (69′), Ariel Martinez (83′, via penalty), and Ariel Martinez, once again, (in open play, 89′), provided the responses that allowed Miami FC to continue their defense of the NPSL title into the semifinals, which will be held on July 27.
*Last night’s update incorrectly credited the goal to Tomas Granitto. Granitto hit a shot off the crossbar that Gonzalez collected for the goal.
Miami FC will host either Cleveland SC or ASC San Diego in the national semifinal.
West Region
Un-ranked ASC San Diego continued its Cinderella run with a 2-1 upset of FC Arizona. Jakub Waligorski scored in the 17th minute (the goal had originally been credited to Ewout Gouwe , but the attribution was corrected and the match report corresponds with the corrected credit). The match report shows San Diego’s 29th minute goal as an “own goal”. FC Arizona’s sole response came in the 52nd minute via Omar Nuno. ASC San Diego held on for the win. The national semifinals are the furthest that the club has advanced in its four year history.
Northeast Region
FC Baltimore-Christos (ranked 23rd) will travel to top-ranked New York Cosmos B to contest the Northeast Region title on at 6:00 PM on Sunday (live stream). The winner advances to the National Semifinals.
Currently, the top teams in the playoffs from each region are:
- New York Cosmos B – They would host the national championship if they were to advance that far
- Miami FC – Will host a national semifinal.
- Cleveland SC- Would travel to Miami FC.
- ASC San Diego – Would travel to New York Cosmos B.
The ranking of the remaining sides (based on points per game in the regular season) breaks out thusly:
1 New York Cosmos B
2 Miami FC
3 Cleveland SC
4 FC Baltimore
5 ASC San Diego
The semifinal matches are scheduled for July 27 and a club will claim the league championship on August 3.
The next update will be posted this evening to cover the Northeast Region final.
Fleet Veterans 7/21/19
July 21, 2019
Here is how the week went for former Jacksonville Armada players.
Matt Bahner – Played the full 90 minutes of Saint Louis FC’s match at Tampa Bay Rowdies. The defender made six clearances.Sebastian Guenzatti scored twice for Tampa Bay (33′ and 36′), and Leo Fernandes (79′) and Caleb Richards (90+1′) added to the tally. Kyle Grieg (87′) scored the lone goal for Saint Louis in their 4-1 loss.
JC Banks – Played the second half of Forward Madison’s friendly versus Acenso MX side Leones Negros.
The score was 1-1 at halftime. Nick Markanich scored in the 58th minute and the match ended as a 2-1 victory.
Drew Beckie – Went the distance for a short-handed El Paso Locomotive(only five players, including the
reserve goalkeeper on the bench). He achieved 93% accuracy on 71 passes (96.6% in the opponents half). The Canadian defender made two tackles, one clearance, and intercepted one pass. Miami Soccer Academy product Frank Lopez, on loan to San Antonio from LA Galaxy II, scored two goals in the first half and his club dealt El Paso a 1-3 defeat.
He put in a full shift again for El Paso on Saturday when they faced Real Monarchs. His side is increasingly beset by injuries, in addition to Josh Castallanos, Mechack Jerome and Yuma, leading goal-scorer Jerome Kiesewetter is injured and the squad was without their starting goalkeeper last night as well. He achieved 97.8% accuracy on 92 passes (92.3% in the opponents half). and made one clearance and intercepted two passes. The two teams split the points as the match ended as a 0-0 draw.
Brian Bement – Played the first half of Forward Madison’s friendly versus Acesnso MX side Leones Negros. He scored his side’s first goal in the 45th minute.
Jack Blake – Served as Captain for Real Monarchs. He acheived 88.9% accuracy on 36 passes and
created two chances. His shot in the 72nd minute was wide to the left.
Jay Bolt – Stayed on the bench for Charleston Battery when they faced Hartford Athletic.
Wes Charpie – Played the first 76 mintues of Memphis 901’s match versus Nashville SC on Wednesday. The defender put a shot on target in the 8th minute and made two tackles and one clearance.
He went the distance in Memphis’ match versus New York Red Bulls II on Saturday. He provided the assist for Brandon Allen’s equalizing goal in the 87th minute. He made four tackles and four clearances in the 2-2 draw.
Alex Dixon – Played the full 90 minutes of Hartford Athletic’s match at Swope Park Rangers on Wednesday. Swope Park scored three goals in the first half and gifted Hartford one at the start of the
second. Dixon scored in the 58th minute, after Swope Park had restored its lead to three.The match ended as a 4-3 loss for his side.
He went the distance again on Saturday when his side faced Charleston Battery. The midfielder attained 85.1% accuracy on 47 passes, created two chances, and put three shots off target. Charleston scored goals in the 79th and 80th minute to overcome a one goal deficit and become 2-3 victors.
Peabo Doue – Went the distance of Loudon United on Wednesday.The defender created one chance and won five of eight duels.He intercepted three passes, and made three tackles and one clearance.
Loudon were 3-0 losers to North Carolina FC.
He put in a full shift again on Saturday when his squad took on Indy Eleven. His header taken in the 62nd minute was just high. He made three clearances in his team’s 2-0 loss.
Marcos Flores – Played the full 90 minutes of Adelaide City’s match versus Adelaide Blue Eagles, which ended as a 1-1 draw.
Derek Gebhard – Played the entirety of the match for El Paso on Wednesday. San Antonio’s goalkeeper managed to save a would-be headed goal of his in the 56th minute. Another header in the 81st minute
went just wide of target.
On Saturday, he played the opening 78 minutes of the match. He created a chance for newly signed midfielder Sebastian Velasquez in the 68th minute and put a shot wide in the 18th.
Jonathan Glenn – Played the final 21+ minutes of IBV FC’s 3-0 loss to his old club, Fylkir. IBV were already down two goals when he entered the match.
Mechack Jerome – Your correspondent was late seeing the news that the Haitian defender had surgery on his ruptured Achilles two weeks ago. The injury puts him out for the balance of this season.
https://twitter.com/PatrickKFOX14/status/1149776638235820033
Jemal Johnson – Played the opening 65 minutes of Fresno’s FC match vs Portland Timbers 2. He provided the assist for Ramon Del Campo’s goal in the sixth minute. He received a yellow card for a clumsy challenge in the 40th minute. Arun Basuljevic scored in the 19th minute for Fresno and they were 2-1 victors.
Ciaran Kilduff – Provided the assist for Shelbourne FC’s opening goal, which was scored by Jaze Kabia in the 23rd minute. He followed that with a goal of his own in the 28th. Shelbourne were 1-2 victors over Athlone Town.
Karl Ouimette – Stayed on the bench for Indy Eleven.
Shane McInerney – Was an unused substitute for Dandenong City when they played Avondale FC to a 1-1 draw.
Ciaran McKenna – Played the full 90 minutes of Hamilton Academical’s 1-3 Scottish League Cup group stage victory at Clyde FC on Wednesday. He once again put in a full shift on Saturday when his side faced Partick Thistle (once again in a group stage Cup tie). He received a yellow card in the 81st minute “after a tussle”. The match was level at two when it went to penalty kicks. McKenna made his and his squad won the shootout 6-5.
Nicholas Perea – Served as Captain for Des Moines Menace when they faced Flint City Bucks in an USL League 2 Central Conference semi-final. He put a header over goal in the 47th minute. Des Moines took a 2-1 lead into second half stoppage time, but Flint City scored at the 90+2 mark. Des Moines scored in the second extra time period, but once again Flint City managed to score at the death. Perea made his penalty kick, but two of his team-mates did not and Flint City won the shootout, 4-3, which knocked Des Moines out of the playoffs.
Bryam Rebellon – Put in a full shift for El Paso on Wednesday. He attained 88.9% accuracy on 63 passes. The Colombian defender created two chances and made two tackles.
He went the distance again on Saturday. He won 14 of 17 duels and made four tackles and two clearances and blocked one shot. His stoppage time header was blocked as was a shot in the 87th minute. He created a chance for Sebastian Velasquez in the 37th minute.
Richie Ryan – Served as Captain for El Paso on Wednesday. The Irish midfielder won ten of fifteen duels
and created one chance.He made six tackles and one clearance and intercepted two passes.
On Saturday, he once again put on the Captain’s armband and went the distance. His close-in header in the 12th minute was saved.
Kalen Ryden – Played the final eight+ minutes of the match for Real Monarchs. The defender apparently had a quiet shift as he did not register any statistics.
Christian Silva – Made a brief appearance (final three minutes of stoppage time) at the end of Lansing Ignite’s 3-3 draw at Toronto FC II.
Zach Steinberger – Was an unused substitute for Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Giovanny Vazquez -Played the opening 66 minutes of FC Arizona’s West Region final match versus ASC San Diego. His side conceded a goal to Jakub Waligorski in the 19th minute and an own goal twelve minutes later. Omar Nuno scored for Arizona in the 53rd minute, but no additional goals were forthcoming and ASC San Diego earned the upset over the Founders Cup side, which had entered the match ranked fourth by the Grassroots Soccer Media Union (San Diego were un-ranked).
Not in the 18 for their side’s scheduled match: Josh Castellanos (El Paso Locomotive, injury), Pekka Lagerblom (FC Lahti), Fabricio Ortiz (Club Atletico Porteno), Michael O’Sullivan (South Georgia Tormenta), Caleb Patterson-Sewell (Toronto FC II), Tyler Ruthven (Atlanta United 2) ,Yuma (El Paso Locomotive, injury).
Next Week: El Paso have a badly needed week off. Forward Madison host Orlando City B at 8:00 PM on Saturday. Real Monarchs continue their Texas road trip with a visit to San Antonio at 8:30 PM.
NPSL Playoffs Update 7/21/19 (AM)
July 21, 2019
After leveling at an even eight, the NPSL playoffs started to work itself towards four.
Note that all times are Eastern. Rankings are from Grassroots Soccer Media Union.
South Region
Miami FC, the second ranked team, once again, fell behind early as Aboubakr Diallo scored for Tulsa Athletic in the 25th minute. The goals were not answered until the second half. Tomas Granito (61′). Dario Suarez (69′), Ariel Martinez (83′, via penalty), and Ariel Martinez, once again, (in open play, 89′), provided the responses that allowed Miami FC to continue their defense of the NPSL title into the semifinals, which will be held on July 27.
West Region
Un-ranked ASC San Diego continued its Cinderella run with a 2-1 upset of FC Arizona. Ewout Gouwe scored “off a free kick routine” in the 17th minute. Anthony Vergara scored in the 29th minute “off an attempted clearance”. FC Arizona’s sole response came in the 52nd minute (goal-scorer not identified in ASC San Diego’s Twitter feed; at the time of publication, FC Arizona’s Twitter feed did not have any record of the match), ASC San Diego held on for the victory. The national semifinals are the furthest that the club has advanced in its four year history.
Midwest Region
After winning their quarterfinal match in penalty kicks last night, Rochester arrived in Detroit about twelve hours before the 4:30 PM kickoff of their match versus Cleveland SC. They didn’t show signs of fatigue at the start, though. After winning a free kick in the 2nd minute, they scored via Michael Cunningham’s effort, which targeted the near post that had been left unprotected by Cleveland’s goalkeeper (as noticed by the live stream commentator before Cunningham took the kick). Rafael Godoi gave Rochester a 2-0 lead by heading a ball deflected by Cleveland’s goalkeeper. In the 20th minute, Cleveland got a goal to its name via a cross that was served in and upon review appeared to go off the head of a Rochester defender, Wyatt Scott (though Cleveland’s Twitter account credited Vinny Bell for the goal).
Lightning added an extra 15 minutes to halftime. Uros Momic scored for Rochester in the 81st minute to give his side a two goal lead. Mike Derezic provided the initial response for Cleveland when he scored thanks to the goalkeeper punching away a ball he (probably) ought to have caught. Tom Beck used his head to score in the 90th minute and the match went to extra time with the score of 3-3.
Vinnie Bell scored for Cleveland in the 94th minute and Isaac Kissi made the match level at four-all in the 104th minute. Right after the start of the second half of extra time, Vinnie Bell scored again. Cleveland were then reduced to ten men in the 109th when Admir Suljevic received his second yellow card for an apparent retaliatory shove (he was shown his first yellow card in the 99th minute for a tactical foul). Vinnie Bell added one more goal in the 119th minute and the match ended with Cleveland as 6-4 victors.
(Descriptions and goal credits from the live stream.)
The thirteenth ranked team in American lower-level soccer will face the third ranked team, Detroit City FC at 1:00 PM on Sunday.
Shawn Lawson opened the scoring for Detroit City in the 22nd minute. Detroit dominated possession in the first half, but Minneapolis City did have an opportunity in first half stoppage time for which goalkeeper Hunter Morse made a desperate goal-line clearance. Detroit received a penalty for an “arm in an unnatural position” handball in the box. Max Todd converted the penalty with ease and cruised to the 2-0 victory. Detroit City advance to their first region final since 2017 (when they defeated AFC Ann Arbor 3-2). This is Cleveland’s furthest progress into the NPSL playoffs, in their second year of existence.
(Descriptions and goal credits from the live stream.)
The winner of Sunday’s Region Final advances to the National Semifinals.
Northeast Region
FC Baltimore-Christos (ranked 23rd) will travel to top-ranked New York Cosmos B to contest the Northeast Region title on at 6:00 PM on Sunday. The winner advances to the National Semifinals.
Currently, the top teams in the playoffs from each region are:
- New York Cosmos B – They would host the national championship if they were to advance that far
- Miami FC – Will host a national semifinal.
- Cleveland SC- Would travel to Miami FC.
- ASC San Diego – Would travel to New York Cosmos B.
The ranking of the remaining sides (based on points per game in the regular season) breaks out thusly:
1 New York Cosmos B
2 Miami FC
3 Cleveland SC
4 FC Baltimore
5 Detroit City
6 ASC San Diego
The semifinal matches are scheduled for July 27 and a club will claim the league championship on August 3.
The next update will be posted this evening and will cover the Midwest Region final .
NPSL Playoffs Update 7/19/19
July 19, 2019
We are finally down to an even number of teams across the bracket as the matchups for the four regional finals are set.
Note that all times are Eastern. Rankings are from Grassroots Soccer Media Union.
Midwest Region
After winning their quarterfinal match in penalty kicks last night, Rochester arrived in Detroit about twelve hours before the 4:30 PM kickoff of their match versus Cleveland SC. They didn’t show signs of fatigue at the start, though. After winning a free kick in the 2nd minute, they scored via Michael Cunningham’s effort, which targeted the near post that had been left unprotected by Cleveland’s goalkeeper (as noticed by the live stream commentator before Cunningham took the kick). Rafael Godoi gave Rochester a 2-0 lead by heading a ball deflected by Cleveland’s goalkeeper. In the 20th minute, Cleveland got a goal to its name via a cross that was served in and upon review appeared to go off the head of a Rochester defender, Wyatt Scott (though Cleveland’s Twitter account credited Vinny Bell for the goal).
Lightning added an extra 15 minutes to halftime. Uros Momic scored for Rochester in the 81st minute to give his side a two goal lead. Mike Derezic provided the initial response for Cleveland when he scored thanks to the goalkeeper punching away a ball he (probably) ought to have caught. Tom Beck used his head to score in the 90th minute and the match went to extra time with the score of 3-3.
Vinnie Bell scored for Cleveland in the 94th minute and Isaac Kissi made the match level at four-all in the 104th minute. Right after the start of the second half of extra time, Vinnie Bell scored again. Cleveland were then reduced to ten men in the 109th when Admir Suljevic received his second yellow card for an apparent retaliatory shove (he was shown his first yellow card in the 99th minute for a tactical foul). Vinnie Bell added one more goal in the 119th minute and the match ended with Cleveland as 6-4 victors.
(Descriptions and goal credits from the live stream.)
The thirteenth ranked team in American lower-level soccer will face the third ranked team, Detroit City FC at 1:00 PM on Sunday.
Shawn Lawson opened the scoring for Detroit City in the 22nd minute. Detroit dominated possession in the first half, but Minneapolis City did have an opportunity in first half stoppage time for which goalkeeper Hunter Morse made a desperate goal-line clearance. Detroit received a penalty for an “arm in an unnatural position” handball in the box. Max Todd converted the penalty with ease and cruised to the 2-0 victory. Detroit City advance to their first region final since 2017 (when they defeated AFC Ann Arbor 3-2). This is Cleveland’s furthest progress into the NPSL playoffs, in their second year of existence.
(Descriptions and goal credits from the live stream.)
The winner of Sunday’s Region Final advances to the National Semifinals.
South Region
The second ranked team, Miami FC, takes on eleventh ranked Tulsa Athletic team at 7:00 PM on Saturday. The live stream will be provided by Magic City Soccer with Lee Ifans on the call and Kartik Krishnaiyer providing commentary with Omar Moubayed. Miami FC is, of course, defending its 2018 region title while Tulsa are in their first region final since 2014 (when they lost to Chattanooga FC, 2-0).
The winner of the July 20 Region final advances to the National Semifinals to be held on July 27.
Northeast Region
FC Baltimore-Christos (ranked 23rd) will travel to top-ranked New York Cosmos B to contest the Northeast Region title on at 6:00 PM on Sunday. The winner advances to the National Semifinals.
West Region
Fourth ranked FC Arizona will face unranked ASC San Diego (second among teams in the “Receiving Votes” category) for the region title on Saturday at 10:30 PM (livestream). The teams faced each other twice in Southwest Conference regular season action. The season opener at Mesa ended as a 0-0 draw. FC Arizona won the mid-May return fixture 0-2. It is FC Arizona’s first appearance in the region final while ASC San Diego appeared in 2015 (as Albion SC Pros) when they lost to Sonoma County Sol, 1-0. The winner will advance to the national semifinals .
Currently, the top teams in the playoffs from each region are:
- New York Cosmos B – They would host the national championship if they were to advance that far
- Miami FC – Would host a national semifinal.
- Cleveland SC- Would travel to Miami FC.
- FC Arizona – Would travel to New York Cosmos B.
The ranking of the remaining sides (based on points per game in the regular season) breaks out thusly:
1 New York Cosmos B
2 Miami FC
3 Tulsa Athletic
4 Cleveland SC
5 FC Baltimore
6 Detroit City
7 FC Arizona
8 ASC San Diego
The semifinal matches are scheduled for July 27 and a club will claim the league championship on August 3.
The next update will be posted tomorrow evening and will cover the South Region final .
NPSL Playoffs Update 7/18/19
July 18, 2019
The Midwest Region semi-finals are now set.
Midwest Region
After a short weather-related delay, the AFC Ann Arbor-Rochester Lancers match resumed in Erie, PA in the 69th minute this evening. Isaac Kissi scored for Rochester in the 87th minute against the run of play and Yazeed Matthews provided AFC Ann Arbor’s response one minute later. The match went into (slightly shortened, only ten minute halfs) extra time, which was followed by penalties. AFC Ann Arbor’s first attempt, taken by Yazeed Matthews was saved and Rochester proceeded to convert all of their attempts to advance to the region semi-finals.
(Rochester’s Twitter feed contains no details of the match; AFC Ann Arbor’s did not note the Rochester goal; the live stream provided by Detroit City supporter NGSMaki provided the time of Rochester’s goal, and the PA announcer’s identification of the goal-scorers was audible on said live stream.)
They will face Cleveland SC at 4:30 PM Friday at Detroit City’s Keyworth Stadium. Cleveland won the first meeting between the two teams 4-0. IThe return fixture was on a short turn-around for Cleveland (they had played a match on the Friday before the Sunday match) and Rochester were 2-1 victors.
The other semifinal will see North Conference champion Minneapolis City face Great Lakes Conference Champion Detroit City in their home stadium at 7:30 PM tomorrow.
The winner of the July 21 Region Final advances to the National Semifinals.
South Region
Miami FC came out on top in a clash of top ten teams (as ranked by the Grassroots Soccer Media Union). Chattanooga found itself having to substitute out both of its starting centerbacks in the first half due to apparent injuries. At the end of the 40th minute, there was a confusing sequence that made sense after later review. Chattanooga’s Caleb Cole was fouled by Mohamed Thiaw as he was in the act of passing the ball to (offside) Alun Webb. Webb proceeded to close in on goal and put the ball in the back of the net. After discussion, however, the apparent goal was nullified and Chattanooga received a free kick for the foul that had been committed. After making three substitutions to start the second half, Miami showed its customary form and Hector Morales scored in the 67th minute. Ariel Martinez added to the tally with a penalty conversion in the 81st minute.Miami will host Tulsa Athletic at 7:00 PM on Saturday.
Tulsa had to come from behind as Fort Worth Vaqueros’ VcMor Eligwe scored in the 14th minute. Joe Garcia provided his squad’s answer in the 33rd minute and the match went to halftime level at 1-1. Aaron Ugbah scored in the 83rd minute to give Tulsa the lead and Junior Garcia notched the insurance marker in the 90th minute.
The winner of the July 20 Region final advances to the National Semifinals to be held on July 27.
Northeast Region
FC Baltimore-Christos will travel to New York Cosmos B to contest the Northeast Region title on at 6:00 PM on Sunday. The winner advances to the National Semifinals.
West Region
FC Arizona will face ASC San Diego for the region title on Saturday at 10:30 PM. The teams faced each other twice in Southwest Conference regular season action. The season opener at Mesa ended as a 0-0 draw. FC Arizona won the mid-May return fixture 0-2.The winner will advance to the national semifinals .
Currently, the top teams in the playoffs from each region are:
- New York Cosmos B – They would host the national championship if they were to advance that far
- Miami FC – Would host a national semifinal.
- Cleveland SC- Would travel to Miami FC.
- FC Arizona – Would travel to New York Cosmos B.
The ranking of the remaining sides breaks out thusly:
1 New York Cosmos B
2 Miami FC
3 Tulsa Athletic
4 Cleveland SC
5 FC Baltimore
6 Detroit City
7 Minneapolis City SC
8 FC Arizona
9 ASC San Diego
10 Rochester Lancers
The semifinal matches are scheduled for July 27 and a club will claim the league championship on August 3.
The next update will be posted tomorrow evening and will cover the Midwest Region semifinals.
NPSL Playoffs Update 7/17/19
July 17, 2019
Midwest Region
The reader will recall that this was the situation at the time of yesterday’s update.
Your correspondent lacks the time or patience to ascertain the true nature of the situation. He will leave the reader to examine the following:
“Midwest Region Quarterfinal To Be Decided By Coin Toss” (afcannarbor.com)
“I, Jarrett Maki, called the owner of the @RLancers to discuss with him what happened tonight when his team travelled to @AFCAnnArbor for their @NPSLSoccer playoff match.” (@NGSMaki)
“MIDWEST REGION QUARTERFINAL TO BE RESUMED ON JULY 18TH” (npsl.com)
For those who lack the time or the patience to examine the final link, let it be known that the remaining Midwest Quarterfinal will be resumed in the nice minute at McConnell Family Stadium at Gannon University in Erie, PA at 8:30pm ET. The winner of the match will face Cleveland SC at 4:30 PM Friday at Detroit City’s Keyworth Stadium.
The winner of the July 21 Region Final advances to the National Semifinals.
South Region
Miami FC came out on top in a clash of top ten teams (as ranked by the Grassroots Soccer Media Union). Chattanooga found itself having to substitute out both of its starting centerbacks in the first half due to apparent injuries. At the end of the 40th minute, there was a confusing sequence that made sense after later review. Chattanooga’s Caleb Cole was fouled by Mohamed Thiaw as he was in the act of passing the ball to (offside) Alun Webb. Webb proceeded to close in on goal and put the ball in the back of the net. After discussion, however, the apparent goal was nullified and Chattanooga received a free kick for the foul that had been committed. After making three substitutions to start the second half, Miami showed its customary form and Hector Morales scored in the 67th minute. Ariel Martinez added to the tally with a penalty conversion in the 81st minute.Miami will host Tulsa Athletic at 7:00 PM on Saturday.
Tulsa had to come from behind as Fort Worth Vaqueros’ VcMor Eligwe scored in the 14th minute. Joe Garcia provided his squad’s answer in the 33rd minute and the match went to halftime level at 1-1. Aaron Ugbah scored in the 83rd minute to give Tulsa the lead and Junior Garcia notched the insurance marker in the 90th minute.
The winner of the July 20 Region final advances to the National Semifinals to be held on July 27.
Northeast Region
FC Baltimore-Christos will travel to New York Cosmos B to contest the Northeast Region title on at 6:00 PM on Sunday. The winner advances to the National Semifinals.
West Region
FC Arizona will face ASC San Diego for the region title on Saturday at 10:30 PM. The teams faced each other twice in Southwest Conference regular season action. The season opener at Mesa ended as a 0-0 draw. FC Arizona won the mid-May return fixture 0-2.The winner will advance to the national semifinals .
Currently, the top teams in the playoffs from each region are:
- New York Cosmos B – They would host the national championship if they were to advance that far
- Miami FC – Would host a national semifinal.
- Cleveland SC- Would travel to Miami FC.
- FC Arizona – Would travel to New York Cosmos B.
The ranking of the remaining sides breaks out thusly:
1 New York Cosmos B
2 Miami FC
3 Tulsa Athletic
4 Cleveland SC
5 FC Baltimore
6 Detroit City
7 Minneapolis City SC
8 FC Arizona
9 AFC Ann Arbor
10 ASC San Diego
11Rochester Lancers
The semifinal matches are scheduled for July 27 and a club will claim the league championship on August 3.
The next update will note the result of the AFC Ann Arbor-Rochester Lancers match and update the Midwest Region accordingly.
Eye of the Storm 