Maryland Majors Week 6
Week six has come and gone in the Maryland Major Soccer League. The league is near the halfway point for the Fall 2020 season and the playoff races are starting to come into focus.
The top two teams in the 1st Division are probably the two clubs most fans would have guessed at the beginning of the season with Christos FC and Steel Pulse sitting one and two. On Sunday, October 18, Christos defeated All Star United 3-2 at Hammond High School in Columbia, Maryland. St. Mary’s College All-American, Khalid Balogun, was the star of the match scoring the first two Christos goals and having the assist on the third by Evan Doten. Down 3-0 in the 75th minute, All Star United roared back with two goals in the last 10 minutes, but it wasn’t enough.
Later that afternoon, Steel Pulse defeated La Dolce Vita 3-0 at Latrobe Park in Baltimore. The victory allowed the club to stay tied with Christos on points but only sitting at second on goal differential. The Steel Pulse defense has yet to give up a goal this season.
In the previous match at Latrobe Park, Columbia FC scored a big 4-2 win over Maryland International FC. That victory pulled Columbia even on points with both MD Inter and La Dolce Vita. Those three clubs are currently vying for the final two 1st Division playoff slots with only goal differential being the difference between them. In the other 1st Division match of the week, AFC DOBES got their first win of the season 1-0 on a goal by Justin King over the Baltimore Kickers.
In 2nd Baltimore Metro action, Sure Sports FC continued their unbeaten streak on Sunday by blanking Meade United F.C. 3-0 at Hammond High School. Sure Sports currently sits atop the division with a 4-0-0 record and a gaudy +13 goal differential.
The two clubs just below Sure Sports kept pace with the division leader with their own wins. On Wednesday, October 14, Annapolis United 2 F.C. defeated Arundel County F.C. 2-0 at Troy Park, in Elkridge, Maryland. In the lone Friday match, IFK Maryland eked out a 4-3 win over Classic Crew F.C. at Catonsville High School. With those results AnnaU 2 and IFK sit tied at two and three in the division tied both on points and differential. But Annapolis 2 may be in the better position with two games in hand over IFK.
In the other 2nd Baltimore Metro match of the week, Arundel County F.C. kept within striking distance of a playoff spot by beating JA Raiders 2-1 at Hammond High School. Antonio McLean and Arnaud Donfack scored Arundel’s goals while Justin Appler played a solid 90 in goall.
In the 2nd Capital Beltway, Dream Team FC kept the top position with a 6-1 win over Colombia District F.C. during the traditional Sunday quadruple header at John Lewis High School in Springfield, Virginia. That win kept Dream Team two points clear of Maryland United FC who scored their own impressive victory in the morning quad match at Lewis High School. MD United beat Fredericksburg City United 5-1 on a brace by Rutilio Morales and goals by Alex Goycochea, Elio Hernandez and Jefferson Zelaya.
In the evening quad game at John Lewis, Motorik FC blanked NPC Futbol 3-0. That victory meant Motorik leapfrogged over FredU for the final division playoff spot. DMV Rangers moved into the third playoff spot by edging Limitless FC 5-4 at Latrobe Park on Sunday.
With only three games played, Annapolis United F.C. continued to be a worry for the division leaders with a 9-2 drubbing over Frederick Spires FC on Sunday at Hammond High School. And, in the other 2nd Capital Beltway match of the week, Rockville S.C. scored their own impressive victory, 6-2 over Colombia F.C. at John Lewis High School. That win kept Rockville within reach of the playoff leaders.
Here’s the schedule for week seven (subject to change):
