Few lower league clubs are as beloved as MPLS City. Known for doing things the right way, from front office operations to the play between the lines, the team made the transition to USL2 this year. The step up brought its own share of challenges, particularly in the level of competition. The USL has worked hard to build its fourth division amateur league and the result is a league rapidly filling with clubs that bring the kind of pedigree of MPLS City. With the season over, I sat down with Crow Head Coach Matt VanBenschoten to discuss the club’s first foray into USL2.

How’d the season go?

Well, if I told you we planned on winning one game and finishing last place in our division I’d either be lying or terrible at setting goals. It was certainly our most challenging year as a club because we took on this audacious goal of trying to run three teams in three different leagues. So on the surface you could look and say it was a failure based on the on field results, but I don’t think anyone within the club views it that way. If we’re not continually trying to push our limits and seeing what we can accomplish as a club that is seemingly held together with paper clips and bubble gum at times, then we cease to be who we are. We just need to be more strategic in how we allocate those paper clips and bubble gum.

What goals did you have going in and did you achieve them?

Going into this season we wanted to finish at least mid table in USL and be competitive in every game. We didn’t accomplish that first goal but we certainly felt like we were competitive in every game. So I don’t think we were far away and when you factor in how many injuries we sustained over the course of the season, I think there’s a lot of room for optimism heading into 2023.

Another goal for us is to always see our players get opportunities at higher levels. This summer saw Martin Sanchez spend two weeks with the Colorado Switchbacks for an extended trial. Jacek Nickowski ended up in Poland for 10 days and after Loic Mesanvi scored in the Open Cup we had a number of professional teams reach out to us which led to him signing a pro contract. So from that standpoint this year was a massive success.

How was the difference in the level of competition versus NPSL?

The difference comes down to quality of depth. The NPSL has some good teams and its fair share of quality players, but top to bottom USL is a different level. There’s no days off because every single team is highly organized. If you’re not prepared to compete for every second you’re on the field you will struggle immensely.

How will you improve results next season?

As coaches we have to up our level of preparation so we can execute for a full 90 minutes. There were too many games where we dropped points because we didn’t execute in key moments and that’s on me to better put players in a position to be ready.

We also need our players to understand the Minneapolis City ethos and what it means to be a part of this club. There was a massive amount of turnover in the roster from years past to this season so it’s a plethora of new players. I think a lot of them will get there but it’s a learning process and the “X Factor” that made our teams so good in recent years was the willingness to commit and sacrifice for each other. We saw some of that at the end of this season from some of our guys, so if we can continue to do that into next year, I feel really good about where we are at.

What’s the off-season plan?

Win the lottery. Build a stadium. Erect a statue for “Tardar Sauce” aka “Grumpy Cat”

How much time do you take off after the season?

If you asked my wife she would tell you not enough.

Truthfully I have a natural two month break that occurs when the high school season starts. I started coaching the JV team at a local high school a few years ago and it’s been great. To go from such an intense, highly focused season with City to managing high school boys who are arguing over which person is going to pick up the dead snake and move it off our field; it’s very therapeutic for me. Shoutout to the Wayzata JV boys.

What else do we need to know about Minneapolis City?

Even when we come up short, the collective mentality from our front office, to our coaches, the players and supporters is to learn and get better. The strength of this club comes through its resiliency and ultimately it’s those hard moments that bring us all together. For anyone who has not been around this club it’s hard to articulate how special it is because it’s not about the wins and losses. Yes we love winning. But the true success of Minneapolis City is this tight knit community of vastly different people who continually and selflessly work together to keep this club going.

- Dan Vaughn