OSA Seattle FC 0 - 5 International Portland Select FC

I picked this as a match to pay attention to in the Pacific Division and IPSFC came to play! Goals for IPSFC came from Ethan Elliot (2), Alex Segovia, Daniel Allred, and Paco Thomas. Ayub Ahmed picked up two assists in the win. IPSFC keeper, Bernardo Palma, kept a clean sheet by preventing a penalty. Overall a big secnd win for International Portland Select who are now 2-0 on the season. The win kept them in the second spot in the Division, behind SC Brave Lions, who are already 4 matches into their season. OSA Seattle drop to last in the Pacific and hope to bounce back against Crossfire Redmond on Wednesday.

Laredo Heat 4 - 0 Temple Coyotes FC

Laredo Heat continues to roll with a big 4-0 win in its home opener against Temple Coyotes. Led by a second-half hat trick by Italian Gabriel Gacovicaj, the Heat steamrolled Temple. Technically the winner would come in the first half, however, from team captain Lewis Wilson who scored in the 36th minute.

In a club recap of the match, Gacovicaj discussed his success. “Since I played here last year, I know the coaches and owners and I know they expect a lot from us. Coming back, I tried to help my teammates know what it’s like to play for the Laredo Heat. It’s a heavy jersey. I’m really happy for the team tonight. I don’t care that much about the hat trick; I’m already thinking about Tuesday’s game.”

Laredo is now tied for the top spot in the highly competitive Lone Star Division with Denton Diablos and Corinthians SC.

Sacramento Gold 4 - 0 Oakland Stompers

The Golden Gate Division was the first of the NPSL to get into action and dominated the first couple of Quick 3+1 articles, so I’ve tried to lay off them, but Sacramento Gold’s run this season has been impressive, especially the play of Manolo Pina who has been on a scoring tear this season. Pina put in a hat trick last weekend against Oakland Stompers, starting early in the match with the game-winner. Pina now has 9 goals in 6 matches and is a an early front-runner for Golden Boot.

The closest thing I could find to a photo from this match. Thanks, Oakland Stompers.

The win for Sacramento keeps them in first spot in the division by the narrowest of margins over El Farolito FC. With just two more matches in the regular season, Gold will need to get points in both to hold on for the division title.

Just a side note, Sacramento Gold haven’t updated its twitter since 2019. That’s impressive. When visiting the club’s website, this paragraph kicks off the About Us page. “Welcomes you to our website. Sports is one of the most featured topics. Most of the people want to be updated with the latest information on sports. Our mission is to share our fans with the updated team, players and staff information.” Sigh.

This Weekend

How about a meaty Rust Belt matchup between Cleveland SC and Akron City FC. Cleveland is currently on top of the Division, undefeated and cruising, while Akron is sitting in third currently. This matchup is darn near a derby, with Akron sitting just 40 miles outside of Cleveland. Cuyahoga Valley Derby, anyone? Battle of I-77? Call it what you will, it’s a chance for Akron to get back into this race OR Cleveland to solidify its Division lead. Either way, we’re here for it.