Akron City FC 1 - 4 Cleveland SC

The Cuyahoga Valley Derby was a lopsided affair as Cleveland SC made the quick trip to Akron a successful one, winning 4-1 on the road. Admir Suljevic would start the scoring off early, while Vinny Bell would add two insurance goals in the first half. Brock Pickett would score the final goal on a penalty kick late in the second. Bell is moving up the league leader board for goals. The NPSL veteran now has 5 goals in 3 matches, which is the highest goal scoring rate of any of the top 10. He’s rolling and so is his team. Cleveland SC is now 3-0 and top of the Rust Belt Division.

Akron City FC will look to bounce back against FC Buffalo this weekend. For their part, Cleveland SC will have a bye week before going on the road to face Erie Commodores on June 12th.

Laredo Heat SC 4 - 0 CF10 Houston FC

Ruben Nielsen celebrates after scoring his first of the season.

When it rains it pours. Winless CF10 Houston FC got a visit from Laredo Heat SC who are dominating this season, currently undefeated and steamrolling opponents. So with a tough hill to climb, adding to the difficulty would be a massive mistake, with of course happened. In the first half, as one player was being sent off for a high elbow, another CF10 teammate earned a red for “swearing at and making contact with an official.” The tough hill became an impossible mountain pretty quickly.

Laredo took advantage of the situation, pumping in 4 goals against a 9 man squad. Lewis Wilson scored the opener in the first half and his teammates added another 3 in the second half. After the match, Wilson highlighted the advantage of the two red cards. “Obviously the two getting sent off really helped. You still have to go out and win, and we did that. It took some time to get going, but once we got the first one the floodgates opened, and we took care of business.”

Pensacola FC 3 - 1 Southern States SC

While Pensacola FC has struggled to find consistency in 2022, there was little doubt about the result against Southern States SC. In fact, the home side scored ALL the goals in this match, including an early own goal. Michael Lightbourne would get a brace in this match, including the game-winner after SSSC equalized on the own goal.

Thursday, these clubs will get the return fixture, as SSSC will host PFC.

This Weekend

You know me, can’t resist a 1v2 matchup and we’ve got a fun one in the Heartland Division. Division-leading Tulsa Athletic will host visiting Sunflower State FC this weekend. Tulsa is cruising, undefeated and coming off a big 5-1 win over Club Atletico St. Louis. SSFC is also undefeated, with two matches in hand, making this matchup SUPER important from a standings perspective. Sunflower State won over Reign FK 2-1 last weekend. Great matchup with lots on the line!

- Dan Vaughn