North Dakota Fusion 0 - 6 MPLS City

I picked this match as the one to watch this weekend and holy cow, MPLS City decided to score as many goals as possible! The win put City on top of the North with an unbeaten 2-0 record with 9 goals scored and 2 clean sheets. The Crows are looking solid. Mohammad Yousef and Lionel Vang both scored braces for the visiting club, with Max Stiegwardt and Javier Juarez adding one each. The sending off of Aaron Pike in the 26th minute a second yellow card certainly contributed to the lopsided scoreline. In the MPLS Match Review, which you should definitely read, Coach Van Benschoten discussed the red card and its influence on the result. “You have to play with whatever’s in front of you. Obviously, again, red card changes the game. But even without it, we were planning to dominate this game. I don’t mean to be cocky about it, but we watch tape, we know what we can do on the field, and I think that’s starting to come out.”

Fort Worth Vaqueros 2 - 5 FC Brownsville

On our Knights Who Say NISA podcast, we like to use the term “punch in the mouth” to describe a team stepping up and knocking out a club that maybe expected a win. Fort Worth was clearly hoping to bounce back after a Week 1 loss to Coyotes FC and FC Brownsville decided to do otherwise, on the road for their season opener. Brandon Eaton kicked off the scoring for Vaqueros, but FC Brownsville answered back in the 24th minute. Fort Worth managed another goal for the home side before the South Texas club went on a string of scoring, putting in the last 4 goals of the match and cruising to the win. FC Brownsville now sits at the top of the conference, tied with Laredo and Denton. Fort Worth is now bottom of the table with two losses.

Med City 4 - 3 Sioux Falls Thunder

What a shoot out in this North Conference match! After falling behind by 2 goals early on, Med City would respond back quickly before the two clubs traded goals back and forth. The winning goal would come in the 90th minute from Joshua Balsiger, providing Med City its home opener win. Next week Med City will take on Dakota Fusion, coming off a big loss to MPLS City. Sioux Falls have a bye week.

Ronaldo Fortune celebrates with his teammate after scoring the winner. Photo courtesy of AFC Mobile.

AFC Mobile 2 - 1 Port City

AFC Mobile hosted Port City in the opening leg of the Forgotten Coast Cup, looking to get into the win column for the first time this season. Port City, of course, had similar plans and started the night off right with an early header from Guilherme Bittencourt on a set piece. That was the difference till halftime, but the home team scored the equalizer in the 54th minute. That was despite being down a man, when Zubair Taylor was sent off early in the second half for a tough challenge. Ronaldo Fortune would provide the AFC Mobile winner with 5 minutes left in the match. Check out AFC Mobile for a full recap.

Denton Diablos 2 - 0 Katy 1895

Denton kicked off its season with a big home win over Katy 1895. Brandon Cerda and Julian Bajaras scored for Denton in the win, with Michael Diaz earning the clean sheet in net. The win puts Denton into a tie for first in the conference, with FC Brownsville and Laredo Heat. Larger-than-life Diablos owner, Damon Gochneaur commented on the win. “It feels good to be playing again, and watching Ramon and the boys do what we’ve become accustomed to, win games. We had a great turnout and fully expect bigger crowds and more exciting action at our return leg of the Chisholm Trail Clasico against the Fort Worth Vaqueros on May 29th in beautiful Denton Texas.” Denton travels to Fort Worth Vaqueros in the first leg of Chisholm Trail Clasico on the 22nd. Fort Worth will be desperate for a win, coming off a two-game slide. Katy will host Laredo Heat, which should be a stiff challenge.

This Weekend’s Match to Watch

Boston City FC vs. Kingston Stockade FC

This should be an interesting matchup between 1-2 in the North Atlantic Conference. Neither club has given up a goal and both have scored multiple goals in both of their matches. Stockade holds the top spot in the conference due to playing an extra match, so a win for Boston City would be a quick leapfrog to the top spot. Should be a great match to watch on Saturday at 1pm EST.

Honorable Mention:

Fort Worth vs. Denton Diablos

I don’t usually offer a second match, but the Chisholm Trail Clasico kicks off in Fort Worth, with the Vaqueros hosting Denton. It’s very early in the season, but the home side is desperate for a win and Denton is thirsty for a win in the opening leg. A win for the Diablos would cement their spot in the table for the moment, while Fort Worth cannot afford a third loss.

Just off the pitch in Denton. Photo courtesy of Denton Diablos.