Paul Kowalczyk

Med City FC vs. Duluth FC

On Saturday the 22nd, first place Duluth FC will travel south to take on third place Med City FC. Both teams are undefeated and Med City FC will have the chance to leap frog Duluth into first or second place of the North Conference with a win, depending on Minneapolis City SC’s results against Minnesota TwinStars. Duluth’s midfielder Carlyle Junior was named NPSL player of the week yesterday after a 4-goal 1-assist performance against the Dakota Fusion last Saturday and bagging another goal in midweek action against the TwinStars. Med City FC fought back against Sioux Falls Thunder after trailing 2-1 at the end of the first half to finish the game 2-2 with goals from Andrew Wilkinson and Jack Hilton Jones. With only a few games left in the season this match up could have big playoff implications as only the top two teams from the conference will move on to the NPSL playoffs.

Dan Vaughn

Red Force FC vs. Boca Raton FC

When Boca Raton stepped out of the NPSL for a season (or more, we don’t know yet), there were some that wondered about the direction of the program. It was hard to not see the move to the UPSL as a downward step by the club, though there are plenty of legitimate reasons for making that decision. But then Chad Johnson started practicing with the club, though it was unsure if he would actually play. And then he did start playing for the club, but how good would he be. And then he turned out to be pretty good (not too much surprise, the man is a gifted athlete). So earlier this week, BRFC knocked off Florida Soccer Soldiers in the playoffs and are now in the semifinals against the number 1 seed on their side of the bracket, Red Force FC. Red Force has been dominate so far in their playoff run, scoring seven goals in two matches. This should be a great matchup between two strong clubs. I can’t wait to see this one!