Shawn Laird
Miami FC vs. Tulsa Athletic
The path to the NPSL South Region Trophy once again runs through Miami FC. This year Miami’s opponent makes the trip to Barry University from the great city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. With both clubs achieving undefeated seasons during the regular season, I am officially dubbing this a clash of titans.
Miami once again impressed with their dominance by running through the Sunshine Conference, dropping two points en route to an undefeated season. Meanwhile, Tulsa achieved the same result but finished with three fewer points overall (Miami’s 27 to their 24). As they reached their playoff stretches, it was apparent that their roads would converge, so long as they ran their respective gauntlets.
As each club reached the region semifinals, it became clear who would have the tougher test to get to the final. Luckily, Miami passed with flying colors as they dispatched Chattanooga FC 2-0. For their part, Tulsa wasn’t much of a slouch in their semifinal either. They also passed a difficult test in the Vaqueros of Fort Worth, winning 3-1.
Now, the title is to be decided on what is likely to be a hot and humid night in Miami. Don’t get me wrong, Tulsa has its fair share of heat but the humidity may catch them off guard. At the same time, I don’t expect them to wilt and crumble under the pressure. I have a feeling that this goes to penalties, with Tulsa taking it 5-4. At least that’s what my heart says.
Joshua Duder
Capital FC Atletica vs Seattle Stars FC
Last week, in the NWPL semifinals, number one seed Seattle Stars shut out the Washington Timbers 1-0 and advanced to the Championship match to defend their title. Seattle will face the number two seed Capital FC Atletica of Salem, Oregon, who outscored Yakima United 3-1 in the opposite semi. The two sides first faced each other on June 22nd, with Seattle getting the 2-1 win at home that night. It turns out that was CFC Atletica’s only loss on the season and they’re eager to head back up to Washington to repay the favor.
This match has the potential to be a barnburner too, Seattle Stars finished the season with a +26 Goal Differential, while Atletica managed a, not-too-shabby, +19 GD of their own. CFC Atletica were led by Whitney Pitalo with 7 goals, while Vicky Cruz and Annouscka Kordom each had 5—there were five additional goal scorers with at least 1 goal; meanwhile, keeper Makenzie Pineda earned three shutouts on the year. Seattle’s scoring was much more spread out; while Braeden Small led the way with only 4 goals, the Stars had 16 additional scorers with at least one goal and three goalies with at least one shutout.
While Seattle clearly had a successful season, no Stars player brought home a NWPL player of the week award while CFC Atletica’s Vicky Cruz, Makenzie Pineda, and Whitney Pitalo each won the accolade. Seattle’s great season is coming off the back of having won the title last year, and with so many players contributing to their successes, it’s doubtful that missing out on individual awards will matter much if they can win back-to-back NWPL Championships. The final kicks off at 3:45 pm on Sunday, July 21st. Tickets are just $7 to get through the gate at Kent-Meridian High School’s French Field.
Dan Creel
Cleveland SC vs. Rochester Lancers/Detroit City FC vs Minneapolis City SC
I’m interested to see how these Midwest Region semifinals play out. Rochester had a good, but not great regular season and was able to take out favorite, Ann Arbor, in that uncanny two-day game which ended in a shootout.
Myself included, I don’t think Cleveland has gotten enough respect for the season they put together. Cleveland flew under the radar for me after back-to-back losses early on. But, since then they’ve gone on a five game winning streak. They can score goals and have a stingy defense. That’s a recipe for playoff success.
The game is this afternoon at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck. The presumed top dogs of the region, Detroit and Minneapolis, go at it in the night cap of the doubleheader. The regional finals are Sunday, 1pm at the same venue.
Paul Kowalczyk
Milwaukee Bavarians vs Mass United FC
The Road to Texas for the UPSL playoffs continues this weekend as the Midwest Division champions, the Bavarians SC, take on the Northeastern champions, Mass United FC, on Sunday the 21st at 1 p.m. ET. Zee Germans will be travelling to Chelmsford, Massachusetts in this quarterfinal matchup as the 8-time national champions from Milwaukee look to move one step closer to adding a ninth star to their crest in their 90th year of existence. Mass United FC might be at a bit of a disadvantage as the team has not played a game in three weeks, while the Bavarians have stayed in form winning two playoff games last week to become the Midwest Division Champions. The UPSL has ranked the Bavarians and Mass United at #2 and #3 in their most recent top 10 rankings with the winner of this game playing undefeated #1 ranked Florida Tropics SC in Weatherford, Texas on the 27th.
