Lower League Action March 6-8

Dan Vaughn

Napa Valley 1839 vs Project 510 - It’s early going in the Golden Gate Conference of the NPSL, but the ball is rolling. Napa already picked up their first three points last week and will face Oakland Roots amateur side Project 510. Maybe Project 510 can do what Oakland’s pro side has been so far unable to do: win a match. Napa beat El Farolito last week, but only scored a single goal in the process. So getting more scoring opportunities and converting will be key for this season’s success. I think this is a fun one and will clearly be impossible to predict, so soon into 2020.

Josh Duder

UPSL Wild West Returns – In 2019 Contra Costa FC joined the UPSL Wild West from Liga NorCal and made an instant impact; winning the table with 27 points and a positive 22 goal difference. They followed that up by winning the division’s Fall table as well. On Saturday, March 7th, Contra Costa FC defend their title to newcomers NorCal United FC. NorCal United made a splash in the offseason by scheduling an exhibition match with NISA side Oakland Roots then followed that up with a friendly with NPSL side Napa Valley 1839 – showing their commitment to competing against the best clubs in their region and looking to put their team in the spotlight. Contra Costa FC and NorCal United kickoff 3:00 pm PST on the pitch at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek, California.

WISL Women’s Indoor Season Continues – Shannon McMahon of OlyTown Artesians and Kayla Carter of Tacoma Narrows are the WISL’s first ever women players of the week; McMahon scored a hatty in her debut for the club as they went on to defeat the Oly-Pen Force 7-4. Carter started in between the pipes for Tacoma and looked to shutout the Snohomish Skyhawks until the waning minutes of the match; however she only gave up the one goal and her side went on to win 8-1 in their debut game. This weekend Shannon and Olytown take on the Skyhawks at the Snohomish Soccer Dome at 7:00 pm on Saturday the 7th and a half-hour later Kayla and her Tacoma Narrows match up against the Force at the Oly-Pen Sports Center.

UPSL Action January 18-19

UPSL Division One Playoffs

Dan Vaughn

Foro Soccer Club vs Houston FC

So I refused to pick a winner in Houston FC’s matchup last week with Almeyda, said it was too close to call. Houston disagreed with me and won 2-1. The other match I previewed was Foro vs Alamo City SC. In that one, I predicted that Alamo City would prevail due to their ability to win on the road. I was wrong, Foro advanced 2-1. So where do we stand today, with these two clubs taking on each other for the Central Conference Final?

Where we stand is two confident clubs, battle-tested and ready for this Texas-sized matchup. Houston was as good away as they were at home, hauling in 5 wins and losing once away from home. I cannot imagine being on the road will affect Houston. Foro was perfect at home this season, with an impressive +35 GD. What I’m saying is that both of these clubs are great and this is going to be a war. At this point of the season, this should be expected.

I’m predicting a Houston FC win on the road, 2-1.

Santa Ana Winds FC vs Contra Costa FC

Last week Contra Costa took on Pajaro Valley United. The Wild West Championship match ended at 2-2 after regular time, so the clubs went to PKs. That ended with a CCFC win 6-5. Wild West is right! Contra Costa’s regular season record, which ended with the club atop the Wild West - Blue Division, wasn’t as gaudy as some of the other playoff clubs (5-3-2), but their gritty play has earned them the chance to knock off one of the premier clubs of the UPSL, Santa Ana Winds.

Santa Ana advanced from the highly competitive and deep (11 clubs) SoCal North Division. Winds ended their regular season without a loss and earned 3 points from every match, except one. While their goal production was impressive, their real excellence lies in their stingy defense that ended the season only surrendering 8 goals in 12 matches. In their playoff matchup earlier this month with SoCal South Division Champions San Diego White Tigers FC, they surrendered 2 goals, something Winds only did twice all season. Granted White Tigers had a regular season goal differential of +37, but Winds still managed to overcome the high scoring club by putting up 4 of their own.

So now CCFC must take another long road trip (7+ hours worth of driving) to face a formidable same-state foe. I’ll predict the home team in this match, Santa Ana wins 3-0.

Florida Soccer Soldiers vs. Red Force FC

Red Force FC played Miami Sun FC last week and though a high scoring affair was expected, the two clubs only managed 3 goals, with Red Force pulling ahead 2-1 to advance. Their opponent will be Florida Soccer Soldiers, who defeated fellow conference foe PSL United 2-1 to advance to this match. FSS and RFFC have played each other twice this season with a win for FSS and a draw.

Predicting this one is easy, though easy predictions are often wrong. I’ll take Soccer Soldiers 3-1 over Red Force FC.

Shawn Laird

OFC Barca vs Sporting Orlando

After dominating in last week’s 3-0 win, OFC Barca looks to continue their winning ways by defeating Sporting Orlando, who won their own match 3-0 last weekend. In my eyes, that was a surprising and very unexpected victory by a team that placed sixth during the regular season. However, it should be noted that form doesn’t necessarily carry over from one round to the next.

Am I hoping for a great game? That’s a resounding hell yes. Sporting has run the gamut in terms of results this season and their luck turned a corner over the last couple of weeks. But, with how merciless OFC Barca has been to this point, I expect Sporting’s form to fail them and their luck to run out. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing but love for Sporting. I just don’t see them knocking off Barca.

I fully expect Barca to keep a clean sheet on Sunday, so I’m taking them with a 4-0 win and moving on to the Florida Championship match.

UPSL Division Two Promotion Match

Ryan Stallings

Tyler FC Kings vs Football Factory Premier

In the Central Conference, Red River Division 2, the Tulsa Athletic U23 side have all but wrapped up the division title, but another promotion spot to division one in the spring 2020 season remains. It would seem only appropriate that the remaining rival claimants for that promotion, Football Factory Premier & Tyler FC, will meet in their season’s grudge match with that Division 1 place on the line.

Both Football Factory Premier and Tyler FC enter this weekend’s match with 20 points on the table. However, Tyler FC has a game in hand, a nearly assured victory over Dallas City the following week, so FF Premier will need nothing less than a victory to give themselves a shot at promotion from the 2nd division. Tyler FC, holding the home field advantage in this tilt, will need at least a draw this weekend to continue to control their own fate into their final weekend of play.

In their previous meetings this season, each club secured their home turf. Tyler FC won an offensive battle, 6-4, on October 5th, while FF Premier administered a 5-0 beat down back home in Richardson, Texas, the following week. With bragging rights, and much more, on the line this weekend, expect a competitive score line more like the first meeting and less like the second. Both teams enter the match with victories over the Arkansas Wolves in their most recent action, but that last match for Tyler FC was two weeks ago. Whether that parlays into rest or rust on the pitch for the home side will be the deciding factor in this game.

Prediction: FF Premier leads by a goal or two early, but Tyler FC storms back to eventually claim promotion to Central Conference Division 1 with a 4-3 victory.

Quick Kicks: Best of the 3rd Qualifying Round of USOC

Paul Kowalczyk

Brockton FC United (Mass.) vs. NY Pancyprian Freedoms (Queens, NY)

My Open Cup game to keep an eye on this weekend is Brockton FC United vs Pancyprian Freedoms. The game will be this Sunday, November 24th, 12:30 p.m. at Everett Memorial Stadium in Everett, Massachusetts. Brockton FC just finished their season in the Bay State Soccer League where they finished 6th in Division 1 with a record of 6-3-8 (W, D, L) and a Goal Differential of +1, scoring 40 goals while conceding 39. Pancyprians on the other hand, are about halfway through their Cosmopolitan League Division 1 season where they currently sit 2nd with a record of 5-2-1 (W, D, L) and a Goal Differential of +13, scoring 23 goals while conceding 10. To get to the 3rd round of qualifying Brockton FC defeated, Massachusetts based UPSL Division 2 teams, Juve-Pro Soccer in the 1st round and Safira FC in the 2nd. The Pancyprians had a bye in the 1st round and defeated CSA Westchester in the 2nd. As announced earlier today, there will not be a 4th round of qualifying and the winners of the 3rd round match ups will directly qualify to the 1st round. Based on current league form I think the 3-time Open Cup winning Pancyprians will win this game relatively easily and qualify for the U.S. Open Cup.

Phil Baki

NTX Rayados vs Celtic Cowboys Premier

When you mention the US Open Cup in Texas, there is a team that is basically synonymous with that competition. NTX Rayados is looking to qualify out of the Open Division for a 9th consecutive year, already holding the record at 8. Last season, they defeated Motagua of New Orleans in the 3rd Qualifying Round before seeing off FC Maritsa in the unprecedented 4th Qualifying Round to earn a berth in the proper rounds of the Cup. There, they saw off Little Rock Rangers of the NPSL before falling to USL Championship club OKC Energy in the 2nd Round. This pedigree is daunting. They have not slowed down at all in their pursuit of number 9 either. They have already defeated FC Fort Worth and absolutely demolished UPSL National Finalists Inocentes Fort Worth to earn this 3rd Qualifying Round spot. Leading scorer Mohamed Sesay leads all goalscorers in qualifying with 6 goals in two games. NTX look set to continue their Open Cup appearance streak, but their challenger will have something to say about that.

Celtic Cowboys Premier, of Austin, Texas have reached the furthest point in Qualifying in their history. They had defeated SA Runners SC but ran into perennial contenders Motagua and could not overcome the more experienced side, falling by a score of 3-2 in the 2nd Qualifying Round. This year, they’ve gotten past their opposition in impressive style. A 7-1 thrashing of GCPL club Central Texas Lobos was followed up by a 3-0 win over familiar foe SA Runners. The goal scoring onslaught has been lead by Christopher Wright, who has 5 goals to his name across the two matches. This club has shown that the current version is different than the ones we have seen in previous qualifying campaigns and this matchup should prove to be one of the most intriguing of the Qualifying Rounds.

In what will be a test of Rayados experience and resolve against Celtic Cowboys equally impressive attack, the game will likely be decided in a moment of brilliance. Unfortunately for one of these teams, either a great Qualifying run will end or a great run of Open Cup appearances will end. Either way, the match should be a fantastic matchup and I for one can’t wait.

John Howard-Fusco

Vereinigung Erzgebirge v West Chester United SC

A couple of Pennsylvania clubs with a long history and who know each other well meet this Sunday in the third round of Open Cup qualifying as Vereinigung Erzgebirge of Warminster hosts West Chester United SC at its home field in Bucks County.

VE traces its history back to 1931 when the sporting and social club was founded by immigrants from eastern Germany. West Chester United was founded in 1976 and has grown considerably from its modest beginnings as a youth club. West Chester United is the current reigning champions of the Northeast Elite Soccer League in USASA’s Region I. These two teams compete against each other on a regular basis as members of the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania.

To get to this qualifying round, Vereinigung Erzgebirge had to face off on October 20th against another local rival in the form of United German Hungarians. The match would go scoreless for 90 minutes, but in extra time VE would find the back of the net twice to take home the victory. In two qualifying games, VE has outscored its opponents 6-1.        

West Chester United advanced to this round by beating Lansdowne Bhoys from Yonkers in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League 4-2 on October 19th thanks to a pair of braces from Andreas Bartosinski and Andrew (A.J.) Bishop. Bishop and teammate Charles Wilson are amongst the goal scoring leaders so far in Open Cup qualifying.

Not only do these two clubs battle each other regularly on the pitch in a local league, these very same teams met in the first round of Open Cup qualifying last year. It was West Chester United who triumphed in last year’s game, and the club would go on to qualify for the Open Cup. Vereinigung Erzgebirge has not qualified for the Open Cup since 2002. In that year’s tournament, VE would end up losing 4-0 to the South Jersey Barons of the then USL D3 Pro league. The Barons would eventually become the Ocean City Nor’easters.      

Jose Davila IV

Oxnard Guerreros FC vs. Cal FC

Southern California sides Oxnard Guerreros FC and Cal FC will meet at Del Sol Stadium in Oxnard on Saturday at 6:30pm.

The two UPSL teams will face off for a spot in round one of the U.S. Open Cup proper. On Friday afternoon, US Soccer announced that the winners of the third round qualifying round games would advance into the tournament proper. Cal FC reached round one last year and are aiming to make it two seasons in a row of advancing to that stage. The Thousand Oaks-based team is best remembered for upsetting the Portland Timbers in the Cup back in 2012. The Guerreros have yet to advance to that stage.

Cal FC reached the third round by virtue of a 3-1 win over fellow UPSL side Alta California Sol after a pair of first half goals, one by former LA Galaxy academy player Willie Raygoza. Raygoza is tied for second in goals scored in this year’s Open Cup qualifying matches and is the man to watch for Cal FC.

The hosts secured their spot in the tie with a 7-1 drubbing of Outbreak FC, a SoCal Premier League side. Raul Gonzalez led the charge with a hat-trick, while Brendan Frame added two more. Gonzalez also tallied a hat-trick in the OGFC’s last league match against Sporting San Fernando on November 16. OGFC won that one 4-0 and Gonzalez was nominated for UPSL Player of the Week.

The two clubs are separated by one point through 10 games in the 12-game UPSL SoCal North Division 1 2019 Fall Season as Cal FC sit fourth above OGFC. Guerreros FC will again host Cal FC in the UPSL regular-season finale on Saturday, Nov. 30.

The Open Cup match will be the first in a weekend doubleheader for the hosts as they take on Inland Empire FC in the league on Sunday in Grand Terrace.

Dan Vaughn

Louisiana Krewe FC vs. Livonia FC

The Krewe have had a travel-free run so far, playing all three qualifying matches within their home state. This has paid off with 2 strong wins against Northshore United and then Atletico Katy. However, the opponent waiting for them in the next round is a battle-hardened foe. Livonia City FC will definitely feel the miles, traveling from Michigan. They will be fighting uphill against a well-rested, slept-in-their-own-beds, Krewe team. Both clubs will be excited with today’s announcement that this round of qualifiers would be the last and winners would advance to the Open Cup proper.

When I spoke with the Krewe this afternoon, they are really celebrating this year’s run. “We are having a blast playing together and competing against such talented teams. It was amazing to see improvements vs Northshore United as they had beaten us in the GCPL semifinals a month or so before the 1st Round.“ That improvement has them confident headed into this weekend’s match, but they aren’t looking past their opponent. “We are excited to see what level Livonia City FC has to offer, as far as we can see their team is highly dedicated to the sport and are likely to play like they have nothing to lose.”

I think that the Krewe are going to have a big advantage playing at home. Of course, nothing is 100% and Livonia has shown the ability to battle through tough circumstances, including getting through on pens in the first round and going on the road to win 6-2 in the second. But I need to pick a winner, so I’ll take the club wearing our logo - Louisiana Krewe.

Quick Kicks: Best Matches of the Weekend 10/4

Joshua Duder

LA Force vs Oakland Roots

The Fall season has only just begun for NISA and this weekend offers up a battle at the bottom of the standings. LA Force, who have won one lost one, will host Oakland Roots at Rio Hondo College. Well-branded and flashy Oakland Roots haven’t won a match yet, drawing two and losing one – both teams have a -1 goal differential. The two teams have never faced each other and this match offers a great place to get started if you’re interested in supporting a new team. For those who cannot make it to Whittier, California to catch the game, MyCujoo will be hosting it live and it starts at 7:00 pm PST. However, if you can get there, tickets are on sale at the LA Force website starting at just $10.00

Dan Vaughn

Chattanooga FC vs Detroit City FC

Look, if you are a fan of the NPSL, hell, a fan of grassroots soccer, you have to be fired up everytime these two clubs play each other. Both clubs are set to hop ship for a new league next year and are finishing off their commitments to NPSL’s Member’s Cup. But if they are checked out, you wouldn’t know it by their level of play. Currently 2 and 3 in the MC’s standings, DCFC leads CFC by 2 points, a margin that could be surpassed if the home team takes all three points.

I’m a big fan of checking goals for and against when measuring a club’s success. Currently second in the standings, DCFC has done it with a staunch defense, only yielding 2 points in 5 matches, leading the league in that category. Their offense has been the third best, goals-wise, in the competition, but the gap between the bottom three and top three is wide. DCFC has managed 11 goals, good for just over 2 goals per match.

On the other side, CFC has almost double the goals scored, but has given up 9, tied for second worst in the league. That defense will need to get tighter against a side that is sure to not give up any cheap chances. CFC will have homefield advantage and, in this matchup, that’s an important part of the equation. At Keyworth earlier this season, DCFC won 2-1.

Can Detroit maintain that scoring pace, while locking up that backline? I say yes. DCFC wins and maintains their position in the standings.

Weekend of May 31-June 2

Joshua Duder

(UPSL Wild West) Contra Costa FC vs Pajaro Valley United FC

With just two weeks left in the 2019 Spring Season for the UPSL’s Wild West Division, Contra Costa FC top the table, with 21 points and a +16 but have not clinched the title yet. Pajaro Valley United FC, who have one less win and one more draw than Contra Costa, trail them by that two-point difference and the two clubs go head-to-head this Saturday at Northgate High School, in Walnut Creek, California. From scouring the league website, this appears to be the first time these two sides have matched up in UPSL play. Neither participated in 2018’s Fall or Spring seasons and neither are listed for seasons prior to last year. It’s my hope that it will be on mycujoo, but currently it is not listed and I may have to follow along via Contra Costa’s twitter handle and if you’re interested in attending, you can pay $7 at the door, or save a few bucks and buy your ticket online here.

(NPSL Northwest) Crossfire Redmond vs FC Mulhouse Portland

The NPSL’s Northwest Conference feels like it just got started last week, but newcomers Crossfire Redmond have gone unbeaten in their first four matches, accumulating 12 points and averaging 4.25 goals a game. They’re burying the rest of the division and have eight different goal scorers – led by Charles Ostrem with four, Declan McGlynn and Joseph Parish, with three goals each. Earlier in the season, Crossfire put five goals past FCMP during their home opener on May 18th; however, the Portland team have slowly recovered in the league and have won back-to-back matches with four goals bagged by former IPS FC man, Alcides “Paco” Thomas. This coming after their disastrous round one loss to Cal FC in the US Open Cup too—FCMP look ready to get themselves back into the NPSL playoffs. FC Mulhouse are set to host the match on Saturday at the Kiggins Bowl, in Vancouver, Washington (just across the Columbia River from Portland). Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm (PST).

Shawn Laird

Central Florida Panthers SC vs Naples United SC

Two weeks after securing their historic first win in the NPSL, the Panthers of Central Florida welcome the division leading Naples United to town. While this season hasn’t been what the Panthers wanted so far, they have the opportunity to exact some revenge on a club that trounced them in the first game of the season 4-0. The Panthers have kept things competitive as of late, however, narrowly losing to the Armada U23 squad last week 2-1.

On the other side of the coin, Naples comes in on a three game winning streak, averaging three goals a game in that stretch. Just based on the stats, Naples look like they’re firing on all cylinders early in the season. Granted, they haven’t ran into a solid opposition squad yet (not saying the ones they have face aren’t solid), I still feel like it’ll be hard to break the groove Naples is in currently.

If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on Naples to take this matchup. I could see them matching the score from Week One or possibly putting a bigger number on the Panthers. My prediction: 5-0 Naples.

Daytona SC vs The Villages SC

Another week, another away match for The Villages. This week, they make the trek up to Daytona in a battle of second vs fifth. Last week, the Buffalo played scrappy and pulled off a late draw with the Lakeland Tropics, while Daytona also managed a draw with FC Miami City.

On paper, it seems that Daytona is the stronger side but I have to be honest with you, after watching The Villages have been putting together some solid performances recently. Having said that, I still give the edge to Daytona purely based on the table.

I’m hoping I’m wrong but I’ll take Daytona 2-1 over the Villages this week.

Dan Vaughn

BSSL McKenzie Cup 2019

I will be honest in saying I doubt many of these matches will be followable without simply trolling twitter, most Bay State matches aren’t streamed so you sort of have to make due with what you get. But the McKenzie Cup is the BSSL Cup and this weekend marks the last round before progressing into the quarters. I’m especially pumped about Providence City, the current top of the league table, going against Broadway Gunners. The Gunners eliminated Providence City AFC (Providence City’s B team) in the previous round, so this sets up as a payback round for the Rouges. Should be fun! Bay State Soccer League is one of my favorite regional leagues and this cup is a good one!

Aarik Long

This week is one of the most packed weekends of the year so far in the lower leagues. There are a ton of games featuring teams ranked in the latest Grassroots Soccer Media Union Poll. If you wanna see all of them, head on over to the GSMU twitter page. I’m just gonna highlight a handful.

First of all, the Steinbrecher Cup Final is Saturday. It’ll be between the winner of #22 Milwaukee Bavarians/Reading United AC and the winner of FC Motown/Flint City Bucks. The Steinbrecher Cup is a special competition every year, and this year should be no different considering the talent level of the teams.

We’ve also got two ranked matchups on Saturday. First up is #25 Inter Nashville taking on #21 Asheville City SC in a battle in the NPSL Southeast. Head up north and thirty minutes later we have our second ranked match of the day as #13 MPLS City take on #23 Duluth FC in the NPSL North.

The #1 team is in action Saturday as the NY Cosmos take on previously ranked Hartford City FC.

Sunday doesn’t feature any ranked vs ranked matchups, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great games. #9 South Georgia Tormenta 2 have been on a tear lately and are going into a match against my hometown Dalton Red Wolves SC.

#20 NY Pancyprian Freedoms have a big match on Sunday as they face NY Shamrock SC in the Cosmopolitan League Semifinal.

There’s going to be a little bit of everything this weekend. If you wanna see two teams ranked in the Top 25 in the nation play each other, you’ve got a couple of chances. Wanna see a cup final? We’ve got you covered. How about a team in your area of the country playing in a game against a Top 25 ranked opponent? We’ve got you there, too. All in all, it will be a great weekend and could very well lead to a shakeup in the polls.

Paul Kowalczyk

An important North Conference match takes place Saturday, June 1st at 8 p.m. ET as #13 Minneapolis City Sc takes on #23 Duluth FC in Minneapolis. The two teams sit in the first and third spots in their conference with neither team losing a game so far. MPLS City SC have yet to drop any points and is coming off an exciting midweek 3-2 win against rivals Minnesota TwinStars FC where Abdallah Bah scored two and picked up an assist. Duluth FC also played this past Wednesday in a tight 1-1 draw against Med City FC.

In the Southeast, the Georgia Revolution look to get their first win travelling north to #12 Chattanooga FC who have only played one other NPSL game, tying #11 Greenville FC 2-2 with Max Wilschrey scoring both of Chattanooga’s goals. This game takes place June 1stat 7:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed on YouTube.