USL LEAGUE TWO: AFC Ann Arbor still has outside chance at postseason berth out of Great Lakes Division
- Dan Stickradt
- Jul 8
- 4 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
Flint City Bucks have shot at postseason and potentially division title
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – For AFC Ann Arbor, everything will have to go right down the stretch for the Mighty Oak to gain a postseason berth.
But there is a chance.
If AFC Ann Arbor can defeat seventh-place Union FC Macomb on July 8 and if Northern Indiana FC and Lansing City Football can both upset the Flint City Bucks this week, then Ann Arbor will have 24 points and join Midwest United FC in the Central Conference playoffs.
Midwest United finished 8-3-1 in the division for 25 points and owns a pair of 2-0 victories over the Flint City Bucks. Both Ann Arbor and Flint City have 21 points but AFC Ann Arbor only has one game remaining and Flint City two games this week.
Ann Arbor did itself a huge favor with a 3-2 upset over two-time defending Great Lakes Division champion Flint City Bucks back on June 7, but also had 0-0 ties with both Northern Indiana on June 10 and Kalamazoo FC on June 14 during the following two games. The side needed wins in those games to pull into the driver’s seat.
Now the best Ann Arbor can do is second place and the worst case scenario would be to finish out of the picture in either third or fourth place. Oakland County FC is in fourth (6-4-1) with 19 points but the best that team could do is win its finale and have Ann Arbor drop its final regular season game and leapfrog into third place.
As for Flint City Bucks, their remaining games are July 9 on the road at fifth-place Northern Indiana FC (5-4-1, 16 points) and at home July 12 against winless Lansing City Football (0-11-0). Two wins would give the Bucks 27 total points and a third straight Great Lakes Division title, while a win and a loss would give the side 25 points and the runner-up slot.
If Flint city gains a tie and a loss, that would only be 22 points and since Ann Arbor already beat the Bucks if Ann Arbor draws in its last game they would likely get the runner-up slot by virtue of head-to-head matchups. Flint City could drop to third with a pair of losses or a tie and a loss – not too likely of a scenario with winless Lansing City on the schedule this weekend.
Make any sense?
For all of the teams involved – every point in the Great Lakes Division truly matters. The only serious matter already settled is that Midwest United FC has already clinched a postseason berth for the second straight year and that only Flint City Bucks or AFC Ann Arbor can gain the other postseason berth out of the depth-laden division.
This is also the first time since the division expanded to eight teams that no one will play each other twice. Teams will face five teams twice and the other two teams only once for an in-balanced division schedule.
Last year the Flint City Bucks finished with a 10-1-3 record in the Great Lakes Division and won the title with 33 points, while Midwest United FC finished second with 31 points and a 10-3-1 record.
AFC ANN ARBOR 4, OAKLAND COUNTY FC 2: Ann Arbor battled back from a 2-1 second-half deficit with three goals in the final 29 minutes to earn the three points in the Great Lakes Division standings at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School.
Down 2-1, Fofana Taroaboubakany tied the game at 2-2 in the 61st minute, while Kyle Pierson scored the game winner in the 64th minute and Albin Gashi Sohlberg chipped in with an insurance tally in the 90th minute to seal the deal and give Ann Arbor the three points and stay in contention for a postseason berth.
Phillip Muhlhans staked Ann Arbor to 1 1-0 lead with a 16th minute goal.
Brayden Stevanovic tied the game in the 43rd minute and Jake Spadafora gave Oakland County FC (6-4-1) the brief lead in the 50th minute but his side could not hold on and remained in fourth place.
Joao gained the win in net for AFC Ann Arbor (6-2-3, 21 points) on six saves in eight chances.
FLINT CITY BUCKS 3, UNION FC MACOMB 1: The Bucks maintained hopes of a postseason berth in the Great Lakes Division with this win Saturday at Romeo High School’s Barnabo Stadium.
Union FC Macomb (3-6-1) scored on the first shot of the game when Nour Aoude picked off a clear and sent home a shot for the 1-0 advantage in the first minute of play.
That awoke a sleeping giant as the Bucks (7-3-0, 21 points) scored twice in the first half to take the lead and added another tally in the second half to secure the all-too-important three points in the standings.
Donavan Phillip netted the tying goal with his tally in the 17th minute, while Mateo Phillips scored what proved to be the game-winner in the 25th minute off a pass from Bart Muns.
In the second half, Donavan Phillips, a junior-to-be at North Carolina State University, continued his bid for postseason honors with his second goal of the game in the 61st minute. Donavan Phillip now has nine goals and eight assists for 26 points and is amongst the top 25 in the entire USL League Two in these three offensive categories.
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