USL LEAGUE TWO PLAYOFFS CENTRAL CONFERENCE PREVIEW
- Dan Stickradt
- 7 days ago
- 8 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
USL LEAGUE TWO PLAYOFFS CENTRAL CONFERENCE PREVIEW
The 35-team 2025 USL League Two Playoffs got underway on July 15 with three play-in games – all in the Eastern Conference – with the Round of 32 and Round of 16 taking place July 18-20 at eight different sites across the U.S. in the Eastern Conference, Central Conference, Southern Conference and Western Conference
Below is a breakdown of each team and contest in the Central Conference, which are held in Des Moines, Iowa, and Flint, Michigan.
FLINT, MICHIGAN POD
(Atwood Stadium, Kettering University)
FORT WAYNE FC VS. MIDWEST UNITED FC – JULY 18, 3:00 P.M.
Team: Fort Wayne FC
Division: Valley Division champion
Record: 9-2-1, .750 win pct., 28 points, 2.33 PPM
Stats: Six shutouts, 2.00 goals-per-game, 0.67 GAA, 24-8 scoring edge (+16)
Players to Watch: Venton Evans, F (two goals); Muslim Umar, M/F (two goals); Matthew Catavolo, M (two goals, one assist); Caio Oliveira, F/M (two goals, one assist); Hugo Garcia Rosado-Duran, M (two goals, one assist); Aboubacar Traore, M (two goals, two assists); Tiago Dias, CB (one goal); Tiago Campos, M (one goal, one assist); Reid Sproat, CB; Aurie Briscof, G; Anthony Hernandez, D/M; Alsadique Hasan, D (two assists); Gaku Nishimira, M; Beaubrun Rood-Schrider, M; Hideto Gondo, M/D; Mamadou Giarra, D/M; Tavio D’Almeida, M/D
Notables: This side is proving that defense can win championships, as their eight goals allowed and stellar 0.67 goals-against-average proved to be a winning recipe for Fort Wayne FC in the Valley Division. Can that equate to some postseason success? Fort Wayne FC and Midwest United FC competed in this pod last season and both are capable of beating these teams. What makes Fort Wayne FC hard to defend is that they lack star power and noone knows who the goals will come from and no player has scored more than two goals this season and the wealth of goals and assists is quite spread around.
Team: Midwest United FC
Division: Great Lakes Division runner-up
Record: 8-3-1, .667 win pct., 25 points, 2.08 PPM
Stats: Five shutouts, one shutout against, 2.25 goals-per-game, 0.84 GAA, 27-10 scoring edge (+17)
Players to Watch: Jonathan Stout, M/F (two goals, four assists); Giuseppe Barone, M (two goals, three assists); Vitalis Takawira, F/M (Seven goals); Eron Sylejmani, F/M (four goals, three assists); Louise Ingavi, M (three goals, one assist); Benjamin Adamson, D (two goals, one assist); Taariq Ganga, G (33 saves); Adam McAleenan, D; Josh Clemitson, D; Christian Shannon, CB (two goals); Luciano Perez-Cernada, M (one goal); Anthony Bowie, D/M/F (one goal, one assist); Gabriel Vilagomez, F (one goal)
Notables: Midwest United FC front-loaded a lot of its games and has not played a match in 16 days since stunning the Flint City Bucks (2-0) on this same field back on July 2. Could Midwest United be a little out of sync or rhythm after such a long break? Who knows, but this team is making its second straight postseason appearance and has a ton of college talent capable of beating just about anybody. Midwest United also has a knack for getting up for big games while sometimes letting their guard down against other opponents. Midwest United beat the Bucks twice this season and will need to play at that level to win a pair of games this weekend.
FLINT CITY BUCKS VS. STEEL CITY FC – JULY 18, 7:30 P.M.
Team: Flint City Bucks
Division: Great Lakes Division champion
Record: 9-3-0, .750 win pct., 27 points, 2.25 PPM
Stats: Six shutouts, 2.50 goals-per-game, 0.92 GAA, 30-11 scoring edge (+19)
Players to Watch: Donavan Phillip, F (12 goals, nine assists); Domenic Ayella, F (seven goals, three assists); Jakub Grzesiak, G (27 saves); Will Pondeca, D; Ellis Jones, D; Emmanuel Denis, D; Roman Kedgley, M (two assists); Ola Arnsten, M (two assists); Bart Muns, M/F (two goals); Wes Carnavale, M/F (two goals, one assist); Tweneboa Kodua, M/D; Thomas Raimbault, M; Paul Yeboah, D; Ashton Kamdem, D/M; Stephen Moreira, M (two goals; injured); Sekou Agard, D/M
Notables: The Flint City Bucks have become one of the gold standard of the entire USL League Two since joining the league back in 1996. The side has more Northern American championships (four) and title game appearances (six) than any other team and have numerous Final Four and Central Conference finals appearances along the way. The Bucks had to win their last three regular season games (combined 9-2 scoring edge) to win a third straight division title. Donovan Phillips is having a League MVP-type season and this team again has all the pieces to make a deep run. The side was in the Final Four in both 2022 and 2023 and Elite Eight last season and gets to host their Central Conference Pod this season.
Team: Steel City FC
Division: Great Forest Division champion
Record: 8-1-3, .667 win pct., 27 points, 2.25 PPM
Stats: Three shutouts, one shutout against, 2.17 goals-per-game, 1.00 GAA, 26-12 scoring edge (+14)
Players to Watch: Grant McIntosh, F (three goals); Nicholas Garcia, F (three goals); Nicholas Niebauer, M (two assists); Nathan Pack, M (three assists); Anders Bordoy, M (two goals, two assists); Joshua Lane, G; Luke Fiscus, CB; Jack Emanuel, CB; Nicholas Graeca, M/D; Ashwin Menom, D; William Afawubu, D; Jaxon Erwin, D/M; Anaas Hadran, D/M; Victor Koah, D/M; Nathan Prex, M; Amir Awais, M/F (two goals); Alexzander Plizga, D
Notables: The sole team to qualify from the Great Forest Division, Steel City FC out of the Pittsburgh area is 3-0-2 in its last five games (10-4 scoring edge) and only gives up one goal of game while averaging just over two goals per match. The side has been involved with many one-goal games with three ties and has found different ways to win. Steel City FC will have to find a way to slow down the Bucks’ attack which has been known to score goals in bunches with its superior team speed, but also been blanked twice in league play. Does Steel City FC’s defense have enough kryptonite?
DES MOINES, IOWA POD
(Valley Stadium)
MINNEAPOLIS CITY SC VS. PEORIA CITY – JULY 18, 4:00 P.M.
Team: Minneapolis City SC
Division: Heartland Division champion
Record: 8-2-2, .667 win pct., 26 points, 2.17 PPM
Stats: Two shutouts, 2.59 goals-per-game, 1.42 GAA, 31-17 scoring edge (+14)
Players to Watch: Jackson Kirsch, F (seven goals, three assists); Mizrael Harris, F (two goals, three assists); Preston Kipnusu, F/M (four goals, one assist); Ian Shaul, M (one goal, two assists); Cole Schrage, M (two assists); Joev Tawah, M (two assists); Daniel Sessler, G (25 saves); Morgan Olson, M; Nicholas Kent, CB; Jacob Swallen, M/D; Jared Hecht, CB; Shea Bechtel, M/F; Curtis Wagner, D; Andrew Hecklenlaible, M/D; Joe Highfield, D/M
Notables: Minneapolis City SC is a team known for just outscoring the opposition as it has an array of offensive talent against recording only two clean sheets and allowing 17 goals on the season. Going up against last year’s Central Conference champion and eventual USL League Two runner-up calls for a better all-around performance if the Heartland Division champion wishes to extend their stay in the postseason. The talent is clearly here, but at this stage simply outscoring quality teams in high-scoring affairs may not be the right recipe. Defense will be needed and there is a bevy of talented NCAA Division I forwards in this region.
Team: Peoria City
Division: Great Plains Division runner-up
Record: 8-3-1, .667 win pct., 25 points, 2.08 PPM
Stats: Five shutouts, 2.42 goals-per-game, 0.92 GAA, 29-11 scoring edge (+18)
Players to Watch: Dijbognihou Kaulai, F (nine goals, one assist); Luke Persenico, F (six goals, three assists); Thomas Coughlin, M (four assists); Jamaine Mejioas, M (one goal, three assists); Jose Gomez, M (two goals, two assists); Hector Medrano, F/M (two goals); Tanner Anderson, M (one goal, one assist); Samy Sumi, G; Lucas Fontana, G; Joel McIntyre, D; Carles Aparisi, D; Jeremy Saygbe, M (one goal); Daniel Valentine, M/D; Henrik Boer, M (two assists); Joshua Reddy, M (two assists); Charlie Dickerson, M (one goal, one assist); Wesley Gibson, M (one goal); Alejandro Valaverde, M/D; Keegan Walker, M/D; Quentin Blair, D; Nadji Rebai, D;
Notables: Don’t let the league runner-up tag fool you. Peoria City finished second to perennial powerhouse Des Moines Menace and has again put up quality numbers. The side does have some experienced players that were part of the Central Conference championship last season for a team that also finished as the USL League Two runner-up. That has to count for something. This team can be explosive offensively at times and their 2.42 goals-per-game indicates and the team also boasts one of the league’s top goal scorers in Kaulai. Only allowing 11 goals and boasting a 0.92 GAA proves that this team can play defense when needed.
DES MOINES MENACE VS. SUENO FC – JULY 18, 8:00 P.M.
Team: Des Moines Menace
Division: Great Plains Division
Record: 10-1-1, .834 win pct., 31 points, 2.58 PPM
Stats: Two shutouts, 3.59 goals-per-game, 1.25 GAA, 43-15 scoring edge (+28)
Players to Watch: Dominick Bachstein, F (nine goals, two assists); Yoshiya Okawa, M (two goal, two assists); Rentaro Miyakawa, M (four goals, three assists); Cade Hagan, M (two goals, three assists); Sam Green, M (two assists); Leroy Enzobuski, M (one goal, one assist); Ty Duax, F (two goals); Joshua Saavedra, M (two goals); Etienne Ravetti, M (one goal); Mere Escobar, F/M (three goals, one assist); Eloge Iradukunda, M/F (one goal, one assist); Andrew Shaffer, D (one goal, one assist); Enzo Garalho, G (37 saves); Shuntaro Endo, CB (two assists); Leslie Jones, D; Ryusei Shimonishi, D; Caio Hughes, M/D; Bryan Gutierrez, D
Notables: Two of the most storied teams in the USL League Two history are in the Central Conference – the Flint City Bucks and the Des Moines Menace. The Menace are making their 22nd overall appearance in the postseason and were part of the league when it was formed back before the 1995 season. The Menace may have the most impressive resume of the eight teams in the Central Conference this season and have logged the entire season inside the top 20. Des Moines leads the conference in goals scored (43), wins (10), win percentage (.834) and goals-per-game (3.59). Those are impressive numbers considering the amount of NCAA players that are in these divisions of the Central Conference. As for USL League championships, the Menace are second overall with two titles (2005 and 2021) and possess the talent to make another deep run this year.
Team: Sueno FC
Division: Heartland Division runner-up
Record: 8-2-2, .667 win pct., 26 points, 2.17 PPM
Stats: No shutouts, 2.75 goals-per-game, 1.67 GAA, 33-20 scoring edge (+13)
Players to Watch: Michael Nesci, F (seven goals, one assist); Nolan Kinsella, D (three assists); Easton Boagard, M/F (six goals, two assists); Luke Van Huekelum, M/F (three goals, one assist); Alex Barger, M (three goals, two assists); Luke Ivancic, M (two goals, one assist); Antonio Costable, M (one goal, four assists); Andrew Brown, CB (two assists); Michael Mroz, G (30 saves); Sho Haggarty, D; Daniel Firs, CB; Olayinka Ogunlaye, D/M; Charlie Norkett, D/M; Andrew Chavez, D/M
Notables: The Heartland Division runners-up can score goals as its 33-goals total and 2.75 goals-per-game average indicates. But defensively, the side has no shutouts this season and has allowed 20 goals with a 1.67 GAA – the highest defensive totals in the Central Conference which is not a good thing in terms of postseason success. Playing a perennial powerhouse and a team that has recorded 10 wins and scored 43 total goals in the Des Moines Menace is not a good sign. Sueno FC must tighten the reins defensively or this will be a short trip to Iowa.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the National Soccer Network regarding club/youth soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with ties to a particular state or states, contact Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com and news@nationalsoccernetwork.com, or call 248-525-2349.
PREMIER MEDIA GROUP / NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK /
NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561215500230
— All Rights Reserved, Premier Media Group / National Soccer Network
Commentaires