• Westchester United FC, based in Westchester, N.Y., is the WPSL‘s latest expansion side, the league announced Thursday. The team will debut in 2021. The 4-year-old club already fields a…
• Indiana Futsal director Justin Becht joins host Kevin Johnston for a discussion on the latest happenings at Indiana Soccer, coaching, his trips to Cuba to build futsal courts, Fulham,…
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• Norwich City turned in its most comprehensive attacking display of the season Saturday in a 3-1 away victory at Bristol City. Following the conclusion of the weekend’s fixtures, the…

Photo credit: Zac Zavala

To put it bluntly, it was the type of performance any footballer will remember until his or her dying days.

Sonoma County Sol FC striker Omar Nuno directly contributed to six — yes, six — of his team’s goals in a 9-0 blowout win against Sacramento Gold FC in the 16th week of the NPSL season. Nuno scored four of his own and dished out two others in the romp. Unsurprisingly, the outing earned him NPSL Player of the Week honors.

“Omar has finished the season in great form, scoring 10 goals in three games, including back to back-to-back hat tricks,” said Sonoma County Sol FC manager Vinnie Cortezzo in the press release announcing the award. “These goals all came in meaningful games as we battled for the final playoff spot. We are very proud of Omar and happy to see his hard work and dedication pay off.”

Photo credit: Christine Rohane

Nuno leads the NPSL in scoring this season with an absurd 20 tallies in just 13 matches. During his four-year Sonoma County Sol FC career, he’s found the net a whopping 47 times. Sonoma County finished its 2018 regular season with a 7W-3D-4L (24 points) mark in the Golden Gate Conference to go with an impressive +14 goal differential. The club averaged nearly three goals per match while conceding about two.

“I feel like I’m playing well at the end of the season, having scored 10 goals in the last three games,” Nuno said in the release. “I have been focused on finishing the season strong, scoring goals for the team and carrying that momentum into the playoffs. I have been working hard and scoring multiple goals in very important games for the team as we chased the final playoff spot. It is nice to be recognized by the league as it is a great honor.”

Sonoma County will take on El Farolito in the NPSL playoffs on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET at Boxer Stadium in San Francisco. If Omar Nuno continues his sizzling form, Sol FC figures to be a tough out in the postseason.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sunday evening wasn’t the first time the Indy Eleven and Louisville City FC met, but it did mark the first time the regional rivals took the pitch together since an “official” name was bestowed upon their derby: the Louisville Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest (LIPAFC). It rolls right off the tongue.

• Related: Wild affair contrasts 1st meeting between LouCity, Eleven

Both clubs scored two goals and missed a penalty apiece, settling for a 2-2 draw and a point each in a congested USL Eastern Conference table.

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes
Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes




Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes



Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes
Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

Follow Robbie on Twitter: @RobbMeh.

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INDIANAPOLIS — The Indy Eleven and Bethlehem Steel FC entered Saturday’s match at Lucas Oil Stadium in fifth and sixth place, respectively, in the USL Eastern Conference. After settling for a 1-1 draw, both clubs maintained their positions in the table.

A win from either team would’ve solidified a playoff spot. As is, both are still in good position to make the postseason, and would need a string of outcomes to go unfavorably in the final week of the season to miss out.

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In her second appearance on the Soc Takes Pod, NPSL managing director Cindy Spera joins co-hosts Kevin Johnston and Nipun Chopra to recap the 2018 season, size up some of the tougher aspects of her job and briefly discuss NPSL Pro.

If you missed Spera’s first time on the podcast which touched on her background in the game and career on Wall Street, listen to Episode 46.

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Image credit: Indy Eleven

INDIANAPOLIS — After scheduling marquee summer friendlies in each of the past two years against Liga MX clubs, the Indy Eleven will not play a mid-season friendly in 2017.

Hat tip to reddit user silkysmoothjay, who posed the question after many supporters had already assumed there wouldn’t be a friendly this year given the lack of an announcement of one. A club official confirmed that’s the case.

The Eleven hosted Monarcas Morelia at Carroll Stadium in 2015, a match that ended in a nil-nil draw.

In 2016, Indy welcomed C.F. Pachuca and pulled off a 1-0 upset as the visitors struggled to adjust to the turf. U.S. national team center back Omar Gonzalez made a cameo, putting in a 45-minute shift for the Tuzos in the first half.

“(There) won’t be a summer/fall friendly this year. Simply too congested and wanted to give the guys a weekend off,” wrote the team official in an email to Soc Takes.

The decision was made largely in part to the new NASL schedule. In previous years, the spring season was only 10 matches followed by a month-long break. Then the fall season resumed with a 22-game slate.

The NASL wised up by switching to a more practical 16 and 16 format this year. Additionally, teams now have just one weekend off in between seasons but receive more rest between matches. For the Eleven, the more spread-out grind of 2017 was enough to nix any plans of cramming in a mid-season friendly.

Indy has one match left to play in the spring, a Saturday evening clash at home against Jacksonville Armada FC, before travelling north to Edmonton for its fall opener July 30.

Update: Per a team official, season ticket holders’ unused bonus tickets will be redeemable for two tickets to any non-playoff match this fall. For example, if you purchased three season tickets, you can get six extra tickets to any fall game of your choice. Contact the Indy Eleven ticketing staff for more information.

***

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Photo credit: Real Salt Lake

After an intense 90 minutes of play, Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City settled for a 1-1 draw Saturday night in Sandy, Utah. Goals on either side of halftime by RSL’s Luis Silva and SKC’s Benny Feilhaber cemented the scoreline.

While there was plenty of action on the pitch, the real fireworks started at the postgame press conference.

RSL head coach Mike Petke was ejected from the match in the 72nd minute after excessively jawing at the fourth official. Still fuming, he showed up to the presser with a mountain of “evidence” like a prosecutor presenting to a jury at a murder trial.

Here’s the must-watch video, courtesy of RSL’s Twitter account:

🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/bfvQZerJ4G

— Real Salt Lake (@RealSaltLake) July 23, 2017

Who knows what additional punishment, if any, Petke will receive beyond his ejection. But he might want to set some money aside for a stiff fine from MLS. Just sayin’. In fact, witty RSL supporters already launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for their coach’s likely inevitable fine.

“Be the Mike Petke that you wish to see in the world.”
@RealSaltLake #TheFrickingPrinterBroke

— Matthew D. LaPlante (@mdlaplante) July 23, 2017

Both clubs will return to action next Saturday, as RSL hosts Columbus Crew SC and SKC welcomes the red-hot Chicago Fire to town.

***

You can follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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Matheus Ayrolla (right) helps out on defense against Jacksonville Armada FC earlier this season. Photo credit: Gabriela Heizer

For his four-tally outing in his team’s convincing road win in Week 11 of the NPSL season, Boca Raton FC striker Matheus Ayrolla was chosen as the league’s National Player of the Week. Ayrolla provided all the scoring as his side took down Storm FC 4-0 on May 26.

“This award is a testament to Matheus’ work ethic,” said Boca Raton FC manager Jim Rooney in the press release announcing the award. “Matheus is a great player who always has the right attitude towards the goals he has. He has been an integral part of our offense this season and we will continue to rely on his goal-scoring abilities as we navigate the second half of the NPSL season.”

A former standout at Lynn University who later played professionally for Brazilian side Friburguense, Ayrolla is in his first season with Boca Raton FC. He’s currently the leading scorer in the Sunshine Conference thanks to the goal outburst.

Photo credit: Gabriela Heizer

“It’s humbling to receive the National Player of the Week award,” Ayrolla said in the release. “I’m thankful to the Boca Raton FC organization and the coaching staff for putting their trust in me and giving me the opportunity to defend the crest proudly. I couldn’t do this without my teammates, and we will continue to work hard and get better every game as we look ahead to a
tough matchup this weekend.”

Boca Raton FC will return home this evening for a stringent test against Miami FC 2. The two clubs are technically in second and third in the Sunshine Conference right now with nine (Miami FC 2) and six (Boca Raton FC) points.

Because NPSL teams often play a vastly different number of games at different times, the conference tables are officially sorted by points earned per match played, thus Jacksonville Armada FC is currently above both teams with a win and a draw from two games despite only having four points total.

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Photo credit: John Pavlecka

It’s that time of the year again, folks. The top two teams in each conference have been decided and another wild and entertaining edition of the NPSL playoffs will begin soon. Let’s take a look at each Midwest Region playoff team, their road to getting here as well as their chance of winning the regional and heading on to the national NPSL semifinal round.

For those unfamiliar with the NPSL playoff tournament, the format is as follows:

Image credit: NPSL

Teams qualified:
Great Lakes: 1^st Ann Arbor, 2^nd Grand Rapids FC
North: 1^st Minneapolis City SC, 2^nd Duluth FC
East: 1^st Erie Commodores FC, 2^nd Cleveland SC

No. 1 seed – Minneapolis City SC

Minneapolis is very well deserving of the #1 seed in the region as they are not only the North Division champions but the only team in the Midwest Region to remain unbeaten. To put it simply, these guys score a lot of goals. The Crows have scored a whopping total of 46 goals so far this season, good for first place of the entirety of the NPSL (98 teams) in goals scored. Liberian brothers Martin and Whitney Browne are the goalscorers on this team with six a piece and are tied for the team lead. But another player to keep an eye on is Will Kidd. The young, speedy, blonde American has not only scored four goals this season, but has had his hand in creating many assists and is an important playmaker for this team.

No. 2 seed – AFC Ann Arbor

Great Lakes Conference champions for the second straight year, AFC Ann Arbor has had another fantastic regular season in the NPSL. But regular-season success does not always result in postseason success and “The Mighty Oak” had to find that out the hard way last postseason as they were tragically defeated by Detroit City FC in the Midwest Region Championship despite having the much better regular season than Detroit. This team will use that as motivation during this playoffs, as anything but a birth into the national NPSL semifinals will be likely viewed as a failure. If you couldn’t tell from my Great Lakes Conference midseason review, I am pretty high on Ann Arbor and what they can do. They have a great balance between local Michigan talent and international players who have been making a big difference thus far. There isn’t necessarily one key guy to be focused on with this team because they have so much talent, but a couple goalscorers who are likely going to find the back of the net in the playoffs are Jordan Montoya, Yuri Farkas and Marc Ybarra. However, this team not only scores a lot of goals but defends terrifically, allowing the fewest goals per game in the entirety of the NPSL, an extremely impressive feat.

No. 3 seed – Erie Commodores FC

Erie Commodores FC has won the East Conference Division for a second consecutive year and were only a win away from beating out AFC Ann Arbor for a first-round bye, which would have been greatly appreciated considering their early departure from the playoffs last postseason. The lone U.S. Open Cup second-round representative out of the East Conference Division, Erie has set the standard of quality soccer in their division and will try to be the team to upset the heavyweights of this Midwest Region in Minneapolis and Ann Arbor.  The key goalscorers for this team are New Zealand native Cam Philpot and England native Steve Rigg, who actually bounced around in the lower divisions of professional soccer in England and Scotland before heading stateside. The Commodores were able to clinch the East Conference Division thanks to a winner-takes-all season finale against another fellow playoff team Cleveland SC. Despite being a man down due to a red card in the first half, Erie was able to hang on to a 2-1 lead and defend their division title.

No. 4 seed – Cleveland SC

Cleveland SC replaced AFC Cleveland in the NPSL this year and had some great success in doing so. For the most part, Cleveland kept pace in the standings with defending division champions Erie and even handed them their first loss of the season 3-2 back in June. The new kids on the block were clearly undaunted by the more experienced clubs they were competing against. Vinny Bell, the man who scored a hat trick to defeat Erie, is a crucial piece to this team in order for them to make a run in the playoffs. His health is a question though. Bell played in last weekend’s clash against Erie in which Cleveland lost; however, Bell had missed time over the course of the previous two weeks nursing an injury.

Erie Commodores SC vs. Cleveland SC prediction:

(July 14 at 7 p.m. ET, Gannon University)

This will be an interesting game considering these two teams just played each other at the same venue last weekend. Erie starting goalkeeper Nicolau Neto will be suspended for this match due to his red card late in the first half in last weekend’s affair. But the fact that Erie still won this match despite being a man down for the entirety of the second half is telling to me. There clearly is grit and determination with this side, not to mention experience in the playoffs. I’m picking Erie to repeat last weekend’s performance and defeat Cleveland.

Photo credit: Tyler Birschbach

No. 5 seed – Duluth FC

Last year’s North Conference Division champions fell short of going back to back this season, but still managed to put together a strong regular-season record, securing second place in the division and landing a No. 5 seed of the playoffs. Duluth FC went one and done last year in the postseason after getting routed by Detroit City FC in their first match of the playoffs. Another U.S. Open Cup second-round team, the “BlueGreens” will hope to ride the momentum from their win-or-go-home regular season finale against Med City in which they won 1-0 to clinch playoff qualification. They’ll hope to forget their painful 4-2 drubbing against eventual division winner Minneapolis City SC just a couple short weeks ago. Keep an eye on dynamic outside midfielder Dana Kowachek, who’s tied for the team lead for goals with four and will be an important figure for this team if they are to make a run in these playoffs.

No. 6 seed – Grand Rapids FC

Well, it wasn’t pretty and it involved relying on some other teams, but Grand Rapids FC was able to hang on and clinch a playoff berth thanks to Milwaukee’s surprising 1-0 win over red-hot FC Columbus last weekend. Grand Rapids had multiple chances to control its own destiny but failed to get results in their last two matches of the season, including a loss to Columbus and a tie against Detroit City, which forced them to play the waiting game until Columbus finished its regular season. I feel like regardless of the sport or league, having momentum going into the playoffs is something crucial for a team’s success, and I’m not sensing a whole lot of that out of the “Boys in Blue” right now. That being said, overall they had a great season and were a force to be reckoned with in a strong Great Lakes Division. Fan favorite Matt “Super Matty” Whelan is truly an exciting goalscorer to watch and leads the team in that category. GRFC even handed AFC Ann Arbor its one and only loss this season, proving the quality of this team.

Duluth FC vs. Grand Rapids FC prediction:

(July 14 at 7 p.m. CT, Public Schools Stadium)

I’m going with the home team Duluth FC winning this one. I think Duluth is the hotter team right now and Grand Rapids will potentially be rusty having not played a game since June 29.

Championship prediction: Minneapolis City SC vs. AFC Ann Arbor

Minneapolis City SC vs. AFC Ann Arbor prediction:

(July 21, time and location TBD)

Look, I know it’s easy to predict the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to go to the championship game, but these two teams are a cut above the rest of the competition in my opinion. Just look at their records, there is only a combined total of one loss between these two heavyweights. If this matchup comes to fruition it is going to be one of the best games of the whole NPSL season. Minneapolis, the leading goal-scoring team in the nation vs. Ann Arbor, the team with the fewest amount of goals conceded in the nation. In the end, I like Ann Arbor’s experience on this stage — as well as their determination from last year’s disappointment — to propel them to be the 2018 NPSL Midwest Region’s champion.

Update: An earlier version of this story contained an error identifying Mpls City as having gone to the second round of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup and has been corrected.

Follow Jack on Twitter: @JackRenwick22.

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As originally reported by Soc Takes contributor Kartik Krishnaiyer, this weekend, Jacksonville Armada owner Robert Palmer will meet with interested owners about launching an unsanctioned league.

Sunday @JaxArmadaFC owner Robert Palmer will convene a “Division Zero” Task Force meeting in Orlando. Among the topics to be discussed are how a non-FIFA sanctioned league can attract players (pay, benefits, etc) & how to attract officials to a league not under the USSF umbrella.

— Kartik Krishnaiyer (@kkfla737) February 7, 2018

Soc Takes has been provided with a copy of the three-page agenda by a source who is scheduled to be in attendance at the meeting.

Page 1 of Agenda

The document attempts to address key concerns about playing in an unsanctioned league – such as impact on players and coaches. On the agenda are plans for promotion-relegation as well as the possibility of “league funded, newly constructed soccer specific venues.”

Page 2

From a player perspective, the conversation does seem to recognize that improved compensation/benefits would be needed to entice players to join the league.

You can read the document in its entirety here:

There are many questions about how interested investors, owners, players, coaches and sponsors will be in this league. And certainly, this league is in its early stages of planning. We will have more answers after this weekend’s meetings, but, Palmer seems to at least be asking the right questions.

Page 3

Follow Nipun on Twitter: @NipunChopra7.

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