The top of the NPSL North is as tight as ever with the teams in the upper half of the standings separated by three points or less and two of those teams having a game in hand each. Minneapolis City notched a big win over VSLT in the Green Line Derby, Duluth snatched all three points from the jaws of a road draw, Dakota’s three game homestand got off to a mediocre start, and La Crosse scored its most goals in recent memory.

Duluth FC 2, Dakota Fusion 2
May 30, 2018
Jim Gotta Stadium (Moorhead, Minn.)

Dakota Fusion’s rough start is becoming a rough season. The hosts watched a two-goal lead slip away and turn into a draw against the same team that knocked them out of the U.S. Open Cup a few weeks ago. The Fusion got going quickly as Massimo Baron found the back of the net in the 3rd minute of play. The lead was doubled just before halftime by Benjamin Eastwell. An all-too-familiar scenario then played out when Duluth’s Liam Moore and Ryan Tyrer scored in the 50th and 54th minutes respectively; the quick lapse in defense dooming the Fusion to sharing points once again.

Sioux Falls Thunder 1, Med City FC 3
May 30, 2018
Rochester Regional Stadium (Rochester, Minn.)

Med City got back in the win column against the struggling Sioux Falls Thunder, tallying goals from three different players in the process. Niklas Roessler gave the Mayhem the lead in the 36th minute and Francisco Neto doubled it just six minutes later. The Thunder came out of the halftime locker room looking to get back into the game and Brice Holiday was able to cut the lead in half in the 49th minute. Med City weathered the storm though, and Claudio Repetto’s strike at the hour mark proved to be the nail in the Sioux Falls coffin.

Minnesota TwinStars 6, La Crosse Aris 3
June 2, 2018
Viterbo Sports Complex (La Crosse, Wis.)

La Crosse is accustomed to nine-goal games, but not to scoring a third of the goals themselves. Bruno Marone gave Aris the lead after just four minutes but TwinStars answered back in the 7th with Chase Wright’s first of the game. Wright hit the target again five minutes later and teammate Taiki Kinugawa gave the Dragons a 3-1 lead in the 20th minute. The next ten minute span saw Wright notch his third and fourth goals of the game. John Curran pulled one back for Aris in the 41st minute and the visitors went to the halftime locker room with a 5-2 lead. Max Kundert trimmed that margin to two goals with his 77th minute strike, but Tyler Oliver put the game away with an 85th minute goal.

Up next:
Minnesota TwinStars vs. Med City FC, June 6
La Crosse Aris vs. Minneapolis City SC, June 6

Med City FC 0, Dakota Fusion 0
June 2, 2018
Jim Gotta Stadium (Moorhead, Minn.)

The second-longest road trip in the North is Rochester to Moorhead and it showed as Med City and Dakota Fusion ground out a 0-0 draw on Saturday night. The draw was the second consecutive for Dakota and means the team has dropped four of six points in the first two games of its three-game homestand. Med City will be more pleased with taking a point on the road and keeping them three points away from the second playoff qualification spot.

Up next:
Med City FC at Minnesota TwinStars, June 6
Dakota Fusion vs. Sioux Falls Thunder , June 6

Duluth FC 2, Sioux Falls Thunder 1
June 2, 2018
McEneaney Field (Sioux Falls, S.D.)

Duluth continued its habit of turning draws into wins with a late goal against Sioux Falls. Liam Moore’s 67th minute goal put the visitors up for less than a minute. The Thunder quickly equalized thanks to Manny Rosas Quiroz. Sioux Falls almost pulled off the shock draw but were downed by Ryan Tyrer’s 84th minute strike. It was the fourth loss of the season already for the South Dakota team.

Up next:
Duluth FC vs. VSLT FC, June 6
Sioux Falls Thunder at Dakota Fusion, June 6

Minneapolis City SC 5, VSLT FC 1
June 2, 2018
James Griffin Stadium (St. Paul, Minn.)

Minneapolis City thumped its St. Paul rival in a top-of-the-table clash. Martin Browne Jr. found the back of the net early on to set the tone for City’s first half onslaught. Nick Hutton ran through the Sky Blues’ defense in the 24th minute and beat the keeper with his left foot. Browne Jr. then converted a penalty in the 26th minute for a brace and a 3-0 lead and a second penalty in the 45th, converted by Max Stiegwardt, made the scoreline 4-0. It was not reflective of VSLT’s level of play, a fact it showed by coming out of the halftime break and immediately scoring. Andrew Jenkins cut the lead to three goals in the 48th minute. CIty’s defensive response was good, however, and Josh de la Rosa tacked on a fifth goal in the 82nd to seal the deal for the visitors. The win puts the Crows in second place with a game in hand and the conference’s best goal differential and joint-best offense and defense.

Up next:
Minneapolis City SC vs. La Crosse Aris, June 6
VSLT FC at Duluth FC, June 6

 

NPSL North Standings

Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points	Possible
VSLT	6	4	1	1	4	13	37
Minneapolis City	5	3	2	0	10	11	38
Duluth	6	2	4	0	7	10	34
TwinStars	5	3	1	1	6	10	37
Med City	6	2	2	2	4	8	32
Dakota Fusion	6	1	3	2	-5	6	30
Sioux Falls	6	1	1	4	—	4	28
La Crosse Aris	6	0	0	6	-26	0	24

 

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