Compared to last season, this year the collective seemed to outshine individual performances, without dimming the brightness of the star turns in the North Conference.

Tactically, there was a fair amount of variation this season, as the raft of new coaches introduced new systems, but, for the purposes of my selection, I will line up the team in a fairly standard 4-3-3 formation.

First Team

Chase Wright, F (Minnesota TwinStars)
With 14 goals in 13 games, Wright was the top scorer in both the conference and the region, was the second-top scorer in the entire country, and was single handedly responsible for half of his team’s total goals this season.

Nick Hutton, F (Minneapolis City)
Usually playing wide in a front three, Hutton was as lethal in front of goal as he was in setting up his strike partners, chipping in with five goals and five assists. One of his five goals, his stunning opener against Med City, is a goal of the season candidate.

Claudio Repetto, F (Med City FC)
The centerpoint of Med City’s attack, though he often pulled out wide as a winger, Repetto did much more than score goals. Still, he has bagged 11 this season (padded during the recent destruction of Dakota Fusion but they all count).

 

Max Stiegwardt, M (Minneapolis City)
He is the midfielder Minneapolis City were crying out for last season, an intelligent short and long passer, offensively dangerous yet defensively sound. He made the Crows work.

Boris Zaraguro, M (VSLT FC)
A blur of energy, a silky smooth touch, and lethal at free kicks, Zaraguro was the engine behind VSLT’s early season rise to the top of the table. Oh, how must the Sky Blues wish he was available for every game.

Joe Watt, M (Duluth FC)
The tall midfielder was a workhorse, attacking wide, drifting inside to clog the middle, and putting in a shift on both sides of the ball. For Duluth this season, the good things went through Watt.

 

Dana Kowachuk, D (Duluth FC)
Versatile and effective in several spots, Kowachuk was more impressive at fullback, a position from which he has a bit of space to get up a head of steam and attack wide. He brings width to Duluth attacks with the pace to cover.

Max Kent, D (Minneapolis City)
As good in the air as he is with the ball at his feet, Kent calmly dealt with the barrage of crosses and set pieces sent at him and moved the ball swiftly and intelligently as the Crows played out of the back.

Nicholas Itopolous, D (Med City FC)
Itopolous was the leader of the conference’s meanest defense, and he married defensive power and positioning with comfort on the ball. The Medics’ game plan revolved around the centerbacks quickly switching the point of attack and Itopolous did that with aplomb.

Amadu Myers, D (Sioux Falls Thunder)
Capable of the fantastic, as when he scored from 35+ yards against VSLT in the penultimate game for Sioux Falls, Myers is a dynamic, dependable fullback who could do a job for just about any team in the conference.

 

Alejandro Quiriti, GK (VSLT FC)
The man between the sticks for the typically air-tight VSLT defense, he was regularly called on to step up and make a critical save or intervention to keep the clean sheet. Without him, VSLT would not have made their early season run.

 

Second Team

F: Will Kidd (Minneapolis City); Mark Boquin (VSLT FC); Andrew Jenkins (VSLT FC)

M: Brice Holiday (Sioux Falls Thunder); Ian Smith (Minneapolis City); Francisco Neto (Med City FC)

D: Aaron Olson (Minneapolis City); Sora Wakabayashi (Duluth FC); Ryan Tyrer (Duluth FC); Grant Dumler (Minnesota TwinStars)

GK: Matt Elder (Minneapolis City)

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