Welcome back to another jam packed summer of soccer with Equal Time! There are more teams, more ways to watch, and more players using our local summer league squads to launch a pro career. Our region is seeing a growth in the game that mirrors the growth that we are seeing nationally. The NWSL is now consistently expanding and bringing reserve teams into the summer league ranks. The USL Super League is set to launch this fall, providing much needed roster spots for the proven talent in this country. WPSL Pro has been announced with intent for 2025, with Sioux Falls City being one of their committed clubs. MN Aurora FC has been consistent about their public intent to explore NWSL or other Professional opportunities. In other words, being a women's soccer fan has never been better! This summer we have 24 (!) teams to track playing in the WPSL, USL W League, and UPSL. We've got 21 teams in MN, along with our neighbors in Sioux Falls City (SD), Dakota Fusion (ND), and Superior City FC (WIS), so we are here to break down the teams to follow, each of the Leagues, how to watch, and some in depth previews with a few clubs! As always, Equal Time will look to highlight as many teams as possible through in person content, stream highlights, player/coach interviews and social media. Follow us on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay connected with ALL of our summer league coverage. If you want to read our season wrap from last year to prepare, click HERE. With the 24 teams in our coverage area, there are plenty of different priorities for the varied clubs. They range from merely providing games to players on college break, helping them become a professional, or developing teenage players with a high level competition ahead of college. Then there are those who also focus on media and community development of their team. Most of the teams do bits and pieces of each, but we are here to help you find the teams that are most aspirational, successful, but most importantly, easy to follow and engage with. Whether they play on TV, provide professional quality streams, sell tickets and promote their schedule, or post regularly to social media, here are a few of the easiest teams to follow this summer. The Future Pros (on TV!)
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Sioux Falls City FC
Sioux Falls City is a fast rising club that aims to be the first Women's Professional team in ANY sport in 2025 with WPSL Pro. The "Citizens" have seen continued growth on and off the field with a tight 3rd place finish last year to traditional powers Salvo and MN Thunder. The player recruitment has seen a step up in pedigree after a year of Sporting Director Joe Demay's pink sweatshirt recruitment tour of 23/24, so expect another title chase this summer. You can stream all WPSL games on Hudl, but Sioux Falls City is also broadcast on Dakota News Now on local TV and Streaming).
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MN Aurora FC
MN Aurora enters year 3 with a totally new coaching staff, having lost Head Coach Nicole Lukic to US Soccer. Head Coach Collette Montgomery was hired to be Lukic's assistant and this spring was rehired as Sporting Director and Head Coach. After losing more than a handful of players to the pro ranks, a core group returns along with a plethora of newcomers. As Aurora has publicly mentioned interest in NWSL and the pro game, expectations will only grow for the community owned "Million Dollar Team" (as Rochester United once called them). You can watch Aurora locally on FOX 9+ or on the FOX 9 YouTube channel/website. All USL W League games will also be streamed for free on SportsEngine.
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Small Town Teams with Socials & Streams
Mankato United SC
Since they have entered WPSL, Mankato United has continuously stood out as a high performing soccer club in a smaller city. They maintain a local connective thread from youth soccer to high schools and the college/WPSL level in a way that fully maximizes the talent in the area. Mankato had a tough season last year, giving a lot of youth a chance and hopefully building foundations for another competitive year in '24. We appreciate all of the social media content with players and the consistent and professional streams you can expect from this club. They are also the easiest away trip for any Metro fans(and us), with a dedicated soccer field in Mankato (Bethany Lutheran College). Stream all their games on Hudl!
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Easy to follow Twin Cities Clubs
Salvo SC
Salvo was barely edged out by rivals MN Thunder last year for the WPSL Northern Conference title, but as the Thunder elected not to enter the playoffs, Salvo said "hold my Gatorade" and ran all the way to the WPSL Finals. They consistently have a stacked roster of local talent, some of whom have already played a bit of pro. Look for them to contend for the WPSL Northern Conference again this year. Off the field, Salvo stands out as a great insta follow for player content, especially on the road. They regularly do their own post game interviews on their Twitter and other social accounts, which makes it easy to get some attachment to a game from afar. All of Salvo SC and WPSL game are streamed on Hudl.
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All 10 WPSL teams return this year in a league that has been very stable in our region, finding slow and steady growth, with few teams dropping compared to many lower divisions of either gender. Last Year saw traditional powers MN Thunder and Salvo SC top the Conference with Sioux Falls City oh so close to breaking through in a tiebreaker’d 3rd place finish. With ambitions to move pro in 2025, look for Sioux Falls City to continue their on and off the field growth into an even bigger contender. Mankato United will look to rebound after an uncharacteristically poor season in terms of results. After giving a lot of youth some experience last year and a core of MN State Mankato’s successful squad returning, we should see a step on on last year’s 9th place finish. The middle of the Northern Conference is a tough road to climb out of, but it also presents a lot of tough trap games for even the top performing teams each year.
Last Years Standings
Sioux Falls City Season Kickoff/Roster Reveal
New "Addition" Sioux City Sol
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The Sol this spring announced that they will join the WPSL in 2025, with a provisional season of exhibitions this summer against teams in the region. They will be a new footprint for the women's game, based in the tristate area of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. They will play at Mankato on May 19, at Sioux Falls on May 23, then host Sioux Falls City on June 16. Their games will also be available on Hudl this summer.
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Mankato United Preseason Show
WPSL Northern Conference Teams and How to Watch Them
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MN Thunder - Providence Academy, Plymouth Salvo SC - Northwestern College, Roseville Sioux Falls City - Bob Young Field, Sioux Falls St Croix SC - Stillwater High School Maplebrook Fury - Fernbrook Field, Joy AC - St Louis Park/Hopkins High Schools Manitou FC - White Bear Lake High School Rochester United FC - RCTC Stadium, Rochester Mankato United SC - Bethany Lutheran, Mankato Dakota Fusion FC - Jim Gotta Stadium, Moorhead |
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STREAMS ON: Every WPSL game is streamed free on Hudl, Sioux Falls City is also on local Dakota News Now TV/Stream
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We will just say it, Aurora still hasn’t lost in the regular season. After a dominant ‘23 Regular Season where MN Aurora went 12-0 and a +56 Goal Difference, the betting odds would be strong for them in the Heartland Division. Rochester FC on the other hand should be in for a much different season than last year. The Loons only won 1 out of 12 last year, but if you watched the club, that was a misleading stat. They gave MN Aurora their toughest regular season game at home, and were competitive for stretches, just not for the full 90. Rochester FC have recruited some more talent this year in terms of player profile, and we’d expect them to improve on the last place finish in ‘23. The MN clubs are joined again by Chicago City and Dutch Lions, 2nd year team Bavarian United, 2nd year team RKC Third Coast and newcomers River Light FC. The W League continues to expand quickly and the challenge of a Heartland Division team winning a W League title will only get tougher.
We will just say it, Aurora still hasn’t lost in the regular season. After a dominant ‘23 Regular Season where MN Aurora went 12-0 and a +56 Goal Difference, the betting odds would be strong for them in the Heartland Division. Rochester FC on the other hand should be in for a much different season than last year. The Loons only won 1 out of 12 last year, but if you watched the club, that was a misleading stat. They gave MN Aurora their toughest regular season game at home, and were competitive for stretches, just not for the full 90. Rochester FC have recruited some more talent this year in terms of player profile, and we’d expect them to improve on the last place finish in ‘23. The MN clubs are joined again by Chicago City and Dutch Lions, 2nd year team Bavarian United, 2nd year team RKC Third Coast and newcomers River Light FC. The W League continues to expand quickly and the challenge of a Heartland Division team winning a W League title will only get tougher.
Last Year's Standings
MN Aurora New Coaches Preseason Show
New to the Heartland Division: River Lights FC
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With the withdrawal of Green Bay Glory to the WPSL in '24, we see the Division stay at 7 with the addition of River Lights FC from suburban Chicago. They play in Aurora, Illinois and have Lots of D1 talent from the Chicagoland area who play all around the country, including the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, SEC and a lot from “Mid Majors” around Chicago. The name “River” is derived from the Fox Valley River that runs through the heart of Kane County. “Light” is representative of Aurora, the City of Lights as well as the vibrant community we aim to represent across Fox Valley.
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USL W League Heartland Division Teams & How to Watch Them
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MN Aurora FC - TCO Stadium, Eagan Chicago City - Loyola University Chicago Dutch Lions - Aurora University Bavarian United SC - Bavarians Complex, Glendale RKC Third Coast - Pritchard Park, Racine, WI Rochester FC - RCTC Stadium, Rochester River Light FC - Aurora University |
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STREAMS ON: All USL W League games will stream free on SportsEngine, MN Aurora is also on FOx 9+ TV and on Fox9 YouTube/Stream
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The UPSL Midwest-West is the big source of expansion in the women's game this summer, adding 6(!) teams to the 6 that played in the inaugural year in ‘23. The UPSL has the reputation of being the largest (and fastest growing) Semi Pro league on the Men’s side. Only in the last couple years have we seen that turn to the women's side of the game. Primarily a coastal conference, Minnesota is home to the sole women’s division in UPSL that doesn’t touch an ocean or a coast, and it’s growing fast. Last year it was just Superior City and Vlora who had streams and public facing content, so we’ll look to highlight those squads as much as we can, along with as many of the new clubs as we can. The addition of Aurora 2 and other established Twin Cities youth clubs should help kick start the new division, so we are hopeful for a step up in coverage possibilities in ‘24. Early impressions are good with more teams using YouTube to stream their games this year.
Last Year's Standings
Superior City FC Preseason Kickoff Show
2024 Preseason Coaches Poll
MN TwinStars FC Season Kickoff Show
UPSL Midwest West Teams and How to Watch Them
Tonka Fusion Elite - Minnetonka High School
Northern Tide FC - Todd Field
Superior City FC - NBC Spartan Athletic Complex
St Croix SC - Stillwater High School
Vlora FC - Burnsville High School
Granite City FC - St Cloud Tech High School
NOSC Blast - Spring Lake Park High School
MN TwinStars - Maple Grove High School
Blackhawks FC - St Paul Humboldt High School
Skills FC - Burnsville High School
MN Aurora 2 - Sea Foam Stadium, St Paul
Tonka Fusion Elite 2 - TBD/Rotating
Northern Tide FC - Todd Field
Superior City FC - NBC Spartan Athletic Complex
St Croix SC - Stillwater High School
Vlora FC - Burnsville High School
Granite City FC - St Cloud Tech High School
NOSC Blast - Spring Lake Park High School
MN TwinStars - Maple Grove High School
Blackhawks FC - St Paul Humboldt High School
Skills FC - Burnsville High School
MN Aurora 2 - Sea Foam Stadium, St Paul
Tonka Fusion Elite 2 - TBD/Rotating
STREAMS ON: All of the Midwest West games that will be streamed will be on team YouTube channels
Get your team covered on Equal Time Soccer
We do our best to cover as many teams as possible in the growing soccer landscape, but we certainly have blindspots. If you are interested in a streamed show to highlight players, coaches and/or front office members of your team, reach out on social and we'll work to find a way to highlight your club! The more we can find rosters, stats and good streams, the easier it is for us to showcase your team as well. If you have a creative idea for content with Equal Time, we are all ears.
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Author: Emily Bunnell
Concussions have been my most frequent injury in my athletic career. Concussions are an injury that affects everyone uniquely, and the recovery can be unpredictable. Thankfully, I have grown up in an era of greater understanding and awareness for concussions. Head injuries are no joke. As much as I have advocated “I’m fine” after a knock to the head, I am grateful for my athletic trainers and coaches for knowing better than to let me continue to compete. That’s not to say I haven’t always told the truth or found loopholes in the system, but as I have matured I have come to understand that the game is not as important as having a functioning head on my shoulders.
My first experience with head trauma came at age seven when I was in gymnastics. Young Bunnell decided it’d be a good idea to try a new skill on the balance beam, a skill I had yet to master on the floor. Naturally, I landed straight on my head and needed a couple stitches. This was in 2005 and my concussion testing in the emergency room involved attempting to complete an iSpy book. I completed it, so it was determined I didn’t have a concussion. I assume iSpy books have since been removed from concussion protocol.
Around that same time, I was also playing club soccer. My club soccer team Bangu Tsunami (which eventually became part of Minnesota Thunder Academy) decided to provide headgear for all youth players in their programs. This decision taken by a club – protecting youth soccer players from head injuries – was so far ahead of its time. I wore mine all the time and still do. This was a formative moment in my soccer career that allowed me to be fearless in the air with my head. And it was at the very beginning of a shift in youth sports to protect young athletes against head injuries. Although it wasn’t perfect, and protocols were not very sophisticated, the information and awareness surrounding athletes and head injuries was beginning to make its way forward.
Physical Play, Intense Impacts
Since then, I have had many head bumps, minor concussions, and even a broken nose or two while playing. With my style of play, even while wearing headgear, knocks to the head are bound to happen. However, from my experience and familiarity with head trauma from a young age, it took me a little too long to take the health of my brain seriously. I had always bounced back pretty quickly and each head injury had been far enough apart from one another that I wasn't experiencing any long term issues.
I made it through most of my college career with the same trajectory – bump here and there – when I finally experienced my first real, substantial head injury. Two minutes into a game at Utah Tech while playing for Seattle U, my teammate and I collided heads while going up for a defensive clearance. I actually remember quite a bit from that moment. I knew I got hit and fell down, and then my teammate yelled “there’s blood!” My first thought was “Jeez, I must’ve got her good” until I regained some focus in my eyes. My next thought was “Oh shit, it’s my blood. I broke my nose. Will I need a nose job?” I have no idea why that was the first thing to go through my head – it’s a little funny looking back. But then my athletic trainer got to me, I stood up, and started walking the wrong direction. Once she got me off the field, all I wanted was some cotton stuck up my nose and to get back on the field.
Thankfully, instead, my athletic trainer got me to lay down and started to clean everything up andI realized I couldn’t see. It wasn’t my nose, it was my eye. Realizing I could not see out of my right eye, I accepted that maybe I wasn’t going back in the game. I was forced to take this concussion seriously. It helped that my orbital bone was fractured and I wouldn’t be able to play while the bone healed for the next 8-12 weeks. I would follow normal concussion protocol as provided by my athletic trainer but hold off full contact play until I was cleared by the ENT specialist. I was also in physical therapy to regain movement in my eye and focus in my vision. I was doing all the right things to get back on the field right after winter break.
My first experience with head trauma came at age seven when I was in gymnastics. Young Bunnell decided it’d be a good idea to try a new skill on the balance beam, a skill I had yet to master on the floor. Naturally, I landed straight on my head and needed a couple stitches. This was in 2005 and my concussion testing in the emergency room involved attempting to complete an iSpy book. I completed it, so it was determined I didn’t have a concussion. I assume iSpy books have since been removed from concussion protocol.
Around that same time, I was also playing club soccer. My club soccer team Bangu Tsunami (which eventually became part of Minnesota Thunder Academy) decided to provide headgear for all youth players in their programs. This decision taken by a club – protecting youth soccer players from head injuries – was so far ahead of its time. I wore mine all the time and still do. This was a formative moment in my soccer career that allowed me to be fearless in the air with my head. And it was at the very beginning of a shift in youth sports to protect young athletes against head injuries. Although it wasn’t perfect, and protocols were not very sophisticated, the information and awareness surrounding athletes and head injuries was beginning to make its way forward.
Physical Play, Intense Impacts
Since then, I have had many head bumps, minor concussions, and even a broken nose or two while playing. With my style of play, even while wearing headgear, knocks to the head are bound to happen. However, from my experience and familiarity with head trauma from a young age, it took me a little too long to take the health of my brain seriously. I had always bounced back pretty quickly and each head injury had been far enough apart from one another that I wasn't experiencing any long term issues.
I made it through most of my college career with the same trajectory – bump here and there – when I finally experienced my first real, substantial head injury. Two minutes into a game at Utah Tech while playing for Seattle U, my teammate and I collided heads while going up for a defensive clearance. I actually remember quite a bit from that moment. I knew I got hit and fell down, and then my teammate yelled “there’s blood!” My first thought was “Jeez, I must’ve got her good” until I regained some focus in my eyes. My next thought was “Oh shit, it’s my blood. I broke my nose. Will I need a nose job?” I have no idea why that was the first thing to go through my head – it’s a little funny looking back. But then my athletic trainer got to me, I stood up, and started walking the wrong direction. Once she got me off the field, all I wanted was some cotton stuck up my nose and to get back on the field.
Thankfully, instead, my athletic trainer got me to lay down and started to clean everything up andI realized I couldn’t see. It wasn’t my nose, it was my eye. Realizing I could not see out of my right eye, I accepted that maybe I wasn’t going back in the game. I was forced to take this concussion seriously. It helped that my orbital bone was fractured and I wouldn’t be able to play while the bone healed for the next 8-12 weeks. I would follow normal concussion protocol as provided by my athletic trainer but hold off full contact play until I was cleared by the ENT specialist. I was also in physical therapy to regain movement in my eye and focus in my vision. I was doing all the right things to get back on the field right after winter break.
One month and six days after the initial head injury, I woke up on a Monday morning to someone yelling my name at me. As I lay on the floor of my apartment, a strange feeling of euphoria rushed over me. I was confused, but I was just so happy to be here, wherever that was. When I started to come to, I was helped onto a gurney. I learned the man was an EMT, and I was told I had a seizure while I was waking up. My roommate heard me fall out of bed and she came to check if I was okay. She found me having a grand mal seizure. Gabe is a literal angel, her response to my medical emergency was incredible. So I found myself back in the hospital, more imaging, more testing, more doctors. In December 2021, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I was confused, who gets diagnosed with epilepsy at age 22?
The CT scan showed an abnormal area of gray matter on the left side of my brain, but I had all my recent head trauma on my right side. Although the head trauma did not cause the epilepsy, it may have triggered a form of epilepsy I was born with. It was a lot of information to learn all at once, especially still being concussed, broken, and in my “seizure hangover” stage. I didn’t know what all this meant for me. What would playing with epilepsy be like? Could I still head the ball? What if I had another? It was a really hard and confusing time for me. I experimented with a couple different medications and dosages for several weeks before finding one that worked for me. Four months later, I was able to begin playing again. I would play my sixth, and final, season at Seattle U without a second thought. I was still wearing my headgear, but the events of the past year hadn’t fully sunk in. It took me almost two years to feel like my normal self again.
Turning Point, Protocols
In late September 2022, Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa had returned shortly after one concussion before getting concussed again. I watched that hit, and the aftermath of his symptoms on national television. That was a turning point for me. Not my own personal pain or seizure or warnings from medical staff. It was watching a football player on TV. That could legitimately be me if I took another hit, or cut corners on a head injury recovery. I began to fully understand that there needs to be a balance. I can’t be reckless in the air, my headgear clearly can’t protect me from everything. But I also can’t play scared – which can be equally as dangerous. I needed to learn to see and pick the right moments to go in for aerial challenges. Either I go 100% fully believing I will win the ball or maybe that is not a moment to put myself at risk. It was trial and error learning from my concussions, and still is, but it was a learning curve that I know will benefit me in the long run on and off the field.
Thankfully, things finally seemed under control. My medication seemed to be working and I had been seizure free since that incident. As I prepared for my transition to professional soccer, I felt I was ready. But moving abroad for my first professional playing opportunity also presented a unique set of challenges. As many players had warned me, concussion protocol for women’s professional soccer abroad is not always held to the same standard as it is in America. Of course, this is varied among teams, medical staff, etc. for each team, but generally this is what I was prepared for.
What I was not prepared for was being told I did not have epilepsy by a medical professional during my initial physical, despite bringing all my medical paperwork, prescriptions, and doctors notes. I had to fight tooth and nail for the medical professional to write me the prescription I needed, but I did finally get my medication.
The club staff and my roommates were aware of my diagnosis. Because I believed it was important for people around me to know that, however unlikely, that I could possibly have a seizure. Thank goodness I let them know. March 17th, while out to dinner with a friend, I said “I kinda feel weird.” Next thing I remember is waking up in the ambulance. I had had my second seizure, this time in a foreign country. I was nervous, a lot of doubts flooded in my head while I sat in the gurney at the hospital. What will the recovery look like this time? Will I have similar mood swings? I was scared I wasn’t going to be “me” for awhile again. Due to the nature of my seizure, and the fact it was not in correlation with a concussion, I felt like myself again before leaving the hospital.
My friend, Jaime, who was at dinner with me, was amazing. She caught me before I could injure myself, got help from other people in the restaurant, and called 112 (the 911 of Portugal). I had not experienced any recent head trauma, which was reassuring. But for whatever reason, I had an episode and needed time to recover once again. The aftermath of my seizure was much smoother this time around. I took 72 hours to return back to training. I saw a neurologist, who upped my medication dosage. I had some symptoms with the change in dosage, but I was able to adapt within a couple weeks. I feel very fortunate that I did not have the same process and effects as the first seizure. But, I still don’t know the cause of this one. It could have been lack of sleep, having traveled to Madeira a few days prior for a game, or it could have been stress. I recently had needed to take some time away from playing to rest due to a nagging patellar tendon and, as any athlete knows, when you are injured you are under increased stress.
Eventually I may be able to pinpoint the cause, but for now it really doesn’t matter. I have taken steps to really prioritize my recovery. Along with my medication, I try to get 8-9 hours of sleep a night. My nutrition has become a huge part of my daily routine – tracking my macros for optimal performance and recovery. I started working on reducing stress with journaling (which I have done off and on for the majority of my life) as well as using mental imagery. And the big two, since my seizure I have completely cut out alcohol consumption (which was not hard) and reduced my daily caffeine intake to ~90mg or less a day, roughly equivalent to a cup of coffee daily (this one was way more difficult). My job depends on my body. Taking better care of myself, especially as I enter my mid-20s, has already had a positive impact on my performance and my overall health.
For anyone out there who comes across a friend or teammate who has epilepsy, here
are a few helpful tips in the case someone has a seizure:
- Place them in a safe position so their risk of injury is reduced, usually on their side and cushion their head if possible
- Time the seizure, most seizures last about 2 minutes. If it lasts longer than 5 minutes, call 911
- Do not constrain the person convulsing
Link to donate to the Epilepsy Foundation: https://give.epilepsy.com/page/33651/donate/1
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