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Mark Privratsky
"Full Rapp" Photo Courtesy of Daniel Mick (@DanielMickPhoto)
Sunburns are happening to parents and Equal Time correspondents and that can only mean one thing, Summer League is in full form. Last night Minnesota Aurora put up 10 (TEN) goals on W League debutant RKC Third Coast, yet somehow that isn’t the biggest win yet this year. In the UPSL Midwest West, Tonka Fusion Elite started their year with a modest 2-0 win over Superior City FC, but when they played Granite City FC 5 days later, they put up 11 on the team from St Cloud. Salvo played Sioux Falls to a hard fought and dramatic 1-1 draw at home to avoid an early bump, while Sioux Falls take confidence in battling the champs of last year in an early away game. The Summer League Recap is your way to dig into the past weeks results, find your games to watch this week, and get connected to our gameday content from the week that was!
Games to Watch
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Rochester FC vs Minnesota Aurora FC Sunday, June 4, 3:30pm RCTC Stadium, Rochester Stream: YouTube.com |
The Loons of Rochester FC will be excited to host their neighbors to the north for the first time. Aurora won the first matchup 5-0, but that was with the help of 5000 fans at TCO Stadium, and with Rochester missing some key pieces. The W League Loons will hope for a closer fight with the 2022 Runners Up. Rochester FC provides a high quality stream and we applaud them for that! See highlights from past games on their youtube channel as well.
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GOOOOOAAAAL @MNAuroraFC @morganstone_ with a GOLAZO on the bounce out (@SportsCenter Top 10 hello)
— Equal Time Soccer (@EqualTimeSoccer) June 1, 2023
Aurora are just rolling over RKC at this point
Crosses in, deep shots, runs through the channels
6-0 near half time@USLWLeague @MNRevontulet pic.twitter.com/J2J3tNJPqq
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Green Bay Glory vs Chicago City SC Wednesday, June 7, 6pm Capital Credit Union Park, Green Bay Stream: Eleven Sports |
It is very early in the season, but we could already predict a potential battle for 2nd in the Division between Green Bay Glory (2nd last year) and Chicago City (3rd last year). To make the playoffs, you have to either win the Heartland, or earn a wild card by having a better record than the 2nd place team from the Great Lakes Division. This may be a game that sets the standards for that race! |
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WPSL Northern Conference |
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May 20
Joy AC 3-0 Manitou FC May 21 St Croix SC 0-1 Maplebrook Fury May 26 Salvo SC 1-1 Sioux Falls City FC St Croix SC 3-0 Joy AC |
May 30
Rochester 0-3 Joy AC May 31 Manitou FC 2-4 Minnesota Thunder |
GOAL!!!@khyahharper_43 with the header off the Buekle cross to level things at 1-1 with just minutes to go.
— Equal Time Soccer (@EqualTimeSoccer) May 27, 2023
Salvo 1-1 Sioux Falls. 88 min. pic.twitter.com/YPOeioZR9u
Game to Watch
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Minnesota Thunder vs Salvo SC
Academy of Holy Angels Dome Sunday, June 4, 7pm Stream: Eleven Sports |
Two perennial contenders of the Northern Conference face off in their annual battle for WPSL bragging rights. The bulk of these players have been teammates or opponents in close proximity for years, and the matchup usually doesn’t disappoint. The Thunder stream on Eleven sports!
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UPSL Midwest West |
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May 12
Superior City FC 2-0 Vlora FC May 20 Tonka Fusion Elite 2-0 Superior City FC May 21 Vlora 2-1 St Croix SC |
May 25
Tonka Fusion Elite 11-0 Granite City FC May 28 Vlora FC 0-2 Superior City FC St Croix SC 0-0 Northern Tide FC |
Game to Watch
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Superior City FC vs St Croix SC NBC Spartan Sports Complex, Superior, WI Sunday, June 4, 3pm Stream: ifan.tv |
Superior City has come out with a strong start with a heavily local Twin Ports roster, and they’ll face an opponent hungry for their first win. St Croix tied Northern Tide and lost a tough 2-1 match at Vlora to start their year. Superior City provides a stream and we applaud that!
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Pictured: Superior City FC (Courtesy of the team)
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Author: Mark Privratsky
Photo Courtesy of Stadium Digest
It is summer soccer season once again in Minnesota! We use the blue skied shot of TCO Stadium in order to remind you to attend some of the HUNDREDS of games available to you this summer. To say the game is growing would be an understatement. Minnesota alone has 14 teams playing across the WPSL, USL W, and UPSL, with more by in the Dakotas and Wisconsin. Equal Time is your source for all things Women's Summer League coverage. Throughout the summer, we'll post written pieces on the leagues and help you find games to attend or stream from home. We will be on site at as many games as we can, posting highlights and introducing you to players and coaches in the game. To start in the true opening week of Summer Soccer for MN, let's get an intro on each league with a presence in the North, with info on how to attend or stream games for these talented players.
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The WPSL is the oldest and biggest Women's soccer league in the Country. MN has essentially had it's own WPSL Conference for years, with neighboring Dakota teams joining in recent years. Last year Joy Athletic and Manitou FC joined, with the addition of St Croix SC this year, the WPSL Northern Conference now boasts 10 teams in a single table format. |
Game to Catch: Salvo vs Sioux Falls City Friday, May 26 6pm Northwestern College, Roseville Stream: Eleven Sports |
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Salvo SC
Last year: (1st Place) 8-0-0 (29 GF, 3 GA), Northern Conference Champs Home Games: Northwestern College, Roseville Stream: Eleven Sports FYI: Huge amount of Gopher alum on the roster along with other D1 performers, lots of post college/pro experienced players. Salvo creates a lot of content on Socials and we appreciate the peak into the squad! |
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Minnesota Thunder
Last Year: (2nd Place) 7-1-0 (37 GF, 10 GA) Home Games: Academy of Holy Angels STARDOME, Richfield Stream: Eleven Sports FYI: The Thunder also feature high level D1 performers but also mix in a heavy mix of high school youth from their academy. They dropped the “academy” descriptor a few years ago a reclaimed the main “Minnesota Thunder” title |
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Maplebrook Fury
Last Year: (3rd Place) 5-3-0 (25 GF, 15GA) Home Games: Osseo High School Stream: Eleven Sports FYI: Maplebrook finished 3rd in both 2022 and 2021 after losing the 2019 title by goal difference. They’re consistently one of the top squads in the Northern Conference |
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Sioux Falls City FC
Last Year: (4th Place) 4-3-1 (15 GF, 13 GA) Home Games: Bob Young Field, University of Sioux Falls Stream: Eleven Sports (Local Broadcast TV on Midco Sports as well) FYI: Sioux Falls City had the highest attendance in the Conference last year and were the only squad to be on over the air TV. Check out the huge Roster Reveal show we did with Sioux Falls City earlier this spring below! |
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Mankato United SC
Last Year: (5th Place) 4-4-0 (18 GF, 18 GA) Home Games: Bethany Lutheran Soccer Stadium, Mankato Stream: Eleven Sports FYI: Mankato stands out as a team playing in a soccer specific stadium with a fine gameday environment, and as a team who’s roster is hyper local to their regional high school and college programs. They’re another team who posts to Socials regularly and are easy to follow! |
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Rochester United FC
Last Year: (6th Place) 3-3-2 (11 GF, 18 GA) Home Games: RCTC Regional Stadium, Rochester Stream: Eleven Sports FYI: Rochester faces local competition from new USL W League squad Rochester FC. The city now hosts 4 lower league soccer teams between the mens and womens sides! Nickname: "Lions" or "United"? |
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Manitou FC
Last Year: (7th Place) 1-5-2 (5GF, 14 GA) Home Games: White Bear Lake High School North Stadium Stream: Eleven Sports FYI: Manitou was one of the newcomers to Northern Conference last year, adding the WPSL squad atop their existing youth club in White Bear Lake. Look for them to adjust to the level of play and take a step up this year |
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Joy Athletic
Last Year: (8th Place) 1-7-0 (7 GF, 22 GA) Home Games: Oriole Stadium, St Louis Park Stream: Eleven Sports FYI: Joy Athletic is a unique soccer club with a focus on affordability and accessibility. They’re based in the non profit Joy of the People, who promote the idea of soccer free play |
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St Croix Soccer Club
Last Year: Inaugural Year in WPSL Home Games: Stillwater High School Stream: Eleven Sports FYI: St Croix joined the WPSL and the UPSL Midwest West in the same year. They’ve been a long established youth club, so they have the players to fill both squads when including their college prospects |
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The USL W League returned last year in a relaunch into the Women's Pre Professional game. Local team Minnesota Aurora FC made a run all the way to the final at home in Eagan to claim Silver in their first year as a team. The Heartland Division of the W League is reconfigured this year, featuring returners Minnesota Aurora FC, Green Bay Glory, Chicago City and Chicago Dutch Lions, while adding newcomers Rochester FC, RKC Third Coast (Racine, WI) and Bavarian United Soccer Club. The USL W League has expanded quickly with Divisions on the west coast, making it a much tougher league to win in year 2 |
Game to Catch: MN Aurora vs Rochester FC Wednesday, May 24 7pm TCO Stadium, Eagan TV: Fox 9+ Stream: https://www.youtube.com/fox9 |
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MN Aurora FC
Last Year: (1st Place) 11-0-1 (+27 goal difference) Home Games: TCO Stadium, Eagan Stream: Fox 9+ will broadcast all home games over the air, in addition to being the streaming partner via Fox9.com or the Fox 9 YouTube page FYI: MN Aurora regularly sold out the 6000+ TCO last year, at times outdrawing NWSL teams. The Club stated publicly after the ‘22 W League season that they are openly pursuing Professional League opportunities |
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Rochester FC
Last Year: This is the inaugural season in the USL W League for Rochester FC after previously fielding a men’s team in the USL League Two. Home Games: RCTC Stadium Rochester Stream: Eleven Sports FYI: Rochester FC will be competing with Rochester United for the talent in the Med City, but the (also) Loons have a solid core signed for the ‘23 season, featuring D1 Minnesotans and local NSIC players. Expect MN Aurora supporters to travel to their new local rival on June 4 See our interview with Lindsey Birch of the Loons below! |
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Green Bay Glory
Last Year: (2nd Place) 6-3-3 (+2 Goal Difference) Home Games: Capital Credit Union Park, Green Bay Stream: greenbayglory.com FYI: Glory were the only team to take a point off Division Winners Aurora in the regular season. Green Bay features a solid collection of Wisconsin D1 products in addition to some high level NSIC players from Minnesota. They produce a full game atmosphere and are a solid option for an overnight road trip |
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RKC Third Coast
Last Year: RKC will field a USL W League Team and USL League Two team on the mens side for the first time this summer Home Games: Pritchard Park, Racine, WI Stream: Details N/A FYI: RKC Third Coast got it’s name from a fan voted naming contest similar to MN Aurora FC last year |
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Bavarians United SC
Last Year: This is Bavarians first season in the USL W League Home Games: Bavarian Soccer Park, Glendale, WI Stream: Eleven Sports FYI: Milwaukee Bavarians Soccer Club is one of the oldest soccer clubs in the Country, competing in amateur competitions for decades. They join the USL W League with a natural local rival in RKC Third Coast |
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Another year, another new league! UPSL is a huge system of men's leagues across the country, and they've begun to step into the Women's game. This is the most affordable option for clubs and the league focuses on regional play. We'll see two outstate teams (Granite City and Superior City) among the 6 in the new UPSL Midwest West Division, breaking into Central and Northeastern Minnesota for the first time in recent memory. Both Vlora and Superior City have produced streams already this year, if others produce streams we will publicize! |
Game to Catch: Vlora FC vs Superior City FC Sunday, May 28 5pm Burnsville High School Stream: https://www.youtube.com/@vlorafc3523 |
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Superior City FC Women
Home Games: NBC Spartan Sports Complex, Superior, WI Stream: ifan.tv FYI: We spoke with Head Coach Sharon Lehti this spring about the launch of the first Semi Pro Women’s team in the Twin Ports. Superior City has captured all of the talent they could find from UMD, St Scholastica and UW-Superior, along with a few local high schoolers. See her interview below! |
LIVE with Sharon Lahti, Head Coach of @SCFCWomen in @UPSLsoccer, presented by @pentzhomes https://t.co/BNXbuZy4Qt
— Equal Time Soccer (@EqualTimeSoccer) May 5, 2023
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Vlora FC Women Home Games: Burnsville High School Stadium Stream: https://www.youtube.com/@vlorafc3523 FYI: Vlora FC Head Coach Marcus Anthony, Treasurer Vincent Knox and Team Manager Katie Brink joined Equal Time this spring to talk about their inaugural UPSL season |
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Tonka Fusion Elite
Home Games: Minnetonka High School Stadium Stream: Details N/A FYI: Tonka Fusion Elite is a well established youth club that produces College talent from the west burbs |
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St Croix Soccer Club
Home Games: Stillwater High School Stream: Details N/A FYI: St Croix joined the WPSL and the UPSL Midwest West in the same year. They’ve been a long established youth club, so they have the players to fill both squads when including their college prospects |
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Granite City FC Women (ROCKS)
Home Games: St Cloud Tech High School Stadium Stream: Details N/A FYI: Granite City is similar to a few other expansion squads in that they had run amateur men’s sides for years before finding an opportunity to join the Women’s game this year through the UPSL |
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Northern Tide FC Women
Home Games: Conway Park, St Paul Stream: Details N/A FYI: Northern Tide were not announced in the initial press release and don’t appear to have any web presence but they have players listed on the league website and kick off May 28 at St Croix. They are a part of the youth club “Wave Soccer Club” in St Paul |
Mark sits down with Lindsey Birch, who has had an eventual year: She was a first-year standout at Division I University of Nebraska Omaha and then became the first signing for the W-League team, Rochester FC, which will start its first season this summer.
The defender, who was a two-time All-State player at Lourdes, dishes about how she got on the team, what she expects from playing the Aurora, and a decision she made as a youth soccer player that helped pave the way for her future success.
You can watch the recorded LIVE version of the video show below or you can listen to it as a podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.
The defender, who was a two-time All-State player at Lourdes, dishes about how she got on the team, what she expects from playing the Aurora, and a decision she made as a youth soccer player that helped pave the way for her future success.
You can watch the recorded LIVE version of the video show below or you can listen to it as a podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.