Match Recaps

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minneapolis City SC needed a draw, at minimum, to make its quest to secure its first division title since 2021 as easy as possible. Thirteen minutes into its game, away to RKC Third Coast on Wednesday, it trailed 2-0.

Twice, Michael Ramirez had assisted Nicholas Cenek. Twice, RKC had cut through a reshuffled back line, as the Crows navigated injury and availability concerns.

In the 22nd minute, there came a bit of hope. And the sequence had been foreshadowed three-minutes prior.

Deputized defender Joey Tawah picked out Mizael Harris in space, down the touchline. The Augsburg incoming-senior was able to drive across his marker, and into the Seagulls’ penalty area. His shot had keeper Daniyal Rana watching on, but the crossbar got the better of Harris.

Then, when a turnover led to a quick Crows counter, Harris struck. Cutting in from the keeper’s right, once again, the winger’s shot, driven into the far upper corner, pulled the Crows to back within one.

In the 33rd minute, having twice assisted Cenek, Ramirez saw the favor returned, and RKC’s lead was restored to two goals.

Changes at halftime saw the introduction of Carson Kowalski. A late-season addition, the defender made a strong showing in his Crows’ debut, and allowed Curtis Wagner to push out to his familiar grounds on the left edge of City’s back three. With a make-or-break match on Saturday, a Minnesota Super Cup semifinal, and League Two playoffs ahead, Kowalski’s arrival should be a welcome one.

“I think Carson Kowalski went in and gave us 45 amazing minutes, and did a great job. It was just a very steadying presence back there,” said City head coach Justin Oliver. “I think our back line was super solid and super strong. And, yeah, just, I thought Carson did a good job, which was a part of it. Otis went in and gave us a great 30 minutes at centerback as well.”

Otis Anderson, Sullivan Twill, Elijah Fearing and Preston Kipnusu were called off the bench as the second half unfolded; the latter pair having previously contributed late heroics as substitutes in other matches this summer. But ultimately, while City defended much better after the break, its best scoring chances remained behind in the first half.

“I definitely think we were more dangerous, and that was when a bigger chunk of our chances came. I just think in the second half you got to see that RKC was a lot more content to sit a little bit deeper, with the 3-1 lead, and put numbers behind the ball,” Oliver said. “The ball was probably in play for under half of the half. It was just very choppy, tons of fouls. Couldn’t really find our rhythm. And then, whenever we got into a good opportunity and good spot, our final ball or our service wasn’t good enough. So just some small things like that.

“On the flip side, I think we got a little bit unlucky. There were some moments where… Preston had a shot blocked. Morgan [Olson] had a swivel-volley hit right at their keeper, Just some of those that could have been a little bit more. But, I think that’s definitely a fair and accurate sentiment. I would just chalk it up to professionalism, some gamesmanship that kind of took place, which is, again, not a wrong way to try to kill off the game.”

Six-plus minutes of added time prolonged faint hopes of a result. Ramirez, on a goal and two assists, added a red card to his night’s tally following a scuffle after a foul. But RKC’s reduction to 10 men occurred in the match’s dying moments, and did not leave City time to capitalize on the briefest of advantages.

The final whistle came, and Minneapolis had dropped just its second game of the year.

“I think it was a game of just critical mistakes and not executing,” said Oliver. “This talk is so similar to a bunch of other ones. I thought that we massively controlled and dictated where the game was played, and how it was played. I think we had double their shots, double their corners, double the free kicks, foul count was probably like 15-to-three. We were checking all of the right boxes. But we just kept gifting them the ball in some bad areas, and just didn’t execute in some critical moments.”

After three losing seasons in the City of Lakes, already having qualified for the postseason last Sunday, and now holding a 7-2-2 record, the mood is quite far from doom-and-gloom for the Crows. But, Saturday’s ask at home against division-leading Sueno FC has just gotten a bit larger.

Race for the Heartland

City’s hopes for silverware are still alive. The Dreamers and Crows have already clinched the division’s pair of playoff berths. On Saturday, at Edor Nelson Field in Minneapolis, they will meet to determine which is the Heartland Division’s champion.

Minneapolis trails by 3 points in the standings, and must get a win.

The first tie-breaker is head-to-head record, and having lost away to Sueno, to even the season series, City must get a win.

The second tie-breaker is goal differential. A two-goal victory by the Crows would raise their differential to plus-14, and lower the Dreamers’ to plus-13.

The requirement is clear: beat Sueno at home by at least two goals on Saturday, or cede the division trophy to the visitors.

“You can make it sound like more daunting,” said Oliver. “With that said, we always needed to win on Saturday, no matter what. So if you’re gonna win a game, winning it by one’s easier than two. But, it doesn’t change anything for me. Maybe now the emphasis is, ‘All right, let’s just try to give ourselves 95 minutes to win by two. And if not, let’s just keep attacking it five-to-10 minute segments.’

“But make no mistake: our team, as always, is capable of scoring a few goals.”

Oliver closed his postgame with a message for Crows fans.

“I would love to see a packed Nelly with everybody in there. Part of what makes this club so great, so special, is that we have fans and people that attend our games, instead of playing in front of empty bleachers. I would love to see a thousand… two-thousand people; whatever number we can get in there and fill it up. I would love to see the Nelly roaring and trying to help us come away with 3 points, and definitely a two-goal win, to help us win a championship.”

MINNEAPOLIS — Wrinkles abound in the sporting world. Minneapolis City SC entered Wednesday boasting a 6-1-2 record. So, surely, 1-6-1 St. Croix SC would not pose much of an obstacle. And yet, in derby matches, table standings are of little predictive value. So, too, when three sets of brothers are facing one another, along with too many players to list who have grown up playing with-and-against one another.

The City curse, in cultivating an at-times abrasive social media presence — but also in building the only amateur men’s side in the Twin Cities capable of drawing over 1,000 fans — is that when facing a local opponent, the Crows seldom receive less than a determined effort. In Wednesday night’s particular instance, doubly so for a Tyler Oliver coached team that seldom has a shortage of fight in it.

For the fourth time this season, the Crows’ opponents were reduced to 10 men. And for the fifth time, City would need a late goal to achieve a result. But in the end, amidst a neck-and-neck race for the Heartland Division title with Sueno FC, the Crows escaped with a vital 3 points via a narrow 2-1 scoreline.

The game began in sluggish fashion, with the Crows failing to assert themselves in the opening minutes. However, the remainder of the first half saw City on the front foot. The agonizing question was, would possession and chances result in a goal? Or, could the Legends strike against the balance of play. With a difficult away trip to RKC Third Coast looming, Minneapolis could not afford to drop any points, ratcheting up the pressure.

It took almost the full half. With just a few minutes before the break, a sneaky-quick throw-in produced a shot on target, and a save from Legends keeper Quinn Millerd. Having dallied high-afield, center back Jared Hecht was waiting to pounce.

The centerback, who has been a key addition for Minneapolis, had prior been a longtime Legend.

“You know, it’s definitely interesting. I played for them for three years, and I don’t know. It’s like you got Tyler Oliver on their team. Justin Oliver is our coach. It’s kind of the same thing,” said Hecht. “We all know each other. It’s kind of just like playing your old friends from back home. So, it’s… bittersweet. But it’s good being with the Crows now.”

On the latter point, certainly so for the Crows. When the ball was recirculated into the box following the save, Hecht headed home to give Minneapolis its first lead of the evening, coming in the 43rd minute.

Scoring his first goal for City, Hecht jogged to the near sideline, crossing his hands while linking his thumbs.

“I think it’s just a little scrappy header, so nothing crazy,” said Hecht. “But ripped out the ‘crow celebration’. And, you know, it is what it is.”

Hopes that the Crows would press on to double their lead, and take out a bit of insurance on claiming the victory, were lifted when the Legends’ Mathis Guffroy picked up his second yellow card and was sent off in the 52nd minute. Surely, now Minneapolis could put the game to bed.

“Thought the start to the second half was, again, good and promising,” said Crows head coach Justin Oliver. “Then, they get a second yellow card. And then from there, I was super, super disappointed for that next 10-15 minutes, and we switch off when the ball’s out of bounds.

“Long throw-in, it beats us, and a phenomenal finish by Asher [Ozuzu] to stick it in the top right corner. Props to that. But again, that’s just us not being locked-in and not switched-on in a critical moment. And it’s a great finish, but it was definitely, definitely preventable, if we are being more proactive instead of reactive.”

With a half-hour left to retake and hold the lead, the Crows were jolted back into action.

“You feel the pressure,” said Hecht. “You go, ‘Oh, crap.’ And I think that we have the player quality in those moments to just really push on the gas pedal and make things happen. Evidently, that was the case. Had a lot of chances, and ended up putting one of them away.”

After various close calls, including rolling a shot just wide of the far post himself, Joe Highfield came to the rescue. Receiving a key pass from midfielder Ian Shaul in the 75th minute, Highfield made use of technique and poise to slot the ball past Millerd.

“It’s a mind-state to practice — training your mind to forget about things,” Highfield said, of his prior shot sent wide. “Like, my [earlier] chance, I missed it. But I can’t get it back. Nothing I can do about it. Fifteen minutes left is crunch time, you know. Just do what you can to grind it out, not for yourself, for the team.”

Goalkeeper Daniel Sessler was called upon, late, to help make sure City’s second lead held. The St. Mary’s graduate came off his line to smother and gather a trio of through-balls in added time.

The final whistle brought with it massive relief, and a result that kept Minneapolis in the division title hunt.

“Once that [St. Croix] goal happened, you got to see us wake back up again,” Justin Oliver said. “The chances were a plenty. Joe had a look. Julian had a look. There were some other ones… but I feel like today. we could have, again, scored four or five goals if we were more clinical. I don’t think Sessler was tested too-much in any big moments. Our back line was super solid, except for, again, that moment we switched off.

“So, just waiting for us to put together another 90-minute performance. I told the guys, I think this year in our 12 games, we’ve put together one full 90, and that was against River Light. And we’re seven wins, four draws, one loss.”

With only two games left to stake a claim on Minneapolis’ first division title since 2021, and its first-ever in League Two, the author pressed City’s head coach on if he and the Crows were running out of time to turn in another complete performance.

“I think it’s a perfect time for us to look to put together 90 minutes,” Oliver said, embracing the challenge. “It’s two of the other top three teams in the [division]… I think those are what I would describe as the perfect opportunities to go and put together a full 90. So, we’re gonna go make that road trip to RKC, which will be big. And then we close it out at home. And now, no matter what happens in our next game, we will have a chance to beat Sueno, to potentially win the [division] on the last day, no matter what.”

Departures

College programs have begun beckoning-back their players. It is a reality that confronts nearly every League Two side once the calendar rolls into July. Sending their teammates off with a win on Wednesday were Portland University’s Joe Highfield and St. Louis University’s Andrew Heckenlaible.

Highfield, a Wayzata native, departed the Twin Cities at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday morning to drive out to the West Coast. That he didn’t mind working up a sweat for the Crows less than 12 hours before embarking upon a long road trip speaks to the fact that the forward is City, through-and-through.

Across all competitions, Highfield contributed an impressive five goals and three assists in his third season with the Crows. And, crucially, stepped up his production when fellow-striker Preston Kipnusu was given a rest due to squad rotation.

In praise of Heckenlaible, two assists and a goal in his debut campaign with Minneapolis is not a stat line that paints a full picture. The indefatigable winger’s industry and tenacity supplied not only key goals, but was integral to keeping the Crows on pace for their best-ever defensive showing in League Two. The demands placed on wide players in Oliver’s preferred 3-5-2 aren’t slight, and neither has been Heckenlaible’s contribution to bringing winning soccer back to the City of Lakes.

Next Man Up

Head coaches can bemoan the challenge of trying to integrate a roster, and get a team to gel, with only a few practices ahead of every summer’s season opener. But, as every League Two team is in the same boat, it cannot be used as a perennial excuse. Similarly, nor can the need for a deep roster to account for declining player availability at the end of the season be taken for granted.

“We’re having such a good season. Obviously, I want to stay and help finish out the season, hopefully win the conference,” said Highfield. “But going into playoffs — assuming we make it, which I hope we do — I mean, we’re in a really good spot. We got full belief in the boys. So, I think we have plenty of guys that are going to step up and do good things for us in the last couple of games. I have full confidence in the team.”

Highfield and Heckenlaible’s departures present opportunities. Wingers Mizael Harris, Ondieki Maina, Bernard Assibey-Rhule, and Elijah Fearing will now be in consideration for increased minutes. As will forwards Tomas Menna, Sullivan Twill, and Julian Banks.

On the last in that aforementioned septet, Banks made his second-straight appearance off the bench for the Crows. This time, against, St. Croix, it came in the 62nd minute of a tie game, while nearly-notching a goal.

“Julian’s a very, very good player. Was big-time at the Minnesota United Academy. That’s why he goes to the University of Washington, as a player there,” said Oliver. “[T]here’s big opportunity right now for somebody like Julian Banks to step in and, you know, compete to earn that 90-minute role for us. And again, I rate him massively. He’s got all the traits, tools and qualities to be big-time. So, I’m very excited to see him step into a bigger role this last home stretch, as well.”

Race for the Heartland

We have received (another) clarification from the league! The Heartland Division’s top-two teams will be playoff bound. There is now no need to be concerned about points-per-game among second-place finishers in the Central Conference’s other divisions.

RKC Third Coast drawing 1-1 against Sueno at home on June 28 — along with Sueno FC’s 6-1 drubbing of Chicago City Dutch Lions on Wednesday — eliminated the Seagulls from postseason contention. The Heartland’s potential playoff pool has been reduced to just three teams.

Sueno, Minneapolis, and Rochester remain. The Dreamers and Crows have the inside track, sitting on 23 points apiece and each with two regular-season games to play. The (other) Loons are on just 15 points, and while they have a game in hand, they face long odds.

Rochester must win all of its last three games to finish on 24 points. With the first tie-breaker in the division table being head-to-head record, if Minneapolis picks up a single point from its last two games, it will finish ahead of Rochester. The (other) Loons did beat the Dreamers 2-1 on May 17 to open their season. Thus, Sueno either needs a draw or better against Rochester this Saturday, or a win against the Crows on July 12 to guarantee they finish above the (other) Loons, regardless of how Rochester fares in its final two games against St. Croix and the Chicago City Dutch Lions.

As for the division title, goal differential bears monitoring, as it is the second tie-breaker following head-to-head record. Sueno has pulled to within a goal of Minneapolis City on overall goal difference as the pair head into their final two regular season matches.

Tell your family, tell your friends, that City needs their support at Edor Nelson Field on July 12.

“Fans please come out and show support,” urged Justin Oliver. “That last game against Sueno, it’ll be big time, and we need you.”

MINNEAPOLIS — In the midst of a tight race atop the Heartland Division, and playing in its penultimate regular-season home game, Friday’s tilt against Rochester FC was a must-win for Minneapolis City SC. Particular as it prefaced an upcoming two-match road swing.

Squad rotation saw centerback and captain Nick Kent rested along with the Crows’ co-leading scorer Preston Kipnusu. With City still in the hunt for its first division title since 2021, and first-ever against League Two competition, the pair’s absence could well have added to pregame jitters for Crows fans.

And yet, Minneapolis scored a pair of goals, kept a clean sheet, and kept all its hopes for the 2025 season alive.

Defender Cole Schrage punctuated a Man of the Match performance by — in addition to not putting a wrong-foot in all game defensively — slinging a ball from midfield behind the Rochester back line for winger Andrew Heckenlaible to run onto.

“I just kind of picked my head up, and saw out of the corner of my eye, Andrew kind of making a darting run across the back line,” Schrage said. “And, I just tried to play it to him, and it worked out.”

Coming off his line and out of his box, keeper Andrew Swancutt was unable beat Schrage to the ball. The St. Louis Billiken applied a single, deft touch to move the ball wide of the keeper. With control of the ball and an empty goal awaiting him, the moment beckoned, like a particular piece from Schiller’s poem famously set to music by Beethoven.

Heckenlaible calmly slotted the ball into the net, giving Minneapolis the lead in just the 26th minute.

Though Heckenlaible had gotten the better of him in the moment, on the whole, credit is due to Swancutt, who went on to finish the game with nine saves. And, it would take until late in the second half for the Crows to double their lead.

“I thought our first half was pretty poor,” said Minneapolis head coach Justin Oliver. “They did have more of the on-ball. I would say, I think we probably got out-possessed somewhere around 70-to-30. So that part was disappointing. I do still think we had more shots — like six to two or something. So there was some good that went into it. They had a lot of lot of the ball with no bite, I guess is how I would describe it.

“And then. the second half, I thought, was a complete night-and-day difference. In the second half we could have scored four or five goals today. Our pressing was better. They did change shape. They went to a 4-3-3 second half, and that suited us a little bit better, too. So, that’s when I think we got to go back to doing some of our usual things.”

Midfielder Jake Swallen has been a bright spot for the Crows all season, in terms of what has become the usual. And, as he’s proven his quality with his first touch, tackling and passing, against Rochester, he also did it via a shot struck from 27 yards out.

With the likes of Kipnusu, Kent, Jared Hecht, Joe Highfield, Curtis Wagner, Cole Schrage, and company, the Crows have a lot of height at their disposal and have been formidable on corner kicks. Perhaps it was this threat that resulted in Swallen being unmarked, 30 yards from goal, on a corner.

Receiving the ball directly from Jackson Kirsch, Swallen took a touch, ahead, into space, before putting laces through a driven shot that swerved and skipped-but-once on its way into the far corner. The goal coming in the 82nd minute, it put the game to bed.

That the Crows had played for nearly an hour with just a one-goal lead gave Schrage, Hecht and Wagner a fine line to walk at the back.

“It’s kind of tough, because you’ve got to be on your toes,” said Schrage. “Anything can happen. They can get through one, one bad bounce, and they can be in on goal. So, I think you just got to stay mentally locked in, like, the whole time.”

“I think it was really good,” Schrage added, giving his thoughts on the win. “Three points. Kind of started off pretty slow, but our defense really ground it out, and I think that really helped.”

The victory completed a season sweep of Rochester, marking the Crows’ fifth-consecutive win in the all-time series between the pair.

Defense Comes Out Ahead

Thanks to both a clean sheet and its pair of goals, Minneapolis took not only 3 points on the evening, but the Heartland Division’s best defensive record from Rochester.

“It’s always great to get a clean sheet, but all the guys in front of me played fantastic,” said City keeper Daniel Sessler. “I think Cole was by far the best in the back line today. But yeah, it’s good to go five points clear of anyone behind us, and our goal is to keep pushing and get through for the fans and for the club.”

Minneapolis has conceded 11 goals across nine league games this season. Facing tougher competition than it did during its NPSL era, City may be hard-pressed to end the season with the three-more clean sheets needed to tie its all-time club record for fewest goals conceded in a league campaign. But, it has a very good chance of improving upon its League-Two best of 18 goals conceded, set last year.

Amid the Crows’ current five-game winning streak in the league, the Crows haven’t conceded more than a goal in any of those five contests, and only four times in total.

That City earned a shutout absent its captain, Kent, is yet another testament to the depth present on its roster.

On the Sidelines

In the 74th minute, a big tackle from Heckenlaible upended Jovaunn Ramos, but as Heckenlaible got all-ball, the play initially resulted in only a Rochester throw-in.

As he collected himself from the ground abutting the touchline, words were traded between Ramos and the adjacent Minneapolis bench. The exchange then prompted Ramos to leave the field of play to shove Kipnusu. Inserting himself as Kipnusu backed away with his hands up, Joey Tawah performed one of those small acts that can sometimes have an outsized impact in a title race; the holding midfielder, yet to have been subbed on, offered blue language to take Ramos’ focus off of City’s star striker.

Keeping a firm grip on the match, referee Alex Hofstetter diffused the situation with quick red cards to both Ramos and Tawah. The former, kicking a bench, being restrained by teammates, and taking a circuitous route to the locker room, while the City holding midfielder immediately grabbed his shin guards and made a professional jaunt to the tunnel.

Earlier, in a more joyful happening, Kipnusu had joined the Minneapolis Citizens supporters group in the west end of the grandstand at Edor Nelson Field. Even with the night off, Kipnusu turned up to support his teammates, on field during warmups, and from the bench for the majority of the game. But the 6-foot-4 Drake Bulldog took time in the second half to stand and cheer with Minneapolis’ die-hard fans.

Race for the Heartland

The wheels have come off for Rochester and River Light FC. The (other) Loons, who began the season with five-straight wins and what was the best defensive record in the division, have now lost four-straight. The Lights have managed just one point from their last five games, via a 2-2 draw at home against RKC Third Coast on June 19. Worse, River Light has lost its last two contests by a combined 9-2 margin.

Early results mean Rochester has yet to be eliminated from either the Heartland title race, or the Central Conference playoffs. But the (other) Loons can’t earn more than 24 points on the regular season, and have faded approaching the final turn.

RKC Third Coast and Sueno FC have just drawn 1-1, minutes before publication of this recap. The draw caps the Seagulls at 22 possible points, and puts the Dreamers level with the Crows atop the table at 20 points, earned. Sueno holds the first tie breaker, having beaten the Crows, having handed Minneapolis its only loss of the season 3-2 in Illinois on June 6.

Meanwhile, the Crows’ win over the (other) Loons means Minneapolis remains in control of its own destiny. City will travel away to St. Croix on Wednesday, away to RKC on July 9, and finish the regular season at home against Sueno.

With four teams still with all to play for, it will likely be a nail-biting finish, however the particulars shake out.

MINNEAPOLIS — Morgan Olson was originally tapped to start, but was feeling ill. Not wanting to push anyone’s luck on a hot evening — the match already having been moved from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. due to concerns about the mercury — Minneapolis City SC head coach Justin Oliver gave Andrew Heckenlaible the start on the left wing.

In as much as anyone could be, pushing through a heavy combination of heat and humidity, Heckenlaible was near-indefatigable. The St. Louis Billiken’s running and industry posed a threat to the River Light FC goal from the opening whistle. Half-chances went begging for the hosts, and for a half an hour, Heckenlaible kept grinding.

In the 33rd minute, the winger beat his mark off the dribble, sprinted into the opposing 18-yard box, and squared a pass for Joe Highfield, which the forward dutifully side-footed into the low, near corner. It was Highfield’s fifth score of the summer. But it was Heckenlaible’s half of soccer.

“It’s absolutely important to get off on the front foot, especially with their team traveling in from Chicago,” said Heckenlaible. “So, it’s important to get that first one, and then many more come after.”

The Crows escaped an added-time scare to get into the locker room with their Highfield-from-Heckenlaible lead intact.

After the break, the familiar connection of Jackson Kirsch and Preston Kipnusu combined for a goal; this time from a corner where Kipnusu’s header left keeper Saed Anabtawi no chance of intervening.

Up by two in the 54th minute, on a scorcher of a summer night, with a deep bench still to be unloaded, things looked comfortable for the Crows. Then, the Lights answered, and within just three minutes.

A loose ball, rattling around stilted legs, inside City’s penalty area, was last touched by River Light’s Jacob Ryu. It was a 2-1 game, and one in which neither team could afford to drop points, with 33-plus minutes still to go.

Then, a free kick, headed on by Highfield, and headed in by Shea Bechtel. In a sense, not exactly the diminutive forward’s game. In another — having a keen nose for goal and putting his body on the line — it was typical Bechtel. It was also his third-straight league game on the scoresheet.

“On our set pieces, where we’re gonna cross the ball, since I’m one of the shorter guys, I like to go hang out on the ball side,” Bechtel said. “If the ball gets headed back across, I could be there. And, it just fell right to my head, so happy to tap it in.”

On his own fine run of form, the two-time Division III Second-Team All-American deferred.

“[I’m] just going into every game hoping to make an impact,” Bechtel said. “And I think over the last three or four games, our team has really gelled a lot, and we’ve created a lot more chances. So I’ve been able to take advantage of some of those. So yeah, happy that the team’s been performing.”

With their two-goal lead restored, and momentum reclaimed, the Crows pressed on and put the game out of reach.

Bechtel assisted Kipnusu in the 70th minute to get the latter on a brace. Five Crows would come off the bench in the 75th to keep the pedal to the floor. And one of that quintet, winger Bernard Assibey-Rhule, would notch City’s only unassisted goal of the evening, to cap off the route.

Heckenlaible, who is in his first season with the Crows, produces few words in spite of a large lung capacity. He credited preparation and inspiration for his and his teammates’ perspiration.

“We had a training last Friday, wicked hot as well,” noted the winger, “and we just adapted and made sure that we stayed hydrated before the game. And good came after that.

“It’s a bunch of good guys. You know, lot of great… I mean, the stadium and the roar of all the people there. The smoke flares. It’s awesome. It’s a fun club to play for. And, yeah, it’s been awesome.”

Talk for Show, Process for Dough

Following City’s only loss of the season, away to Sueno FC, Oliver offered that it was his team’s best performance to-date. Following only City’s second multi-goal victory this year, a 3-1 home win over the St. Croix Legends, Oliver called it an incomplete performance.

He was then, fairly, asked where Sunday’s 5-1 drubbing of River Light ranked.

“This was definitely one where it felt like the pieces of the puzzle finally matched,” Oliver conceded. “I thought our pressing was great. Our winning of first, seconds, and thirds was great. Our chance creation of high-quality chances was great. So, I’m so proud of the boys today.

“Again, everything just clicked. And you know, it got nervy, there, when they made it 2-1. And then the boys responded again, right away, to make it again 4-1 inside like the next seven, eight minutes. So, so proud of them today.”

A common topic of conversation, as winning soccer has returned to Minneapolis, is whether or not the Crows play postseason soccer for the first time since 2021, and for the first-time ever in League Two.

Here, Oliver returned to his old ways, refocusing from the horizon to the fore.

“Big thing that we talk about every game is our process. And make no mistake, I believe we have a team with the quality to be competing for everything that our league has to offer, and hopefully making the playoffs. But you don’t do that by, again, talking about it constantly,” Oliver said. “You do it by having a good process.

“And our process, every game, is bringing our on-ball quality, without gifts. Compete to win firsts, seconds, and thirds. Win the set piece battle. Win the five-to-seven minute stretches.

“We do those things on a given game-day, we can leave with 3 points, or at least a result. And I think you’ve gotten to see that through the course of eight games. Now, I think we could very-much-so be undefeated through all eight. So again, I’m very proud of what we’re doing, and I hope that we can continue to have those pieces to the puzzle fit together.”

New-Two Highs

Minneapolis joined League Two in 2022, and it took a goal intended as a cross, taken from midfield, in the final league game of the campaign, to record a win. (Thank you, captain Aiden O’Driscoll, for salvaging a huge point of pride.) The Crows would manage three victories the following season, and five last year — setting a League Two club-best of 15 points in a season.

This summer, City has already passed that highwater mark, earning 17 points with four games still to play. It’s current four-game winning streak is a League Two club record. So are its 22 goals scored. Additionally, both Kirsch and Kipnusu — tied with seven League Two goals, each — have bettered Eli Goldman’s previous single-season record of five.

The two Drake Bulldogs are also nearing head coach Justin Oliver’s nine career goals for the Crows. And, Loïc Mesanvi’s 2022 single-season club record of 10 goals in all senior team competitions is within striking distance for the aforementioned duo. Counting league and cup, the Crows will play at least five more games.

Additionally, if Minneapolis concedes six-or-fewer goals across its remaining league contests, it will set its new fourth-division single-season defensive record.

Race for the Heartland

It’s so close. It’s all so close.

League Two officially sorts its standings by points-per-game. City currently leads its division in total points, so if your aesthetic preference is to say the Crows are in first place, so be it. Meanwhile, Sueno FC trails by a single point but holds a game in hand. A draw with that extra game puts it ahead of City via the head-to-head tie breaker; the Dreamers having handed the Crows their only defeat of the season, coming on June 6 in Illinois. The two also will square off on July 12 at Edor Nelson Field in their regular-season finale.

A tough run of recent results had put the Lights outside of the top four, and Sunday’s defeat effectively ended their postseason hopes. They join the Legends and Lions playing for pride, which is not to begrudge that noble motivation.

How much does RKC Third Coast’s forfeit continue to sting the Seagulls? The only Heartland side to have played nine matches, they would still be sitting on 18 points with a plus-16 goal differential if not for it.

This Friday’s home tilt against Rochester is a must-win for the (other) Loons. But so too is it for the Crows.

Taking a bird’s eye view of the Central Conference — where only three of five teams placing second in their division will make the playoffs — were the regular season to end, today Peoria City (2.14 PPG), Minneapolis City (2.13 PPG) and FC Buffalo (2.00 PPG) would be in. Midwest United (1.90 PPG) and Lexington SC (1.89 PPG) would be out.

Squeaky-bum time has descended upon all.

MINNEAPOLIS — In the latest iteration of Minneapolis City SC’s Twin Cities Derby, it’s fair to throw out division standings and team records. For the second-straight summer, Justin Oliver is coaching against his twin-brother Tyler’s St. Croix SC. Additionally, on Wednesday, brothers Jake and Joe Swallen, along with Shea and Ryan Bechtel, squared off against one another for the Crows and Legends, respectively. And, with bragging rights on the line, each meeting has been strenuously contested.

The Crows were also arriving back in town to kick off their longest homestand of the season, and coming on the heels of a two-game winning streak. Confidence was high, as was the energy in the stands at Edor Nelson Field. After three years wandering in the wilderness, City looks to have found its way back to winning soccer.

A criticism voiced by Justin Oliver is that his side has not started quickly enough in a handful of games. That was not the case against St. Croix, with Minneapolis getting on its front foot immediately. Which is why an early concession against the run of play carried a notable sting.

A turnover deep in City’s defensive-third sprung Mathis Guffroy, who squared for Liam Ireland, who poked a close range shot past keeper Daniel Sessler, to put the visitors up in just the 12th minute.

If there is any consolation in giving up a goal, early, it lies with early. With nearly 80 minutes left to hunt down a victory, the Crows were undaunted.

“Just to keep going, keep doing what we’re doing. Everybody knows what we need to do to get a result,” said Jake Swallen, about what was said on field after falling behind by a goal. “I think we showed great character in the comeback. We’ve been down before, even this season, and throughout our careers. So, we just wanted to stay calm, play our game, keep the ball moving.

“I think we knew we were going to find goals.”

It took just short of a half hour, but the Crows kept applying pressure until they were able to equalize.

In the 39th minute, midfielder Ian Shaul did well to pick out winger Morgan Olson for a free shot from inside the penalty area. Legends keeper Quinn Millerd — who had made a fantastic save of a Joe Highfield shot earlier in the half — stopped the initial effort. But for the second-straight match, Shea Bechtel played fox-in-the-box, pouncing on the rebound before rounding Millerd and bundling in a goal, ending up sandwiched between the keeper and the near post for his trouble.

“Big goal by Shea to level it back up. Came out of halftime with a very good response,” said Justin Oliver. “Got another goal, which was good.”

Playmaking once more, this time six minutes after the restart, Shaul squared a ball through the St. Croix midfield to find Highfield 25-yards out from goal. In a pocket of space, Highfield had time to fully put his laces through the ball, line-driving a shot past Millerd and into the back netting.

“Second half, again with them losing, naturally, they’ll get more aggressive and find more of their way into the game,” said Justin Oliver. “So, I think that was the most we’ve probably been pinned back in a second half, with not as much of the ball. It’s probably one of our first games of the season where we’ve been out-shot. Sessler had to make two huge saves.”

It was Nolan Meyer in goal in City’s win over the weekend, away to Rochester FC. And City’s manager had continued his practice of rotating keepers, no worse for it, when getting an excellent performance from Sessler on the evening.

Postgame, Sessler was asked, directly, whether or not being in and out of the starting XI makes it any more difficult to remain sharp.

“Personally, no,” answered the keeper. “I think our goalie room, like me, Nolan and Jack [Roach], we’re very competitive. I think we’re all very high-quality goalkeepers. So, in training you get in game reps, game-quality reps, with us three. And, yeah, it’s really easy to stay sharp in those moments.”

Following Highfield’s goal, in just the 54th minute, St. Croix nearly equalized when Ryan Bechtel placed an extremely dangerous cross on the foot of Asher Ozuzu inside City’s six-yard box. The first-touch shot occurred perhaps faster than Sessler could comfortably react, and even though the cross had been hit with pace, it did not travel faster than Sessler traversing his goalmouth to preserve the Crows lead.

“That was just right place at the right time. Got my face to it which is fortunate, to keep it a 2-1 game. And I think from there, it deflated St. Croix a little bit, gave us a little bit of momentum to go get our third. And after that, you know, we could sit in and see the game out. Kill it.”

Kill the game, following Sessler’s save, Minneapolis all but did. Jackson Kirsch found just enough space along the touchline to pick out his Drake Bulldogs collegiate teammate and second-half substitute Preston Kipnusu with a curled cross. The big No. 9 buried his header, and a glancing touch from Millerd wasn’t enough to keep the ball out of the Legends’ net. Having checked into the game in the 61st minute, it had taken Kipnusu only four minutes to ink his name on the scoresheet.

A few more clutch saves from Sessler were required to make the scoreline stand, as the Legends fought to find a way back into the game. But there were no more goals to be found for either team ahead of the final whistle.

Among other things, the game was a showcase of the roster assembled by sporting director Casey Holm and the rest of the sporting staff. Rotating in for Highfield against Rochester, and Kipnusu on the day, Shea Bechtel has scored in each of his starts at forward. And, being able to bring Kipnusu off the bench to score his fifth goal in seven games is testament to the team’s depth.

“It’s just everybody,” said Sessler, on which of his teammate’s performances stood out. “It’s really easy to play goalie for a team where you have 10, 12, 14, 16 guys that can come in and put in a shift, and make my job a lot easier. So I just give great applause to our backline, midfield, strikers — all of them.”

Familiarity Breeds Co… mpetition

That the contest between the Crows and Legends encompassed Oliver versus Oliver, Swallen versus Swallen, Bechtel versus Bechtel, and too many former teammates now on opposing sides to list, was both a source of tension and excitement — at least for Justin Oliver.

Interestingly, when asked if it made the game more difficult to approach, Justin disagreed, focusing on positive aspects.

“Everybody kind of knows who’s who,” said City’s head coach. “I think it also raises the competitiveness between teams, because everybody knows when you’re playing against one of your best friends, you play a little bit harder and a little bit tougher. And you compete and do that little bit more. So again, that’s where I think the game was. Very, very competitive today and close.

“Like you said, funny watching the Swallens go against each other in the midfield at different points. Shae and Ryan [Bechtel] didn’t get to have as much of a matchup, but it’s an interesting dynamic. And then, even then, like we have players starting for us today — Shea, Cole [Schrage], Jared [Hecht] — people that had played at St Croix last year are now here.

“It’s always a cool dynamic when there’s brothers playing against brothers, coaching against brothers. I thought that, again, St. Croix did very well. I thought that we did well. I thought it was a good game between two good teams that, again, have familiarity.”

Looking for More

The victory was just the Crows’ second of the 2025 League Two season that came by more than a one-goal margin, and it felt as if the Crows were in control following Highfield giving them the lead. Postgame, there was praise to go around.

“Jake Swallen was exceptional today. He was so, so good for us,” Justin Oliver said. “Cole made a couple of huge, big defensive interventions on some of their counter attacks that were big time. Sessler was obviously very, very good. I think that was Joe Highfield’s best performance in a USL2 match. So that was big time from him. I thought Shea did a very good job.

“We had a lot of solid performances from people. But the top ones for me were, again definitely Daniel Sessler, definitely Jake Swallen, and I thought Shea.”

And yet, both Justin Oliver and Jake Swallen, postgame, declined to include the two-goal victory among City’s best performances of the summer.

“I think just speed of play. I think the details,” Jake Swallen answered, when asked where improvement was needed. “I mean, Sess — Daniel Sessler — made a couple of big saves. We just want to limit those high-probability chances for our opponent, which come off of transition, and then just our mistakes. So, if we can limit those two, three big chances of the game, I think we lessen our goals conceded by a couple goals a game, which leads to more wins.”

Added Oliver: “Our division is so competitive, every-single game is decided between one-to-two goals, and again, executing in critical moments. So, I think you can see anybody-against-anybody can take points off of anybody on a given day. I also believe that we can go toe to toe with everybody in our conference and leave with 3 points on that day.

“I love our squad. I love our player quality, and I know that we have, again, the quality to be competing for top of the division.

“But the best way to do that is… treating everybody with respect, giving them our best game. And, I don’t think we’ve done that yet, so I’m very excited to see us keep building. Because when it does all kind of fall into place and the pieces of the puzzle do fit together, I think that we can do some special things.”

Race for the Heartland

We’ve updated our recurring Race for the Heartland section. Pre-professional soccer, indeed, and it has been pointed out to the author that only three second-place clubs from the Central Conference’s five divisions qualify for the postseason, based first on points-per-game. Thus, we have added what will be a floating line representing the minimum points-per-game the second-place Heartland Division team will need to make the playoffs, based on what that number is at time of publication.

Presently, among second-place sides, Lexington SC (2.13 PPG) of the Valley Division and FC Buffalo (1.86 PPG) of the Great Forest Division are on the outside looking in.

The good news for Minneapolis fans is that the Crows have back-to-back home games ahead, and immediately following, will not be subject to any road weariness in their intra-metro rematch away to St. Croix in Stillwater, Minn.

“I’m not sure, exactly, what the standings look like, right?” said Jake Swallen, postgame. “[B]ut we pretty much control our own destiny. So, I think, like you said, two games at home is huge. I think we’ve played everybody in our [division] right now. I’ve seen kind of what our team is like against those guys, and I think that we can beat everybody in our [division].

“So, I’m pretty confident going into our next three, and I think we should be able to pick up 9 points from our three. So, I don’t know, I’m excited.”

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The opening 70-plus minutes against first-place Rochester FC had seen visiting Minneapolis City SC the stronger side. The Crows had held more of the ball, and had created the better of the scoring chances.

In the 55th minute, karma bowed to the run-of-play when Morgan Olson’s cross was headed on by Andrew Heckenlaible before being slotted into goal from point-blank range by Shea Bechtel.

Bechtel has regularly played on the wing for the Crows. However, the former Division III national champion and two-time MIAC Offensive Player of the Year was used primarily as a striker for St. Olaf. And Bechtel drew upon that experience to open scoring on the day.

“[Olson] put a good ball across to the back post,” said Bechtel. “Me, being near the front post, kind of expecting a ball back across — so just kind of pounce on it. Preston [Kipnusu] wasn’t able to get there, and I was able to put it home. So, kind of just anticipating the ball to the back post, and knowing that it might end up back on my side, to be in the right spot.”

The one-goal lead was holding up, when, in the 74th minute, Minneapolis head coach Justin Oliver made his second set of substitutions and a tactical change.

“I made a decision as a coach to put us into a 5-4-1 zonal, and just, you know, absorb and just trust that we could defend with numbers behind the ball,” said Oliver. “And then, unfortunately, they find their [expletive] best player on the field, who takes a shot from the top of the box. And he strikes it well — and Nolan [Meyer]’s blinded so he can’t really see it — and equalize through that. So that’s a bummer.

“But also, again we’ve gotten to see, we’ve also failed to see-off leads in a few of our games, now in the 80th plus. So, we tried to just go to a little bit more of a defensive footing, and we conceded still. So, it’s kind of like a you’re-damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t type situation.”

That aforementioned best player for Rochester (per Oliver) was one Alex Matthews, a third-team Division I All-American hailing from Derbyshire, England. And, the Missouri State midfielder, receiving a pull-back from Jovann Ramos, uncorked a 25-yard strike with curl to level the contest in the 88th minute.

“It’s always hard, when you have a one goal lead, to try and protect it without giving the other team too much,” said Bechtel. “And then, obviously, if you’re if you’re up one, getting the second one’s probably the most ideal thing. But it’s difficult when Rochester is a class team, so they’re putting pressure on us. We’re trying not to concede. So, you kind of end up giving them a little bit more than you give them the rest of the game.”

Such a late concession often has a deflating effect on teams. Fortunately, on Sunday, City was not one of those sides.

“We all knew what had to be done,” said centerback Jared Hecht. “We felt like we had dominated the game, and we felt like we deserved it. Some guys really put in good effort at the end, and really put their bodies on the line. Menna — shout out, Tomas Menna — drew three good fouls for us. Drew the penalty right at the end. And it was a good reaction from the boys.

“I don’t think we really doubted it. I never doubted it, the whole time. So, I think we all were very confident that we could pull it off.”

The last-ditch rally played out as follows… Second-half substitute Bernard Assibey-Rhule won a free kick after being taken down with room to run along the touchline. Bo Drath went into the book for the tactical foul. Jackson Kirsch sent the resulting free kick into the Rochester penalty area, with City’s centerbacks and forwards up to contest for a header. Kipnusu’s glancing header was deflected away from goal, and Menna and Loons defender Mikiya Fukata both went for the loose ball.

Some — namely Rochester FC co-owner and president Midhat Mujic, via his personal Twitter account — have insisted Fukata struck ball with a late tackle prior to Menna’s legs. The referee saw things differently, and awarded Minneapolis a free kick, just prior to issuing yellow cards to Ramos and keeper Tomas Butkovic for dissent.

Kirsch then stepped up to the spot, facing a familiar face in Butkovic.

“Ton of confidence [in Kirsch],” said Oliver, on his feelings in that moment. “But also nervous, because that was his college goalkeeper against him. So, sometimes that can be, ‘Oh, man. Does he know his preferred spot?’ It was always going to be [Kirsch]’s ball. And, you know, he slots it in comfortably. So that was very big from Jackson.”

With Kirsch’s cool, calm and collected finish, Minneapolis extended its winning streak in the all-time series with Rochester to four games, having defeated the Loons once in cup and twice in league play last year. The Crows also notched a vital 2-1 victory to keep pace in the Heartland Division.

“Great to get 3 points, great to get back in the win column, and overall, great effort from the team all around,” said Bechtel. “To take the lead, concede late, and then battle back to get the stoppage time winner, it was an excellent game for us.”

Hecht Island

Being tasked with marking 6-foot-4, All-Summit League Second Team forward Faris Colic isn’t an easy ask for many League Two centerbacks. It’s also precisely what Jared Hect was tasked with against Rochester by Oliver.

“There’s a reason Jared Hecht is an All-American defender, and he allows us to live one-v-one,” said Oliver. “He did a phenomenal job defending Faris Colic. Just genuinely class. Sensational. Some big-time tackles. Some big-time blocks. Then the times where he just shepherded the ball out of bounds. Winning firsts. Jared was massive for us today.”

Not exactly slight-of-frame himself, at 6-foot-5 and well north of 200 pounds, the matchup was of a comfortable kind for the Gustavus graduate.

“We’ve been working on our pressing shape, and, you know, we didn’t really give them good looks on the ball. So, they just had to deliver hopeful things into matchups we liked,” Hecht said. “[Colic], he’s a downhill guy, and it’s one of my strengths. You know, I’m big and fast. I back myself in those situations.”

Adding to the difficulty, the defender was on a yellow from the 39th minute, onward. The key, per Hecht, to defending on a caution, is not paying it any mind.

“I like to try to get myself in the right positions, early, when there’s space, before it gets to that point,” Hecht said. “So, try not to think about it. Sometimes, just get a yellow, refs see something one way, and that’s the game we all play.”

A performance — one that saw Hecht defend on an island at several points in the game — went off without the defender putting in a wrong foot for 90-plus minutes, en route to well-deserved Man of the Match honors. And notably, with a pair of big solo tackles inside the Crows’ penalty area in the 71st minute of a one-score game.

The Closer

Tomas Menna spent multiple past-summers with the Futures. Following a breakout season his senior year at Augsburg that saw the Coon Rapids, Minn. native tally nine goals and five assists while starting 16 of 21 games, Menna earned a roster spot on the Crows’ senior team.

He has yet to start a league game. Yet, City might be much, much lower in the division standings without him.

On June 11, after entering the game in the 66th minute, the forward concluded his half-hour shift by sprinting the entire length of the field to win a huge tackle in City’s own penalty area. Coming in added time and in preservation of a narrow 2-1 victory against last-place Chicago City Dutch Lions, the Crows couldn’t have afforded to drop any points.

On Sunday, reporting for duty in the 74th minute, Menna would draw a yellow card in the 84th ahead of earning the game-winning penalty in the 92nd minute.

Oliver, like Hecht, singled out Menna in his postgame for praise.

“I told Tomas Menna, the biggest compliment that I can give him is that I trust him to go on onto the field for the last 25-30 minutes of every-single game, because he competes his butt off,” said Oliver. “He wins tackles. He wins firsts. He wins seconds. He has goals in his game because of his hard running in the box. And he just, he wants it so bad. And he’s a winner.

“And that’s, again, that’s why he’s on the field to end almost every single one of our games.”

Race for the Heartland

The Crows are now second in their division based on points-earned, having reached the halfway mark of their regular season. At time of publication, Sueno FC is the only Heartland team yet to play its sixth game, and has the highest-remaining possible points total (see below). The battle for the top-two spots and corresponding playoff berths remains notably tight. Minneapolis’ win over Rochester has kept it 3 points clear of River Light FC, and level with RKC Third Coast but with a game in hand over the Seagulls.

On the subject of the Seagulls, RKC had its June 8, 4-1 victory over last-place Chicago City Dutch Lions flipped to a 3-0 loss via forfeit, when, as the home team, it failed to provide an athletic trainer for the game.

Up ahead for Minneapolis is its longest homestand of the season, with St. Croix Legends, River Light FC and Rochester each due to visit Edor Nelson Field. Additionally, following that trio of games is the away fixture with the Legends, so the Crows will not have to leave the Twin Cities metro until their July 9 match away to RKC.

With two formidable road games to conclude division play, the Crows are entering an opportune time to pick up more points.

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis City SC hosted undefeated St. Paul Blackhawks in Minnesota Super Cup group-stage play on Friday evening. Thanks to Crows chances gone begging, and a fantastic 88th-minute equalizer from Bethel forward Jordan Ross, the match ended in a 3-3 tie.

Things began in promising fashion. Augsburg defender Jeffrey Richter pounced on a second-rebound to score his first senior-team goal for the Crows, and did so in just the 6th minute. Two minutes later, Kasdan Blattman would first-touch a Johanso Camacho cross to even the score. The dynamic exchange foreshadowed the remainder of the evening’s events.

As the game unfolded, the visitors were content to sit deep and concede the balance of possession. Fielding a notably-quick lineup, the approach flattered the Blackhawks’ strengths.

“They have quality attacking players,” said City head coach Justin Oliver. “When they were very committed to team defending, putting numbers behind the ball, which is a perfectly fine thing to do, then they hit out in the transition, again, through quality players. And that’s a good recipe to get a result, at any level, but especially at this end; narrow pitch, getting six players pushed up against the back line, making it tough on us.”

The two teams went into halftime tied at 1-1, before the Blackhawks took their only lead of the night in the 65th minute. Christopher Franz squared a pass for Jared Garcia, and the midfielder’s far upper-corner finish warranted a goal.

After a pair of concessions from barely as many dangerous scoring chances allowed, City was now chasing the game, late, against a side that had done well to defend crosses, sit deep and counter.

“It changes the way that we have to go about it,” said Oliver. “We have to be more risky. We have to put more numbers forward. We have to have our center backs do more risky-things, with driving on the ball and trying to attract, and do different things. Versus, you know, if we go up, now we can swing the ball, they have to come out to us, and again, the game state changes. So, that that’s frustrating.”

Enter Joe Highfield, to the rescue, having subbed on only moments before Garcia’s goal.

“[Oliver] didn’t say much to Morgan [Olson] or I,” recalled Highfield about his instructions upon entering the game. “Just kind of let us do our thing. And he trusts us, so we know that, and we’re confident in ourselves.”

A courageous bit of play from winger Shea Bechtel, putting his body on the line to win a penalty off of Macalester keeper Drew Moseman, sent Highfield to the spot in the 69th minute. And though the netminder went with Highfield’s shot, the near-perfect bottom-corner placement left Moseman little chance.

Highfield would notch a brace in the 75th minute, putting a cultured side-foot to a pass from winger Bernard Assibey-Rhule. It might not even be fitting to call Highfield’s effort a strike, given its calm efficacy owed to placement more than power.

A 79th minute cross from Highfield picked out the toe of forward Tomas Menna, and was blocked, out for a corner; one of a number of near-goals that hadn’t materialized for the Crows. And, with Minneapolis failing to have put the game out of reach, Ross pulled it level.

“Jordan Ross, every time he plays against me at St. Olaf, he bags goals,” said Oliver. “He’s got three-in-three whenever I’m coaching, so maybe I’m just bad juju with him.”

In the 88th, adjusting to a cross played behind him, Ross pulled off a looping bicycle kick from just inside the Crows’ penalty area to equalize. And, hats off to the former Futures player. It was a spectacular effort.

City would create a few more chances across five minutes of added time. Two corners. A low-driven shot from Adam Senna that found its way through traffic. A Highfield knockdown just out of the reach of Andrew Heckenlaible. A cross from Assibey-Rhule that skipped inches in front of Heckenlaibe, catching Highfield on the stretch, which was lifted just over an open net.

But the final whistle came, before a fourth Minneapolis goal.

“They took their chances really well. Really good finishes, to be fair,” said Highfield. “But we got a lot, as well; a lot of the ball, a lot of chances. For sure, everyone feels a little hard-done by the result. But that’s soccer.”

The Knife’s Edge

The draw was City’s second in cup play, and fourth in seven total matches this summer. What’s more, the Crows have had only a single result decided by more than a one-goal margin.

Minneapolis still has all for which to play. It is the likely second-seed from Group 1 in the Minnesota Super Cup semifinals. And, currently, the Crows sit in third place in League Two’s Heartland Division, just two points back of a playoff spot with a game in hand.

But it’s been a stressful ride, to-date, with the narrowest margins for error; Jackson Kirsch’s last-minute equalizer away to River Light FC; Otis Anderson’s last-minute equalizer against Minnesota United MLS Next; Sueno FC keeper Michael Mroz’s heroics sealing City’s only loss of the year.

“It’s the same old song and dance, I feel like, again, today,” exhaled Oliver. “I thought we created enough chances, did enough things to win. Even with that said, we are also having to come back from behind, yet again.

“Our season is just kind of on like a knife’s edge. I think that we legitimately have a real case to have five wins, two draws, and no losses. And on the flip side, we could also have two wins, two draws, and three losses. Like that’s how tight our margins are right now. I keep feeling like we’re doing enough to win matches, but what I told the boys is we’re not executing in critical moments.”

The Kids Are Alright

A pair of recently-graduated high school seniors made their first starts for City’s first-team, in midfielder Ronan Selbo and winger Elijah Fearing. The latter had played a key role, off the bench, in City’s come-from-behind victory at Chicago City Dutch Lions on Wednesday, winning the game-tying penalty. The former stole the show against the Blackhawks.

“First of all, Ronan was fantastic,” said Highfield. “I thought, in the 60 minutes he played, he was fantastic. He won every duel, I think. I mean, I think he should have been Man of the Match, probably, to be honest. Elijah was great. He won a couple one-v-ones, got a couple balls in the box. And, super promising futures here at City and in college.”

Oliver, too, praised both teenagers in his postgame, and noted that it is unlikely he would have taken Selbo off in the second half, had the latter not already picked up a yellow card for an intelligent tactical foul.

“It’s a great fan section, so super exciting,” said Selbo, of playing in front of City fans. “Love to compete. Everyone here wants starts, wants minutes, everything they can get. So, glad to get an opportunity to start for the first time, and keep moving and working, from there.”

Announced a day prior to the game, Selbo, who played at Washburn, was named the 2024-25 Minnesota Boys Soccer Gatorade Player of the Year. During his postgame, he was asked if the recognition was expected, or a surprise.

“It was always probably going to be me or Elijah, my teammate at [Minnesota Thunder Academy], and here,” said Selbo, of Fearing. “It’s an honor, of course, and super happy about it.”

In kind with the aforementioned award’s selection committee, Oliver, too, is high on the pair.

“I’ve been very pleased with the two high school boys stepping into bigger roles for us.”

Super Cupdate

A pair of ties for City, with both the Blackhawks and MNUFC MLS Next left to face one another, means that the Crows will most-likely finish second in Group 1, which would be good enough for a berth into the semifinals. But, progression is not guaranteed. Here are the relevant scenarios and outcomes based on the result of the upcoming group-stage match on Thursday, June 19:

• Blackhawks defeat United — Blackhawks finish first in group, City finishes second, and Lil’ Loons are eliminated.
• United defeats Blackhawks — Lil’ Loons finish first in group, City finishes second, and Blackhawks are eliminated.
• Blackhawks and United Draw With 4 or Fewer Total Goals Scored — City finishes first in group, Blackhawks finish second, and Lil’ Loons are eliminated based on the goals-for tiebreaker.
• Blackhawks and United Draw With 8 or More Total Goals Scored — Blackhawks finish first in group, United finish second, and City is eliminated based on the goals-for tiebreaker.
• Blackhawks and United Draw With 6 Total Goals Scored — Blackhawks finish first in group, and we’re going to have to get back to you on what tiebreaker is used if City and the Lil’ Loons finish tied on points, goals-for and goals-against.

Whichever team does end up finishing first in Group 1 will get the benefit of hosting the second-place team from Group 2 in the semifinals. Whereas whichever team finishes second will have to go on the road to face the winner of Group 2.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — In the 63rd minute, Chicago City Dutch Lions forward Jake Lane was played in on goal. Coming off his back line to pressure, Minneapolis City SC’s Daniel Sessler effort succeeded in pushing Lane wide, giving a pair of Crows defenders time to recover, and block Lane’s shot at the near post. In what had been a tense, scoreless match to that point, that the Dutch Lions’ most-dangerous chance of the evening had come and gone gave Minneapolis fans a moment to exhale.

But, only a moment.

Chicago City entered the day having lost all six of their games, and by a combined minus-21 goal differential. Minneapolis head coach Justin Oliver and his charges could not be accused of taking 3 points for granted. But, with the race for the Heartland Division’s two postseason berths extremely tight, neither could they afford to drop points. Even when playing on a hot day after a six-hour bus ride.

Which is why the collective heart of the Crows’ faithful sank when the referee did not signal for a corner, following Lane’s shot being blocked. Instead, a card was issued to Andrew Holmes, and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. No shade to Holmes, a no. 6 deputized into City’s back line due to availability issues among Minneapolis defenders, who otherwise scarcely put in a wrong foot (or outstretched arm) over 60-plus minutes.

After Felix Kogler converted his penalty, the Crows were left with 25 minutes to score at least twice in order to escape River Forest, Ill. with an almost-essential victory. And the task was a trickier one than might be assumed by anyone who wasn’t watching the Dutch Lions that evening.

“Their starting lineup was virtually all Division I players, this time,” said Oliver. “Goalie from DePaul; right back, Purdue; right centerback was at Northwestern; left centerback, University of Illinois at Chicago; the left back, Villanova; the no. 6 has played at a couple different Division I schools, transferred out east; their no. 8 was at UNC Greensboro; their no. 10 is going to be an incoming freshman at Jacksonville; the right winger was at Old Dominion; the striker played for a good Division II school, scored a bunch of goals; and their substitute left-winger was also at Northwestern. So, they had their strongest-possible lineup today.”

“Definitely a better team,” concurred Crows midfielder Ian Shaul, who previously faced the Dutch Lions in Minneapolis’ 4-0 win at Edor Nelson Field on May 30. “They had a couple of different players. They were at home, which helped them; we came down here on a travel day. I think they should start picking up some results, soon. They looked good, but we were still able to get a result, which is nice.”

The Half Hour Nap

With holding midfielders Holmes and Jake Swallen comprising a majority of the Crows’ three-man back line, only Curtis Wagner was playing his natural position. Impressively, this posed no real issue for a makeshift trio that made a number of fine tackles to keep the Dutch Lions from seriously testing Sessler in the first half.

Rather, in surprising fashion, it was Minneapolis’ attack that struggled to assert itself, early.

“At times, we could have had a lot more ball speed,” noted Shaul. “I think that would have helped us out, necessarily. Especially when they’re collapsing on Preston [Kipnusu]. Maybe we go into him and then around, or we just find other ways to break. But I think ball speed is something we definitely need to focus on, and it will help us attack better.”

That aforementioned Dutch Lions’ defensive approach was unsubtle: collapse upon the Crows’ no. 9, Kipnusu, with more than one defender, whenever he received the ball with his back to goal. It wasn’t a terrible plan. And as an unspoken sign of respect for how much of a handful the Drake No. 9 has been, the Dutch Lions kept-alive Kipnusu’s streak of drawing a yellow card or worse from the opposition in all five of Minneapolis’ league games this season.

“The first 22 [minutes] I don’t think we were very good,” said Oliver. “We were trying to play out of some trickier moments. We weren’t able to really get Joe [Highfield] and Preston as involved, or our wide players. The water break happened, and I thought we came out of that water break really, really good.

“Joe Highfield had two big chances… I thought we had a handful of opportunities where we had four-v-threes, three-v-twos, three-v-threes, where just our final ball was kind of off. So, we ended the half a lot more positive, but without really forcing their keeper to do a whole lot.”

Slapped Awake

Kogler’s penalty prompted changes from Oliver. Forward Tomas Menna and winger Elijah Fearing were sent on in the 66th minute. With Holmes on a yellow, surprisingly, it was Minneapolis’ leading goal scorer, Jackson Kirsch, that replaced him in the back line.

Oliver had seen both Kipnusu and Highfield put in committed, physical work for more than an hour on a hot, turf field, and wanted Menna’s energy up top, to continue to press Chicago City.

“We have a lot of versatile players who can play different spots,” Oliver said. “Our midfield three ended up being Joe Highfield at the no. 10, Morgan Olson at the no. 8, and Ian Shaul at the no. 6, and that’s still a phenomenal midfield.”

As it would play out, pushing midfielders Kirsch and Shaul deeper worked out quite well for Minneapolis’ attack. But it took some help from one of the youngest Crows.

If you’re a Drake Bulldogs fan, you might not yet be familiar with Fearing, who is an incoming freshman. If you’re a Crows supporter, you might not be, either, unless you’ve kept up with the Minnesota Thunder Academy and Woodbury High School product who has featured for the Futures over the past couple summers.

In just his second league appearance for the Crows’ senior side, the 18-year-old forward felt no jitters when his number was called.

“I don’t really feel, like, afraid, playing [in League Two]. I feel confident,” said Fearing. “I feel like I fit in with the guys. I feel like I’m at this level for a reason. I feel like I can show it.”

A demonstration was not long in the making. Picking up the ball with space down the touchline in the 77th minute, Fearing drove towards goal, blending patience with athleticism.

“When I first looked up, I felt our runners were kind of behind, so I took my time on the one-v-one,” said Fearing. “The defender gave me a lot of space, so I was looking to go endline. Then, just as I was about to cut the pass, I cut in.”

Having taken his marker off his feet a step early, Fearing pushed the ball past the sprawled defender, winning contact, a penalty, and for the Crows, a path back towards a victory.

Fellow Bulldog, Kirsch, jogged up from the back line, and converted. It was Kirsch’s sixth goal of the summer, setting a new Minneapolis City single-season record in League Two, surpassing Eli Goldman.

“We were losing at the time,” said Fearing. “So, 0-1 game, in my head, I just gotta go out there and change the game. I gotta get us a goal, and I gotta do my job defensively, putting in some tackles.”

“I thought Elijah Fearing was incredibly impactful,” said Oliver. “Tomas Menna was incredibly impactful. Was very proud of that. Ronan Selbo came off the bench, and Adam Senna came off the bench. Both of them did a good job.

“You got to see when our backs kind-of got put up against a wall, we had a phenomenal reaction and response.”

Seven minutes after leveling, Highfield was able to turn from a half-pocket of space before spotting Shaul.

“Every time you get a midfielder, especially someone of Joe’s quality, driving at the back line, we want runners in behind; runners everywhere,” said Shaul.

Highfield dutifully slipped a ball that put Shaul through on goal, and the North St. Paul native buried his chance.

“It was just about making sure I connected properly with the ball, and got the finish right,” Shaul said, of his five-hole finish on Tobais Stirl.

And where the two goals came from midfielders getting forward, it’s worth mentioning an added-time intervention from a forward, Menna, who raced all the way back to the end line to make a key tackle and preserve the late victory.

Race for the Heartland

Rier Light FC handed Rochester FC the latter’s first defeat of the season, with the latter already having established itself as one of the frontrunners for the postseason. This as the six-game halfway-mark approaches for most of the division’s clubs.

Wednesday’s win for the Crows has kept the Minneapolitans right in the thick of the playoff race, and had they even drawn against the Dutch Lions, would be looking up at five teams, instead of being part of a three-way tie for third, just 2 points back of second.

A tough but winnable tilt against the division leaders, down in Rochester, Minn., awaits Minneapolis on Sunday. It is a fixture for which Crows supporters have always traveled well, and friendly voices are appreciated, as Minneapolis looks to extend its three-game winning streak in the all-time series.

Then, a three-game homestand begins with St. Croix Legends on June 18.

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. — In its previous game, against Chicago City Dutch Lions on May 30, Minneapolis City SC played its worst half of the 2025 season. And, in its worst overall performance, left Edor Nelson Field the 4-0 victor. Away to Sueno FC on Friday evening, the Crows turned in perhaps their strongest performance of the summer, on balance, but left the Land of Lincoln with no points following a frustrating 3-2 defeat.

“This is the best game we’ve played out of the four,” said Minneapolis head coach Justin Oliver, “and this is the one that we’ve lost. So, like, the game is not always fair. They took their chances inside the 18 and executed in critical moments. I don’t think that we did that well enough, so that is why they earned 3 points and we didn’t. I think our process and our performance was deserving of more. But when you don’t take those chances… and props to their keeper for some of those saves that he made.

“So, yes, definitely feel hard done. I think that based off of chance creation, shots on target, shots, corner kicks, set pieces — every statistical measurable that you can use — I think our performance today was really, really good. We just unfortunately did not take some of those chances that they did, and that’s why they’re on the winning side, and we are unfortunately-not, today.”

The game got off to a rocky start as Easton Bogard found space through the center of City’s defense and opened scoring in the 6th minute. Morgan Olson notched his first goal of the season, curling a shot off the far post and in to level the game in the 24th.

A counter led to a foul and a Sueno free kick just outside the penalty area. In the 34th minute, Michael Nesci would curl his set piece in to give Sueno its second lead of the evening. Nesci would double that lead with a back-post header after halftime, giving City a steep hill to climb in the match’s remaining half hour.

Second-half substitute Mizael Harris tallied his first assist of the campaign, feeding No. 9 (in both program and archetype) Preston Kipnusu for the latter’s third goal of the season.

For defender Jeffrey Richter, who grew up playing club soccer with Harris ahead of both enrolling at Augsburg College, when the pair were sent on in the 60th minute to bolster City’s right flank, it felt just like old times.

“It’s really nice, because I already have that chemistry built with [Harris]. I kind-of know his movements, where he wants me, where I want him,” said Richter. “So, it’s just nice to be able to sub in with Miz and connect with him, since we already have that chemistry built, and from prior to college as well, since we played club together for so many years.”

The combination put wind back in Minneapolis’ sails as it renewed course for a result. But in the remaining 20-plus minutes — emphasis on the plus, as a large running track and no ball kids led to a full seven-minutes of added time — City was ultimately unable to reach harbor, as no third goal arrived.

Close Calls

Credit goalkeeper Michael Mroz, who just finished his freshman year at the University of Evansville, for preserving Sueno’s victory.

In the final moments of the first half, University of Portland and City teammates Olson and Joe Highfield combined for a give and go that saw Highfield put laces through a well-struck shot… that Mroz did well to parry.

Kipnusu played a deft one-touch flick-on for his Drake Bulldogs and Crows teammate Jackson Kirsch. The latter lashed a close-range shot low… and Mroz got enough of the ball to pop it up and out of danger in the 66th minute.

Kirsch picked out Highfield for a powered-header from the edge of the 6-yard box in the 72nd minute… which forced Mroz to flash a top-hand save to parry the effort over the bar.

In addition to being thwarted by Mroz’s heroics, there were a number of other bouts of sustained attacking pressure that fizzled, as well as shots from dangerous areas that were not placed on frame by the Crows.

“I think we created some dangerous chances. We just need to finish them, just work on our final piece,” Richter said. “I thought we did well in possession. Did well competing, winning first and second balls. So, I think just finishing the final touch and working on that. I think we controlled the game in moments pretty well. So, yeah…”

Caught on the Front Foot

Whether directly, as with Sueno’s first goal, or as second-order events, such as the free kick that followed a foul earned in transition, the hosts carved their victory out of the counterattack.

“Possession-defending, when we have the ball, being disciplined, and making sure we know where they’re at so we don’t get countered is something we can definitely improve on,” said midfielder Ian Shaul, who was in the thick of the action, going the full 90 minutes on the night. “That is something that hurt us; was counters. We get a lot of guys forward, weren’t clinical, and suddenly they’re coming right back at us.”

For Oliver, that his Crows conceded first, and never held a lead on the night, bolstered the effectiveness of Sueno’s counterpunching.

“Something we’ll have to work on in training is making sure we have a better resting-slash-counter shape,” Oliver said. “This is where it’s tough. When you’re up, or the score is tied, it’s a lot easier to do that. Because, when you’re losing, and you have to be a little more aggressive, [get] numbers forward, that those kinds of moments are a little bit more risky. We’ve got to put numbers forward to try to equalize. So, then there’s going to be, naturally, more space, more bodies for them against less bodies for us.

“I would say a big thing is starting the game on the front foot and taking [our] chances. Again, goals change games. And if we would have taken some of those to equalize or even go up when it was there for us, the game state, I think, would have been a lot different.”

Race for the Heartland

With the exception Chicago City Dutch Lions, the Heartland Division’s remaining six teams are all in the thick of the hunt for the postseason. That Friday’s defeat for the Crows might at least have been a win — or at least a draw — if the soccer ball of fate had bounced a bit differently, is simultaneously aggravating and mildly encouraging.

“I felt like we had better chances than them,” said Shaul. “I felt like, different day, maybe a couple more fall for us, and that their three goals shouldn’t have happened. Those aren’t that dangerous and we should do better defensively. So, I think we clean those up a bit.”

Rochester FC has been this season’s surprise, riding a stout defense (only two goals conceded through four matches) to a perfect 4-0-0 record, while scoring a pair of goals against each opponent outside of hanging three on the Dutch Lions.

Just 2 points back of a post-season rung on the division ladder with eight games left to play, there’s still time for the Crows. But they’ll need to start stacking results to emerge from a crowded field. Up next is an away game against the Dutch Lions, which should help. Then, a pair of in-state matchups away to Rochester and home against cross-metro foes the St. Croix Legends.