Of the 15 teams in our Power Rankings last week, five drew or lost their matches over the weekend. Heavy movement is expected early in any season, but losses suffered by the likes of Redlands FC and AFC Ann Arbor won’t be soon forgotten. This comes after Peoria City held Des Moines Menace to a draw in the opening week.
This sets the League Two season up to be extremely exciting, with chances in every division for clubs to compete and battle for playoff spots later on in the year. 31 teams have played more than one match – only five have won all of them, and all five of those clubs have only played two matches.
What surprises will this week have in store?
Last season, Capo FC won one game of 12, with only 12 goals scored and a whopping 40 conceded. Through two matches, they’ve already exceeded their points total, without playing a game at home yet. A resounding 4-1 win over Redlands looked to be in the balance at half time – Redlands FC’s Luka Lukic scored an equalizer in the 41st minute to send the game into the break level.
A brace from Rome native Tommaso Belli broke the game wide open by the 66th minute, and that was it for Redlands FC. Capo FC have put the Southwest Division on notice, and they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with if they keep playing like this. Capo will have three home matches in a row, with the chance to really take hold of the division if they’re able.
Entering stoppage time, defending champions Ballard FC were in real danger of losing their first match of the season. They were trailing to Tacoma Stars, 2-1, after a 69th-minute Johnny Ramirez goal put the hosts ahead in the club’s first-ever League Two match.
Try as Ballard might, they couldn’t push through the Tacoma defense. Heavy touches, misplaced passes, and consistent clearances by the Stars meant the visitors had their backs against the wall into stoppage time. A late corner saw the full Ballard team move forward into the box, and while the header didn’t come off initially, Engmann thumped the ball into the net to secure a point for the defending champions.
The result isn’t one either team will be thrilled with – Tacoma had a win in its sights, and Ballard will be frustrated to drop points this early in the season.
In soccer, the old adage is that you’d rather have points on the board than theoretical games in hand. Midwest United FC have taken that to heart – the Michigan club has already played four games, winning three and drawing one to Lansing City.
Their third win was their most impressive – a 3-0 second-half domination of AFC Ann Arbor. Scoreless into halftime, Midwest United substituted Vitalis Takawira and Chidiebere Nnolim into the match. The two back line changes sparked their attack, and they scored two goals in 30 minutes before AFC Ann Arbor went down to 10 men. Connor Burkett scored a third to drive the nail in the match, and Midwest United now sits with ten points from four matches.
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