A new page turns in the Gateway Conference this spring as the league splits for the first time into North and South Divisions—signaling both growth and possibility. With 2024 champions Cedar Rapids Inferno placed in the North, the Gateway South is wide open. None of the six clubs in this division have ever claimed a Midwest Premier League conference championship nor a divisional title, and that unfamiliarity with the summit brings hunger, unpredictability, and drama.
The Gateway South is a blend of tradition and ambition this season: three experienced clubs who know the grind of a full MWPL campaign and three bold expansion sides eager to leave a mark. From the college-town energy of Columbia MO to the cross-river pride of Belleville IL, from youth development pipelines to veterans of global leagues, every team brings a different flavor to a division that feels like a powder keg waiting to ignite.
AFC Columbia enters 2025 as the senior member of the Gateway South. This is their fourth campaign in the league, and under Chris Miller, the club has grown a strong identity built on technical discipline and attacking enterprise. The offseason has been quiet on the surface—tryouts were just held last week—but key figures from last year’s squad could form the core once again: players like Breck McGrail, Elliot Goodwin, Jacob Moore, and Sam Appiah could be leading the line after a strong 2024 goal haul. If the club can start strong and maintain consistency, they could very well emerge as early favorites in the division. After three years of MWPL experience, the expectation is no longer just to compete—it is to contend.
Despite this being their debut MWPL season, BOHFS St. Louis steps into the league already carrying a seasoned air. A longtime presence in St. Louis’ lower league soccer scene, BOHFS enters with not just ambition, but pedigree. At the helm is Head Coach Alen Bradaric, whose experience and leadership will be crucial as the club transitions into the Midwest Premier League. Their inaugural roster reads like a résumé of pro-level experience: former Swansea City Chad Bond brings European class; ex-D.C. United and Nashville SC playmaker Liam Collins adds MLS level pedigree; and Bosnian-American midfielder Emir Alihodzic joins after spells with Union Omaha and the USL. With no shortage of tactical know-how and locker room leadership, BOHFS might not need much of an adjustment period. The tone has already been set—BOHFS is here to win.
Club Atletico Saint Louis is now in its third MWPL campaign, and the time for incremental progress may be over. After back-to-back 5th-place finishes, the club—co-founded and managed by Ricardo Garza—is looking to finally break through in 2025. This year, with no NPSL squad in play for the first time since their MWPL launch, all eyes and resources are on this campaign. Though CASTL haven’t released roster details yet, the club’s experience and internal continuity give them a unique edge in this newly formed division. The club knows what works in this league—and more importantly, what does not. That kind of institutional knowledge, paired with renewed focus, could make the difference this time around.
As the only non-Missouri side in the division, Ehtar Belleville FC represents Illinois with pride—and purpose. Founded in 2022 and backed by a passionate local community, Ehtar arrives in the MWPL after gaining valuable experience in the NPSL. Now, in their debut season at the MWPL level, they are aiming to make an immediate impact and to prove they are a battle-tested organization. Unlike many first-year clubs, Ehtar has been anything but quiet during the offseason. They’ve announced a mix of returning players like Jermaine Mentoor and Jake Pollock, along with new arrivals such as Melo Mensah and Don Obare—moves that suggest both continuity and ambition. The club’s energy, fan support, and early squad-building efforts have already created a buzz. Whether they can translate that into results on the field remains to be seen—but the pieces are certainly in place for a compelling debut campaign.
After finishing fourth in their debut campaign last year, St. Louis Stars have already proven that their youth-to-pro pipeline is more than theory—it’s producing results on the field. Built from a respected youth soccer foundation in the metro St. Louis area, the Stars develop players from early ages and bring them up through the ranks, culminating in MWPL competition and beyond. 2024 gave the club a clear idea of what it takes to compete at this level, and 2025 offers a chance to take the next step. The Stars’ blend of technical polish and developmental focus makes them a dangerous opponent for anyone, especially with new teams still adjusting to the league. Their matchups with fellow development-based side STLDA promise to be intense, symbolic—and possibly decisive.
New to the MWPL but no stranger to talent, St. Louis Development Academy enters the league with an already formidable reputation. STLDA has consistently produced high-level youth talent, with players regularly invited to U.S. Soccer ID camps—a sign of both quality and potential. This season marks their first foray into pre-professional league play, bridging the gap between elite youth development and adult-level competition. While the club hasn’t announced specific roster details, expect a young, hungry, and technically gifted group ready to test themselves at a higher level. The derby clashes with St. Louis Stars should be among the most eagerly anticipated fixtures in the division, both for the rivalry and what it represents: two academies, one city, and a chance to own the future.
In a division where no one’s ever been crowned, every match matters—and every win gets a club one step closer to history. The Gateway South is a fresh battleground, full of ambitious returners, confident debutants, and six paths that all lead to one goal: the first championship in the division’s young life. Only one club will reach the top. The race begins now.
Feature Interview: AFC Columbia
AFC Columbia enters its fourth MWPL season as one of the most consistent sides in the Gateway Conference, having finished in the top four each of the last three years. That consistency has been credited to both the club’s ability to recruit top local talent and the standards upheld in its internal culture.
“We have consistently rostered the top players in the Columbia / Mid-Missouri area since Day 1 of competing in the Midwest Premier League,” said Vice President Kurtis Boardsen. “Almost all of these players have competed at the national level at their highly competitive NCAA and NAIA institution and the development they received there prepared them very well for the competition that we face each night we step on the field. We have also surrounded those players with some of the top coaches and soccer minds in the area on our staff, which allows for further development as well as new perspectives to play with when adjustments are needed to be made—both in and out of matches.”
That environment has created a training ground defined by intensity and internal competition. “Our players are battle tested through highly competitive training sessions, where they are constantly on stage to prove they are worthy of the start or playing time in our next match,” Boardsen continued. “This drive pushes our team to be at its best at all times and the players respect that process.”
The mindset is set to continue into Year Four and beyond, guided by a staff that puts equal emphasis on mentality as it does on talent. “Our staff does a great job pushing this culture, but also through auditing the mental toughness of the players we select,” he added. “We have a common goal as a club and our players know what that is at tryouts, so they are well aware of the expectations before they ever pull on the AFCC Blue to represent our Club and Community.”
The Gateway Conference has undergone a major change this year with its split into North and South divisions. For Head Coach Chris Miller, the new structure brings renewed urgency. “The MWPL Gateway has been a highly competitive conference no matter where the teams are located, so we wouldn’t expect this year to be any different,” he said. “Adding two more STL area squads to our division will certainly lighten the travel but will also likely make each game even more important, as many of the games will have more of a local feel.”
Columbia’s roadmap to a title run is clear. “To stay competitive, we will need to steal a few points on the road (as Cedar Rapids Inferno did last year) and hold serve at home (something we could not do consistently last year),” said Miller. “Losing ‘22–’23 champs Ajax St. Louis makes this year seem even more open as each of us will be looking for our first divisional title.”
Even with that opportunity, no match has been taken lightly. “Every team is a challenge and we expect all three new squads (St. Louis Development Academy, as well) to be formidable opponents, just like St. Louis Stars and Club Atletico Saint Louis,” Miller added. “St. Louis is one of, if not the best, soccer cities in the States, so for us to play all 10 matches against quality sides from a much larger population area will be a challenge for us. We certainly know we have our work cut out for us and realize that we need to spend our focus on our own development in order to play at their level. We know we are the smallest fish in this pond and take pride in knowing that we have the opportunity to play against quality opponents every time out. It’s what makes this league so fun and challenging.”
While roster announcements are still pending, a solid core could return—among them Sam Appiah, Jacob Moore, Breck McGrail, and Elliot Goodwin, who helped drive the club’s goalscoring in 2024. Internal improvement and resilience are the offseason priorities. “We are still in the beginning stages of formulating our team for this season,” said Miller, “but we believe we have slowly improved not only our quality, but our depth over the past few years, which is key if you want to compete each night out over the course of the summer. Injuries, weather, vacations… each club will be impacted at some point over the summer.”
That focus has led to intentional team-building. “We have focused the last two years on developing a solid core that understands and buys into our system and beliefs and appreciates what it takes to be successful in a very difficult league,” Miller said. “If nothing else, those that are returning realize how close we were to winning the Gateway the past two seasons and are looking forward to learning from those things that held us back. One thing is for certain—if you end up top table at the end of the season in the Gateway, you will have earned it. The MWPL level of play assures that.”
With Ajax St. Louis no longer in the division, rivalries will shift, but competitive tension remains. Club President Zach Fisher sees new storylines emerging. “With our traditional rival out of the league for the first time, we look forward to continuing the tough matchups with St. Louis Stars and Club Atletico Saint Louis,” he said. “We’ve faced BOHFS in our inaugural season, but both clubs look completely different so it’s hard to gauge where we are compared to them. Personally, I am looking forward to facing Ehtar Belleville FC. That is a club that maybe most resembles our own in the conference and we’ve heard great things about their gameday environment. They are also in Illinois, which any team from that state will be natural rivals for a club from Columbia.”
Off the field, continued investment has supported the club’s growth and identity. “We’ve steadily improved each offseason in specific areas of the club,” said Fisher. “We have improved our player pool each season being the constant, and started to get more attention in the Columbia community as great examples. We don’t want to bite off more than we can chew and we’ve learned lessons along the way on how to build a club that is truly community driven.”
That growth has extended to visibility and fan engagement. “Off the field we’ve spent a lot of time and invested money on making our content better,” Fisher said. “We’ve upgraded the cameras, invested into social media content creation and I think that will help in the long run give us more visibility. Ultimately that should help get more people out to games and increase revenue, which we can reinvest back into the team.”
With culture, continuity, and a chip on their shoulder, AFC Columbia steps into a fresh division with familiar hunger. The opportunity to claim a first divisional title feels closer than ever.