Midwest Premier League

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Midwest Premier League

AFC Roscoe Joins MWPL for 2024 Season

The Midwest Premier League (MWPL) is proud to welcome AFC Roscoe (Chicago, IL) as the latest expansion club to join the league ahead of the 2024 season.

The Chicago-based club was founded in 2021 by Zico Shaker and is led by Club President Tommy Bender. Before the MWPL, Roscoe played in the NSL Chicago (now the Greater Chicago Soccer League) and were back-to-back champions of the Chicago Division in 2021 and 2022. For the 2024 season, Roscoe will compete in the MWPL Heartland Conference.

“We are extremely excited for the opportunity to compete against top clubs in the Midwest while continuing to push towards our club goals of providing high-level play and giving back to our Chicago community. Forza Roscoe. No fear, ” said Roscoe President Tommy Bender.

MWPL Commissioner, Patrick Hodgins added, “The MWPL is happy to add AFC Roscoe to our Heartland Conference for 2024. They are a well-run club both on and off the field and will add to the quality of the clubs in Chicagoland.”

AFC Roscoe plans to hold tryouts in March. You can learn more about the club and stay up to date on their latest news by visiting their website afcroscoevillage.com and by following them on Instagram (@afcroscoevillage).

2030 MWPL Plan: Heartland Conference Update

The clubs of the Heartland Conference have proposed a two-division plan, based on sporting merit, to the league’s Board of Directors for the 2024 season. As the league grows through expansion and conferences shift geographically, the final determination on the establishment of the tiered system will be made early in the calendar year. 

If the Heartland Conference does not reach a minimum number of clubs in ’24, a single-division format will be used, the results of which may serve to seed clubs into multiple divisions in ’25. 

The multi-division system will include some form of promotion and relegation, which will be determined prospectively.

For clubs interested in joining the MWPL, you can find more information here: midwestpl.com/membershipinfo. Applications will be accepted until the Expansion Deadline on December 31st.

You can stay up to date on all the latest league news by following the MWPL on Facebook (mwplsoccer), Instagram (midwest_pl), and Twitter (midwestpl).

Introducing Your Great Lakes East Champion: Inter Detroit

Massimo Cipriano

The first trophy of the 2023 season was lifted by Inter Detroit on Tuesday night, clinching the Great Lakes East title after a 3-2 victory over Michigan Jaguars FC on the red turf at St. Mary’s.

Inter Detroit got the scoring started early, with an eight minute rebound off the post into the back of the net by Shady Omar.

Clinching the division wasn’t going to come that easy however, as Michigan Jaguars FC equalized in the 31st through a blistering Andrew Darakdjian run behind Inter Detroit’s back line that created a one-on-one with the keeper that was slotted into the back of the net.

It was all even at halftime, but Inter Detroit set the tone again early in the 50th. Jaguars FC was dispossessed in the defensive third and was quickly punished by a long-distance strike by Gavin Brose to the far corner.

But again, Darakdjian brought the Jaguars even, this time crashing the net on a low service across the face of the net.

With the match on level terms in its waning phases, it seemed like Inter Detroit’s party would have to wait until next week. However, DaVion Page had other plans.

A frantic 86th minute Inter Detroit corner bobbled around the box until it fell to the feet of Page, who took a touch and knocked the ball into the back of the net. Page ran to the touchline, where he was embraced by the onrushing bench.

This was soon followed by the final whistle, giving Inter Detroit the win and the Great Lakes East title.

This result punches the first ticket to the Great Lakes final on July 29, where Inter Detroit will face the winner of the Great Lakes West.

However, Inter Detroit has one more regular season match against Detroit Union on July 22. This presents Inter Detroit the opportunity to end the 2023 regular season undefeated, before its biggest match of the year.

Ypsi Yetis FC Join The MWPL

The Midwest Premier League (MWPL) is proud to welcome Ypsi Yetis FC (Ypsilanti, MI) to the league as an expansion club to begin play in 2024.

Ypsi will join the Great Lakes Conference in a division to be determined once the league’s conference alignment is finalized ahead of the 2024 League AGM in February.

“We’re happy to welcome the Yetis to the league and the evergrowing Great Lakes Conference. They bring fun branding to the MWPL and fit well with our community-focused philosophy,” said MWPL Commissioner, Patrick Hodgins.

The club is led by Roland Gibson, the club founder and owner. Gibson launched the club earlier this year but is well-versed with the MWPL, having spent time playing for Detroit Union FC, among other clubs in the area. He is also a youth coach for the Michigan Tigers and holds a USSF C License. He played collegiately for Spring Arbor University.

“We are ecstatic about joining the Midwest Premier League and we’re eager to hit the ground running this winter with some exciting announcements. As a first-year team in the MWPL, we are optimistic to make a notable impact by connecting with the untapped soccer talent in the greater Ann Arbor area.

Involving the community and their families through the game of soccer are key goals that our club and league share. We hope to give back a rewarding experience for our players and also our fans & staff through the Ypsi Yetis,” said Gibson.

Joining Gibson in the club’s front office is Kyle Braunschneider and Hailey Donnellon. Braunschneider, who is also a youth coach for the Michigan Tigers and holds a USSF C License, as well as a BS in Sports Management and Communication. Donnellon, who has playing experience at Madonna University, is currently a physical therapy tech and has a BS in Exercise and Sports Science.

The Yetis have announced that their tryouts will take place on December 27th. Interested trialists can sign up here ypsiyetisfc.com/tryouts. The club plans to announce its coaching staff soon.

You can find their website at ypsiyetisfc.com and follow them on Facebook (@YpsiYetisFC), Instagram (@ypsi_yetisfc), and Twitter (@Ypsi_YetisFC).

2030 Plan: The MWPL Announces New League Vision

The Midwest Premier League is excited to announce the “MWPL 2030 Plan”, a vision that will restructure the competition model.

Originally presented to the league’s member clubs during the 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in March, the plan is a road map for a future tiered system that will feature promotion and relegation.

Implementation of the plan, by conference – the Great Lakes, Gateway, and Heartland – will vary depending on the pace of expansion over the coming seasons. It’s anticipated that some competition formats for certain conferences will change well prior to 2030, even as early as 2025, as our conferences make progress toward the future vision.  The 35-team league will continue to seek to grow within the current footprint as well as the rest of the Midwest region.

Czarni Jasło Hoist The Heartland Conference Title

The MWPL’s Heartland Conference title race was possibly the tightest of the season. Seven of the conference’s eleven clubs remained in contention for the top spot with just two matchweeks remaining.

Amidst this commotion, Czarni Jasło prevailed as the 2023 Heartland Conference Champion. The Chicago club made it to the top in its debut MWPL season, a remarkable feat when looking at many of the experienced and talented clubs that it stacked up against all season.

This includes a 3-0 win against 2022 Champion Bavarian United SC, who had lost an MWPL match since 2021. This was the beginning of an eight-game unbeaten streak that lasted from May 20 to the end of the season.

The biggest match of the season came on July 25 against Chicago City SC, who was in second place and in hot pursuit of the top spot. The match finished in a 3-3 draw, which preserved the distance that kept Czarni Jasło’s destiny in its hands entering the final matchweek.

Czarni Jasło conceded ten goals in 2023, the lowest in the Heartland Conference. This sturdy defense was supplemented by the scoring prowess Geoffroy Agboku, who finished third in Heartland scoring with seven goals.

With Bavarian United SC’s reign coming to an end, it will be interesting to witness a new era, and potentially a new MWPL dynasty.

Ajax St. Louis Achieve Gateway Greatness

The inaugural season of the Gateway Conference is officially in the books, with 6 teams from Missouri and Iowa squaring off in the MWPL’s most recent expansion. As the conference took midseason form, there never seemed to be a doubt that Ajax St. Louis were en route to win the title.

And it did just that, securing first place with a 7-1-2 record (22 points). Ajax St. Louis, a returning MWPL club, had a battle-tested squad that was firing from the beginning, emerging from its first six matches undefeated.

What was smooth sailing for the returning MWPL side was slightly roughened by a 1-0 upset at the hands of fellow returner Cedar Rapids Inferno.

However, the club rebounded phenomenally with two consecutive wins on a combined 10-1 score, effectively clinching the title before its tenth and final match.

Ajax’s high powered offense provided the club a conference-high 30 goals, in pairing with only conceding 11. In a season that can be defined by its dominance, Ajax St. Louis maintained its status at the top throughout most of the season.