Midwest Premier League

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Soccer

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.