Year: 2021

After a weekend away, Lansing Common FC returns home on Saturday, June 26, to conclude Pride Month with a matchup against BiH Grand Rapids in their first of two games against the Kentwood-based club.

Lansing Common FC will be on the road for the first and only time this month when they face Michigan Stars’ U23 squad and Livonia City FC. The Robins will play two matches in three days this weekend, the second of four times they will do so this season. 

“We’re looking forward to the weekend slate of games,” said head coach Josh Oakley. “It is going to be a tough two games in three days and we know our opponent on friday will be a very good opponent, but we are starting to play a little bit better every single day.”

Michigan Stars FC U23 (4-1-1, 13 points in 6 GP) sit atop the East Division standings, but could be dethroned by Detroit City FC’s U23s this weekend. The Stars, who were idle last week, have only dropped points twice this season including a 1-1 draw against Inter Detroit two weeks ago. 

After consecutive league victories against Inter Detroit with a combined 6-1 scoreline, the Robins are looking to continue improving upon their recent run of form, and implement similar tactics that have recently proven to be successful. 

“I do think there are some things we need to clean up. We can’t keep turning the ball over, making careless mistakes and careless errors,” said Oakley. “However, I do think we are in decent form right now and a couple things cleaned up just a little bit should help us.”

After traveling to Michigan Stars Sport Center in Washington Township on Friday, the Robins will close out the weekend at Livonia City FC (1-3-5, 6 points in 9 GP). Livonia, having played the most matches in the division heading into the weekend, sits below Lansing Common in the East Division standings. They will be coming off a Thursday night loss to DCFC’s U23s that officially eliminated them from division title contention.

“It’s a really quick turnaround time and this is where our depth is going to be tested a little bit,” said Oakely. “We’ve got a couple of guys who are on one game a week for us with college commitments, …, but it also gives our other guys a chance to step up.”  

The Robins, after dropping their first league game to the West Michigan Bearings, have started to find their footing as they begin their quest to climb the table. The combination of Ty Usiak and Shady Omar as a dynamic striker duo has given the Robins plenty of offensive options, while Trevor Towghi’s recent emergence has given Oakley another crafty midfielder to throw at opposing teams.

“What I see in training is our abilities in the attack and every single day it gets a little sharper and a little cleaner,” said Oakley. “You’ve got to score goals to win games so obviously that is really coming along, and sometimes your best defense is a good offense.”

This weekend’s matches make up the middle part of four league games the Robins will play this month. With a valuable six points on the line against two teams at opposite ends of the East Division standings, the Robins will look to have a pair of strong showings that result in a perfect weekend. 

“Hopefully we can replicate some of the things that we did against Inter, stay in their half, make the game on their backs, and get our goals,” said Oakley. “Then, when we have to stand up and stand tall, we will.”

Matchweek Nine has a hefty palette of games that could have a massive impact on the division standings. Livonia City could be eliminated from title contention if they fail to pick up points in both of their games this week, while DCFC could storm into first place if they remain undefeated. With seven clubs in action, there will be plenty of opportunities for the teams to entertain and surprise.

Lansing Common FC will look to earn the double and a crucial three points when they host Inter Detroit in the first of four straight MWPL matches this month.

Matchweek Seven in the Midwest Premier League East Division saw a few surprising scorelines, a battle between two winless teams, and the emergence of a new leader. 

Michigan Stars U23s earned four points and the division lead with a good weekend at home, Livonia City FC defeated LK St. Clair for their first league victory, and West Michigan Bearings and Inter Detroit finished with surprising results last weekend.

With five matches spread across four days, Matchweek Eight is poised to have a few of its own surprises as seven out of eight teams in the East will be in action and looking to keep pace with an idle Michigan Stars U23s.

Here is your Matchweek Eight preview for the Midwest Premier League East Division.

This weekend’s fixtures

West Michigan Bearings v. Inter Detroit (June 12, 2021, 1:00 p.m.)

The Bearings will be hoping to add another win when they host Inter Detroit during Matchweek Eight. West Michigan lost each of their previous two games, conceding five goals during that span, while Inter Detroit is coming off a scrappy draw against the Michigan Stars U23 side.

The Bearings will try to come away with three points and regain first place in the East, while Inter will be looking to stay in contention with the top teams in the division. 

Livonia City FC v. BiH Grand Rapids (June 12, 2021, 3:00 p.m.)

Livonia City hosts a dangerous BiH Grand Rapids squad in Saturday’s other division matchup. Livonia should find some confidence after their first league win of the season, while BiH Grand Rapids will have their heads held high after a 2-1 victory over the previously-unbeaten West Michigan Bearings.

BiH will try to play catchup in the standings after playing only two league games, while Livonia’s title-challenging hopes grow slimmer with every passing week. Both teams will be playing for a win, so expect afternoon fireworks in this one. 

LK St. Clair v. BiH Grand Rapids (June 13, 2021, 2:00 p.m.)

LK St. Clair will once again be looking for their first victory of the season when they host BiH Grand Rapids to kick off Sunday’s action. BiH will be playing their second leg of a back-to-back weekend in the Detroit area after facing Livonia City on Saturday. LK St. Clair will look to rebound from their 2-1 loss to that same Livonia side after last week’s battle at the bottom of the division table. Though LK St. Clair will have the benefit of rest, BiH will be looking for the right amount of squad rotation to bring home more points from the weekend. 

Lansing Common FC v. Inter Detroit (June 13, 2021, 4:00 p.m.)

A rematch a mere two weeks in the making will take place Sunday afternoon when Lansing Common FC hosts Inter Detroit. Inter will also be playing the second leg of a back-to-back weekend after facing West Michigan the day before.

Lansing Common is coming off a 1-1 friendly draw against UPSL side Grand Haven Admirals. The first match between these clubs ended with a 2-1 victory for the Robins and a straight red for Inter after the final whistle. With three points and bragging rights on the line, expect an entertaining display during another warm afternoon in Lansing. 

West Michigan Bearings v. Detroit City FC U23 (Tuesday, June 15, 2021, 7:00 p.m.)

Matchweek Eight will conclude with a rematch between two attacking teams when the West Michigan Bearings host Detroit City’s U23s. The Bearings will be playing their second game in four days, while Detroit City will be fresh off a 10-day break.

The last match between these sides ended in a 3-0 win for Le Rouge, but West Michigan will be pushing for all three points to keep pace with the division-leading Michigan Stars. 

Last week’s results

Michigan Stars FC U23 def. LK St. Clair (3-0)

Matchweek Seven kicked off with the Michigan Stars U23s handing LK St. Clair another defeat and jumping to the top of the division standings. The Stars held a 1-0 lead going into halftime, but they would capitalize twice more after the break to put the game to bed.

Goals from Alex Zaleczny, Alex Popa, and Matt Vatne helped the Stars earn a valuable three points and their first clean sheet of the season. 

Detroit City FC U23 def. West Michigan Bearings (3-0)

Detroit City remained undefeated and handed the West Michigan Bearings their second loss of the season with a convincing 3-0 victory at Keyworth Stadium.

DCFC got on the board early when Zion Beaton found the back of the net in the 21st minute and Le Rouge took a 1-0 lead into halftime. The Bearings’ day went from bad to worse when they conceded a second goal six minutes into the second half when halftime-substitute Keith Larson scored. DCFC put the game away in the 82nd minute with a Waseem Muthana strike that sealed a valuable three points for Le Rouge. 

Michigan Stars FC U23 drew v. Inter Detroit (1-1)

In their second game in four days, Michigan Stars U23s put in a valiant effort but could only come away with a single point when they drew with Inter Detroit.

The Stars stormed into first place in the division by collecting four points on the weekend while Inter responded to their home loss to Lansing Common by earning a point on the road. 

Livonia City FC def. LK St. Clair (2-1)

In this battle between the division’s only winless teams, Livonia had a better showing and rode away as 2-1 victors.

Things started bleak for Livonia as LK St. Clair opened the scoring in the 3rd minute with a Matt Lentine goal. However, two quick scores in as many minutes gave Livonia a 2-1 lead heading into the halftime break. A Thomas Dono volley and Patrick Smith header contributed to LK St. Clair’s first-half demise. Livonia managed to hold onto their one-goal lead and earn three points for the first time this season.

Standings

1. Michigan Stars FC U23 (4-1-1, 13 points in 6 GP)
2. West Michigan Bearings (3-1-2, 10 points in 6 GP)
3. Detroit City FC U23 (3-0-0, 9 points in 3 GP)
4. Inter Detroit (1-3-1, 6 points in 5 GP)
5. Livonia City FC (1-3-4, 6 points in 8 GP)
6. BiH Grand Rapids (1-1-0, 4 points in 2 GP)
7. Lansing Common (1-0-1, 3 points in 2 GP)
8. LK St. Clair (0-1-5, 1 point in 6 GP)

Lansing Common FC was held to a 1-1 draw in a friendly against the Grand Haven Admirals on a steamy Sunday afternoon at Eastern Stadium. A late second-half free-kick goal from the Admirals canceled out veteran midfielder Esteban Russell’s fantastic first-half strike that was the game’s only goal to that point.

“We’re very disappointed with the final result, but you have to go look at games and judge it as the one big picture,” head coach Josh Oakley said. “We have to take some positive things out of this game.” 

The Robins introduced defender Josh Adam to the starting lineup to pair with center back Aidan O’Connor, who returned from an injury. Adam, the future Michigan State Spartan, played nearly 60 minutes in Sunday’s friendly and looked comfortable in his Lansing Common debut. 

“Josh (Adam) is a quality player,” Oakley said. “He makes the right decisions and is a good communicator.” 

In the opening minutes of the game, possession of the ball was key for the Robins. Passes between the defenders and midfielders made it difficult for the Admirals to take the ball away and create chances.

At the 10-minute mark, forward Ty Usiak chased a threatening ball from Russell into the Admirals’ box. It rebounded off the goalkeeper, landed at the feet of Russell, and hit the back of the net when the former Western Michigan Bronco chipped the ball in from outside the box.

Russell put Lansing ahead 1-0 in the first 10 minutes, and it was an ideal start for Oakley. 

“I tried to toe-poke it past the goalie, but it bounced out to Stebby (Russell), and he had a nice finish into the far corner,” said Usiak. 

In the 26th minute of the first half, a hydration break gave Oakley an opportunity to make a pair of substitutions that included forwards Seth Russ and Joshua Rosendale.

Russ scored the opening goal against Kalamazoo FC on May 30 and the Mason native was given a chance to make a similar impact against the Admirals. 

Grand Haven forward Ben Bush nearly scored the equalizer in the 36th minute when his curling effort ricocheted off the far post and almost rolled into goalkeeper Patrick Restum’s goal. 

It was a troubling moment for the Robins near the end of the half, and both teams would regroup and prepare for the final 45 minutes.

“We wanted to keep the lead and keep the pressure against them,” said Usiak coming out of halftime. 

Defender Ben Derby and midfielder Lirim Shefkiu were subbed on at the beginning of the second half as Oakley rotated the squad.

The Robins had another opportunity in the 66th minute when Lirim Shefkiu’s powerful volley struck the crossbar. 

“It’s a friendly game, and I wanted to see if the players were up to the task,” said Oakley.

Midfielder Trevor Towghi also made an appearance for Lansing, and Oakley praised his performance off the bench. At Trine University, Towghi has scored seven goals and recorded four assists in 32 games. 

“He did everything right and created great scoring chances,” Oakley said. “It was one of the positives from tonight.” 

Defender Travis Hamers’ misplayed a pass in the 81st minute that led to a free-kick for the Admirals at the top of the Robins’ box. Grand Haven midfielder Jonathan Stout’s shot found the lower-right corner of Restum’s goal to finish the scoring at 1-1. 

Forwards Shady Omar and Usiak made their way back onto the field for the final nine minutes of the game in search of a winning goal, but they couldn’t secure the victory. 

“I think there were moments when we were in complete control of the game, and there were others where you would think we were lucky to be in this game,” said Oakley.

With the match settled at 1-1, the Robins concluded their last friendly of the month. Their next, and final friendly will be against USL League 2 side Fort Wayne FC on July 1. 

Some positive takeaways from Sunday included important minutes for role players, a fast start, and a good goalkeeping performance from Restum, according to Oakley.

The Robins’ (1-0-1) next two games in the Midwest Premier League East Division will begin at home with a reverse fixture against Inter Detroit on June 13 followed by a trip to Michigan Stars U23 on June 18. Tickets to Sunday’s matchup against Inter Detroit are available on the Lansing Common FC website.

Matchweek Six saw plenty of surprises as the East Division standings look a little different than they did seven days ago. West Michigan’s high-powered attack was stifled by their local rivals BiH Grand Rapids, while Lansing Common and Detroit City U23s made big moves last week with much-needed victories. Heading into Matchweek Seven, there could be a new division leader after Sunday night; and while no team can be eliminated from title contention this week, championship hopes could get exponentially smaller for some. Here is your Matchweek Seven preview for the Midwest Premier League’s East Division.

This weekend’s fixtures

Michigan Stars FC U23 v. LK St. Clair (June 3, 2021, 8:00 p.m.)

Once again Michigan Stars FC U23 has a busy weekend with two matches in four days, starting June 3 when they host LK St. Clair. The Stars have had a good start to their season with their only blemish being a 2-1 loss to Detroit City’s U23 squad. LK St. Clair, on the other hand, is still searching for that elusive first victory and currently sits bottom of the table. St. Clair will look to make the return fixture more competitive after falling at home two weeks ago to the Stars, 5-1. 

Detroit City FC U23 v. West Michigan Bearings (June 5, 2021, 4:00 p.m.)

Saturday has only one East Division matchup when formerly-undefeated West Michigan Bearings go on the road to take on an undefeated Detroit City. The Bearings are coming off their first loss of the season when they fell 2-1 in the Grand Rapids derby to BiH Grand Rapids. Detroit City is coming off a 5-0 thrashing of Livonia and have scored seven goals in two games this season. West Michigan will have a chance to maintain their division lead with a victory, while DCFC could make things interesting at the top of the table with a full three points. 

Michigan Stars FC U23 v. Inter Detroit (June 6, 2021, 4:00 p.m.)

Inter Detroit will look to get back into the win column when they travel to play a Michigan Stars U23 squad that will be playing its second match in four days. Inter’s comeback effort last Friday against Lansing Common was cut short and they were handed their first loss of the season. The Stars, however, have performed well during a congested period of fixtures and currently sit second in the East Division. Inter Detroit will have their hands full as they look to get their second victory of the season, while the Stars may have an opportunity to overtake West Michigan for the East Division lead with an exciting showcase this weekend.

LK St. Clair v. Livonia City FC (June 6, 2021, 4:00 p.m.)

Matchweek Seven concludes with a battle at the bottom of the table as the only two winless teams in the East Division square off on Sunday. LK St. Clair will be coming off a midweek away match against Michigan Stars, while Livonia will be coming off a 5-0 thumping at the hands of Detroit City. The first meeting between the two sides finished 1-1, but both teams know how important this reverse fixture is in terms of their title hopes. Livonia has already played seven games while LK St. Clair will conclude the week having played six. Both teams will look to keep their title-chasing hopes alive with a much-needed three points on the line. 

Last Week’s Results

Lansing Common FC def. Inter Detroit (2-1)

Lansing Common scored twice within the first 45 minutes while fielding a makeshift pair of center-backs and then managed to hold off a late comeback effort to earn their first MWPL victory. The Robins were without their four registered center-backs but found production from the backline when defender Julian Birge netted the game’s opening goal. Lansing Common continued to keep Inter away from their goal and Shady Omar’s header just before halftime gave the visitors a 2-0 lead going into the break. Gabe Baylon would score from the penalty spot for Inter’s only goal  and Lansing Common would leave Evolution Sportsplex with three points. 

Detroit City FC U23 def. Livonia City FC (5-0)

Detroit City’s under 23s blasted Livonia in a game that saw Le Rouge dominate the match from beginning to end. The 2-0 scoreline at halftime was still manageable for Livonia after they had conceded goals to Brady Walker and Benedik Tanyi. However, DCFC would seal the victory when Shion Soga converted a penalty in the 56th minute. Le Rouge would tack on two more goals in the final 10 minutes and earn a clean sheet and a valuable three points on the road.

BiH Grand Rapids def. West Michigan Bearings (2-1) (Tuesday, June 1, 2021)

Matchweek Six was capped off with the Grand Rapids derby. The Bearings opened the scoring when Isaac Braak’s volley from just outside the 18-yard box found the back of the net. However, BiH would equalize shortly before halftime when the Bearings turned the ball over in their half and Chris Mendez curled a shot inside the far post that would send both teams to the locker rooms deadlocked at one goal apiece. Things would get worse for the Bearings when a handball was called against Isaac Braak inside the six-yard box. Jacob Pellerito would convert the penalty kick and BiH would hold onto the lead to hand the division-leading Bearings their first defeat of the season.

Standings

1. West Michigan Bearings (3-1-1, 10 points in 5 GP)
2. Michigan Stars FC U23 (3-0-1, 9 points in 4 GP)
3. Detroit City FC U23 (2-0-0, 6 points in 2 GP)
4. Inter Detroit (1-2-1, 5 points in 4 GP)
5. BiH Grand Rapids (1-1-0, 4 points in 2 GP)
6. Lansing Common FC (1-0-1, 3 points in 2 GP)
7. Livonia City FC (0-3-4, 3 points in 7 GP)
8. LK St. Clair (0-1-3, 1 point in 4 GP)