Year: 2022

After securing its first win of the season on Sunday afternoon, Lansing Common FC will look to sustain its momentum on Wednesday, June 15, for another Midwest Premier League test against Detroit Union FC.

The Robins will hit the road to face Detroit Union, which plays its home games at Lake Orion High School. DUFC (0-1-5) has only managed one point through six games in league play, but Lansing head coach Josh Oakley and his team aren’t overlooking any league opponents.

“I think we need to be careful, all of us and everybody, this year in terms of top of the standings, bottom of the standings,” Oakley said. “You look at the league, everybody’s beating everybody and everybody’s tending to lose. I think maybe everybody’s taken a loss already (excluding Michigan Stars and Cedars FC), and it’s only June. I think the league is completely different than last year.”

Lansing Common (1-1-1) received goals from Jack Voight (39th minute) and Guershom Sylvain (76th minute) during its 2-0 win over Michigan Jaguars FC on Sunday, June 12. Sylvain’s goal was the first of his Lansing Common career, coming in his debut game with the club. The goal helped seal the Robins three-point performance and a special moment for Sylvain.

“It felt really good, especially for the fans,” Sylvain said. “When I first got the signing, I felt I had a lot of support from the fans. I’m just really happy to put some smiles on the fans’ faces.”

Sylvain, a 2022 graduate of Holt High School and future Detroit Mercy Titan, is overjoyed at the opportunity to play in front of his home city this summer.

“This is where I was raised,” Sylvain said. “I love this city. I’m really happy that I’m staying close, as I’m going to Detroit Mercy. I have a lot of support from family, friends. A lot of people here just do it for Lansing. I love seeing Lansing be up.”

Wednesday, Sylvain and the Robins will take on a Detroit Union team playing its first season in the Eastern Conference of the Midwest Premier League. DUFC was founded last season, qualifying for the UPSL Midwest playoffs under head coach Roddy Green, a former Detroit City player. This season, Green has departed and the team has struggled to get results.

Detroit Union earned its best result of the season with its performance in its last match, a 1-1 draw at home on Saturday against West Michigan Bearings. Prior to Saturday, new head coach Zane Polack and his team hadn’t earned a point in its previous five league games.

“I know a few of the players on (Detroit) Union,” Oakley said. “I actually had the privilege of coaching a few, and they’re very good players. They have good skill sets and some very good athletic ability. For us to go in and think anything other than just a razor sharp focus on doing what we do best would be a big mistake, and we’re not going to make that mistake.”

Another challenge for the Robins on Wednesday will be the weather, as the temperature at kickoff is projected to be 90 degrees, and temperatures across Metro Detroit are expected to rise above 95 during the early evening. Assistant coach Mike Mignano emphasized hydration during training on Tuesday, and Oakley pointed to the Robins increased depth as a way to counter the heat.

“We’re getting deeper and deeper by the day,” Oakley said. “You look at our forwards in the last game, we were able to make a change and we don’t lose anything when we make a change, we get better. Having that depth within the team is absolutely critical right now.”

Kickoff between Lansing Common FC and Detroit Union FC is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Lake Orion High School.

Lansing Common FC secured its first win of the season Sunday evening, beating Michigan Jaguars FC 2-0 in a game that featured the club’s Juneteenth recognition night. 

“I thought today was better communication, guys were more locked in,” said defender Kevin Payne. “We kind of have a motto – ‘don’t lose two games in a row.’ Just come in and focus, never fall asleep and get the result.” 

After a disappointing performance against West Michigan Bearings SC last weekend, Lansing Common rebounded against the Jaguars with their most complete team performance of the season. From starters to substitutes, there were plenty of excellent performances around the pitch on the night. 

Forward Jack Voight scored Lansing’s first goal of the evening at the 39th minute. Forward Ty Usiak launched a beautiful cross 40 yards down the pitch, setting the table for a first-touch missile from Voight just 15 yards out. 

In his debut game as a Robin, forward Guershom Sylvain notched Lansing Common’s second goal of the night. 

Subbed on for Ramzi Shaheen in the 59th minute, it didn’t take long for Sylvain to make his mark on the game. Earning a corner in the 76th minute, midfielder Munir Sherali crossed the ball just over the front of the net. Payne headed the ball back toward center and Sylvain finished the play by nodding the ball past the Jaguars’ keeper. 

“It felt really good, especially for the fans,” said Sylvain. “When I first got the signing, I felt I had a lot of support from the fans. I’m just really happy to put some smiles on the fans’ faces.” 

Despite the one-sided score, the match was a fairly competitive affair, with each team applying offensive pressure throughout. However, Lansing Common’s defense made the difference. 

Ethan Brandt earned a clean sheet in net, his first of the season. Lansing Common’s defenders heavily contributed to the clean sheet, making key tackles and clearing dangerous scoring chances throughout the 90 minutes. 

Payne was especially effective on the backline, anchoring the defense and notching an assist on Sylvain’s goal. 

“It’s not easy to get a clean sheet,” said Payne. “You can’t take a play off – it’s every play.” 

Up next for the Robins

Lansing Common’s next match is an MWPL road game against Detroit Union, with kickoff set for 7 pm on Wednesday. 

The Robins next home game is Saturday, June 18 at 6 p.m. against Cedars FC which is also Pride Night at Eastern Stadium. Tickets are just $5, available online and at the gate. Special Pride shirts will be available for purchase with all proceeds being donated to the Salus Center in Lansing. For those who can’t make it to gameday, the match will be streamed live on YouTube. 

Lansing Common FC returns to Eastern Stadium on Sunday, June 12, to host Michigan Jaguars FC in its third Midwest Premier League match. After suffering a 4-1 loss last weekend against West Michigan Bearings SC, the Robins look to earn their first win of the season. 

“We got caught again in transition (last weekend), and it’s something that hurt us last year,” head coach Josh Oakley said. “I think this team (Lansing) will bounce back just fine.”

Last time out, forward Jack Voight scored Lansing’s only goal after entering the game as a first-half substitute against the Bearings. Voight could be one of many players looking to earn more minutes on Sunday.

“He (Voight) has a nose for the goal and (forward) Guershom Sylvain will be available for this weekend,” Oakley said. 

Sylvain, alongside a handful of younger Lansing players, trained this week after competing in the Michigan State Youth Soccer Association’s Club State Cup final. Sylvain scored a late penalty to help his Lansing Rush U19 side triumph over Nationals. 

This week, the Robins concentrated most of their training on transitions and defending. 

“Having the attacking pieces back for us is important,” Oakley said. “We have to dominate the game with and without the ball.” 

The Michigan Jaguars began their MWPL season with losses to Inter Detroit and the Grand Haven Admirals, but they were able to earn a 3-1 win over Tulip City United SC in their last game. 

With two wins under their belts over two of the league’s other new members in Tulip City and Detroit Union, the Jaguars will attempt to be a legitimate contender in the league when they take on the Robins for the very first time.

Kickoff is scheduled for 5 pm on Sunday, June 12, at Eastern Stadium. Tickets are just $5 and are available online or at the gate. Tonight’s game is also Juneteenth recognition night. The evening will feature education around the upcoming Juneteenth Holiday and organizations actively doing anti-racist and community organizing work in Lansing, as well as promotion of upcoming Juneteenth events taking place the week of June 12-19 in Lansing, inviting fans to participate in honoring the holiday.

One Love Global and partner organizations will be at the game and will share about work that is ongoing in the Lansing area to advance racial equity. Lansing Common FC players will wear special Juneteenth recognition warmups, and t-shirts with the same design will be available for fans to purchase with proceeds being donated to One Love Global’s Beloved Community Fund. 

Lansing Common FC, in partnership with One Love Global, is excited to announce the club’s June 12 home game will be Juneteenth Recognition night at Eastern Stadium. The evening will feature education around the upcoming Juneteenth Holiday and organizations actively doing anti-racist and community organizing work in Lansing, as well as promotion of upcoming Juneteenth events taking place the week of June 12-19 in Lansing, inviting fans to participate in honoring the holiday.

One Love Global and partner organizations will be at the game and will share about work that is ongoing in the Lansing area to advance racial equity. Lansing Common FC players will wear special Juneteenth recognition warmups, and t-shirts with the same design will be available for fans to purchase with proceeds being donated to One Love Global’s Beloved Community Fund. 

Inspired by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s beloved community, One Love Global envisions a Metro Lansing where we are in deep loving relationships with one another, where we can collectively heal from generations of racialized trauma, and where the very structures of our community reflect and uphold racial equity. Through the Beloved Community Fund, One Love Global is investing in that future. We have an opportunity to supply young people with the tools they need to create change alongside us and to take up the mantle beyond us. Racial equity is imperative, and when led with love, inevitable. With your help, we can build on our progress together and continue to move forward. Donate here to support the Beloved Community Fund.

In addition, Lansing Common will share information about its participation in the Anti-Racist Soccer Club coalition and opportunities for fans to engage in those efforts. 

“One Love Global is an amazing organization that has a great impact in the Lansing area,” said Lansing Common President Eric Walcott. “I’ve had the privilege of participating in a variety of programs they offer, which has contributed to my own personal journey of anti-racism work. I’m thrilled to be able to support them with this effort, and honored to have their partnership in this event.” 

June 19th, or Juneteenth, is a holiday that commemorates the day when the news of the legal end to slavery reached the final corners of our nation in Texas, where Black people were still being held captive more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. In 2020, the Movement for Black Lives recognized the importance of the moment in saying:

“Juneteenth is a day that honors Black freedom and Black resistance, and centers Black people’s unique contribution to the struggle for justice in the U.S. This Juneteenth is a rare moment for our communities to proclaim in one voice that Black Lives Matter, and that we won’t tolerate anything less than justice for all our people.”

To learn more about the history of Juneteenth, click here. For Lansing area Juneteenth celebration and education events, please visit the Lansing Juneteenth Celebration or 517 Juneteenth Festival websites. 

The match will take place June 12 at 5pm at Eastern Stadium as Lansing Common takes on Michigan Jaguars in Midwest Premier League action. Tickets are just $5 and available online or at the gate. 

Lansing Common FC’s home opener and first league match of the season against Tulip City United SC ended in a 1-1 draw, due to a late goal from the visitors.

Ramzi Shaheen scored his first goal as a Robin, cashing in on an assist from Ty Usiak at the front of the net. Shaheen’s tally would be the only goal of the night for Lansing Common. 

Lansing goalkeeper Ethan Brandt was awarded man of the match after a stellar performance in net. 

“Ethan’s a top goaltender,” said Head Coach Josh Oakley. “He may be the best goaltender this club has seen.”

Despite Brandt’s heroics, Tulip City found the equalizer in the 76th minute. Both sides had quality opportunities to take the lead in the waning minutes, but ultimately, impressive goalkeeping ensured a draw. 

“We just didn’t finish on chances,” said Oakley. “When you do that, you leave the door open for a 1-1 share of the points, and we’re disappointed in that”. 

Like last weekend, Lansing Common started a bit slow, with the opponent controlling possession and dictating play. The Robins picked up steam after the 20th minute, pushing play back into Tulip City’s half. Capitalizing on that change in momentum, Lansing Common broke the nil-nil tie at the 38th minute thanks to Shaheen’s goal. 

The Robins took that momentum into the start of the second half, creating multiple goal-scoring opportunities and putting pressure on Tulip City. However, Lansing could not finish on those opportunities, and City’s goal in the 76th minute was the final tally for either side. 

“We had a good couple of chances at the beginning of the second half that we could’ve put away,” said Brandt. “I’m a little bit disappointed with this one.”

Up next for the Robins

Lansing Common’s next match is on the road against West Michigan Bearings SC on Friday, June 3. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be live-streamed on Facebook

The Robins next home game is on Saturday, June 12 at 5 p.m. against Michigan Jaguars FC. Tickets are just $5, available online and at the gate. For those who can’t make it to gameday, the match will be streamed live on YouTube. 

In less than 24 hours, Lansing Common FC will play its 2022 Midwest Premier League Eastern Conference home opener against the newly-introduced Tulip City United SC. The Holland-based club already has one league win under its belt after defeating Detroit Union FC 5-0 on May 14. 

Meanwhile, the Robins suffered a 2-1 loss against BiH Grand Rapids last weekend in the Grand River Open Cup. Forward Ty Usiak was the lone goalscorer for the Robins in their first game of the 2022 season. 

Goalkeeper Ethan Brandt and midfielder Mark Wischmeyer were among the many club debutants in the game against BiH Grand Rapids. 

With only a little more than two weeks of practice, Lansing head coach Josh Oakley believes his team is prepared for its first home match.

“They just want to play,” Oakley said. “We approached the last game as a tune-up and being in front of the supporters this weekend, I know the guys want to get after it.” 

This week, training sessions were focused on speed of play and playmaking in the final third. 

“We have quick players at different positions and we’ll use that to our advantage,” Oakley said.

The home opener this Saturday will be the first of 10 league matches this summer and, having finished last season as runners-up in the standings, Lansing’s returning players know how much focus will be needed to win games.

“A lot of the guys, new and returning, are willing to learn and come together as a unit,” midfielder Julian Birge said. “As a collective, we have a very good work rate.” 

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Eastern Stadium on Saturday, May 21. Tickets are just $5 and can be purchased online or at the gate.

Lansing Common FC dropped its season-opener on the road against BiH Grand Rapids in Kentwood Saturday night, losing 2-1. 

Ty Usiak scored Lansing’s lone goal, knocking in a header thanks to an impressive curling long-ball assist from Ramzi Shaheen. 

The match was Lansing Common’s first in the inaugural Grand River Ope!n Cup. The results in the competition will not affect Midwest Premier League standings. 

For the opening 35 minutes of the match, possession belonged mostly to Grand Rapids. Content to play out of their back line, BiH let their fullbacks and goalkeeper do most of the distributing. Grand Rapids had a pair of golden opportunities to open the scoring, with a bounce off the crossbar in the tenth minute and a goal disallowed in the 26th minute due to an offsides call.

From the 35th minute on, the Robins kicked it up a notch, playing with more intensity and retaining more possession. Lansing eventually found the back of the net with Usiak’s header in the 40th minute. 

Despite the early pressure from Grand Rapids, the Robins kept a clean sheet through the first half, taking a 1-0 lead into the locker room. 

Lansing Common continued to look strong coming out of the half, earning a couple of free kicks and corners within the first 10 minutes. However, the Robins could not convert those opportunities into goals, leaving the door open for a BiH comeback. 

Grand Rapids finally found an equalizer in the 52nd minute. BiH would take hold of the match’s momentum from that point forward, shifting the action to Lansing Common’s end. The home team scored the game winner in the 77th minute, cashing in on a cross. 

The Robins made a few last-ditch efforts in search of an equalizer, but ultimately came up short. 

Up next for the Robins

Lansing Common’s long-awaited home opener finally arrives this Saturday, May 21 at 6 p.m. The Robins welcome Midwest Premier League newcomers Tulip City United SC to open league play at Eastern Stadium. Tickets are just $5, available online and at the gate. For those who can’t make it to gameday, the match will be streamed live on YouTube. 

This Saturday, Lansing Common FC opens the 2022 season with a road game against BiH Grand Rapids at 7 p.m. The match is a part of the inaugural Grand River Ope!n Cup. Tickets are only $5 and available online or at the gate. 

With just a few practices under their belt, no in-game experience and a tough road environment ahead, the club faces a difficult test in Grand Rapids. Further complicating the situation is the absence of roughly ten players due to injury and prior commitments (these players are expected to join the team in the next several weeks). 

However, the Robins are approaching Saturday’s match without apprehension. 

“There’s no nervousness from us. We’re treating this as a tune up game,” said Head Coach Josh Oakley. “It’s a time to look at some fresh faces and move some things around early in the season.”

While Lansing Common’s players have not had much time together yet, BiH Grand Rapids has been training since early Spring. The club also played two games in April, participating in Region II of the USASA National Amatuer Cup. 

BiH finished fourth in the MWPL East Division last season and appears primed for another run at the top of the table. 

“I see quality players with a flair to them,” said Oakley. “They have a way they play, they have a style – it’s hard, it’s in your face. They’re a good side, and we know that from last year.”

The Grand River Ope!n Cup

The Grand River Ope!n Cup, named for the river that connects each club’s community, features five teams from the Midwest Premier League and Midwest United FC from USL2. 

The six teams were drawn into two groups of three. Each club will play a single game against the other teams in their group. The winner of each group will advance to the final, which will be held in July. 

Lansing Common’s next match in the competition will be a home game against Tulip City United SC on Friday, July 1. 

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