Even though it was short, Matchweek Eleven was full of fireworks on and off the pitch as the week started with some Fourth of July festivities.
In the East Division game of the week, Lansing Common FC defeated Detroit City FC’s U23s in their first meeting of the season behind two goals in the final five minutes of the first half. The action continued a few days later when Livonia City took down Inter Detroit and the West Michigan Bearings defeated Lansing Common to keep their division title hopes alive.
Matchweek Twelve has a busy slate of seven matches spread across five days that could see yet another team eliminated from division title contention. All eyes will be on Sunday’s match between BiH Grand Rapids and DCFC’s U23s in the first meeting between the two clubs. With another six matches on the Matchweek Twelve platter, there should be no shortage of glee, glory, and goals.
Here is your Matchweek Twelve preview for the Midwest Premier League’s East Division.
Last week’s results
Lansing Common FC def. Detroit City FC U23 (3-0)
Matchweek Eleven kicked off with Fourth of July fireworks at Eastern Stadium when Lansing Common FC defeated Detroit City FC’s U23s 3-0, behind two late first-half goals. After DCFC started the game dominating possession, Lansing earned a penalty in the 37th minute that was saved by DCFC goalkeeper Sean Ellis. The penalty spurred an 11-minute spell of possession that saw Lansing score twice in five minutes, including a 30-yard strike from Julian Birge’s just before the halftime whistle.
Detroit would start the second half needing two goals to draw level, but they would ultimately give up the third goal in the 77th minute when defender Aidan O’Connor’s header passed by Ellis and into the back of the net. The Robins earned a valuable three points against the division leaders, while also handing Le Rouge their first loss of the season.
Livonia City FC def. Inter Detroit (3-0)
In a surprising result, Livonia City FC defeated Inter Detroit on Wednesday night in the nightcap of Matchweek Eleven. After entering halftime scoreless, Livonia would score three times in the final 20 minutes to hand Inter their fourth consecutive defeat.
Matt Versteeg scored the game’s opening goal in the 70th minute off a Kyle Breitmeyer cross and five minutes later Livonia would double their lead behind a strike from Thomas Dono. Breitmeyer would add a goal in the 87th minute and Livonia kept the clean sheet with a penalty save in stoppage time. For Livonia, their second win of the season saw them jump their opponents in the standings, while Inter’s lackluster effort saw them fail to pick up points for the fifth time this season.
West Michigan Bearings def. Lansing Common FC (1-0)
In the final matchup between these two clubs, the Bearings took all six points from the season series, taking down Lansing Common 1-0 in Byron Center. Jordan Hooker’s strike in the opening 15 minutes of play was enough to earn three points as West Michigan was able to hold off Lansing’s attack for the remainder of the game.
The Robins offensive attack was unable to solve the puzzle that was Carter Selvius. The Bearings net-minder came up with crucial saves in the final fifteen minutes of play after being tested continuously and earned a much-needed victory and clean sheet for his club. The win also kept the Bearings alive in the division title race for another week, while handing the Robins their first loss in over a month.
This week’s fixtures
LK St. Clair vs. West Michigan Bearings (July 10, 2021, 11:00 a.m.)
Matchweek Twelve will have an early kickoff when the West Michigan Bearings travel to Eastern Michigan to take on LK St. Clair in Mt. Clemens. After staving off elimination from division-title contention on Wednesday, the Bearings will look to take a full three points from their first of two games on Saturday. LK is coming off a 3-1 loss against DCFC and is still looking for its first win of the season. Both teams will be fighting for a much-needed victory in the first of three matches on Saturday.
Michigan Stars FC U23 vs. West Michigan Bearings (July 10, 2021, 6:00 p.m.)
After taking on LK St. Clair in the morning, West Michigan Bearings will travel to take on Michigan Stars FC’s U23 side in Washington. The Bearings need all six points from their Saturday doubleheader if they want to keep their division title hopes alive, while the Stars will be looking to get a full three points for the first time in over a month.
Inter Detroit vs. BiH Grand Rapids (July 10, 2021, 7:00 p.m.)
Inter Detroit will host BiH Grand Rapids in Saturday’s nightcap as both teams will look to get back to winning ways. Inter Detroit is coming off a surprise 3-0 loss to Livonia and have not tasted victory since May 15. BiH is playing catch-up in the standings, having played the fewest matches of any team so far this season. The Kentwood-based club is coming off a 3-2 loss to Lansing Common two weeks ago and will be looking to make the most out of their games in hand.
Detroit City FC U23 vs. BiH Grand Rapids (July 11, 2021, 1:00 p.m.)
The most important game in the East Division will take place Sunday afternoon when DCFC’s U23 side hosts BiH Grand Rapids in the first meeting between the two clubs. BiH will be playing their second game in as many days, while DCFC will be fresh off a week’s rest. Both teams are coming off losses to Lansing Common FC and a four-horse race has developed at the top of the East Division. A win for DCFC will officially eliminate the West Michigan Bearings from title contention, while a BiH victory will open the door for others to inch closer to the division leaders.
LK St. Clair vs. Lansing Common FC (July 11, 2021, 4:00 p.m.)
After hosting the West Michigan Bearings the day before, LK St. Clair will host Lansing Common FC in Sunday’s nightcap. Lansing Common is coming off a 1-0 loss to West Michigan Bearings, who completed the double on the Robins. LK St. Clair enters the weekend without a win and will try to spoil Lansing’s prospects of challenging for the title. Lansing will need a victory if they want to keep pace with DCFC, who play earlier in the afternnoon. Both teams will be looking for a much-needed win: LK for pride, and Lansing for survival.
Inter Detroit vs. Michigan Stars FC U23 (July 13, 2021, 7:00 p.m.)
Inter Detroit will host Michigan Stars FC’s U23s on Tuesday night in Auburn Hills in the penultimate game of Matchweek Twelve. For both teams, it will be the second game in four days after Inter hosts BiH and Stars host the West Michigan Bearings on Saturday. The first meeting between these two clubs ended in a 1-1 draw, but since then, both teams have been trending in different directions. The Stars will be looking to continue bridging the gap between themselves and DCFC, while Inter will be searching for an elusive second victory.
LK St. Clair vs. Detroit City FC U23 (July 14, 2021, 7:30 p.m.)
Matchweek Twelve caps off with a battle between two teams who enter the week in polar opposite positions in the East Division standings. LK St. Clair will finish off their three-game homestand when they host DCFC’s U23 squad Wednesday night. For LK, it will be their third game in five days, while DCFC will be playing their second in four. In the busiest matchweek to date, DCFC could inch closer to winning the East Division with a perfect week, while LK will be playing for pride as their season winds down with no chance of silverware.
Standings
- Detroit City FC U23 (9-0-1, 27 points in 10 GP)
- Lansing Common FC (5-1-2, 16 points in 8 GP)
- Michigan Stars FC U23 (4-2-2, 14 points in 8 GP)
- West Michigan Bearings (4-2-3, 14 points in 9 GP)
- BiH Grand Rapids (4-1-1, 13 points in 6 GP)
- Livonia City FC (2-3-7, 9 points in 12 GP)
- Inter Detroit (1-4-5, 7 points in 10 GP)
- LK St. Clair (0-1-8, 1 point in 9 GP)
Standings (points per game)
- Detroit City FC U23 (2.70)
- BiH Grand Rapids (2.17)
- Lansing Common FC (2.00)
- Michigan Stars FC U23 (1.75)
- West Michigan Bearings (1.56)
- Livonia City FC (0.75)
- Inter Detroit (0.70)
- LK St. Clair (0.11)
