By Jinseong Kim
After a ten-day break, AFC Ann Arbor are back in action this Friday, June 10. The men’s team travels west to Grand Rapids to battle Midwest United for the first time of the season. The women’s side, on the other hand, is eyeing to extend their unbeaten home run against the division powerhouse Racing Louisville FC at Saline’s Hornet Stadium.
Tickets for the women’s match, starting at 7:30 PM in Saline are available online.
The AFC Ann Arbor women grabbed a historic and well-earned 1-0 victory over state rival Detroit City FC thanks to the Diaza Women’s Player of the Month winner Lina Berrah’s game-winning goal. It was not only a win for The Mighty Oak but a farewell party for Jayde Riviere and Tracy Akiror who left for international duty. AFCAA hasn’t lost a single match in their last four (three wins and one draw), and the women are eyeing to keep the positive momentum going.
Three weeks ago, the men’s squad was able to reproduce a massive 5-0 victory on an away day against Oakland County FC. Scorers in the home opener, Shion Soga, David Garcia, and Tomas Casas were able to find the back of the net, and they were also joined by Yushi Nagao and Junior Nare on the scoresheet. The result has sent The Mighty Oak to the third of the table, only one point behind the second-placed Flint City Bucks and a four-point gap between Kalamazoo FC, who played two more games than AFC.
The Opponents
Midwest United FC is a newly competing USL League Two franchise based in Grand Rapids. Founded in 2016 as the sister team to Grand Rapids FC, who engaged in many memorable battles with The Mighty Oak in the NPSL, the club expanded to feature a men’s side in 2022 after the dissolution of Grand Rapids FC, who had previously also taken part in USL League Two play. Midwest United currently resides in fifth place in the table, having snagged three points from a total of five games (1-4-0).
Racing Louisville FC, the sister club of the USL Championship franchise Louisville City FC, are competing in the National Women’s Soccer League, the top-most tier of the U.S. women’s soccer pyramid. Earlier this year, they announced the expansion of the pre-professional squad participating in the USL W League consisting mostly of collegiate players. Racing Louisville are currently ranked sixth in Week 4 of USL W League Power Rankings, holding a seasonal record of 3-1-1.
About AFC Ann Arbor
Association Football Club Ann Arbor (AFC Ann Arbor) was founded in 2014 and competes in USL2 (men’s) and USLW (women’s) national amateur leagues. We are a community-based club, focused on equity, justice, and anti-racism. We consider all of our stakeholders, including supporters, players, staff, and ownership to be part of the #AFCAAFamily. Come On You Mighty Oak!