By Jinseong Kim
It will be a festive week for all of The Mighty Oak’s supporters as AFC Ann Arbor prepare for five league matches in the next six days. Kicking off with the women’s Detroit City FC away game on Wednesday, June 15, The team will welcome home fans to Hornet Stadium for triple home games from June 17 to 19. AFCAA women wrap up the match week on Monday, June 20.
Women
After a hard-fought 2-2 draw against national giant Racing Louisville FC in Saline, AFCAA women climbed up to 8th of the USL W League Power Rankings Week 6. Continuing the unbeaten run over their last five games - three wins and two draws - The Mighty Oak are sitting third on the division table, behind Indy Eleven and Racing Louisville.
The women take on in-state foes DCFC, Flint City AFC, and Midwest United on June 15, 18 and 20, respectively. The team will travel along the road for the DCFC and Midwest game, and host Flint in Saline. It isn’t the first encounter between AFCAA and the first two. The dramatic 1-0 win over DCFC two weeks ago still remains as one of the best memories this summer so far, and AFCAA look to repeat the same.
Flint, on the other hand, are the only side that have defeated The Mighty Oak’s women thus far. Despite the 2-4 loss, the short-handed Ann Arbor, with only 14 players being available in the squad, produced various positive memories. Chloe Ricketts’ ‘Goal of the Month’, the Main Street Hooligans on the stands, and many other memories at the chilly Atwood Stadium nourished the current positive atmosphere around the team.
It is AFCAA women’s first meeting with Midwest United in three years. It dates back to 2019 when Midwest competed in the United Women’s Soccer under the Grand Rapids FC brand. Midwest (then-GRFC) were the last opponent of the season, as The Mighty Oak fell 0-2 at Houseman Field.
Men
Producing the third five-goal thriller of the season in Grand Rapids, the men eye to mark the fifth, and potentially sixth win in the upcoming match week. Currently third in the table behind Kalamazoo FC and Flint City Bucks, AFCAA men could climb up to the top with up to 18 points in the seasonal bag.
The men take on Flint City Bucks and Midwest United on June 17 and 19, both at Hornet Stadium. Bucks, the most successful team in the USL League Two with four trophies in their cabinet, are currently one point ahead of AFCAA. Flint City are the only unbeaten team in the Great Lakes Division with the 4-0-1 record. It’s the very first time for the men to play against the Bucks in league competition.
After a 1-5 loss against AFCAA, Midwest managed to grab a draw against the conference leader Kalamazoo FC 2-2, ending their point drought over the last three games. Midwest record a 1-5-1 season run, and they are yet to win in any of their away matches this summer.
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!