MICHIGAN SOCCER NETWORK: MSN NEWS: www.michigansoccernetwork.com/msnnews
BY DAN STICKRADT
COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST | WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR | DIRECTOR OF NEWS
Michigan Soccer Network | Premier Media Group
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FLINT, Mich. – In sports, every team can eventually enjoy what could be coined as a defining moment.
On Sunday, the Flint City Bucks sure enjoyed one of those types of season-defining moments.
And an improbable moment to boot.
Despite being down a man after the 78th minute and down two players after the 14th minute of the first overtime, the Flint City Bucks withstood constant pressure from Fort Wayne FC, scored a late goal in the 25th minute of overtime – 115th minute overall – and held on for dear life in claiming their defining moment of the 2024 USL-League Two campaign.
The Bucks eventually edged out visiting Fort Wayne 2-1 in a wild Central Conference semifinals match at Kettering University’s Atwood Stadium to advance to the Central Conference finals for the third straight year and record 18th time in their illustrious history.
It also marks the seventh time in 11 years that Flint City has reached at least the Elite Eight in the USL-League Two postseason tournament – and there was no regular or postseason tournament played in 2020 due to the Covid restrictions.
Talk about coming through in the nick of time on the big stage all while facing immense adversity.
Both Scott McLeod and Baraka Tarleton were subbed into the game during one of the two overtime periods and the two teamed up for the game-winning goal during the second overtime period with the odds stacked firmly against them.
Earning a throw-in deep inside Fort Wayne FC territory, McLeod (Virginia Commonwealth University) lined up near the right corner flag and hurled his throw-in into the box to an awaiting Tarleton (University of Evansville). The 6-foot-5 Tarleton leapt high above the crowd six yards in front of the goal and headed home just his second goal of the season.
But none bigger. And perhaps some divine intervention?
“I just honestly prayed before overtime started and I prayed to Jesus to give me power to get through it and put the ball into the net,” smiled Tarleton, whose last goal came in the season opener back in May against the Michiana Lions. “I saw Scott (McLeod) walk up I knew the throw would come (into the box) and I just had a gut feeling I was going to score right there.”
In all of his years coaching soccer at a wide variety of levels – high school, high-level club and collegiate soccer – Paul Doroh doesn’t remember winning a game down two players.
“I don’t know,” sighed Doroh. “The closest thing that probably comes close to this when we (Oakland University) were playing Cleveland State (in 2021) at home and we went down 3-0 and came back to win the game 4-3 in front of (OU’s) home crowd. It was the same emotional (thing here). That’s what keeps you going as players and coaches. My wife always asks me ‘why I love it.’ These are the moments.”
Dwon one player and later two players forced Doroh and his staff to go deep into the bench for some late game defensive and offensive production and they more than found it.
“It was some quick decision making with myself and the staff who we felt could do the job late in the stage and being down two men and you’re looking at it’s a 1-1 game and how do we find a way to win it,” offered Doroh. “How do we get ourselves (potentially) into penalties to give us a chance. But we made obviously made some pretty key decisions in making some substitutions. Scott (McLeod) came on and did a fantastic job defensively and Baraka worked his backside off in that midfield, winning balls and clearing balls and then finds his header with three minutes left in the overtime. I’m just over the moon right now. I’ll have to come down from all of the emotions of it.
“They haven’t (had many points), but I think Baraka opened up our scoring in the first game this year down in South Bend against Michiana. And Scott’s been solid for us all year and he came in and did his job,” noted Doroh of McLeod’s and Tarleton’s late-game play and heroics. “I didn’t get (McLeod) in as early than we normally do. We knew Landon (Fisher) was on a yellow and we wanted to get Scott in there defensively for some ariel balls and be dangerous if we earned a corner or wide free kick. We weren’t able to pull the trigger quick enough, so Landon (Fisher) will be out for the next game (with the red card) and we’ll find replacements. That’s the one thing about the depth of this team that the next man is ready to go.”
Flint City (13-1-3, 12-1-3 USL-League Two) controlled play for the second portion of the first half and again for most of the second half before a wild scrum began in front of the Fort Wayne FC bench featuring one Flint City player and two Fort Wayne players. After the dust settled, a multitude of cards were issued to both teams, benches and coaches with the Bucks defender Schinieder Mimy (Oral Roberts University) eventually being sent off with a red card after he pushed a fellow Fort Wayne player during the incident in the 78th minute.
Fort Wayne also had a multitude of scoring chances late in regulation and overtime.
Just 2:32 into the first overtime period, Fort Wayne’s Chris Bley got onto a breakaway feed during a 3-on-2 rush against the shorthanded Bucks, but he pushed his shot off the right goalpost and out of bounds.
Flint City goalkeeper Jakub Grzesiak also dove to his right to stop a point-blank-rage shot inside the crowded box moments later to keep Fort Wayne’s rejuvenated offense at bay. Grzesiak finished with seven saves in 120 minutes plus stoppage time.
Flint City scored on its first shot on frame in the 27th minute, when Jonas Buechte bent a cornerkick from the right side into the center of the box and Mimy was able to head it home in traffic for the 1-0 advantage.
While Flint City held a 6-3 shots edge in the first half, Fort Wayne was able to generate a pair of shots in succession and Bley netted the equalizer in the 37th minute off a rebound. Gaku Nishimura’s initial shot was blocked in the box but Bley cashed in the rebound and put the deposit into the bank to tie the game at 1-1.
Despite not generating a shot during the first 35 minutes of the second half, Fort Wayne outshot Flint City 8-4 in the second half and 18-13 overall. Fort Wayne also held an 8-3 edge with shots on frame – five coming after the first red card – with the Bucks holding a 5-2 advantage on cornerkicks for the entire 120-plus minutes.
Fort Wayne goalkeeper Aurie Briscoe (Rutgers University), who was brilliant in the Central Conference quarterfinals shootout win over Midwest United FC (1-0 win, 5-4 on penalties), finished the game with one save but conceded the two goals off restarts (cornerkick and long throw-in) where defenders failed to keep the Bucks from getting onto the set pieces.
Flint City also edged Forte Wayne 3-2 in double-overtime in last year’s Round of 32, where the Bucks scored a goal in the 110th minute of the second overtime session. This year’s double-overtime thriller came in the Round of 16.
Fort Wayne played the final two minutes of stoppage time at the tail end of the second overtime period with 10 players after a late red card.
BUILDING A LEGACY
The Bucks – who have reached the North American semifinals nine times in its 29-year history, and won North American titles in 2006, 2014, 2016 and 2019 – are now one win away from that lofty goal of reaching the semifinals for the third straight year, fifth time in the last decade and 10th time. Flint City will play in the Central Conference finals July 26 at a site to be determined against Peoria City SC, which defeated powerhouse Des Moines Menace 6-5 in the other conference semifinals on Sunday in a contest that reached a shootout (4-2 on penalties).
It marked the second-ever postseason appearance in the fourth season in the USL-League Two for Fort Wayne, which set a program record with 13 overall wins and nine in USL-League Two. Fort Wayne FC also won back-to-back Valley Division championships and is a rising power in the USL-League Two circles.
RECORD NUMBER
There was a USL-League Two record 128 franchises in the league this year with 35 teams reaching the postseason. Three play-in games took place last week with each of the conference quarterfinals taking place on July 19 across the U.S. and Canada and conference semifinals being played on July 21.
Teams landed in one of 18 divisions this season and those divisions feed into four conferences and four conference tournaments – the Southwest, Central, Eastern and Southern.
USL-LEAGUE TWO POWER RANKINGS
(Through July 13)
1. Asheville City SC
2. Seacoast United Phantoms
3. Western Mass Pioneers
4. Little Rock Rangers
5. Flint City Bucks
6. Long Island Riders
7. Ventura County Fusion
8. Ocean City Nor’Easters
9. Corpus Christi FC
10. Lionsbridge FC
11. Virginia Beach United
12. Des Moines Menace
13. United PDX
14. Peoria City
15. FC Motown STA
NOTE: There are a record 128 teams spread over 18 different divisions in the USL-League Two in the United States and Canada.
USL-LEAGUE TWO NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
(formerly USISL Premier League; USISL Premier Developemntal Soccer League, USL- Premier Developemntal League)
YEAR NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONS RUNNERS-UP
USISL Premier League
1995: Richmond Kickers San Fransisco United
1996: Central Coast Roadrunners Richmond Kickers
USISL Premier Developemntal Soccer League
1997: Central Coast Roadrunners Spokane Shadow
1998: San Gabriel Valley Highlanders Jackson Chargers
USL-Premier Developmental League
1999: Chicago Sockers Jackson Chargers
2000: Chicago Sockers Mid-Michigan Bucks
2001: Westchester Flames Calgary Storm
2002: Cape Cod Crusaders Des Moines Menace
2003: Cape Cod Crusaders New Orleans Shell Shockers
2004: Central Florida Kraze Chicago Fire Reserves
2005: Des Moines Menace Orange County Blue Star
2006: Michigan Bucks Laredo Heat
2007: Laredo Heat Michigan Bucks
2008: Thunder Bay Chill Laredo Heat
2009: Ventura County Fusion Reading Rage
2010: Portland Timbers U23s Thunder Bay Chill
2011: Kitsap Pumas Fresno Fuego
2012: Forest City London Michigan Bucks
2013: Austin Aztex Thunder Bay Chill
2014: Michigan Bucks Des Moines Menace
2015: K-W United FC Michigan Bucks
2016: Michigan Bucks Calgary Foothills FC
2017: Charlotte Eagles New York Red Bulls U-23
2018: Calgary Foothills FC Des Moines Menace
USL-League Two
2019: Flint City Bucks Des Moines Menace
2020: No season, cancelled due to Covid restrictions
2021: Des Moines Menace North Carolina Fusion U23
2022: Ventura County Fusion Long Island Rough Riders
2023: Ballard FC Lionsbridge FC
2024: To be determined
MOST NORTH AMERICAN/NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
4 – Flint City Bucks/Michigan Bucks
2 – Des Moines Menace
2 – Ventura County Fusion
2 – Cape Cod Crusaders
2 – Chicago Sockers
2 – Central Coast Roadrunners
1 – Ballard FC
1 – Calgary Foothills
1 – Charlotte Eagles
1 – K-W United FC
1 – Austin Aztex
1 – Forest City London
1 – Kitsap Pumas
1 – Portland Timbers U23
1 – Thunder Bay Chill
1 – Laredo Heat
1 – Austin Aztex
1 – Central Florida Kraze
1 – Westchester Flames
1 – San Gabriel Valley Highlanders
1 – Richmond Kickers
MICHIGAN SOCCER NETWORK: MSN NEWS: www.michigansoccernetwork.com/msnnews
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the Michigan Soccer Network regarding club soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer of teams or players with Michigan ties, contact Communications Specialist/Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com, or call 248-884-1051. Dan Stickradt is a 31-year veteran of the Michigan Media circles and recently joined the staff full time in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/MSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@michigansoccernetwork.com.)
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