USSFD2 Playoffs: 86 Forever Reviews Saturday’s Action

Most notable among the first-round losers is the NSC Minnesota Stars, which may signal the end of soccer in Minnesota for the foreseeable future.

So, farewell then, the NSC Minnesota Stars. It was probably the last game involving a professional soccer team for Minnesota for a few years, unless a miraculous Mr. Moneybags comes through to purchase the club from the National Sports Center. The scoreline was an embarrassment, as Minnesota follows up a promising 0-0 draw at home with an embarrassing thumping in Cary, North Carolina. In truth, Carolina badly outplayed Minnesota, and in addition to their four goals they had three absolutely sterling chances denied only by the heroics of veteran goalkeeper Joe Warren. Warren is one of the few Stars players I’d back as being able to start elsewhere in the second division, but as a Minnesota native who’s never played outside his home state and was only just lured out of retirement from a coaching position, he’s also the least likely to do so.