The fifth annual US National Trophy has concluded its quarterfinal round. Each matchup featured incredible stories up to this point: a fairytale run to challenge one of the big boys of the top flight, the back-to-back domestic treble seekers up against an up and coming Division 1 side, the overachieving pragmatists versus the club right on their tail, and the most recently promoted playing the three-peat league champions. All the games lived up to the hype, with some elite goals, big saves, and electrifying skills on display. Read all about each match as well as our take on the upcoming semifinal matchups below.
Magnificent Frigatebirds FC 0 - 4 Texas FC
(N/A; Alexander Wallner 1’, 10’, 51’, Sayed Hasni 56’)
It was always going to be tough for underdogs Magnificent Frigatebirds FC to pull a result from Adam and Texas FC. Manager Sam Lynch knew what was coming and appriopriately set up in a lopsided 5-2-3, a new formation that also featured new center-back signing Temi Eweka. Undeterred, Adam structured his side with a 3-4-3, with a fluid midfield and trademark two striker-CAM frontline. Alexander Wallner at 31 seemed to shake off the years as he came flying out of the gates, scoring in the very first minute after some smart passing play among the attackers. Not ten minutes later and Wallner had put a second behind the Birds’ keeper Gerrard, this time through a thumping header coming from a Mu'ayyad Bitar cross. Throughout the rest of the first half, the strike partnership of Carrie Yaqub and Qais Gallagher had some looks at goal, but the resilient Texas backline prevented little actual threat. Frustrated, a few Frigatebirds players fouled in the buildups to Texas’s attacks, but the referee kept the game cool, not providing any cards.
Early into the second half, pressure on the Frigatebirds led to Yaqub getting closed down by the young Mikiel Magro and losing the ball. Seeking to pounce on the counterattack, the Texas midfield avoided tackles from their MFFC counterparts, eventually playing through Wallner on goal. He would complete his hat trick in the 51st minute, his celebrations leaving Gerrard frozen in goal. Feeling comfortable, Adam made some substitutions to see out the match. One sub, Jalil Belounis, would start the sequence for Texas’s fourth and final goal, intercepting a backwards pass to Birds’ left-back Rashid Combs. After a long ball from Lee Byers, Sayed Hasni would capitalize on chaos in the opponent’s backline and stick his shot in the top corner. Texas were now in cruise control, keeping heavy possession. With twenty minutes left, Lynch decided to do some damage control before any more goals were scored, and finally made some defensive substitutions. Despite an almost ten minute stretch where MFFC used these subs to keep hold of the ball, they didn’t look to play anyone forward, their body language telling the whole story. Even so, the last five minutes saw all Texas ball, both sides seemingly accepting of the score. With the final whistle, the Magnificent Frigatebirds’ impressive run had come to an end. Adam, though, congratulated Sam, saying, “That really wasn't a poorly played match,” and expressed excitement at having the current Division 2.4 league leaders in the top-flight next season. Lynch and his side would walk over to the traveling Frigatebirds fans, as the fans rose to give their boys a standing ovation in return. The boss thanked his supporters for their presence and claimed that they would be back, which got one last cheer out of the Frigatebirds faithful.
Black Dragons 1 - 0 Baltic Lynx (after extra time)
(Edwardo Smith 119’; N/A)
Despite their unbelievable consistency in the league, this was to be no walk in the park for Black Dragons. They set up in a 3-4-3 diamond, hoping to dominate possession. In their way was an exciting Baltic Lynx side, looking to improve on four straight quarterfinal finishes in the competition. Manager Samtis would set the side up in a 4-3-3, with captain Federico Valverde and his opposite side counterpart, Paulius Golubickas, staying as wide as possible. Initially, there was some initial concern as the Lynx had invalid players in the lineup, but this was taken care of. With that, Black Dragons kicked off one of the games of this season. As intended, the Dragons mostly kept hold of the ball in the early stages of the game, and superstar Keven Vyntra almost put his side up as early as the 8th minute of the game. Baltic Lynx’s Marcos López, though, would come up big, tucking inside for a clean tackle from behind to get the ball out of danger. More similar challenges would occur throughout the first 45 minutes, with Lynx defenders making big plays to prevent any shots on goal. Finally, though, when it came time for Samtis’s team to come sprinting down the pitch, Radamel Falcao would get hold of a long ball from Tomáš Souček, only to shoot wide. The remainder of that first half would see blows traded from both sides, with no team able to evade the smart blocks from the other’s backline. Thus, a murmur went around the F4Football Dome as the first half ended goalless.
Baltic Lynx would lose the ball early after the second half kickoff, starting a run of Dragons possession that would audibly annoy Lynx fans. Each time after a weak cross and a parry by a Baltic Lynx defender, the ball would fall to the feet of a Black Dragons player, and the pattern would repeat again. Later, the Dragons would have a run of corners, during which the same thing happened. Much of the second half was spent trying to wrestle the ball away from both sides, with both Angus and Samtis urging their players on in the hopes of a late winner. More chances from open play and corners came and went, but the defenders would come up clutch at every occasion. After this repeated many times, and a few offside calls were made, the score would remain 0-0. The game was to go into extra time. Despite this, no subs were made by either side, and players on both teams were starting to look a bit tired. Once again, it was last-minute clearances that would keep the attackers of both sides scowling, groaning in discontent. The fans, too, were growing both tired and antsy – a penalty shootout was looming. In the 112th minute, after the kickoff of the second half of extra time, things boiled over slightly as Christian Eriksen brought down Ferris Tapia, who was forward trying to chase a misplaced pass. A sea of white and yellow would start to shake and make noise, trying to Tapia from his free kick routine. It was unlikely that he would shoot from this distance, but with the match on the line, no one knew what he was planning. Instead, Tapia looped the ball over to Abdallah Hendrix, who in turn kept it in the air towards Savo Naseer. But a huge sigh of relief came from the Baltic Lynx fans as Souček would clear the ball away. However, Black Dragons would find possession once again, forcing a corner in the 118th minute that was cleared once again. As if entranced by the fourth official announcing two minutes of stoppage time, left-back Kevin Canales took a quick the throw in down the line towards Hakim Ross. Ross offloaded the ball to Vyntra, who wiggled free to cross the ball into the box. Finally, the ball would find the head of striker Edwardo Smith, who with inch-perfect precision, put the ball just beyond the reach of goalkeeper Rohit Chand. The Black Dragons fans went into delirium as they watched the entire team and the bench run towards the corner flag, piling atop one another. Lynx fans could only look away while their defenders lay motionless from shock and despair. A late run from Baltic Lynx would be blocked by Hakim Ross as the final whistle blew. They had left it to the dying minutes of the game, but the dream for another domestic treble was still on the cards.
Nike FC 0 - 2 Mid-Cities SC
(N/A; Alejandro Aguilar 17’, Musa Dlamini 89’)
In the game with the smallest league gap between any two teams left in the competition, 3rd place Nike FC would play 5th place Mid-Cities SC for the third spot in the semifinals. In the league, despite playing a slightly weaker side, Nike FC would use their home advantage to its fullest, coming out victorious with a closely-fought, defensive 1-0 win. As such, Envican and Mid-Cities came to the F4Football Dome seeking revenge. Once again, it was Mid-Cities that would field a slightly stronger side, playing a wide but sitting back 3-4-3 formation. Manager Fan, on the other hand, would set Nike up in a positionally forward but tactically defensive 3-2-2-3 of sorts, with only one true center back sitting behind a pair of defensive midfielders. Knowing the other team’s desire to settle the score, Nike kicked off. The black and red outfit had some early chances, though they were easily neutralized by the restrained MC backline. Not too long later, the Mid-Cities midfield would toy with their Nike counterparts, rescuing the ball after every turnover. This would result in defensive midfielder Kaku Gyamfi playing through captain Alejandro Aguilar on goal. Seeing a chance open up, he would fire from far outside the box, and put the ball top bins to see his side go up 1-0. That long shot filled both Mid-Cities players and fans with confidence, and a roar came out from the red, white, and blue side of the stadium. Looking to come back, Nike FC would force several corners out of the Mid Cities defenders, but each time they would head the ball out for another corner until MC goalkeeper John Joseph pushed the ball back out towards the center circle. That would set off a flurry of action on both sides, with Fan trying to urge his players forward in search of an equalizer, and Envican looking for a second goal to kill off the tie for good. At every opportunity, though, each chance would be snuffed as both sides’ defenders came up big. In the 27th minute, assister of the first goal Gyamfi would go from near hero to near zero, as he fouled captain Naseer Firoz right outside the box. This was huge for Nike, and quick off the referee’s whistle, Firoz struck the ball sweetly towards the top corner. John Joseph, though, was determined to keep his side in front, and made an incredible save to leave Firoz speechless. His teammates came over to congratulate him, then proceeding to deal with the subsequent corner. Another roar emanated from the Mid-Cities fans. The end of the first half would eventually come, with a a handful of attempts from both sides.
Envican was now 45 minutes away from avenging their painful loss and title blow. The second half would kick off with some offside calls made on both teams by the referees, followed by a long period of Mid-Cities possession, to the delight of their fans. With fifteen minutes left of normal time, Fan made some changes, substituting his veteran forward players with some younger blood that had proved clinical in their league campaign. 25-year-old striker Fernando Garcia would come on, soon followed by 18-year-old starlet Erling Haaland. Fan clapped them on, provided some words of wisdom, and the game continued. However, after some more back and forth, and Nike fans continuing to chant for an equalizer on the edge of their seats, it was instead Mid Cities that would score to break Black and Red hearts. Seeing the fourth official announce three minutes of added time, the MC forward line suddenly barged forward with one last surge, as Gyamfi once again played through Aguilar on goal. He, though, would pass off to the side to striker Musa Dlamini, who hit it from just beyond the 18-yard-line. In the blink of an eye, Dlamini had scored. Grabbing the ball out of their net, Haaland would bring the ball back to the center circle, eager to score one to spare his side’s blushes. After a through ball eventually played to him would go off target, it was his substitute partner Garcia that would have the final attempt of the game, getting into a good position to shoot. After his previous diving save, though, this one looked routine, and the final whistle blew to Envican jubilation. After a cold handshake from Fan, Envican would then run over to his fans with hands up to cheer on the Mid-Cities faithful.
Wonder Peppers FC 0 - 4 First Boxers
(N/A; Rafiq Freixa 13’, 37’, 46’, Thierry Henry 56’)
The last quarterfinal match was a game of new versus old, as the recently promoted Wonder Peppers looked to continue their inaugural run in the competition under manager Nick Romero. Warming up on the other side was Division 1 staple side, First Boxers. Having gone trophyless in Season 26, and having not won the National Trophy since their domestic treble win in Season 23, the Boxers were eager to prove in another match why they were still one of the greats. In a press conference leading up to the match, Romero remarked that “defensive stability and maintaining a compact shape were key to keeping [Wonder Peppers] in the game for as long as possible.” Therefore, many were surprised when the Peppers’ lineup for the game was much more advanced than the back five, long ball defensive team that they had frequented in the league. With that being said, fans were equally excited about new forward Seb Bowerman who had arrived recently from England. While the media were unsure if he would get his first start for the club in this crucial game, they quickly jumped on news that he would start beside veteran Jobi van Aanholt in place of loanee Mycah Carver, the team’s top goal scorer this term. As for First Boxers, they would set up in the simplest formation of any team left in the competition, playing a possession-based 4-4-2 shape. And possess the ball they did, keeping over 60% possession in a clean sweep of the unproven side. It took only 13 minutes, following a back and forth between the two sides’ midfields, for the Boxers to take first blood. A great passing sequence eventually found right side midfielder Lalo Surman, who switched the play to the onrushing Rafiq Freixa who buried the ball in the back of the net. After that, things went a bit quiet, with Peppers defensive midfielder Adolfo Beck sitting deeper and blocking through balls, but he was caught on the wrong side of the pitch as left midfielder Amin Ashley skated past Wakaso Dyer to deliver the cross to Freixa at the near post. This time, Freixa would score through a powerful header to put his side 2-0. That is how the first half one end, with Romero calling his players over to talk as they walked back to the dressing rooms.
Looking somewhat calmed down after the chaos of the first half, their emotions would quickly ramp up once again as First Boxers would steal the ball off them just a minute into the second half. Despite the talk from the boss, the sequence almost entirely mirrored the second goal from the first half as Ashley would once again take advantage of the mismatch on the left flank. Once again he would cross the ball, and once again, it would find the head of Freixa to complete his hat trick. The Peppers’ body language at this point was not promising, and it continued to worsen as Boxers kept their close eye and feet on the ball. After a scare by other striker Thierry Henry was shot off target, he would learn his lesson and put a fourth past helpless goalkeeper Carlo Walker in the 56th minute. It was then that Romero called for damage control, going truly defensive but also bringing on young talent Mycah Carver for the crestfallen Dyer. Manager Hanes Fruit also switched his side around, changing the entire spine of his squad to see out the rest of the match. The next twenty minutes would see neither team really attempt forward movement, getting back the ball and then passing it around. Both squads and their fans knew the game was already all but over. To add to this, Fruit pushed his team back further, also going defensive for the last fifteen minutes of the game. While the Peppers cut out any other chance of the Boxers scoring, they did so at the expense of their attacking chances. As frontman Jobi van Aanholt cleared the ball to no one, the final whistle blew. It was an expected defeat for the Peppers, and a resounding victory for First Boxers, Romero had hoped for better. For Fruit and company, though, they were now only 180 minutes away from the title, and the squad were seen rejoicing at the prospect as they made their way off the pitch.
Now, the semifinals are afoot, and the matchups have been set.
On one side of the bracket, we will see a heated TX derby, as Texas FC take on cross-state rivals Mid-Cities SC. Adding to the tension, already at fever-pitch, is the fact that this National Trophy game in Round 40 will be the fourth time the two First Division sides will play each other in competitive fixtures this year, and the third time in only four rounds. The first was back in Round 12, when Texas beat Mid-Cities at the NRG Stadium 1-0. The second will be on the very next matchday at the time of writing, in Round 37, as Mid-Cities hope to right their wrongs on their home turf in the league. The third will be only two rounds later, Round 39, as both clubs travel to the F4Football Dome to contest the League Cup semi-final. In the very next round, then, in Round 40, will be the most heated match of them all. Get ready to see sparks fly, tempers flare, and amazing goals be scored.
On the other side of the bracket, we will see a true clash of titans, a battle for the ages. Black Dragons, defending champions of this title, as well as the league title and League Cup crown, are the newer boys in town. Facing them will be the old guard of this Division, the heavy-hitting First Boxers. In Season 23, the very first year of the National Trophy being contested, First Boxers came out swinging and ended up winners. In the very next season, though, it would be Black Dragons’ turn in the spotlight, with the Boxers not even reaching the final. In the season just gone, an unstoppable Dragons side romped their way to their second National Trophy, while First Boxers once again failed to get to the deciding match. In the league, Black Dragons see themselves as having replaced First Boxers on the top of the hill, with the Boxers not being able to replicate previous success. Their fans say the Boxers are living in the past. But Boxers fans point to their back-to-back-to-back triple crown, asking where the Dragons’ is, and firing back at their fans for being glory-hunters. Both sets of ultras will take this energy back to the Dome in Round 40, while their clubs battle it out on the pitch in what could be a changing-of-the guards moment in US Divisions history.
Tune into both games to see some of the league’s best football on display, and watch your favorite players shine on one of the biggest stages in US sports. And see which of the teams will fight their way to the fifth annual National Trophy final.
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