Photo from GoErie.com
Friday’s home match against Lansing United is massive.
There’s no way around it; With Cleveland and Indiana Fire nipping at the heels of the Top Four, your current No. 4 seed FCB hosts the No. 3 seed with the chance to advance as high as second by the end of the night.
Oh, and Lansing faces Cleveland two days later (We’d like them to draw). So it’s a HUGE weekend.
With that, we present the “Race for the Playoffs” report, brought to you by Batavia Downs Gaming and Hilbert College.
Four teams in the Midwest make the playoffs, and will contest a two-day seeded tournament July 24-26.
FCB stayed hot last weekend, extended its conference unbeaten streak to four (five in all competitions). The Wolves got revenge on Erie with a 4-2 conference win in Pennsylvania on Sunday, then won the Upstate NY Derby with a 1-0 win over Binghamton on Sunday.
Which brings us to Friday, July 10 and the first ever visit to Buffalo from 2014 division winners Lansing United, who beat us 2-1 in Michigan last season, and boasts a 5W-2L-2T record this season. Come on out to All-High at 7 p.m.
Two days later, FCB finishes our road portion of the regular season with a visit to Fort Pitt Regiment. Brett Larocque and Andrew Ferguson scored in our 2-0 home win over FPR on June 21, but facing them on the road has traditionally been a tough point.
Finally, FCB will close out the regular season with a visit from our most recent opponent, AFC Cleveland. After a 1-1 road draw on Saturday night, a win on July 17 will likely play a big role in the standings. Thanks to a rainout and back-loaded schedule, the Royals have two more games left on their schedule.
Table and remaining opponents
Detroit City (3): vs. Michigan Stars, at Erie, vs. Michigan Stars
Madison 56ers (3): vs. Minnesota United Reserves, vs. Cincinnati Saints, vs. Minnesota TwinStars
Lansing United (3): at FC Buffalo, at AFC Cleveland, vs. Erie
FC Buffalo (3): vs. Lansing United, at Fort Pitt Regiment, vs. AFC Cleveland
Indiana Fire (3): at Minnesota TwinStars, vs. Minnesota United Reserves, at Cincinnati Saints
AFC Cleveland (4): at FC Indiana, vs. Lansing United, at FC Buffalo, at Fort Pitt Regiment
Michigan Stars (2): at Detroit City, vs. Detroit City
Erie (3): vs. Fort Pitt Regiment, at Detroit City, at Lansing United
Minnesota United Reserves (3): at Madison 56ers, at Minnesota TwinStars, at Indiana Fire
Cincinnati Saints (3): at Minnesota TwinStars, at Madison 56ers, vs. Indiana Fire
FC Indiana (2): vs. AFC Cleveland, vs. Minnesota TwinStars
Fort Pitt Regiment (4): at AFC Cleveland, at Erie, vs. FC Buffalo, vs. AFC Cleveland
Minnesota TwinStars (5): vs. Cincinnati Saints, vs. Indiana Fire, vs. Minnesota United Reserves, at Madison 56ers, at FC Indiana
