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Vlora FC (UPSL/MASL D1) 2-4 Minnesota Blizzard FC (NPSL/MASL D2)
With their indoor season wrapping up, Blizzard's outdoor team made its debut...indoors. Originally scheduled for McMurray Fields in St Paul, Minnesota, the game moved to the Conway Dome in the city as temperatures dropped to 37º / 2º with wind chill dropping even further. The match was a rematch of last year's first round, which went the way of Vlora. A repeat of the 5-1 win was not on the cards.
The Blizzard played a hybrid roster with Danny Burgos, Bertrand Ngam, Devan DiGrado, Diego Yang, Evan Moreno, Herbert Kopany, Jordan Maldonado + Spencer Overturf all also playing on the MASL indoor team.
In contrast, in this hybrid squad, only DiGrado and Carter Hermanson returned from 2025's NPSL squad.
Vlora stitched together a roster with the captain Oscar Alvarez joined by UPSL returnees Prince Akonkoh, Owen Burshem, Jacob Bentz, Hector Trigueros, Avery Larsson, Deq Jama, Jerónimo Zelaya Diaz, and Alan Molina, but also featuring a number of U21 players - most importantly, goalkeeper Holden Waldrum.
At half-time it was 0-0 and it was only 1-1 with 20 minutes left. The Minneapolitan Diego Yang proved the key man as he opened the game's scoring in the 47th minute and after they went behind to a brace from Adonay Hans in the 52nd and 57th minutes, it was Yang who scored his second and third in the 62nd and 70th minutes to put the visitors back ahead. The icing to the first round cake was applied by Bertrand Ngo in the 90th minute.
Other Northland ties:
Bavarian United (UPSL/MWPL) 3-4 United Serbian SC (WSL)
A play in two acts, Bavarians and Serbians met at the home of the multi-time trophy winners but the game was suspended after 30 minutes as thunderstorms and fog closed in. At the time of suspension, it was 1-1 on the scoreboard. It was the visitors who rallied after the restart.
Chicago House AC (MWPL) 4-1 RKC Third Coast (USL2)
A comfortable win for the House at home.
Green Bay Glory (MWPL) 1-0 (Forfeit) Camargo FC (MASL D1)
As explained to NSJ, the Minnesotan side had to forfeit due to logistical issues. "Unfortunately, the travel required this early in the Amateur Cup created logistical challenges that we weren’t able to overcome within the three-week window between the schedule release and the match deadline. However, we will definitely be participating in the MN Super Cup."
More on the other matches in Region II can be found on thecup.us
And so we move from 16 down to 8, 3 of whom are from the Northland: Blizzard, Glory and United Serbians, and they are four wins from a trophy (the Bill Davey Cup for the winners of the Region II Amateur Cup) and six from a second trophy (the Fritz Marth trophy for the National Amateur Cup), with the Marth trophy winners also entered into next year's US Open Cup. The next round of the Region II tournament has to be played before April 19th.
The draw has given us a second round tie of Chicago House AC v Minnesota Blizzard, probably on the 19th.
Blizzard will be back on the indoor beat at Centennial Sports Arena next weekend.
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