Checking in on state pro players
Hoard hat trick in Serbia, plus updates from Iceland, Sweden and the U.S.
Hi there. Remember me? It’s been a while since Wisconsin Soccer Central dropped into your inbox with soccer news. Hope everyone is doing well.
Sorry to report that I’m still not sure what this Substack is, or will be.
Last summer, I tried “The Kickoff,” which I really did enjoy. After a few months, though, it was taking up entirely too much time at a time of year when I have less time because of family and other soccer-related obligations.
I’ve been thinking the answer might be to do a few newsletters every week, each focused on a specific topic — rather than the all-encompassing format I used with “The Kickoff.”
Another thing I’m struggling with is what to include in a newsletter and what to post on our social media accounts. On one hand, if I put everything only in the newsletter, our socials would be pretty quiet. But if everything is on the socials, what’s the point of the newsletter? Speaking of which …
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Anyway, let’s give this a try. Here’s a recap of some notable performances by professional players with Wisconsin ties over the past week or so.
Serbia
SuperLiga
Ethan Hoard (Racine Case/UW-Green Bay) had a hat trick in the opening half hour Thursday, scoring in the 4th, 9th and 28th minutes as host FK Jedinstvo Ub routed FK Cukaricki 4-1 in a relegation round match.
Hoard, 23, has five goals and two assists in 12 appearances since joining Jedinstvo Ub in January. Jedinstvo Ub is last in the standings and almost certainly will be relegated to the First League for next season, barring an extremely unlikely series of results.
Iceland
Lengjubikarinn (League Cup)
Paolo Gratton (Madison West/UW-Milwaukee) scored a huge goal Monday as Víðir scored two late goals to pull out a 2-2 draw and then beat host Kári 3-1 on penalties to advance to today’s B Division final.
Víðir trailed 2-0 until goals in the 82nd and 83rd minutes, with Gratton grabbing the equalizer. Víðir faces Höttur/Huginn for the title today.
Mjólkurbikarinn (Icelandic Cup)
Two former UW players scored in the Round of 32 — and their teams will meet in the next round.
Defender Aron Eli Sævarsson (UW) found the back of the net as host UMF Afturelding rolled past Höttur/Huginn 5-0 on April 17, while striker Ómar Stefánsson (UW) scored twice in ÍA Akranes’ 4-0 victory over host Grótta a day later.
ÍA plays host to Afturelding in the Round of 16 on May 14.
Sweden
Ettan Norra
Lukas Sunesson (Marquette) scored his third goal in four appearances this season, but host FC Stockholm lost to Hammarby TFF 3-2 last Saturday. Sunesson is tied with seven others atop the goal-scoring chart in the third-tier league.
U.S.
Major League Soccer
Luis Barraza (Marquette) recorded the rare goalkeeper assist in D.C. United’s 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls last Saturday. João Peglow tracked Barraza’s long goal kick as it bounced, headed it past a defender and scored the first of his two goals to give D.C. United the lead in the 35th minute. 🎞️ Watch
USL Championship
Logan Ketterer (Madison/Racine Prairie School) made one save in the shutout as host Lexington SC played to a 0-0 draw with Monterey Bay last Saturday. Ketterer is tied for the league lead with three clean sheets in seven appearances.
USL Super League
Eli Hutchinson (Marquette) had a brace as the first-place Carolina Ascent won their fifth consecutive game, a 3-0 victory over the visiting Spokane Zephyr last Saturday. Hutchinson is tied for 11th in the league with four goals on the season. Watch ⬇️
Follow all the players with state ties playing professionally in the U.S. and around the world on our Wisconsin Players in the Pros page. And let us know if we've missed anyone!