Checking in on state pro players
Plenty of goals for Wisconsin players in MLS NEXT Pro this week, plus updates from Sweden, Iceland, Lithuania and Greece
It was a great week in MLS NEXT Pro for players with Wisconsin ties.
Marius Aiyenero (Middleton) scored his first professional goal on Wednesday to lift LAFC2 to a 1-0 victory over Minnesota United 2 in Fullerton, Calif.
The 17-year-old Aiyenero, a Canadian youth international who joined LAFC in May 2024, slipped a shot between the legs of MNUFC2 goalkeeper Kayne Rizvanovich in the 40th minute for what proved to be the game's lone goal. 🎞️ Watch
Ruben Messalles (Sheboygan) scored the opening goal in the Real Monarchs' 3-2 win over host Vancouver Whitecaps 2 on Sunday. The right back is third on the team with three goals and tied for first with three assists. 🎞️ Watch
Midfielder Trip Fleming (UW) had a pair of goals as Chicago Fire II knocked off host Inter Miami II 3-1 on Wednesday, giving him four goals in his first pro season. 🎞️ Watch
Sweden
Ettan Norra
Lukas Sunesson (Marquette) opened the scoring in the 70th minute, but FC Stockholm had to settle for a 1-1 draw with FC Arlanda on Saturday. Sunesson is tied for third in the third-tier league with 10 goals in 15 appearances (14 starts) for Stockholm, which sits third in the table halfway through the season.
Iceland
2. deild karla
Dominic Briggs (Oconomowoc) scored his second goal of the season, but host Víðir lost to KFA 2-1 Sunday and fell to 11th in the 12-team, third-division league.
UEFA Women's Champions League
Defender Rashida Beal (Germantown) and Lithuanian side FK Gintra were drawn into Group 5 for second-round qualifying in the 2025-2026 Champions Path.
Gintra, which finished second in the A Lyga this season, will face Romanian club FCV Farul Constanța in the semifinals Aug. 27. In the other semifinal, Ukrainian side FC Vorskla Poltava will play the winner of a first-round qualifying group — KFF Mitrovica (Kosovo), Cliftonville Ladies (Northern Ireland) or WFC Lanchkhuti (Georgia). The final is Aug. 30, with the winner advancing to third-round qualifying.
Greece
Panelinio Protathlima
Defender Jazmin Castañón (UW-Parkside) re-signed with Asteras Tripolis for the 2025-2026 season. Castañón had one goal in 17 appearances (16 starts) in her first season with Asteras, which finished fourth in the 12-team top flight in 2024-2025.