FC Tucson’s historic run faces arguably its toughest test in the USL League Two final four.
The Western Conference champions (10-2-5) play at Peoria City (Illinois) on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Arizona time for a spot in the USL League Two final.
The Men in Black reached the national semifinals with a win over 2-1 win over Project 51O (11-5-1) on Friday at Shea Stadium in Peoria, Illinois. Friday night, the host of the four-team pod, Peoria City (11-1-3), beat four-time national champion Flint City Bucks 1-0.
Ventura County’s Callen Lewis, right, pops the ball into the face of FC Tucson Jonah Kawamara during a postseason game last week. The Men in Black play Sunday in Illinois with a berth in the USL League Two championship on the line.
Peoria City doesn’t boast the same kind of history as Flint City, as they were founded in 2020 and started playing in 2022. However, the Flying Carp have reached the playoffs in two of their three seasons.
In seven seasons in the USL League Two, FC Tucson has reached the playoffs seven times, but this is its first conference title. In 2021, the Men in Black made it to the USL League One semifinals but that was after one win in a 12-team league; USL League Two has 128 sides.
In the playoffs, FC Tucson has beaten the Mountain and Southwest Division champions, but those were both at home. Peoria City finished second in the Heartland Division to the Des Moines Menace but knocked out the Menace in penalties after a 5-5 draw in the conference semifinals.
Peoria has an eight-match unbeaten streak, while FC Tucson’s is 11. The Flying Carp have won three of their last won, while FCT has won five of its last six.
FC Tucson midfielder Lars Walczyk scores the lone goal of the match in FCT's 1-0 win over Ventura County on July 21, 2024, at Kino North Stadium in Tucson. The win propels FCT into the Western Conference final as one of eight teams overall remaining. (James Kelley, Special to the Arizona Daily Star)
