Wisconsin Soccer Central

It looks like Matt Pyzdrowski (Marquette) will get a chance to stake his claim as the starting goalkeeper for Swedish club Helsingborgs IF.

Pyzdrowski, who signed with the Allsvenskan side in January after four seasons with Ängelholms FF in the second-tier Superettan, was expected to battle with incumbent Pär Hansson for the starting spot with his new club.

However, Hansson is sidelined because of a broken finger and Pyzdrowski has helped Helsingborgs advance to the Swedish Cup quarterfinals. They tied visiting Halmstads BK 1-1 in their Group 8 finale Sunday, and won the group on goal differential (plus-4 to plus-3) after both Allsvenskan sides finished 1-0-2 with five points.

Teams qualified for the Round of 32 last summer, then were drawn into eight four-team groups, with the group winners moving on to the next round. The draw for next weekend's quarterfinals will be held Monday.

The 28-year-old Pyzdrowski made his debut for Helsingborgs in a Cup match on March 1, posting the clean sheet in a 4-0 victory over host Västerås SK FK, which plays in the Division 1 Norra, one of the country's two third-division leagues.

On Twitter: @MattPyzdrowski

• Andrew Stadler (Wauwatosa West) scored both goals as host Landskrona BoIS closed out Group 3 play in the Swedish Cup with a 2-0 victory over fellow Division 1 Södra club Kristianstads FF on Saturday. Stadler scored in the 48th and 73rd minutes for Landskrona, which finished third in the group with a 1-1-1 record. On Twitter: @AndrewStadler
• Axel Sjoberg (Marquette) played the full 90 minutes in his professional debut Saturday as the 10-man Colorado Rapids held on for a 0-0 draw with the Philadelphia Union in a Major League Soccer season opener in Chester, Pa. "I was calm and focused on the game," Sjoberg told MLSSoccer.com. "It wasn't different from any other game." The 6-foot-7 Swede, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Sunday, drew praise for his leadership after fellow center back Bobby Burling was sent off in the 68th minute following his second yellow card of the day. "Going down a man, he was a big catalyst in keeping that back line organized once Bobby went out," Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni said of Sjoberg, the No. 14 overall selection in January's MLS SuperDraft. "Axel has proven he deserves an opportunity, and tonight he took it." On Twitter: @SjobergAxel
• Charlie Lyon (Marquette) hasn't officially signed with the Seattle Sounders, but Sounders coach Sigi Schmid told reporters last week that the fourth-round draft pick would be the team's No. 3 keeper. Lyon also likely will play for S2, the club's new entry in the third-division USL. More details from the (Tacoma) News Tribune On Twitter: @Charlie_Lyon_
• Andrija Novakovich (Muskego) got the start and set up Pierce Sweeney's goal as Reading beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 in a Premier League Under-21 Division 2 match Friday night in England. Eight days earlier, the 18-year-old forward also started and played all 120 minutes for the Under-21 team in a 2-1 extra-time loss to Rovers in a semifinal of the Premier League U21 Cup. Novakovich nearly scored an equalizer in the final seconds of added time, but his shot slammed off the woodwork. On Twitter: @AndrijaNovakov3
• Three players with state ties are among 10 players invited to training camp with the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League after their performances at an open tryout: keepers Michele Dalton (UW) and Monica Gonyo (New Berlin/Waukesha Catholic Memorial) and defender Valerie Gonyo (New Berlin/Waukesha Catholic Memorial). Dalton has played in Europe the past two years, with UMF Selfoss in Iceland in 2013 and Kvarnsvedens IK in Sweden last season – the Illinois native posted seven clean sheets in the second-division Elittetan in 2014. The Gonyo sisters finished their college careers at Loyola (Ill.) last fall, each earning spots on the All-Missouri Valley Conference second team. Monica Gonyo set a program record with 24 shutouts, while Valerie Gonyo had eight goals and three assists in 68 career appearances. The Red Stars, who open camp Monday, have only one keeper on their roster: Canadian international Karina LeBlanc. On Twitter: @MicheleDalton18 @monicagonyo