Wisconsin Soccer Central

The nation's top men's amateur soccer teams are headed to Wisconsin.

The U.S. Adult Soccer Association announced Thursday that Bavarian SC will play host to the National Amateur Cup semifinals and final. Matches are set for 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Aug. 5 and 6 at the club's Heartland Value Fund Stadium in Glendale.

A draw will be held Monday to determine the semifinal pairings.

The Bavarians won the Region II championship earlier this month in Saginaw, Mich., winning all four of their matches in a field that included reigning national champion Quinto Elemento of Kansas. The other semifinalists are Maryland's Christos FC (Region I), Texas side Legends FC (Region III) and California's Moreno Valley FC (Region IV).

The Bavarians have won the Amateur Cup five times – 1976, 2001 to '03 and 2009 – and only two clubs have more titles in the competition that started in 1923: Ponta Delgada SC from Fall River, Mass., and St. Louis Kutis SC, who both have seven.

Two of the Bavarians' championships have come on home turf. They beat New Jersey's Trenton Extension 3-1 in the 1976 final at Bavarian Field, and rallied past Florida's St. Petersburg Kickers 3-2 at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee to claim their third straight title – and cap a double after also winning the USASA Open Cup a day earlier.

• All four of the state's Premier League of America teams have West Division matches this weekend, including a home-and-home series between the Croatian Eagles (1-2-2) and Cedar Rapids Rampage (2-1-2). The Croatians will be on the road Saturday night before playing host to the Iowa side at 4 p.m. Sunday at Croatian Park in Franklin. The Madison 56ers (0-3-2) will seek their first PLA victory on Saturday when they play host to SSC Minneapolis City (2-1-3) at 5 p.m. at Breese Stevens Field, while the division-leading Bavarians (2-0-3) head to the Twin Cities to face the Minnesota United FC Reserves (2-2-2) on Sunday. PLA standings/results/schedules
• Players with state ties claimed five of the 11 spots on the latest PLA Team of the Week: MSOE striker Braden Andryk (Milwaukee Marquette) and Marquette defender Danny Jarosz (Milwaukee Marquette) from Bavarians, UW-Milwaukee midfielder Peter Raymonds (Brookfield East) and defender Aaron Schroeder (Milwaukee Pius) from Croatians and Whitney Browne (UW-Green Bay) of the Minnesota United Reserves.
• UW's Nick Jones and Mark Segbers each got on the scoresheet in Premier Development League play this week as their respective teams continue to battle atop the Central Conference's Heartland Division. Jones came off the bench to score the 69th-minute opener Saturday as the Des Moines Menace (6-0-1) blanked the visiting St. Louis Lions 2-0 to remain atop the division. Segbers scored his team-best fourth goal of the year – tied for the division lead – as the host Chicago Fire Under-23s (6-2-1) kept pace by topping Kokomo Mantis FC 3-0 on Tuesday.
• Marquette's Morgan Proffitt scored the first goal as the Chicago Red Stars Reserves routed the Minnesota Twin Stars 6-0 last Saturday in Oak Brook, Ill., to extend their Women's Premier Soccer League unbeaten streak to 19 games (18-0-1). The reigning WPSL champions have outscored opponents 26-0 in winning all five of their matches this season.