PEORIA, IL (May 25, 2022) – Just two weeks into its inaugural season, USL League Two expansion franchise Peoria City has a huge opportunity to cement its position atop the Deep North Division standings when the squad returns home to face defending league champion Des Moines Menace Friday night at Bradley University’s Shea Stadium.
Off to an unbeaten start through three games, highlighted by a pair of wins this past weekend in Minneapolis at Minneapolis City SC (1-0) and St. Croix SC (2-1), Peoria City (2-0-1, 7 points) enters Friday’s showdown on top of the League Two Deep North Division standings. In fact, Peoria City’s seven points are tied for the third-most of any team in the 113-team League Two. Des Moines (2-0-0, 6 points), meanwhile, has outscored its first two opponents by six total goals and the Menace enter Friday’s match riding a 9-game overall winning streak with an 18-1-0 regular-season and playoffs record the last two seasons.
In the latest edition of the USL League Two Power Rankings, Peoria City has skyrocketed from outside the preseason Kickoff Top 25 to the league-wide number nine position this week, while Des Moines maintains its No. 2 spot.
“Peoria City weren’t on our Kickoff Top 25 at all. After three weeks, they’re sitting atop the Deep North Division after defeating St. Croix and Minneapolis City, drawing with the Crows in the reverse match. The Deep North Division still runs through Des Moines – but Peoria City may fight them for it.”
Friday’s showdown is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Shea Stadium. Tickets for Peoria City home games start at just $5 and are available for purchase in advance online at peoriacitysoccer.com or by visiting Peoria City Five Bar locations The Fieldhouse Bar & Grill, The Fox Pub & Cafe and Pour Bros. Craft Taproom. Parking is free at all Peoria City games and tailgating is permitted to begin two hours (5 o’clock) prior to each game. Drummadtik Talents Drumline once again will lead the starting lineups onto the field and will provide a halftime performance Friday.
ABOUT USL LEAGUE TWO
A part of United Soccer Leagues, LLC, which also operates the USL Championship, USL League One, Super Y League and the new USL Academy, USL League Two is the top pre-professional soccer league in North America, offering a summer platform for aspiring professionals across the United States and Canada. League Two is the defined and proven pathway for players to progress to the ranks of professional soccer, while its clubs become fixtures in the communities where they operate. More than 70 percent of all MLS SuperDraft selections since 2010 have League Two experience, including 66 alumni chosen in 2018 and 61 in 2019. Werder Bremen’s Josh Sargent, Inter Miami CF’s DeAndre Yedlin, and Atlanta United’s Brad Guzan are among the many U.S. National Team players to have competed in USL League Two before making their professional debuts.
