Written By:     Charlie Corr
                East Region Contributor

 

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Metropolitan Conference action for the 2022 Women’s Premier Soccer League season gets underway in only a matter of weeks, with the conference kickoff set for May 22 and there are a number of highly anticipated matches to look forward to this summer.

 

Longtime WPSL member New York Athletic Club, heading into its 16th season, already has one matchup circled on the calendar – a late-season July 2 showdown at SUSA FC.

 

“It’s always between SUSA and us; it’s always us fighting for that spot, finishing first and second… first and second… first and second,” Juan Gatti, NYAC head coach said. “Last year was a little off for us and the plan for this year is to get back into that one-two fight.”

 

So it’s clear that SUSA FC will be a marked team following its perfect 2021 WPSL season.

 

“That’s a game that we always look forward to,” Gatti added.

 

With Gatti’s eager sentiment, spread across the entire seven-team Metropolitan Conference field, let’s take a look at seven noteworthy matches worth tracking throughout the summer:

 

*Schedule times and dates subject to change*

May 22: New York Dutch Lions vs. Downtown United SC (2:30 p.m. ET): 

 

The 2022 expansion team, New York Dutch Lions, host its first WPSL match and is tasked with a tough starting test. Downtown United Soccer Club went a perfect 8-0-0 in 2021 to capture the Metro-South Division and is looking to maintain that momentum heading into this season.

 

The Dutch Lions have a stellar reputation on their side as New York represents the sixth club within the organization’s umbrella and pathway. As the Metro’s first match of 2022, the newcomers will need a precise blueprint and execution to make an early WPSL splash, while Downtown United has experience on its side to carry over its 2021 success.

 

June 1: STA vs. New Jersey Alliance FC (7:30 p.m. ET): 

 

The Metro’s two New Jersey-based teams, STA and New Jersey Alliance FC, converge in their only head-to-head regular-season meeting. The match is STA’s home opener and the club is hoping to improve from its .500 record a season ago.

 

For Alliance FC, this season opener serves as an opportunity to turn the page from a tough 2021 campaign. An old-fashioned, in-state rivalry might be the recipe to catapult one of these sides toward a winning 2022 season.

 

June 4: SUSA FC vs. Downtown United SC (4 p.m. ET): 

 

Thanks to this season’s WPSL conference realignment, the Metro Conference is in for a matchup treat when SUSA FC hosts Downtown United as the two were split into separate divisions of the Metro in 2021. Both clubs won every match in last season’s division setup: Downtown United sported an 8-0-0 record in the Metro-South and SUSA posted a 7-0-0 mark in the Metro-North.

 

Now, with the divisions dissolved for 2022, they will meet head-to-head in one of the preeminent regular-season East Region showdowns in 2022. As far as scripts go, you can’t write a better storyline.

 

June 5: Brooklyn City FC vs. Downtown United SC (7:30 p.m. ET): 

 

This feels like Deja vu: A Metro expansion team debuting against one of the WPSL’s best from 2021. Two weeks removed from playing the New York Dutch Lions, Downtown United hits the road to welcome another 2022 expansion team, Brooklyn City FC.

 

The plus side for Brooklyn City is the club makes its WPSL debut with a strong group of experienced players on the roster that could bode well heading into this transition and tough first match.

 

 

June 24: Brooklyn City FC vs. New York Dutch Lions (7 p.m. ET):

This is the only matchup between the two expansion teams within the Metro and Brooklyn City has the honor of hosting this meeting.

With this matchup taking place in the second half of the regular season schedule, there could potentially be quite a bit on the line for both teams. First-year bragging rights and postseason implications undoubtedly magnify this clash.

 

July 1: New York Athletic Club vs. Brooklyn City FC (3:30 p.m. ET):
 

A homecoming of sorts provides some interest in this match with NYAC and Brooklyn City. Brooklyn City head coach Kim Wyant coached NYAC for several years, including the 2014 USASA Amateur Women’s National Championship squad.

Wyant’s accomplishments, as both coach and player, are well known throughout the region, so it will be compelling to see if she can manage Brooklyn City toward a strong result in this new chapter of hers - against a former club.

 

July 2: SUSA FC vs. New York Athletic Club (4 p.m. ET): 

 

The Metro Conference finale could be a pinnacle moment if SUSA FC repeats its 2021 form and NYAC returns to its winning ways this year. The WPSL season occasionally has its quick turnarounds, and from NYAC’s standpoint, the club will have a difficult back-to-back stretch in early July.

 

That said, history has shown that SUSA and NYAC are typically in the mix atop the conference standings, and if the respective rosters can showcase their talent and depth, it should make for an entertaining finish.

 

*Schedule times and dates subject to change*