Med City FC rides togetherness to NPSL Midwest semifinals
Jul. 21—ROCHESTER — Lucas Hart has been in the United States for five years, the soccer standout having come over from London.
Hart spent his college years at the University of West Alabama where he played four seasons for the Tigers, the final one in 2021. Hart has also spent two summers in Rochester, including this one, playing for Med City FC in the National Premier Soccer League.
Never, Hart says, has he enjoyed a season as much as this one with the Mayhem, who will travel to Muskegon, Mich., to play Cleveland SC at 4:20 p.m. Friday in the NPSL Midwest Region semifinals.
It's the furthest that Med City FC — which has made the playoffs twice in its six-year history — has ever advanced in the postseason.
"This has been my favorite season ever in America," said Hart, who plays midfield for the Mayhem. "We have a bunch of boys on this team who will now be friends for life. We talk everyday and have bonded really well. All of that makes things more enjoyable. We've got people from all different cultures on this team — the Spanish, the Brazilians, the English and on and on."
Hart has been a part of an historic Mayhem team this summer. Med City FC finished the regular season with 11 wins, 1 loss and 2 ties, capturing the NPSL Midwest North Division for the first time. That automatically landed them in the Midwest Region playoff semifinals, with them receiving a first-round bye.
Mayhem General Manager and co-owner Frank Spaeth didn't know what to think when the season started. Projections are always tough with NPSL teams, with rosters changing so much year to year.
But never have the Mayhem had to deal with such an overhaul as this season. Typically, half of an approximately 28-man roster returns from the year before. This season, just six came back — Hart, midfielder/forward Toby Millward, defender Andy Wilkinson, defender/midfielder/forward Josh Balsiger, midfielder Ludvig Hordegard and forward Andres Garcia (Austin High School graduate who leads the team in goals with 10 but is now out for the season with a hamstring injury).
Med City FC coach Neil Cassidy believed the Mayhem had assembled a roster that could really compete. But those kinds of projections are always inexact, with new players mostly signed after having simply watched them on film and not having met them or watched them play live.
This year, there was even more of that "guessing" going on, with such an overhauled roster.
Still, Cassidy was excited about what he believed the Mayhem could become.
"Neil felt like, on paper, we had the potential to have the best team we've ever had," Spaeth said.
All of that potential was indeed realized, thanks in part to having inherited such a get-along group.
It's a roster that has come together on and off the field.
"We do a lot of hanging out together, playing golf and poker," Hart said. "And we love going to the gym and working out together."
They also love doing what it takes to win soccer games.
Med City FC, as has been the identity under Cassidy, has more than anything ridden a stifling defense. In 14 games, the Mayhem have allowed just 11 goals.
"Defensively, the way we play, I think teams find it hard to break us down," Hart said. "And when we do get the ball we have such pace with the way we counter so quickly. Defensively, we all work together as a team."
Spaeth also attributes a good chunk of the team's success to its coaching staff.
The main member of that group is of course Cassidy, who has not been with the team for more than a week as he's dealing with COVID-19. Cassidy won't be coaching on Friday.
"Obviously, Neil has had a lot to do with the success of this team," Spaeth said. "But I give a nod to our entire coaching staff, including our assistants. I think the level of our coaching is just really impressive."
The players, the coaches, the organization — all of it has worked this season for Med City FC. Now, they are just hoping to extend their time together.
"The mood of the team is really good," Hart said. "We trained (Monday) as a team, and then there was no training (Tuesday), but the whole team showed up anyway. Everyone is raring to go. We're not done yet. Now, we've got four more games to win to win a national title. With this group, we think we can do it."
—The Med City FC vs. Cleveland SC game at 4:20 p.m. Friday can be streamed in at
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