ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minneapolis City SC tallied its 12th win in as many league games to end the 2026 regular season, defeating host Edgewater Castle FC 4-0 in Chicago. Nathan Donovan opened scoring in just the sixth minute. Jeloni Murray-Powell doubled City’s lead with the last kick of the ball before halftime. And Donovan added his second and third goals of the afternoon in the 48th and 72nd minutes.
The author spoke to head coach Jon Forsythe, goalkeeper Daniel Sessler, midfielder Muarry-Powell, and forward Shea Bechtel. The quartet addressed what has carried the Crows to a perfect record in League Two play, the day’s goals, the club’s growth, and turning their collective focus to single-elimination playoffs.
On Goals
It took an impressive curled-shot, struck from outside Edgewater’s penalty area, to get your first goal of the season. You’ve known Dubem Obilo for most of your life; he already headed one home against Rochester in Minneapolis. Just how important was it not to get outscored by Dubem?
Jeloni Murray-Powell: “Obviously — obviously — Dubem is a defender. I play in front of him. So it was vital that I found the goal before the regular season ended. I’ve been hunting for the goal all season, so I’m glad it came before the season ended.
“I saw the space around the top of the box, and Hakeem [Morgan] was in space where he cut back. I stepped up and I called for it. Hakeem found me. It was kind of like a 50-50 challenge that I won at top of the box. Took a touch and I saw the far post and just hit it, and it went in. I’m glad to have had the reps before, in training, and been working on it a lot. So I was happy to see it come through in the game.”
You have been fighting for minutes all season. We’re up 3-0. You’re through on goal, one on one with the keeper, and could have easily scored. Why square the ball for your teammate?
Shea Bechtel: “Jeloni actually asked me in the locker room. He was like, ‘Oh, are you scared to shoot? You should have shot that.’ And I think, what sums it up, is that if Donny was in that position, I would have expected him to square me the ball. I think that just sums it up. So, when I got in that position, I was like, ‘The goalie’s standing in the middle of the goal. I can put it wherever I want, but it’s pretty much guaranteed a goal, no matter what, if I give it to Donny.’ So, I figured that was the best option.”
On Vibes
UW-Eau Claire alumnus Nathan Donovan recently posted on social media — in reference to you and Hakeem Morgan — that maybe St. Olaf guys weren’t so bad, after all.
Bechtel: “Yeah, I think it’s really cool. Especially in Minnesota, I feel like the the soccer community is pretty well-knit. So, when I when I started playing against Donny when he was at Eau Claire, it was kind of like, ‘Ah, this guy kind of sucks. He always scores. It’s annoying to deal with. Now we’ve got to play him, whatever.’
“I played with him at Saint Croix, I think in 2024, and that’s when I was like, ‘You know what, he might suck playing against him, but it’s fun playing with him.’ So I think it’s really cool, with City especially, we’ve been able to bring guys together that have played against each other. When you have top guys from a college team, or top guys from one club, and then they come to the other club: one, you’re making it more competitive; and two, it’s always fun to make connections with new teammates. Like Donny’s one of my good friends, when we started off kind of squared-up against each other.
“I think you can sort of build something special when when you’re bringing top guys from a lot of different areas, instead of having them competing against each other all the time. It’s a good change of pace.”
What is it that you see, as a coach, with regards to how City’s roster has gelled this season?
Jon Forsythe: “I think one of the things that’s so special about this team is we have guys that are all super hungry, and they don’t feel entitled to anything, you know? We have guys that maybe are from D-III backgrounds, maybe are fighting for minutes in their upcoming season. So every game, why we’ve been able to be consistently successful, is because there’s been a consistent approach.”
On Growth
On Sunday, you moved into second place in career assists (7) and ninth place in career appearances (39) in club history.
Bechtel: “I guess that’s just something that comes with sticking with City, I don’t know. I haven’t really paid too much attention to that, to be honest. But that’s a cool thing to know. I think when it comes to playing in USL League Two, especially in Minnesota, I know City’s the most attractive option. So, I think I’m just blessed to be able to have played for City for this long, and to continue to play for City. I love every game that I play with the club. And so yeah, it’s just an honor to be moving up those lists whenever I can.”
Your first season with the Crows, the team won three league games. Now, City just finished its regular season with a perfect record. Thinking back to your first season, could you have envisioned the improvement that was to come?
Bechtel: “That was 2023, so I think, just to sum it up, I would have never guessed that when I first stepped foot on the field for City that we would be in the position we’re in today, three years on, or four years on, whatever it is. But I think it’s a testament to the club. It’s a testament to the people that work for the club, the people around the club, and then especially for the guys that play for the club. I think each year that I’ve played for City, we’ve gotten a great group of guys together, a group of guys that are more ambitious than the year before, and a group of guys that are hungrier than the year before. It’s a testament to the personalities we have that are able to gel together and bring something special to the city, and to the club. They pour a lot into us as players. So I think it’s just that we can put out performances that make them proud.
Joining a year after Bechtel, the Crows also had a losing record your first season with the senior team. What, in your opinion, has driven the club forward?
Daniel Sessler: “I think Hakeem and other guys have said it in interviews, before. I think it all starts with the recruiting and just taking all the right guys. Not every-last player is gonna, you know, go play at the highest, highest level, ever. But guys that are super bought-in and willing to build connections. And I think a big thing this year that we took, and wanted to make sure it was emphasized all year, is that we’re all playing for each other, and we all have a common goal. And so this year, that was what really brought us together.
“I think my first year up here, everyone was very individual, had their own agendas, weren’t entirely bought in, but also sometimes it just isn’t your year. And kind of as we’ve reemphasized, our leadership and ownership have really brought in the right guys to help make everything as smooth as possible, and get guys playing all together, all wanting to win, and doing whatever it takes to win.”
On Playoffs
The consistency required to win 12 of 12 games is proof of the team’s focus. But City clinched the division and a postseason berth with three games to spare. Where there was a margin for error, now, the Crows are headed into single-elimination playoffs. Does that change your approach?
Forsythe: “There are no weak teams. I don’t know if the pod that we’re playing has been released publicly, yet, but probably the rest of the way we’re going to be playing teams that were also champions of their their respective division. We understand that these are teams that are in really good form, just like us. We have to approach each game with the same humility that we approached the regular-season games.”
Bechtel: “Obviously, there’s a little more stakes to the game. If you lose, your season’s done. But I think as we were able to win more games towards the start of the year, told ourselves, ‘Hey, we have to treat each game like it’s a final. If we can keep winning, we can do something really special.’ And we’ve been able to be — so far — the only team in USL League Two that hasn’t dropped points. So I think, especially over the course of the last three or four games, we’ve gone into it saying ‘Hey, this is a final.’ We treat it like when we have to win, to bring that mentality to the playoffs. It’s win or go home, and we’ve got to treat it like it’s a final every game. That’s the only way we move forward as a team.”
Murray-Powell: “I think we found success with the mentality that we’ve brought towards every game, every session, and everything regarding the season, from the beginning of the season. I think it’s good that we’ve been consistent and we’ve done very well this season. We have high standards for the team and ourselves. And I think the mentality stays the same. We just want to go win every game, and we want to dominate. We love scoring goals, as you see — like Donny, he loves scoring, just like Sango [Akale] and Hakeem. And I think we have a team that, we’d be cutting ourselves short if we didn’t go out there to win everything. So I think the mentality stays the same, and now it’s just win or go home. And we want to stay.”
Sessler: “I mean, it’s always a situation where I like to say, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ But obviously, everyone knows what’s at stake now. It’s win or go home. You’re gonna take that extra level of preparation when it comes to sleep recovery, fueling your body right. You’re gonna just do everything at an extra 10, 20, 30-percent more to stay sharp. You know the stakes, but also we have to play free, like we have been the entire year, and not play super tense. Just continue to play how we’ve been playing together, towards the common goal. And I think our mentality is you go into every game from here on out trying to go 1-0, just focusing on what’s in front of you, not what’s past you, and staying in the present.”
Your Heartland Division champion Minneapolis City SC will face Valley Division-winning West Virginia United at 3:00 p.m. Central on Thursday, July 16 at Shea Stadium in Peoria, Illinois.
The winner of the aforementioned moves on to face the winner between Great Plains champion Peoria City and Sueno FC on Saturday, also in Peoria.
