By Kevin Kyle
Certainly, its initial match in the USL W – May 21 against River Light in Aurora, IL – was a big test for the Sioux Falls City Football Club. Though City was shut out, 3-0, in that Central Conference Heartland Division clash, the club rebounded with a pair of road victories over Chicago City Dutch Lions (2-1) and Rochester (3-1) before earning a forfeit win against division basement dwellers RKC Third Coast, June 1 in Sioux Falls.
What was supposed to be a celebration and a welcome to the league for City and its fans, quickly soured when RKC packed up and left Bob Young Stadium without taking the field – leaving players and supporters dumbfounded. Although City players have swiftly put the non-match behind them, emotions are still riding high as the club faces perhaps its biggest test of the young campaign – a head-to-head battle against division leaders Minnesota Aurora FC tomorrow evening (7 p.m.) at TCO Stadium in Eagan, MN.
“I think more than anything we’re really excited,” said veteran midfielder/center back Taylor Thomas. “All of us returning players, and the newbies too, have been looking forward to this game. We know that they’re a great team; and we know the atmosphere is going to be super fun to play in… with their big crowd. Our priority is the same as always, ourselves and playing the way WE do. We’ll focus on blocking out all the outside noise and do what we came to do, which is leave with three points.
While the current USL W standings do not reflect the three points given for a forfeit, keeping City at 2-0-1 (6 points), Friday night’s tilt against Minnesota Aurora FC (4-0-0, 12 points) is basically between the top two sides in the Heartland Division.
Aurora FC, which claimed the division crown last summer at 10-2-0 (32 points) – behind an outstanding +55 goal differential – is again off to a stellar start, winning all four of 2025 its regular-season matches and sporting a +11 (12-to-1) goal differential. In contrast, City’s three goals against Rochester, May 29 in Rochester, helped the club pull even in goals and goals against at five each.
However, City is keenly aware of how it fared in the club’s preseason match against Aurora FC last summer, tying its new northern nemesis 1-1 and… serving notice.
“It was our first match of season with a brand-new team; some players showed up the day of (the match) and we ended up tying them,” said Thomas. “That was a first for them on their field and they’ve never lost on that field. Coming into Friday, that’s our plan – giving them their first loss.”
Friday’s match will also be a first for many of City’s players, returning and incoming alike. SFCFC left winger Rylee Haldeman (Hartford, S.D.) is chomping at the bit to get on the field for her first action of the season, after practicing with the club for a mere nine days this summer.
“I’m really excited,” said Haldeman, who sat out last summer with meniscus damage and a torn ACL. “This is a new team and playing for Sioux Falls City is a confidence builder. You get to come out here and be free. I feel like I gain a lot of confidence here… nice to put the work into practice and see how it turns out on the field.” 
That work has clearly paid off for the club, in general, as City promptly put its season opener in the rearview in consecutively tripping up both Chicago City and Rochester FC on the road. In looking for its third straight away victory, City need plenty of confidence, emotional strength and a focused plan.
“We have to try to mitigate what they do; they have a very clear style of play, which is very successful,” said SFCFC Sporting Director Joe DeMay. “They’re the league leaders right now, scored a lot (of goals) and not given up many. So, we’re looking at what they do and how that matches up against what we do, as we stick with our identity.
“We like to counterattack, but getting into a transitional game is not the best idea; the speed of the game will just get so great that it’ll get really, really stressed for both teams… make it difficult to manage. We want to be aggressive, but also good stewards of the ball when we have it.”
Perhaps leaving the crowd as the ‘X’ factor Friday night should City not deftly disseminate details prior to the opening whistle.
“We’re used to playing in front of big crowds; obviously the big crowds we play in front of are usually more supportive,” noted DeMay. “I’m not going to say it’ll be a hostile crowd, but the majority of the people in the stadium will not be for us, not rooting for Sioux Falls City. Overall, the biggest adjustment there will be the communication. When it’s loud, it’s difficult to communicate. So, having that clarity of what we want to do will help us avoid having to communicate big chunks of information in the middle of the match.”
Certainly, the Aurora FC faithful is aware of the club’s home record and will undoubtedly look to disrupt City at every turn. However, having been one of the few sides to risen to the challenge in the Twin Cities suburb of Eagan, City comes into the match with great gusto.
“They’re a really good team, going to have a big fanbase that we’re going to have to block out,” said Haldeman. “Knowing that they haven’t lost on that field is giving us a little more umph… more strength to want to beat them. This will be a very big game for me; growing up, I never expected to be playing on this big of a platform, so it’s very cool and very exciting… for all of us!”
This is YOUR City!