A Season to Remember: Akron City FC puts cap on stellar 2024 campaign

Writer: Sideline and Beat Reporter, Cade Cracas

When all is said and done, 2024 will go down in the history books.

For Akron City FC, they produced elite play on the pitch from the season opener on May, 18 through the season finale in the Great Lakes Conference championship game on July 13. The team capped off their year with an overall record of 9-0-3 in NPSL action, while going 1-1 in cup play.

With many club-bests being found in 2024, ACFC is being lauded as one of the top up-and-coming teams in the league.

"We are proud of what we did this season," Head Coach Andy Hoggarth said. "I think the work rate the guys put in and the progression we made was insane. It was certainly something to be proud of.

"We gotta keep going up from here."

Game by Game

The team kicked off their season with a loss to Cleveland SC, 1-0. After suffering a defeat, they rallied strong and went on to dominate in the next outing.

They would take on Michigan Rangers FC, a team that had historically found a large amount of success in Akron, was put to rest early. ACFC piled on MRFC, putting numerous goals on the board in the first half alone. They would go into the halftime break up 5-0, before scoring one more in the second half to cap off an impressive 6-0 win.

The victory against MRFC moved the team to 1-1 on the season, also marking the largest goal differential finish in the club's history. Prior to the win, the largest margin of victory came in a 5-0 win against Erie Commodores back on June 14, 2023.

ACFC moved into their third game of the season on May 31, where they clashed against Steel City FC. SCFC pulled away with nail-biting 2-1 scoreline, which dropped ACFC's record to 1-2 on the year.

This would be the last loss the team succumbed to in league play until the Great Lakes Conference championship in July.

They pulled off seven straight wins to finish off the regular season.

That win streak would start as they would matchup against Niagara 1812 on the road, coming away with a 5-0 dominant win. They then rematched MRFC, taking them down 3-2 in the second showing of the two sides teeing off this season.

With a two-game win streak under their belt, they moved on to find a 6-2 win over Flower City Union where standout forward Sam Sarver buried five total goals. Just like many other "firsts" that were found that season, this would be another as he recorded the highest amount of goals scored by an ACFC player in one game.

This also marked the first time in club history the team marked more than three wins in a singular campaign.

The team built off this confidence and excitement heading into their next game, as they took on rival Cleveland SC on June, 22. There, they would pull off the club's first-ever win against the team up north in 3-0 fashion. The notch in the win column would mark four straight.

“It was great, you know with the local rivalry,” Hoggarth said. “We felt as though we should have won the first game of the season but maybe that was a good driving force for us that we didn’t."

The next three games would be comfortable wins for ACFC, taking down Southern Indiana Guardians FC, 5-1 and 11-0. The eleven goal mark found on June 30, was more goals then they scored in the entirety of the 2022 inaugural campaign.

Heading into the regular season finale, the team took to the road, traveling to Erie, Pa. with a matchup against the Commodores. They ultimately capped off their impressive season with a 3-2 win.

Forward Pedro Faria was phenomenal, scoring all three goals for Akron. He ultimately finished his first year with the club with six total goals, all in league play. His hat trick was also the third for the team on the year.

The Road to Gold

Due to the success ACFC found throughout the regular season, they ended up sliding their way into the Great Lakes Conference playoffs.

In the opening round, the team paid host to MRFC for the third game of the season series between the pair. Yet again, history would repeat itself and ACFC would comfortably waltz to a win. Leading the charge in the scoring was forward Colin Biros. He knocked in three total goals, helping secure ACFC's first-ever playoff win.

Unfortunately, ACFC would meet its maker in the championship game against SCFC, who still has not lost a regular season or Great Lakes playoff game in two years. ACFC attempted to dominate the game early, but would be unable to set the tempo as SCFC played much more strong in the midfield.

They ultimately went on to lose, 2-0, making SCFC back-to-back Great Lakes champions.

However, ACFC went from a combined seven wins in the previous two seasons, to winning nine in NPSL action in 2024 and battling for a conference championship.

First Cup Appearance

Outside of league play, the club participated in the USASA Amateurs Cup, which marked the first external cup appearance for ACFC in history.

While it was no the result they hoped for, the team was still able to find its first-ever win in tournament action. On June 2, the team welcomed Northern Indiana FC to Green Street Stadium for quarter-final round play. Through 120 minutes of action, ACFC was able to squeak away with an extra-time victory, 4-2.

In the victory, forward Ryan Kingsford belted in two goals, while Sarver clocked in one himself. The other goal was scored by newcomer and collegiate freshman, Jackson Herbert. 

After taking home a win in the quarter-final round, they moved on to the semi-finals, where the team travelled all the way to South Bend, Ind.

They battled hard, through yet again another 120 minute game, but came out on the opposite side of a positive result. Even with a five-goal game, with Sarver and Kingsford finding the back of the net again, ACFC fell, 7-5. The loss moves ACFC to 1-1 in cup play, and finished them just one game short of the USASA Amateurs Cup Region II finals. 

Leading the Charge

At the conclusion of the season, ACFC had numerous standouts leading the stat sheets. In goals scored, the team saw five players eclipse five on the year. Those players include Sarver and forward Stefan Dobrijevic with 11, Faria and Kingsford wtih six, and midfielder Jannis Schmidt with five.

Alongside a mark of 11 goals, Sarver capped off 2024 with six total assists.

With his efforts resulting in direct team-success, Sarver was rewarded with Great Lakes Conference Most Valuable Player honors. He also was recognized by Top Drawer Soccer as the TopDrawerSoccer.com 2024 NPSL Young Player of the Season.

Team Play

Through 14 total games on the season, ACFC finished with 47 goals in league play and nine in cup action for a total of 56 goals scored. In the two seasons prior to 2024, ACFC scored 10 in 2022 and 15 in 2023.

"I think a big reason Akron City FC were so successful this season was because we all had a good relationship on and off of the field.  People don’t realize how much that can really help a team," Sarver said. "Obviously, playing together over the course of the summer you build chemistry but having a good relationship with your teammates is vital for success.”

Their increased level of offensive production and team chemistry not only led to tremendous success at finding the back of the net, but also at being defensively stout. They allowed just 23 goals on the season, with 14 allowed in NPSL action.

The team saw numerous individuals strap on the gloves, as goalkeepers Ty Bowden, Patrick McGlaughlin and Omeed Naeemy stood between the posts this season. In uncharactersitc fashion, Bowden and Naeemy helped contribute to offensive points, as Bowden finished the year with an assist while Naeemy scored a goal as a field player in the 11-0 win over SIGFC.

What's Next?

ACFC's historic season moved the all-time club record to 15-5-18, heading into the team's fourth official stint in Akron.

The team will turn its attention to the offseason, where they will look to build off the newfound success and turn it into a year-in-and-year-out habit.