Lansing Common FC begins third season with a familiar roster, intriguing newcomers and chasing a championship
Lansing Common FC opens its season at home at 6 p.m. this Saturday with a friendly against Troy United. Here’s a look a look at this year’s squad:
The skinny
Lansing Common FC returns 20 players from a team that just missed out on a conference championship last season and is playing this season in the Midwest Premier League’s Great Lakes West Division. This is the member-owned club’s third year in existence, with two second-place finishes.
Former assistant and interim coach Brent Sorg, who led Lansing Common during the back half of last season, takes over as the club’s head coach. He’s adding at least 13 new players to an established nucleus.
“They know what it takes,” Sorg said of his returning group. “And then with the infusion of some quality players, it’s going to make my job incredibly difficult to try to find out who to put on the field. We had a training session (Tuesday), the guys are buzzing. It should be a good good year for us.”
As for any noticeable differences on the field …
“I feel like this year we have more guys that are willing to get forward, score goals,” said midfielder Munir Sherali, a Haslett native who’s been with the club since Year 1. “We just have like a spark, because we have a lot of good, young talent, guys who are really technical on the ball and just willing to go forward.”
One additional challenge this season is the schedule: After friendlies this weekend and next, you won’t see Robins at home at Eastern High School until June 24. They play six straight road matches before finishing their season with six straight at home.
Players to watch
Among the 20 returners, Lansing Common brings back its back line of Kevin Payne (Niagara, Jackson), Landon Hungerford (Niagara, DeWitt), Jack Lockerbie (Alma, Richland) and Zane Arnold (Lawrence Tech, Linden), as well as two key guys in the midfield in Mark Wischmeyer (Otterbein, Bloomfield Hills) and Sherali (Eastern Illinois, Haslett).
Up front, Lansing Common did lose two of its top attackers, but returns Jack Voight (Spring Arbor, South Lyon), who shared the conference's Golden Boot last year despite not playing a full season.
Newcomers include former Michigan State standout Jack Beck, who Lansing Common is hoping will restart the pipeline with MSU’s program.
Former Haslett star Brandon Dixon, who’s been playing overseas, is also expected to join the club this season.
RELATED: Couch: Lansing Common FC turns out to be the ideal club – and response – for soccer in Lansing
The schedule
(Home matches in bold)
Saturday: Home vs. Troy United, 6 p.m. (exhibition)
Friday, May 19: Home vs. Northville United, 7 p.m. (exhibition)
Sunday, May 21: At Futsals Factory Academy, 4:30 p.m., Dexter
Friday, June 2: At Michigan Jaguars FC, 7 p.m., Commerce Charter Township
Sunday, June 4: At Michigan Stars FC U-23, 7 p.m., Washington
Sunday, June 11, At Holland Rovers FC, 2 p.m., Holland
Wednesday, June 14: At United West FC, 6 p.m., Hudsonville
Wednesday, June 21: At BiH Grand Rapids, 7 p.m., Kentwood
Saturday, June 24: Home vs. AIM SC, 6 p.m.
Friday, June 30: Home vs. ThunderCats SC, 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 8: Home vs. Tulip City United SC, 6 p.m.
Friday, July 14: Home vs. West Michigan Bearings SC, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 16: Home vs. 1927 SC, 4 p.m.
Saturday, July 22: Home vs. Livonia City FC, 6 p.m.
All home matches at Lansing Eastern High School Stadium
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing Common FC begins season with familiar roster, chasing a title
