Duluth FC advances to NPSL North title match after playoff win
Akim Soulemana helped spark Duluth FC's 4-2 home playoff win, sending the BlueGreens to Saturday's NPSL North title match.
Duluth FC kept its postseason alive Wednesday night with a 4-2 home win over Dakota Fusion FC at Walt Hunting Stadium-Marv Heikkinen Field, sending the BlueGreens to Saturday’s NPSL North title match in Sioux City, Iowa. The result gave Duluth another high-visibility summer date and kept the club’s run moving in front of a local fan base that has watched the BlueGreens grow into one of the city’s most established soccer teams.
Seth Davidson put Duluth ahead in the fourth minute, heading in a free kick from Akim Soulemana, and Charly Wilkening answered in the 16th minute to level the match for Dakota. WDIO said Duluth then scored three second-half goals to pull away, and the Duluth News Tribune identified Soulemana as the scorer on Duluth’s third goal in the playoff victory.
The semifinal carried extra weight because Duluth and Dakota had already split their two regular-season meetings, with each side winning on its home pitch. Duluth entered the playoffs with home-field advantage after closing the regular season on July 1 with a 2-1 win over Dakota Fusion FC at Walt Hunting Stadium-Marv Heikkinen Field. Jake Cervantes scored in the 82nd minute in that match, and Joao Magahlaes delivered the stoppage-time winner to lift Duluth to a 6-3-1 record.
That home win mattered beyond the standings. The NPSL’s 2026 playoff format sends conference finals to the highest remaining seed on July 11, and Duluth’s place in the North title match reflects a club that has spent the last decade building from the Duluth Amateur Soccer League into the National Premier Soccer League. Duluth FC’s history traces the BlueGreens’ start to 2015, and the club’s site lists them as the NPSL North Conference regular-season champions in 2025.
Against Siouxland United FC on Saturday, Duluth will play for the North title and a spot in the next round, with the league’s national quarterfinals set for July 18. For a city that has backed the BlueGreens from their local roots, the playoff run now reaches the point where one more result can turn a strong season into a regional statement.
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