Doubleheader, key Midwest Division showdown highlight Week 9 in M2

TAMPA, Fla. -- A Western Division doubleheader, a key showdown between the Omaha King and Wichita Wings at Hartman Arena in Wichita Saturday, and another matchup for Buckeye State bragging rights highlight the seven games in Week 9 in Major Arena Soccer League 2 play.

Turlock will be one of the teams hosting two games this weekend, starting out Friday night and following up Saturday afternoon with back-to-back match ups against the San Diego Sockers 2. Friday night's kickoff will be at 7:05 p.m. PST, while Saturday's start is at 12 noon PST. The Sockers took the measure of Turlock 10-3 in the only previous meeting of the two teams so far in the 2021-22 season. For ticket and broadcast information, go HERE.

Turlock (1-2) is led by Armondo Fernandez who has two goals and three assists. San Diego (3-1) and the Express are both chasing the RGV Barracudas (4-0) out west and are led by Rene Flores with eight goals and four assists in the team's first four games.

The top spot in the  Midwest is up for grabs between the two highest scoring teams in M2 so far this year when Omaha invades Wichita. The Kings have scored a league best 60 goals, while Wiichita has scored 57 for the two sides currently tied for first in the division with 5-1 marks. 

Omaha's Murilo Ceruli, a defender, leads the league with 19 points, including 11 assists. Wichita's Kevin Ten Eyck and Bransyn Felty are both tied for third in league scoring with 16 points each. Ticket and broadcast information can be found HERE.

Round Two in the battle of Ohio will take place in Cincinnati this time when the BC Swerve host the still undefeated Cleveland Crunch. Kickoff is Saturday at 8 p.m. Ticket and broadcast information can be found HERE.

Cleveland (5-0)  is led by  Mike Dezeric with 12 goals in four starts,  and Admir Suljevic with 14 points in three games. Andrej Novakovic has four goals in two games for Cincinnati (0-3). The Crunch dispatched the Swere 8-4 on Jan. 22 in Cleveland. 

The Colorado Inferno will hit the road for a pair, looking for their first win of the season when they visit New Mexico (Saturday) and Amarillo (Sunday). 

The Runners come in at 1-6 and are led by Sergio Fuentes with 11 goals and four assists on the season, while teammate Alejandro Garcia has 10 goals in just four starts. Armando Gonzalez with five goals and four assists paces the Inferno offense. Ticket and broadcast information for the 5:05 MST start can be found HERE.

Sunday's start time in Amarillo is 3:05 CST, with ticket and broadcast information found HERE. 

Vitor Patriani with 11 points and Conrod Goulbourne with 10 points lead the Bombers offense. 

In an important battle in the race for the post-season, the Muskegon Risers will host the Chicago Mustangs Saturday at 7 p.m. at Mercy Health Arena. The top two teams in each division will make the post-season. Cleveland leads the Great Lakes division at 5-0, but Muskegon (3-4) and Chicago (2-3) are neck-and neck for the second spot. Ticket and broadcast information can be found HERE.

The Risers are led by Miguel Flores who has 12 goals in six games while Chicago's  Angel Rodriguez comes in leading the Mustangs offense with five goals and eight assists.