Featured image: Vlora prepare to take on 18×26 Academy on May 11. Photo by Michael Machuca-Memeti.
May 11, 2025 | UPSL | Bob Pates Stadium, Burnsville, MN
Vlora Starting XI: Juan Montoya, Benjamin Peña, Rodolfo Batisti, Hector Trigueros, Deq Jama, Luis Mencia, Hugo Perez, Nacho Gonzalez, Easton Hoch, Sohail Ebrahimi, Ciro Ottado
Vlora FC picked up one of their biggest wins yet on May 11, beating reigning conference champions 18×26 Academy 2-0 at home. The win was not their biggest scoreline so far, but was perhaps their biggest statement after three UPSL games.
The day did not start easily for Vlora, who were forced to defend hard from the first minute as 18×26 set a high-speed tone from kick off. Resolute defending kept Vlora out of danger and created the opportunity for Vlora to force an error instead. High pressing against 18×26 caused a miscued pass from the goalkeeper to Nacho Gonzalez in the 11th minute, who calmly strode into the box and snuck a shot past one defender and the keeper to make it 1-0 with his first of the season.
The rest of the first half saw 18×26 resume their attack and force Vlora to defend deep. Rodolfo Batisti, Hugo Perez, and Benjamin Peña served as a triangle of defense against 18×26 most dangerous player, Aidarus Mohammed, whose speed and skill was ever an issue down 18×26’s left wing.
Vlora started the second half well before 18×26 took control again amid a chaotic trade of attacks, but the visitors couldn’t quite find a sweet shot and beat Montoya. Montoya had two notable saves in the first half, one relatively comfortable, and continued to handle the pressure through the second half, even impressing with the ball at his feet. Miguel Leon and Dane Hanks came on as substitutes and helped Luis Mencia martial the midfield through the final 20 or so minutes of the game.
These two teams history together so far has involved physical and competitive matches. This week’s game, much like their last match a year ago, included a red card. This time it was through yellow card accumulation for 18×26 Academy’s Zakaria Mohamud. While the game had its first share of fouls, the play was relatively clean and academic from both teams.
Vlora delivered the sucker punch in extra time. Hanks caused a turnover, with the ball reaching Mendoza, who then played it to Leon. Leon launched a diagonal ball to Peña, who charged into the box and cut a shot across goal to find the far corner and make it 2-0 with his first of the 2025 season.
Midfielder Luis Mencia was named Man of the Match on Sunday. Mencia told team media that Vlora’s practice and patience as a team paid off on Sunday.
“Well, we worked well together as a team today. We knew they would be a very tough opponent because they were champions last year,” Mencia explained. “They’re a very intense team but we are very confident. It feels good to get another win and we’re working hard to keep winning. We’re defending very well thanks to a lot of practice. In practice, we worked hard on defending as a team, so that’s why we were able to perform well against 18×26 today.”
Head coach Christian Perez added that Vlora had to have a strong plan when facing 18×26 Academy.
“Setting up games tactically according to the opponent helps us win today,” Perez said. “We need that when these types of opponents come up, who are tough and fast. We were able to control the opponent’s attacking moments and movements well. We wanted to do better. Moving the ball through the middle to get the out-ball at times worked, but there was wear and tear. 18×26 also did their job and put up a good fight today.”
The game overall reflected that there is truth to the belief that both of these teams will remain playoff contenders this season. While 18×26 did not take any points from the game, they played a largely strong 90 minutes of soccer and will feel against most opponents that that kind of performance will earn them points. Meanwhile, Vlora can now say that they’ve notched a victory against one of the more anticipated teams this season.”
Vlora will return to play on May 13, traveling to play the Minnesota TwinStars at Park Center High School. They will return home on May 25, when they host a double header with Superior City with both respective women’s teams.
Other games
The Vlora women’s team debuted for the 2025 season last week, falling 5-0 to the NOSC Blast on the road on May 11. NOSC are the reigning conference champs and put on a strong showing against Vlora.
Vlora’s Division 1 team, the U21 side, scored a 3-0 win over FC Minneapolis II last week in their home opener at Bob Pates Stadium. Antonio Olivares, Meximo Chavez, and Alan Molina scored for Vlora.
