SHORT STORY

Since the official announcement Saturday, Des Moines Menace fans have known their club will part of the 2022 USL League Two Central Conference playoffs.

But if you've been wondering who Menace will host, how the playoffs are structured, and what to expect from Menace's potential opponents, we've got you covered.

Read on for every detail you need to be prepared for Friday's first-round match!

THE BRACKET 

Overview

Across the nation, 32 clubs qualified for the 2022 USL League Two Playoffs, eight coming from each conference.

The first order of business is the Conference Playoffs, where the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference, the Southern Conference, and Menace's Central Conference will each whittle their eight clubs down to just one.

From there, the four conference champions will advance to the National Semifinal, where two finalists and a champion will eventually be crowned.

Where Menace Fit In

The eight teams who qualified for the Central Conference playoffs are as follows, in order of seeding:

1. Des Moines Menace

2. Chicago FC United

3. South Bend Lions

4. Kalamazoo FC

5. Kings Hammer FC

6. Kaw Valley FC

7. Flint City Bucks

8. Peoria City

Clubs were seeded based on their overall points-per-game total with priority given to division champions.

From there, first-round matchups were set, taking into account the following rules:

1. Teams cannot play opponents in the same division in the first round.

2. The two clubs who won bids to host cannot play in the first or second rounds, as they will each host their first- and second-round matches in separate locations.

With those rules in mind, this is how the Central playoffs break down:

Quarterfinals

#5 Kings Hammer FC (Valley) v #4 Kalamazoo FC (Great Lakes)

Friday, July 22 at 4 p.m. | West Des Moines, Iowa

#1 Des Moines Menace (Deep North) v #6 Kaw Valley FC (Heartland)

Friday, July 22 at 7 p.m. | West Des Moines, Iowa

#2 Chicago FC United (Heartland) v #8 Peoria City (Deep North)

Friday, July 22 at 4 p.m. | Flint, Michigan

#3 South Bend Lions (Valley) v #7 Flint City Bucks (Great Lakes)

Friday, July 22 at 7 p.m. | Flint, Michigan

Semifinals

Menace/Kaw Valley v Kalamazoo/Kings Hammer

Sunday, July 24 at 7 p.m. | West Des Moines, Iowa

Chicago/Peoria v South Bend/Flint City

Sunday, July 24 at 5 p.m. | Flint, Michigan

Bracket Facts

Des Moines' first-round matchup will be the eighth all-time meeting with Kaw Valley, who has never beaten Menace since they began play in 2018.

If Menace and Kalamazoo advance to the Central Conference semifinal, it would be a repeat of last year's Central Conference final, where Menace won 2-1 at Valley Stadium.

If they win the league title, Menace will be the first-ever club to win two consecutive championships since 2003, when the feat was accomplished by the Cape Cod Crusaders.

The only team with more league titles than Menace is Flint City Bucks, who have won the league four times.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

Now that we know who we might match up against, let's take a moment to get to know the rest of the field in the Central Conference.

Chicago FC United - Bridgeview, Illinois

Founded in 2017, 5th season in USL League Two

Record: 11 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss

How they qualified: winners of Heartland Division

Recent form: 5 wins in last 5 matches

Player to watch: Pablo Palacin Serra (10 goals, 1 assist)

South Bend Lions - South Bend, Indiana

Founded in 2019, 2nd season in USL League Two

Record: 10 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses

How they qualified: winners of Valley Division

Recent form: 4 wins, 1 draw in last 5 matches

Player to watch: Kainan Dos Santos (10 goals, 2 assists)

Kalamazoo FC - Kalamazoo, Michigan

Founded in 2015, 2nd season in USL League Two

Record: 8 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses

How they qualified: winners of Great Lakes Division

Recent form: 4 wins, 1 draw in last 5 matches

Player to watch: Matt Whelan (10 goals, 2 assists)

Kings Hammer FC - Alexandria, Kentucky

Founded in 2020, 2nd season in USL League Two

Record: 10 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses

How they qualified: second-place finish in Valley Division

Recent form: 5 wins in last 5 matches

Player to watch: Taylor Rhinehart (8 goals, 2 assists)

Kaw Valley FC - Lawrence, Kansas

Founded in 2018, 4th season in USL League Two

Record: 8 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses

How they qualified: second-place finish in Heartland Division

Recent form: 3 wins, 2 draws in last 5 matches

Player to watch: Theo Klein (5 goals, 3 assists)

Flint City Bucks - Flint, Michigan

Founded in 1995 as Mid-Michigan Bucks, 26th season in USL League Two

Record: 8 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses

How they qualified: second-place finish in Great Lakes Division

Recent form: 4 wins, 1 loss in last 5 matches

Player to watch: Jelldrik Dallmann (11 goals)

Peoria City - Peoria, Illinois

Founded in 2020, but played first season in 2022

Record: 6 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses

How they qualified: second-place finish in Deep North Division

Recent form: 3 wins, 2 losses in last 5 matches

Player to watch: Adria Sabater Olivas (6 goals)

MENACE IN THE PLAYOFFS

Menace have been one of the most consistent clubs in making it to postseason play, especially in recent memory. Here's how Menace have fared in each of the past five editions of the USL2 playoffs:

2021 - National Champions

defeated North Carolina Fusion U23 1-0 in the final

2019 - Conference Semifinalists

lost 3-3 (2-4) on penalties to Flint City Bucks in the first round

2018 - Conference Finalists

lost 1-0 to Chicago FC United in the second round

2017 - Conference Finalists

lost 2-0 to Thunder Bay Chill in the second round

2016 - Conference Finalists

lost 2-0 to Flint City Bucks in the second round

GET INVOLVED!

Now that you know all about the Central Conference playoffs, it's time for you to become a part of it! Tickets are available now for Menace's first-round match against Kaw Valley on July 22.

Click here to get your playoff tickets!