Sports
Forward Madison earns fourth seed and home playoff opener against Spokane
A 0-0 draw with Union Omaha, combined with FC Naples’ win over Spokane, secured fourth place for Forward Madison and a home quarterfinal. The Mingos face Spokane Velocity on Friday, Oct. 30, a team that beat Madison at home earlier this season.
Forward Madison will open its USL League One playoff campaign at home after finishing fourth in the standings. The Mingos secured the seed with a 0-0 draw against rival Union Omaha and FC Naples’ victory over Spokane.
Madison will host Spokane Velocity at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, in a quarterfinal. Spokane is the only team to win at Madison’s home ground this season, taking a 1-0 victory on Sept. 26. Spokane also eliminated the Mingos in a penalty shootout in the 2024 playoffs.
The teams will meet with largely different lineups from that 2024 postseason game: striker Derek Gebhard is the only player from that roster still with Madison, and he is injured.
Coach Matt Glaeser said after the Union Omaha match that he believed the team could win a playoff game even before Madison’s fourth-place finish—and the home match—was confirmed. He described the postseason as a fresh start and said he had strong confidence in the group’s ability to contend for a championship. Glaeser also emphasized the value of playing in front of Madison supporters and said the team wanted to reward them with its performance.
Goalkeeper JT Harms, who grew up in Whitefish Bay, said the club’s stadium atmosphere and the chance for fans to gather after matches set Madison apart. He said the team would approach the playoffs as a series of difficult games, regardless of whether it played at home or on the road.
Rookie defender Kerfalla Toure, who played in the NCAA tournament with Florida Atlantic University last year, said postseason intensity requires players to channel emotion without letting it lead to rash decisions.
Madison enters the playoffs with the league’s strongest defensive record, conceding 30 goals in 32 games, and recorded 10 shutouts, the second-highest total. The team scored 54 goals, third most in the league. Its plus-24 goal difference is the best in club history and trails only regular-season leader Charlotte Independence, at plus-28.
The other quarterfinals are Union Omaha against Chattanooga Red Wolves on Friday at 6 p.m.; Charlotte Independence against FC Naples on Sunday at 6 p.m.; and AC Boise against One Knoxville on Sunday at 7 p.m. In the following round, the lowest remaining seed will visit the highest remaining seed, while the third-highest seed will travel to the second-highest seed.