Matchweek 4 Review: Drama in the Southwest, Statement Wins and Debuts Across the League

Matchweek 4 Review: Drama in the Southwest, Statement Wins and Debuts Across the League

Matchweek 4 of the 2025/26 NFPL season delivered a mix of drama, statement performances, and historic debuts across the Southwest, Midwest, and California Divisions. The weekend was highlighted by a back-and-forth thriller in New Mexico, alongside decisive results and tightly contested first appearances for several clubs.

Featured Match

New Mexico Flagship Futsal Academy 7 - 5 Santa Fe Gloom

Southwest Division

Matchweek 4 produced one of the most entertaining fixtures of the season so far, as New Mexico Flagship Futsal Academy edged Santa Fe Gloom 7–5 in a relentless, momentum-filled contest.

The first half was a showcase of attacking futsal, finishing 4–4 after multiple lead changes. Flagship opened the scoring through Axel Esparza, who chipped the goalkeeper following a quickly taken free kick and clever buildup involving Luis González. Santa Fe responded soon after, with Jaime Hernandez finishing from close range after a perfectly weighted long ball from Pedro Torres.

Esparza struck again midway through the half with a long-range effort that deflected into the top corner, but Santa Fe continued to answer. Hernandez added his second after driving forward into space, and later Julian Bustamante converted a 10-meter kick to briefly give Gloom the lead.

Flagship responded through Christopher Santos, who bundled home from a corner kick scramble for his league-leading ninth goal, before Santa Fe again went ahead late in the half via a slick give-and-go finished by Maximo Brito. Just as Gloom looked set to take a halftime lead, a foul with three seconds remaining resulted in another 10-meter kick, which Flagship goalkeeper Juan Ruiz calmly chipped Panenka-style to send the match into halftime level at 4–4.

The second half followed a similar script. Flagship regained the lead early when Luis González smashed home a half-volley from a scooped assist by Luis Loera, and moments later Santos tapped in his 10th goal of the season at the back post. Santa Fe refused to fade, pulling one back through a powerful Bustamante free kick that flew inside the near post.

With both sides pushing, goalkeepers produced key saves as the match tightened. The decisive moment came when Santa Fe committed to a flying goalkeeper in search of an equalizer. A won tackle by González turned costly, as the ball rolled into the empty net from near halfway, restoring Flagship’s two-goal cushion.

Flagship held firm in the closing minutes to secure a 7–5 victory, completing a dramatic and hard-fought win in one of the season’s most compelling matches to date.

Other Matchweek 4 Results

Inter DEtroit 4 - 13 Futsal Factory Academy 

Midwest Division

Futsal Factory Academy earned a commanding 13–4 victory over Inter Detroit, but the match was more competitive than the final score suggests. FFA raced to a 3–0 lead in the opening ten minutes, only for Inter to respond with two quick goals to make it 3–2, including a well-worked give-and-go finished by Johan Fierro off an assist from captain Nate Boos.

FFA responded before halftime with two rapid goals of their own. Ducker finished from close range following a sharp inbounds play, and moments later Khal Suleiman intercepted a loose pass and powered home his second goal of the half to send FFA into the break up 5–2.

Early in the second half, Inter pulled another goal back after a penalty was awarded following a foul by the FFA goalkeeper. In a moment of sportsmanship, the goalkeeper allowed Boos to score after the initial whistle. Edwin Gomez-Ruiz then added another shortly after to make it 5–4.

From there, FFA took complete control, scoring eight unanswered goals in two extended runs to put the match out of reach and reinforce their early-season form.

ThreeSixty Sala 3 - 3 HBK Futsal 

California Division

ThreeSixty Sala and HBK Futsal played to an entertaining 3–3 draw in their NFPL men’s debut, with both sides trading momentum throughout a fast-paced contest.

ThreeSixty struck first through Jeremy Alonso, before extending their advantage when Edwin Munoz finished off a well-worked sequence assisted by Fredy Ramirez. HBK responded with a crucial goal before halftime from Bernard “Bernie” Vareskic, coming after Alexander Bedoya fought through pressure and slipped a perfectly weighted pass across the goal for a simple tap-in at the back post. to keep the match within reach, setting up a dramatic second half.

HBK’s resurgence was continued when Bernie Vareskic leveled the match himself, beating his defender one-on-one and finishing confidently into the bottom corner.

ThreeSixty regained the lead when Edwin Munoz struck again, completing his brace with a composed unassisted finish. HBK refused to fade, however, and found an equalizer through a sequence built on pure determination — Emir winning the ball back, Henry threading the pass forward, and Erick Luna applying the final touch to secure the draw.

Despite frantic moments late, neither side could find a winner, and the teams shared the points in an evenly matched NFPL debut.

ThreeSixty Sala (W) 4 - 2 HBK Futsal (W) 

Women’s Division

The Women’s Division matchup between ThreeSixty Sala and HBK Futsal delivered a competitive and composed debut, with ThreeSixty earning a 4–2 victory in their first NFPL women’s match.

HBK opened the scoring six minutes in when Erin Brown unleashed a powerful strike from distance to put the visitors ahead. The home side's response was immediate, as Martha Pelegrín tied the match just one minute later with an unassisted finish.

Momentum swung quickly in ThreeSixty’s favor. Elizabeth Arcia gave the visitors the lead at 9 minutes, before Marissa Vasquez extended the advantage to 3–1 with a well-taken goal at the 16-minute mark, assisted by Maria Robledo, sending ThreeSixty into halftime in control.

HBK pushed back in the second half, narrowing the gap early on at the 24-minute mark when Becky Lopez finished calmly after excellent buildup play from Sulma Plancarte. The match remained tense as HBK searched for an equalizer, but ThreeSixty stayed composed defensively.

Late in the match, Martha Pelegrín struck again at the 38-minute mark to secure the result, completing her brace and sealing a 4–2 win for ThreeSixty Sala.

Updated Standings

Following Matchweek 4, New Mexico Flagship Futsal Academy and Futsal Factory Academy continue to set early benchmarks in their respective divisions, while the California Division play begins to take shape and the Women’s Division continues its return to league competition.

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