Matchweek 9 Review: Statement Wins and a Southwest Thriller

Matchweek 9 Review: Statement Wins and a Southwest Thriller

Matchweek 9 delivered another decisive weekend across the National Futsal Premier League, highlighted by one tightly contested Southwest battle and three results that further clarified the hierarchy in each division. While several heavyweights continued to flex their attacking firepower, it was the narrow 4–3 clash between Santa Fe Gloom and BRUSA Futsal Club that stole the spotlight in a game packed with intensity, tactical adjustments, and late drama. Elsewhere, dominant performances reinforced why certain teams remain firmly in control as the season pushes deeper into its second half.

Santa Fe Gloom 3–4 BRUSA Futsal Club

In front of a buzzing home crowd in Santa Fe, this one felt like a playoff game.

Santa Fe Gloom struck first in the 6th minute through a moment of captain’s quality. Pedro Torres turned his defender brilliantly to break into space and slid a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Presci Ruiz, who arrived at full stretch and smashed his finish into the roof of the net from close range. The building erupted — 1–0 SFG.

BRUSA, however, had another gear.

In the 11th minute, Eduardo Medina found Yan Brandao on the left wing, and the Brazilian’s first touches were electric — sharp, direct, and ruthless. He carved out space in a flash and unleashed a strike that thundered off the crossbar and down over the line. A top-class equalizer.

Four minutes later, Brandao turned provider, lofting a beautiful ball over the Gloom defense for Diego Vargas to chase. Vargas got just enough of a touch before the goalkeeper could intervene, and the ball trickled agonizingly into the net to flip the momentum.

Then came Medina’s moment. A crisp give-and-go with Christian Lima sent him racing down the right flank. One-on-one with the goalkeeper, Medina showed composure, rolling the ball past him before finishing into the empty net. Clinical. BRUSA entered halftime up 3–1.

Santa Fe weren’t done.

Five minutes into the second half, Torres found the scoresheet himself — reacting first in a crowded area after Andres Monge sparked the move with a driving run through midfield and clever slipped pass that forced chaos inside the BRUSA box. Torres capitalized, pulling the Gloom back within one.

With eight minutes to play, the home side found their equalizer in dramatic fashion. Goalkeeper Jorge Morales pushed high to stretch the BRUSA shape, playing wide to Bryan Rivas, who fed Julian Bustamante down the wing. Bustamante’s tight-angle finish squeezed past Jared Wilson and into the net to level it 3–3. The crowd believed.

But champions respond.

With four minutes remaining, Jared Wilson launched a long ball from deep inside his own half. As Morales came charging out to claim it, BRUSA captain Kaue Martins rose first, flicking a delicate header beyond the goalkeeper and into the net. A striker’s instinct. A captain’s moment. The dagger.

BRUSA saw out the final minutes to secure a 4–3 victory and remain undefeated at 5–0 on the season — but Santa Fe Gloom made them earn every second of it.

A statement win for the reigning champions. A warning that Santa Fe are closing the gap.

Futsal Factory Academy 17–4 MitWest Futsal Club

This one was decided early.

MitWest arrived with just eight available players — two of whom were coaches — and while they showed flashes of quality, the depth and fitness gap became apparent almost immediately. Futsal Factory Academy needed less than a minute to open the scoring on an empty net and were 3–0 up inside the first three minutes.

Gui Ramos marked his return in style, scoring FFA’s first two goals of the night as the league leaders established complete control. MitWest did respond through Leonardo Dourado — who would go on to complete an impressive hat trick — but each time they found a moment of momentum, FFA answered with overwhelming firepower.

Captain and goalkeeper Robert Franzese-Damron returned to the lineup after missing Matchweek 8 and even joined the scoresheet himself, smashing a long-range effort into the side netting. Renan Paiva also made his return from injury and added a goal of his own as FFA’s rotation continued to make an impact.

By halftime, it was 11–3 — a mountain too steep for an undermanned MitWest side already battling fatigue.

The second half followed a similar script. FFA’s relentless passing and constant movement stretched MitWest beyond recovery, ultimately finishing with eight different goal scorers — including their goalkeeper.

Statistically, it was another dominant display:

• Gui Ramos: 3 goals, 2 assists

• Lucas Yessayan: 3 goals, 2 assists

• David Magalhaes: 3 goals, 1 assist

• Graham Unsworth: 2 goals, 2 assists

The result reinforces what has been clear all season: FFA’s depth, chemistry, and fitness make them an overwhelming force in the Midwest.

HBK Futsal 10–5 Anthem Futsal

For much of the first half, this one felt like it could go either way.

HBK opened the scoring early, but Anthem responded with confidence and composure, building a 4–2 lead with under nine minutes to play in the half. The trio of Christian Vera, Luis Valencia, and Juan Gonzalez caused persistent problems, slicing through HBK’s shape and capitalizing on transition moments.

But the momentum swing before halftime proved decisive.

HBK surged back with authority, scoring three unanswered to flip the game on its head and head into the break leading 5–4. Bernard Vareskic struck twice during the rally, while Christian Vallin and captain Lee Mitchell each provided two assists in a sharp, efficient stretch that reasserted control.

Anthem refused to fade quietly. With under ten minutes to play in the second half, Christian Vera completed his hat trick to level the match at 5–5 and set up a tense finish.

That tension didn’t last long.

HBK’s depth and fitness began to show in the final five minutes, as they poured in a flurry of goals to pull away. Vareskic added two more to finish the night with four, and seven different players found the scoresheet in a balanced attacking display.

What had been a back-and-forth contest ultimately turned into a statement closing stretch from HBK, who showed both resilience and firepower in a 10–5 victory.

Bay Area Footy PD 10–5 ThreeSixty Sala

Goals were never going to be in short supply in this one.

ThreeSixty Sala struck first inside the opening two minutes through Jared Alonso, but Bay Area Footy PD responded quickly and settled into the rhythm of the game. Josue Galvez equalized five minutes in — the first of what would become a hat trick — and the two sides traded momentum throughout the remainder of the half.

Midway through the period, the teams exchanged goals again before Ricky Butron restored Bay Area’s advantage, giving BAFPD a narrow 3–2 lead at halftime in what was shaping up to be a tightly contested matchup.

The second half simmered for seven minutes before erupting.

Once the scoring resumed, it turned into a wide-open exchange, with both sides pushing numbers forward and capitalizing on transition moments. Bay Area eventually gained separation, and after the final ThreeSixty goal in the 32nd minute, BAFPD slammed the door shut with three goals in the final two minutes to turn a competitive game into a decisive 10–5 result.

Galvez led the way with three goals, while Carlos Zavala, Gerardo Preciado, and Ricky Butron each added two. In total, five different players scored for ThreeSixty Sala, keeping things balanced on their end, but Bay Area’s late surge proved the difference.

A high-scoring, high-energy contest that ultimately tilted toward Bay Area’s finishing quality in the closing stages.

The Updated Table

With Matchweek 9 complete, the divisional picture continues to sharpen.

BRUSA remain perfect in the Southwest, surviving a true test in Santa Fe to extend their unbeaten run to 5–0. HBK showed resilience and depth in a high-scoring battle, while Bay Area Footy PD proved clinical in the closing stages of their shootout with ThreeSixty Sala.

In the Midwest, Futsal Factory Academy once again reinforced their position at the top with another commanding performance, continuing a season defined by depth, movement, and relentless efficiency.

As the schedule tightens and margins grow thinner, the stakes only rise from here. If Matchweek 9 proved anything, it’s that while the leaders are clear, no win is guaranteed — and every division still has battles to fight.

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