which meant Toronto got in as the lucky third placed team, and Des Moines missed out in the closest of circumstances. For the first time in seven years Boltnar was not Menace's top scorer – that honor went to Nicki Paterson with 6 goals, although the 29-year-old Czech player did tally 5 assists. 2009 would see the retirement of the legendary Boltnar, the announcement of the end of the Mann era, and the first divisional title for the Menace since 2002. The Menace would open with three consecutive wins before drawing three consecutive matches where they would concede late goals for the draw. A draw and win at defending PDL champion Thunder Bay put Des Moines well in control of the Heartland Division, and the Menace would run their unbeaten streak to 15 matches dating over a year before finally falling at home to Thunder Bay. The Menace would finish the regular season 11–1–4. A 2–1 victory over Real Colorado would send Des Moines to the quarterfinals, where they would fall at home, 1–0, to Cary. The 2009 squad featured a balanced attack where eighteen different players scored over the course of sixteen league matches, with no player tallying more than Armin Mujdzic's five. 2010s and USL (2010–2019) The 2010 season started off seemingly like a potential title repeat with the Menace racing to a 4–1–0 start and qualifying for the Open Cup for the first time in four years. However, four straight league ties broke up the team's momentum. The Menace then stepped away from PDL play to host 2nd division AC St. Louis in first round play of the Open Cup, where they suffered a heartbreaking 1–0 loss. A 7–2 shellacking at arch-rival Thunder Bay was followed by two more draws. Despite a pair of dominating shutouts (6–0 against Springfield and 3–0 against the Brass), a 3–1 loss to the Chill all but knocked the Menace from playoff contention. The season ended on a fitting note: after rallying to take a 2–1 lead on the Lions, the Menace conceded late for their 7th draw of the year. Despite losing just three matches all season, seven draws in sixteen matches left them eight points out of playoff qualification in fourth. Captain Clark Bradford and defender Logan McDaniel shared the scoring lead with five goals each. The 2011 season saw the Menace finish unbeaten in the regular season (12–0–4). In