Checkpoint - GCPL
Halfway (ish) through the season
Image credit: Gulf Coast Premier League Twitter
I've been covering the Alabama teams that play in the GCPL, which has included some information about other teams in the Eastern division along the way. We're roughly at the halfway point in the season, so I thought I would give a quick rundown of the league standings.
The Western division teams (from Louisiana and Mississippi) have all played 6 games out of their 10 game schedule. Southern States SC (Hattiesburg, MS) is the reigning GCPL champion, and is in first place in the West with 15 pts and a goal differential of +15. Even with that high differential, their lone loss was an oddball result of 0-4 agansit Gaffa FC (Jackson, MS), who is in fourth place out of six in the table. Gulf Coast United (Gulfport, MS) is in second place with 10 points, followed closely by LA Krewe Rush (Lafayette, LA) with 9 points. SSSC is the team to beat, but still face Krewe twice and GCU once in their four remaining games. Krewe is a reserve squad for a USL2 team, and has at times dropped main team players down into GCPL games. GCU is a tough defensive team that plays tight matches and finds ways to win. Two of these three clubs are the most likely candidates to make the playoffs from the West.
The Eastern division houses the three teams from Alabama, plus two from Florida, and one from Georgia. Three teams in this division have played five games, Pensacola Bay United has only played three, and AFC Mobile and Florida Roots have played six. In particular, the top three teams in the table have a game in hand over the Roots. This past weekend’s results really shook things up. Currently:
Image credit: GCPL Official Standings
This past weekend saw Sowegans beat ALFCS to go to 12 points, while Union 10 beating Roots moved them up to 9 points, but put them above Roots in the table due to GD. Another thing to note is that Sowegans’ only loss was to Union 10 the first game of the season. Finally, it's dangerous and deceptive to look at Pensacola BU in the standings. With games in hand, six of their seven remaining games are against the four teams above them in the table. The only team that's really out of the running is AFC Mobile (although someone at the top may pound AFC if given the chance to inflate their GD). The race to the finish in the East is wide open.
In the event of a tie in points, GCPL has tie-breakers published:
A. Goal differential
B. Head-to-head results
C. Goals scored
D. Goal differential in away games
E. Away goals scored
F. FIFA fair play. Team with fewest disciplinary points
G. Coin flip
Given the way things are shaping up, there's a good chance that tie-breakers will be needed in the Eastern division to decide who makes it into the playoffs. Buckle Up.