WEEK AHEAD PREVIEW
Sat Nov 23 thru Fri Nov 29
FC Birmingham's final regular season game is at home Sat Nov 23 at 7:00 against Georgia Athletic Soccer Club. Athletic is below the cutoff, with no way into the playoffs. FCB will be looking for a win to take momentum into the playoffs.
FCB2 will host North Georgia United 2 Sat Nov 23 at 3:00. NGA2 sits lower in the table, and this is an important game for Birmingham - a win locks them into a playoff spot; a loss leaves them vulnerable to being overtaken by Club the Strongest, and being knocked out of contention.
The Adjacency
Fountain City will be on the road against Kalonji Pro-Profile Sat Nov 23 at 5:00. Kalonji is the top team in the division, and this will be a tough task. I expect Fountain to enter the playoffs in eighth place, which I believe means that they will face Kalonji again in the first round.
FC Columbus Elite is on the road against Middle Georgia United Sat Nov 23 at 5:00. Middle GA is at the lower end of the table, and Elite should handle them easily. With a game in hand, and then facing bottom team Limeno 2 next week, Elite is in the driver's seat to finish the season in first place.
The Columbus Knight Eagles have drawn the short straw for this week. They will travel to face first place Filial Pachuca Georgia Sat Nov 23 at 4:00. Both teams have secured playoff spots, so this is a battle for positioning. The Eagles are capable of pulling an upset here.
Other news and tidbits
Image credit: Rhode Island FC
Rhode Island FC takes on Colorado Springs Switchbacks on Saturday Nov 23 at 11:00 (central). I'm honestly not sure why it's scheduled so early in the day, but looking forward to watching this one. Hoping to see Rhode Island pick up the trophy to end their first season.