WEEK AHEAD PREVIEW
Sat Oct 5 through Fri Oct 11
Birmingham Legion vs North Carolina FC Sun Oct 6 at 5:00
These two teams played to a 1-1 draw back in April, and neither side can afford to draw again. North Carolina is in striking distance of the playoff line, and Legion is going to fighting to maintain or improve their playoff positioning. One weird thing to watch: NC has the better Goal Differential, and Legion's GF and GA are almost exactly the inverse of NC. Yet, somehow Legion has six more points than NC. This will be a crucial hard-fought game.
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Huntsville City FC at New York City FC II Sun Oct 6 at 1:00.
This is the final game of the season for Huntsville, while NY is bound for the playoffs. That being said, NY has far more to play for here, as they're looking to imptove their playoff position. A win by Huntsville would be a nice consolation, and a big upset.
FC Birmingham vs Atlanta City FC Sat Oct 5 at 7:00. These two teams are close to each other in the middle of the table. Both have put up similar results. This game will be a classic separator, early in the season. Both have shown that they can score, and will also give up goals. This looks like a close game, with plenty of goals, and I would look for a draw more than a win for either.
FCB2 vs Georgia Impact Sat Oct 5 at 3:00. Impact is the top team in the division, using a simple formula. Score goals (13 GF), and keep the other team from scoring (0 GA). This is a huge challenge for FCB2, to say the least.
The Adjacency
Fountain City hosts Vinotinto Atlanta FC Sat Oct 5 at 6:00. Vinotinto is among the top teams in the division, and has been scoring goals at a healthy clip. Fountain has had a rough start to the Fall season, but has played better at home. Fountain will be looking to turn things around, and a win would be upset.
FC Columbus Elite hosts Georgia Limeno Sat Oct 5 at 5:00. This is a showdown of two top teams in the division. It's worth noting that Elite's results are skewed by one big 7-0 win. This should be a close match, and will start to bring some separation at the top of the table.
Columbus Knight Eagles will be on the road at Middle Georgia United FC Sat Oct 5 at 5:00. Despite a crushing loss to Columbus Elite, the Knight Eagles are in the upper half of the division. Middle Georgia is in the lower half, and the two teams have one important thing in common - they give up a lot of goals. This game may be a track meet, and I would give Middle GA the edge for playing at home.