WEEK AHEAD PREVIEW
Week of Sat 7/20 - Fri 7/26 all times Central
Birmingham Legion
Saturday July 20 at New Mexico United 8:00
Legion come into this game on a short turn, and New Mexico come in on ten days rest after a road loss to LAFC in the Open Cup. In two previous meetings all-time, Birmingham won both matches, and NM has yet to score a goal against them. That trend could easily be broken here. While Legion have had players returning to the lineup from various injuries, the heavy schedule this week may take a toll. It won't help that Isotopes Park is at 5100 feet elevation - similar to that of Denver. To compensate, I look for Coach Soehn to mix up the lineup a little bit and maybe bring a starter or two off the bench earlier than normal in the second half. New Mexico is top of the table in the West, but has scored only two more goals than Legion on the season. And their goal differential is only +3. This should be a low scoring game, and if Legion can find a way to score first, they might steal this one on the road.
Huntsville City FC
Sunday July 21 at Inter Miami II 5:00
After showing some signs of improvement, Huntsville has settled back down to the bottom of the table in NextPro Eastern Conference. Inter Miami II is not exactly a powerhouse, but they have only lost two of their eight home games. HV has been marginally better on the road, and will be looking for any points they can get here, and could squeak out a win if they can keep it close.
GCPL
Image credit: Southern States SC Facebook
Alabama FC South
Saturday July 20 at Southern States 6:15
Southern States is a perennial power in the region, and they're the highest seed remaining in these playoffs. They're also a rarity in lower division soccer as they have their own purpose-built stadium and facilities (pictured above). SSC have played a bit unevenly this season, possibly affected by losing their head coach to Dothan United. ALFCS is in good form, having gotten steadily stronger throughout the season. The winner of this game will host the championship game next week.
Union 10
Saturday July 20 vs Gaffa FC 5:00
Union 10 is in a great position to make the championship game. They had a short trip over to play Gulf Coast United in the first round, and will be hosting Gaffa FC for round 2. Gaffa (Jackson, MS) got the huge upset win over Sowegans in round 1, which gives Union the home field for this round as the higher remaining seed. Union was steady throughout the regular season, and is built on a strong defense. Gaffa was more unpredictable, finishing fourth in the West, but beating first places Southern States handily in both meetings. This will be a very tough, close game.
The Adjacency
Columbus United will continue their quest as road warriors at West Texas FC Saturday July 20 at 7:30. The mileage is starting to pile up, and the worry is that it will take a toll. In eight days, this team has gone to Jacksonville, FL, Hickory, NC, and now Midland, TX. I just hope they flew to Texas. They're facing the winner of the new Lone Star division, which has two of the stronger Hitchcock clubs in it - Denton Diablos and Lubbock Matadors. Another very tough test for Columbus. Also of note, the eight Regional finalists will have first priority to be invited to next year's Open Cup.