Weekend Results

Huntsville City FC

Image credit: Huntsville City

Huntsville played “their game” against New York Red Bulls 2, but came up short, losing 2-3. Overall, this was a tight contest that went back and forth. The first half actually saw pretty even possession (not HCFC's style), and they went into half at 0-0. The second half saw Huntsville run with 60% possession, but also give up a goal just three minutes in. The final 17 minutes of the game saw four goals scored, two by each team. That left Huntsville on the wrong side of things, and was their third loss in a row. They've been shuffled down to sixth place in the East, with three regular season games remaining.

UPSL

FC Birmingham 1-7 Potros. FCB had a promising start in their first game, but Potros imposed their will in this one. FCB will need to regroup.

Georgia Revolution 3-1 FC Columbus Elite. Colgaelite has dropped their first two Fall games, although a 3-1 result against the Revs is nothing to be ashamed of. Hopefully there are some positives they can use to move forward.

UMA FC II 3-3 Angelus. By all accounts, Angelus has put together a good squad. Nobody likes a draw, but this result should be a good launching point for both teams.

Middle Georgia United 0-6 Columbus Knight Eagles. The Eagles made a statement here, and will need to see if they can continue that form throughout the Fall.

Playoff picture

Image credit: Google

Birmingham was idle this weekend, and I decided to wait until weekend results were in hand to do a broader update leading into Wednesday's game against Tampa Bay. The playoff race in the East is transforming into two stories: who will end up in eighth place (Legion still have a shot here)? And, who will earn a first round home playoff game?

Birmingham's final seven games includes three matches against fellow cellar-dwellers: Tampa Bay and Indy back-to-back, and then Miami on Oct 19. Realistically, if Birmingham doesn't beat Tampa on Wednesday, and then Indy Eleven on Saturday, their goose is probably cooked. Clawing their way into eighth place is probably the best-case scenario, as Birmingham is nine points behind seventh place Pittsburgh.

Meanwhile, the race for home field advantage has heated up, largely due to Hartford's amazing run of form. They've lost just once in the past thirteen league games, and have risen from the bottom of the table to fifth place, just one point away from a home playoff game position. Loudon and North Carolina are just ahead of Hartford, and Detroit City isn't out of the running. We've come to a place where it will be a surprise if Hartford doesn't host a playoff game.