AFC Lightning Prepare for Second Season in UPSL Division 1
The Fayetteville, Georgia club have high aspirations to earn promotion to UPSL Premier.
AFC Lightning, a MLS NEXT academy club in Fayetteville, Georgia (city hosting the new US Soccer training facility in south metro Atlanta) , returns to UPSL Division 1 after an inaugural season that ended with a first-round playoff defeat.
Former Head Coach Adriano Moraes is now the club’s UPSL General Manager, and Coach Mario Pinto has been hired in his place.
The club statement on the hire said: “With a remarkable background as both a player and coach, Mario brings elite level experience and a passion for developing players to their highest potential.
Prior to joining AFC Lightning, Mario was an assistant coach at Brevard College and played a vital role with the men’s team growth and success. Specializing in attacking development, technical training and player analysis, Mario played a significant part in the back-to-back appearances in the NCAA National Tournament.
Mario’s playing career is very notable to boot. A 2x NCAA Division II All American, South Atlantic Conference player of the year in 2012, Lincoln Memorial University all time leading goal scorer with 49 goals in just 54 games with 13 of those goals being game winning goals!
Mario’s talents did not go unnoticed by the MLS. In 2013, Mario was selected to the 2013 MLS Super Draft pool. Ultimately, Mario returned to Brazil to play professionally for EC Noroeste in Sāo Paulo’s second division, competing in the intense Brazilian soccer environment.
Coach Mario’s philosophy blends Brazilian flair with tactical discipline, making his teams exciting and efficient on the field!”
We contacted Coach Mario to ask what his expectations were for the new season, and if there was any style of play to look for or players to watch.
He responded, “Our main goal this season is to build a competitive team that not only fights for results but also develops players for the next level. With 20 teams competing for just two spots in the Premier Division, we know the challenge will be intense. And we see this as a great opportunity for our project and players. Our focus is on preparing them for higher levels, whether that be MLS NEXT, college soccer, semi-pro, or even professional opportunities. Success for us isn’t just measured by wins but also by how many players we can help progress in their careers.
We aim to play a positional, ball-possession style of soccer, emphasizing quick transitions to attack. Our goal is to create numerical advantages and exploit attacking pockets while maintaining a solid defensive structure. This season, we have a mix of talented academy players from our U-17 and U-19 teams, as well as experienced players with college, semi-pro, and professional backgrounds. The combination of youth and experience will be our strength, and I believe several players will stand out as the season progresses. Fans can expect an exciting, dynamic team that looks to control the game and create attacking opportunities with purpose.”
If fans want to catch matches, all home games will be played at McCurry Park South, a 5-field facility used and upgraded by US Soccer for use by their youth and adult national teams (until the new facility is complete). Dates and times of those games, spanning from March 29 to June 7, can be found here in the full schedule.
Lightning will open their season on the road against FC Birmingham U23, followed by their first home match against Limeno Georgia III. Other notable games include facing Middle Georgia United FC away for their third match, traveling to Augusta for their 7th match to face expansion side Augusta Soccer Team, and playing former UPSL Premier side FC Atlanta at home in the 8th match. A “rivalry” matchup (McDonough and Fayetteville are 19 miles apart) against the Georgia Revolution U23’s is at home on May 4.
With the highlighted matchups expected to be close, we’ll see if Coach Mario and company can achieve promotion to UPSL Premier this season.