USL League Two Southern Conference Playoffs

Great action all around

Image credit: USL League Two

The USL League Two playoffs are in full swing, and the Southern Conference has provided plenty of fireworks. There are two four-team pods, one hosted by Dothan United and the other hosted by Sarasota Paradise. The first round of games were on Friday, and the final two match-ups will be tomorrow, Sunday, July 20.

Dothan Pod

The Dothan pod featured Asheville City SC and Dothan United, from the South Central Divsion, and Little Rock Rangers and LA Krewe from the Mid South Division. Krewe and Dothan are in the USL2 playoffs for the first time, and Asheville and Little Rock are seasoned veterans in playoff action. Both games were hard-fought, entertaining affairs.

Game 1 - Asheville City SC vs LA Krewe

Asheville stormed through the regular season undefeated, and were #1 in the league's national power rankings. There were a couple of long delays for lightning, but LA Krewe put together an impressive performance and knocked off Asheville 3-2.

Game 2 - Dothan United vs Little Rock Rangers

Little Rock were the winners of the Mid South, and have always been a tough out. Dothan had a great regular season, finishing in second place in the South Central behind Asheville. They turned out a very large crowd that looked like 5000+ fans, and got a big 1-0 win.

Sunday semifinal - Dothan United vs LA Krewe

There's no doubt that there will be a very large crowd on hand, with the majority looking to will the Dragons to victory. The Krewe are certainly not going to go away quietly. Whatever your soccer plans are this weekend, you should be sure to tune in for the match tomorrow night at 7:00 Eastern time.

Sarasota Pod

Sarasota landed the other pod for the Southern Conference, and included teams from three different divisions: Laredo Heat (1st place, Lone Star), Sporting Jax (1st place, Southeast), and Sarasota Paradise and Ft Lauderdale United (1st and 2nd place, South Florida). Laredo easily had the longest trip to the pod, coming all the way from the southern border of Texas.

Game 1 - Ft Lauderdale United vs Laredo Heat

Laredo is a club that's over 20 old, and has played seasons in NPSL and the old PDL. This has been their first season in USL2, and they dominated the regular season. Ft Lauderdale is in their first season, part of the same club that fields the USL Super League team. Ft Lauderdale lost just two regular season games - both to Sarasota. Ft Lauderdale won a tight contest 2-1.

Game 2 - Sarasota Paradise vs Sporting Jax

Sarasota and Sporting Jax are both clubs with short histories (Jax is building an organization that will soon feature pro teams as well). Sarasota had the stronger regular season, with Jax coming in first place in their division by just one point. The home team took care of business, with Sarasota winning 2-0.

Sunday semifinal - Sarasota Paradise vs Ft Lauderdale United

On paper, this game looks pretty straightforward. Sarasota won both meetings during the regular season, outscoring Ft Lauderdale 5-1 in the two games combined. They'll also be expecting strong support from the home crowd. Can Sarasota sweep the season against their rivals? The game is Sunday, July 20 at 7:30 Eastern time.