Pensacola takes 850 Cup, first place from unbeaten Battle Lions
The Pelicans defeated Tallahassee SC 2-0 Wednesday, avenging their first-ever home loss to the Lions and remaining the only club to lift the Panhandle’s challenge cup.
High five! Logan wins fifth 850 Cup
Pensacola FC coach Dean Logan has won the Florida Panhandle 850 Cup in each of his five years coaching the Pelicans, and has never lost at Tallahassee SC’s Gene Cox Stadium. CREDIT: Pensacola FC
Rivalry match doesn’t disappoint
There were as many red cards shown as goals scored at Gene Cox Stadium last night in Tallahassee — two — and officials handed out more than a dozen yellow cards.
The Pelicans and Battle Lions have history.
The rivals entered Wednesday’s match as the two best teams in The League for Clubs’ Gulf Coast Conference; Tallahassee was undefeated, and Pensacola’s only blemish was a 0-1 loss to the Lions at Ashton Brosnaham Stadium in May — Tallahassee’s first-ever win on the Pelican’s home pitch.
Pensacola came in wanting to avenge that loss and, oh by the way, needing to win by two goals to retain the Florida Panhandle 850 Cup — the Pelicans have won the trophy every year since 2021, the first year it was contested.
Goals by Rodrigo Bacci and Kenta Yagi, on assists from Michael Lightbourne and Aaron Boateng, respectively, and an exceptionally disciplined defensive effort secured the win for PFC.
The Pelicans (6-1-0, 18 points, +22 goal differential) moved ahead of Tallahassee (5-1-0, 15 points, +17) for the conference and Eastern Division lead, although the Lions have a game in hand. Gaffa FC (4-3-0, +7) from suburban Jackson, Miss., leads the West Division.
Pensacola has the weekend off; the Pelicans will host Gaffa FC on Saturday, June 21. They’ll visit winless Valdosta (0-6-0, 0 points, -26) on June 29 and host Sowegans (2-3-0, 6 points, -4) in their final regular-season match July 5.
Tallahassee will play at Sowegans (in Leesburg, Ga.) twice, Saturday and June 28, at AFC Mobile ( 0-3-1, 1 point, -12) June 21, and ends the regular season back at Gene Cox Stadium against Valdosta on July 2.
To watch the entertaining rivalry match, use the link below or search for the Tallahassee Soccer Club channel on YouTube.
The showdown between Pensacola FC and Tallahassee SC Wednesday at Gene Cox Stadium was streamed on YouTube by TSC. (Most members of The League for Clubs stream their home matches; Pensacola FC’s matches also are available on YouTube.) CREDIT: Tallahassee SC
Q&A with Coach Dean Logan
I usually text fifth-year Pensacola FC coach Dean Logan a few questions after each match, then pick and choose some quotes and paraphrase other points from his response. For this win, though, I wanted to share his comments more fully:
SSR: How does it feel to win the 850 Cup for a fifth-straight season?
“The feeling is great. This is one of our season objectives, and we pride ourselves in winning this cup. I’m so proud of the players for the way they played. It was a fun game to watch for sure. This game last night was truly dedicated to the players. They deserve it.”
SSR: Has anyone besides PFC won the Cup?
The Cup hasn’t been won by any other club since we started it. We have had some really close instances where Tallahassee (or) Florida Roots (which isn’t fielding a team in 2025) could have won it on the final day. We always manage to prevail on points.”
SSR: The announcers (Ben Grubbs and Andrew Joop on TSC’s stream of the match) said a lot of nice things about you, including the fact you’ve never lost a match you’ve coached at Gene Cox Stadium (4-0-1); how do you explain that success?
“Maybe they (should) rename the stadium to Dean Logan Stadium. Just joking though.
“Tallahassee is a very tough team to play at their place. Our players all have to give man-of-the-match performances when we go there. Then, understanding that we want to win the cup, the players always give 100% effort for our club. The locker room at the Gene Cox stadium is always a vibe.
“We don’t just show up for a match. I analyze the opposition to the best of my ability (so) I can show the players (how to gain) an advantage over them for as long as we can; so losing the first match to them at Pensacola — which for them it was also an achievement — we didn’t want that to happen last night. That was their first-ever win against us at Ashton. So last night we had a game plan, and the players executed.”
SSR: Other than winning the Cup, the win last night put you solidly in first place with three matches remaining. Can you start looking ahead to the conference playoffs?
“The Cup is an added bonus to the club. However, the focus right now is giving the players a break, as they have had the worst schedule out of all the teams. They are banged up and bruised up, so they will rest.
“We will then shift back the focus to Gaffa next Saturday in Pensacola. We are taking it one game at a time.”
SSR: The match itself was a chippy, physical affair with many yellows and a red on each team. Is that just to be expected in this rivalry?
“Yes it was a very physical game for sure. To be honest, last night was the first of the season where I saw my players get physical with the opposition. For anyone who has watched them play all season, they do not engage in the physical part that can cause injury to the opposition. They play football, they entertain. They have fun. It seems like other teams cannot deal with that, so they then try to play physical against us, which in turn can get players seriously injured.”
SSR: One of those yellows went against you or someone on the bench; what happened?
“I got the yellow card. To be honest I did not say anything disrespectful. I was just frustrated that in the first 10 minutes we were persistently being fouled, and one of our attacks was called offside, which it wasn’t. I vented a bit, and the fourth official told the referee to give me a yellow card.
“The problem is there is a huge disconnect between coaches, players, and the referees. The main actors are no longer the players. The fans don’t pay to watch (officials, but) all the attention shifts to the refereeing decisions on the field.”
SSR: You had expressed concern about officiating a couple of matches ago; how did the league respond to your concerns?
“…Nothing will change; all the injuries that we have sustained this season have come from very serious or dangerous play against our players. We understand that we are a good team, we don’t go out looking to gain any advantage from calls against our opposition.
“If you watch us, my players are highly respectful of the opponent and the game. I think the only other comment I was allowed to make last night was when I told the assistant referee to just help protect the players. Player safety, from everyone involved, should be the main priority. Hopefully that’s on top of the league’s list.”
“Understanding (the difference between) a player verbally venting frustration (and) a player being verbally disrespectful could have prevented a lot of those cards from last night.”
— PFC coach Dean Logan
SSR: How did you feel about last night’s officiating?
“All I will say is that referees must recognize the environment that they are in….One thing that is lacking is the use of discretion within the game….The officiating could have been better, especially knowing the magnitude of the game. Understanding (the difference between) a player verbally venting frustration (and) a player being verbally disrespectful could have prevented a lot of those cards from last night.”
SSR: You played down a man for 20 minutes or so (after Joao Ribeiro received his second yellow card in the 69th minute); what, if any, adjustments did you make to see out the win?
“Even playing with a player down, we were really disciplined defensively. It’s not easy to do, and requires lots of concentration. The guys still had to maintain our defensive shape, but we then looked to play more through the wide areas as that’s where we got in behind their defensive line. Offensively we were still able to dominate, and should have put the game away with at least two quality chances we created.”
SSR: Tell me about the goals; I believe the first one came off a set piece and the second on a counter with a good pass from the backline?
“Yes, (the first goal came on a) quality free kick from Michael Lightbourne that found Rodrigo (Bacci) in between two of their defenders. The timing of his run was really good, which he was able to get a head on to give us the early lead. That was Mikey’s third assist in two games, and Rodrigo’s second goal in two games. Mikey is called the GOAT of Gulf Coast football.
“We were without (leading scorer) Bruno (Marques) in the number nine (striker) position last night, so we played Mikey as a false nine with the hopes of getting Kenta (Yagi) and Colin (Spuler) to run in behind for third-man runs once Mikey came back into the midfield. So when Bo (Aaron Boateng) picked up the loose ball, that was a perfect cue to get in behind. The timing once again was really good. Quality finish from a tough angle.”
SSR: The defense, especially the back, were again spectacular, very organized and disciplined most of the match.
“Any coach knows how hard it is to keep a team organized defensively. For our players they understand that for us to be successful we must be very good in all four moments of the game and on set pieces. So, although they play attractive football, they are very relentless defensively. They hold each other accountable, and during practice that is always a piece of our session.
“Our goalkeepers are a huge driving force behind them. Gabriel (Mendoza) and Cooper (Jennings) are two of the best organizers I have worked with at this level.”
SSR: Please feel free to share your thoughts about the match, who stood out, Man of the Match, etc.
“This game is dedicated to all my players. Although faced with unfair calls and challenges during the match, they kept their heads, understood the assignment, and accomplished the goals. Man of the Match for me is Pensacola FC’s players.”