Tennessee Tempo Best Miami United 1-0 for UPSL Southeast Title

Jul 28, 2025

After Florida Champions Miami United dominated the first half, the Tennessee Tempo flipped the script and scored with under 10 minutes to play to book a spot in the UPSL National Final Four and win 1-0 for the Southeast Region Championship.

When the game kicked off in the hot conditions at MOBA Soccer Stadium, it quickly became intense. Just two minutes in, Tempo right winger Horace Avila put in a dangerous cross towards goal that Miami goalkeeper Sebastian D’Angelo had to tip onto the back left side of the crossbar. Tempo then claimed the rebound and found Harrison Watts, whose shot was blocked from close range.

After that big chance, Miami United deployed a high press targeting the Tempo’s midfield, and it caused problems. In the 6th minute, Santiago Frean received the ball centrally 25 yards out, flicked it behind to Roberto Insua, and he drove into the box on the right side, rolling his attempt wide left.

Three minutes later, a physical challenge by Tempo won them the ball, and Insua slid in to stop the attack and got none of the ball. The ref quickly ran up to hand out a yellow card, and Insua ran up to protest. A few minutes later, Watts went down near midfield and the ref called a foul on Miami, causing the entire Miami bench to erupt.

Once the 16th minute hit, a shot from Miami’s Diego Morales from about 25 yards out went straight to the Tempo keeper. Only one minute after, however, Frean fought through challenges just inside the 18 and played the ball through to Alejo Fernandez on the right side of the box. His slow shot under pressure while falling to the ground forced Tempo keeper Francois Djiba to dive full stretch to his right and barely flick the ball wide.

Twenty-four minutes in, Insua had the ball taken from behind by a Tempo defender cleanly. However, in dramatic fashion, he fell to the ground rolling around in what seemed to be pain. After the ref stopped play for a few minutes for treatment and to tone down the arguing from players around him, he gave a foul. You could see control of the match being held to by a thread when 5 minutes later, the Miami United head coach was given a yellow card. His bench had erupted once again, this time over a throw-in call to the Tempo.

We were now a half-hour in, and Dominic Oduro got onto the end of a deflected cross 20 yards out from his Tempo teammate. His volley curved to the right but went over the bar. Then, Miami’s Frean played the ball through to defender Josduar Serrano, whose shot from the left side of the box was saved by Djiba diving down to his left.

Thirty seconds later, Morales was played nearly clean through on the left side of the box, but he attempted a shot with the outside of his right foot and it rolled harmlessly wide. Miami were piling on the pressure.

Forty-one minutes in, United’s Guido Cacciabue found space wide on the right side of the field. He crossed the ball in with the outside of his foot to the 6-yard box. Djiba came flying out to make the save with 1 hand, and a follow-up shot by Serrano was deflected and collected by Djiba diving left.

During the seven minutes of first half stoppage time, Morales drove into space for Miami and hit a shot 20 yards out straight to the keeper. He should’ve done much better with the time and space he had.

On the other end of the field, Tennessee forward Gregory Cousins crossed the ball from the right side of the pitch into the box low towards Harrison Watts, but D’Angelo slid in and got there first. The ball hit the goalkeeper’s thigh and went out on the sideline.

The first half ended fittingly with an angry reaction from the Miami United coaching staff. The Tempo’s Stanley Grand Pierre went down holding his face, but it was unclear why. The ref waited a while before giving a yellow card to Frean, causing the 4th official to have to push Miami coaches from his space and back to their benches.

The game would stay chippy in the second half, as Miami’s Serrano was given a yellow card one minute in.

A few minutes later, Harrison Watts found himself in a 1v1 counter attack (really a 1v2, but one Miami defender dropped off). He took a few touches inside, then a cut back to the left beat the defender. His shot against the keeper D’Angelo was somehow saved and tipped past the far post.

In the 53rd minute, a strike from India with the outside of his foot forced a diving save to Djiba’s right, the first chance of the new half for Miami United. A minute later, the Tempo’s Horace Avila had his powerful shot from 25 yards out go wide left.

Around this time, Tennessee’s top goalscorer Harrison Watts was subbed out for Latrell Middleton, who had only 2 goals on the year compared to Watts’ 13. Also around this time, Alfredo Gilly received a yellow card.

Sixty-four minutes gone, a very pacy cross fell back-post to Grand Pierre, and it hit his foot but went through his legs. Unlike the first half, the Tennessee Tempo had been dominating in the attack. They just could not seem to score!

Then, in the 81st minute, they found their breakthrough. Substitute Latrell Middleton received the ball at midfield, beat two defenders, broke into open space, and slotted the ball into the right side of the net against the keeper one-on-one.

In second half stoppage time, Latrell Middleton met a long Tempo clearance and tried to chip the keeper, but D’Angelo jumped up and back to his left, stretching a hand to swat it away. Middleton crossed to a diving Tempo forward in the box soon after, but D’Angelo made another massive save sprawling out and blocking the header. However, the veteran keeper’s efforts were not enough. The Tennessee super sub had made his mark, and the Tempo fought off all late Miami efforts to win 1-0 and be crowed Southeast Region Champions.

Deservedly so, the celebrations begun.