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The term “Group of Death” gets thrown around a lot; probably too much. Most people recognize it in relation to World Cup and other tournaments that start with a group structure before progressing to knockout play. The Group of Death will have more top teams in it than can be expected to move on the next rounds - someone suffers an early death. With that in mind, I feel more than justified in applying the term to the South Central Divsion of the USL League Two Southern Conference. Three teams have moved in to join the seven from 2024, and four of the nine are Lower Alabama teams. Everyone better buckle up.
2024 recap
The biggest hitters in the group were Asheville City and Tennessee SC. Asheville is a powerhouse on both the men's and women's scene, and they were dominant, eventually reaching the USL2 national semi-finals (and qualifying for the Open Cup, where they lost to Greenville Triumph in PK's). Sebastian Tregarthen, who signed with Birmingham Legion for 2025, came from that club. Asheville went undefeated during the regular seeason.
Tennessee finished in second place with 2024 newcomer Dothan United on their heels, along with East Atlanta FC and Southern Soccer Academy. At the bottom were Athens United and Birmingham Legion 2, both in their first seasons in USL2. Overall, it was a very competitive league.
2025 - why would I call this the Group of Death?
Asheville City will undoubtedly be a very strong club again. Dothan United is very ambitious (they intend to have a pro team in the future), with a very strong coach and culture. They regularly brought in around 5000 fans per home game, with plans to push that higher. Dothan has also extended their reach for players; for 2024 they had six Div 1 college players, and for 2025 they have eleven. Tennessee SC should remain highly competitive again, and East Atlanta will as well. SSA and Legion 2 will all return as well, although Athens United has stepped away. I expect those clubs to be competitive, and provide some upsets, but their focus has been a little more developmental in nature. Added into the group are three heavy-hitters.
Apotheos FC
Apotheos was founded in 2021, playing in NPSL and quickly making their mark. They made it to the NPSL national title game in 2023, losing to Tulsa Athletic. Then they made a strong showing in the 2024 Open Cup, losing 0-1 to Chattanooga Red Wolves. They're in the Atlanta metro area with a huge player pool to draw from.
Columbus United FC
Columbus is a Hitchcock club that played their first season in 2024. Columbus, GA is where Hitch was raised, and his daughter is currently the club President. They were in the Sunshine conference in NPSL and made a playoff run to the NPSL national semi-finals. They would have been in the Open Cup if they hadn't changed leagues. After just one season they've established that they can be a path to pro, with Jonathan Kanagawa signing with Richmond Kickers for 2025. They'll be building on last year's success, with close attention paid by Hitchcock.
Montgomery United
Montgomery started play last Summer as Alabama FC South in the Gulf Coast Premier League. They're a classic example of a sizable youth organization adding a competitive men's team at the top of the club. They ran a great operation and drew about 500 fans per match, and offered a quality streaming experience for games. There are four men's college programs in Montgomery, but this is the only adult top tier team in the city. They won the GCPL championship and have re-branded for 2025, with an eye towards a professional team in the future. Early indications are that they're drawing in some higher caliber players for the season, and with a longer reach than last season.
Summer of 2025
As many as six of the nine teams in the Division would be expected to be in the top 2-3 of most USL2 divisions, and they're going to put each other to the test every week. There won't be any easy games, and when all is said and done there will be some very, very strong teams that don't make it into the playoffs.
The season starts off strong on Saturday, May 10th, with Dothan United traveling to Montgomery United.
It's quickly shaping up to be as competitive as expected. And Asheville City hasn't even started yet.
Just kind of came to the realization that there is a world where the Mountain Division has more playoff teams than the South Central. What a cruel world we live in.