The NPSL Briefing Week 5: Catch Me If You Can
Jacksonville and Hickory are sitting pretty at the top, but the playoff races overall are heating up!
Welcome to Week 5 of The NPSL Briefing! Below are our Games of the Week in the Gulf Coast Sunshine and Southeast Conferences, along with last week’s results and a preview into every game this weekend.
Gulf Coast Sunshine Conference:
Game of the Week: Club de Lyon vs. Jacksonville Armada
Saturday, June 7 at 7:30pm EST
EWC Community Field and Athletic Stadium (Jacksonville, FL; Capacity 5,000)
This week's feature match will see Club de Lyon take on Jacksonville Armada. This will be considered a home match for CdL, even though it's being played in Jacksonville. CdL won their first match of the season and their most recent, with two losses sandwiched between. The first match-up between these two teams saw Jacksonville win 3-2. That was the only truly close game the Armada have had this season, but I look for them to remain undefeated.
Last Week’s Results:
Club de Lyon 5-0 Global Soccer Pathways
Jacksonville Armada U23 6-0 Miami Dutch Lions
Naples United FC 2-0 FC Florida
PSC Florida 5-2 New Orleans Jesters
FC Florida 1-1 Naples United FC
Miami Dutch Lions 6-4 Global Soccer Pathways
This Week:
Naples United FC vs Miami Dutch Lions (Saturday, June 7 at 7:00pm EST)
Naples United sits in second place in the table, but hasn't been dominant so far. They'll be facing a Miami team that has posted very similar results against comparable competition. Despite the separation in the table, this will be a close game that could go either way.
Global Soccer Pathways vs Naples United FC (Wednesday, June 11 at 7:00pm EST)
Naples United won the first match-up this season 5-1. GSP is winless so far this season, but did see Nicholas Teutsch get a hat trick for them last week in a 4-6 loss to Miami. GSP may make it close, but Naples will get three more points here.
Club de Lyon vs New Orleans Jesters (Thursday, June 12 at 7:00 EST)
The Jesters won the first game against CdL 2-1, but the real drama here may be about where this game is played. This is currently scheduled as a home game for CdL, and also shows that it's intended to be played at Lake Mary High. Club de Lyon played their opening match of the season there, but haven't been back since. The two other ‘home’ games leading into this were both played away at the opponent's home fields. Will this one be played in Florida, or New Orleans? No matter the location, I would expect it to be a close match. But there could be issues off the field that will have an impact.
Standings:
Jacksonville Armada: 12 Points (+15 GD, 4 GP)
Naples United: 7 Points (+6 GD, 3 GP)
Club de Lyon: 6 Points (+4 GD, 4 GP)
New Orleans Jesters: 6 points (+1 GD, 3 GP)
FC Florida: 5 points (+1 GD, 5 GP)
Miami Dutch Lions: 4 Points (-4 GD, 3 GP)
PSC Florida: 3 points (-8 GD, 4 GP)
Global Soccer Pathways : 0 Points (-13 GD, 4 GP)
Southeast Conference:
Game of the Week: 865 Alliance vs. Bristol Rhythm AFC
Saturday, June 7 at 7:00pm EST
Hardin Valley Academy - Hawk Stadium (Knoxville, TN; Capacity 3,800)
NPSL’s Tennessee Derby
Only 114 miles separate the two NPSL clubs in Volunteer State, and it will be the Rhythm who travel down Interstate 81 and 40 into Knoxville to play 865 Alliance. The Alliance, after losing their first three matches away without much of a fight, played their first home match on Wednesday and surprisingly drew the Charlottetowne Hops 0-0. A win would be a huge result for the side and show they’re more than bottom-feeders in the Southeast Conference, and it helps that they are the home team again. Meanwhile, Bristol are coming off a huge win against Appalachian FC, and the club could do with another win as it would level them with their Boone rival and put them only one point behind the Hops for 2nd with a game in hand. They beat 865 to start the year at home, 3-1, and their explosive offense could do damage. However, 865 did just keep a clean sheet against a very dangerous Charlottetowne side, so this game could be close.
Last Week’s Results:
Port City FC 2-3 Charlottetowne Hops FC
Hickory FC 6-1 Burlington United
Bristol Rhythm AFC 2-1 Appalachian FC
865 Alliance 0-0 Charlottetowne Hops FC
This Week:
Hickory FC vs. Appalachian FC (Saturday, June 7 at 7:00pm EST): It’s first place vs. second place (only second on PPG) again as Appalachian FC have to travel to face the mighty fan atmosphere in Hickory. For Appalachian, this is a must-win. They are already 6 points behind Hickory after having lost to them a few weeks ago. They have lost 2 straight games and have struggled to score away from home. Meanwhile, Hickory just demolished Burlington United 6-1 last week in front of nearly 3,500 fans! A win for them would nearly lock in the regular-season title and keep them moving up the national rankings (currently #4).
Charlottetowne Hops vs. Greenville United (Saturday, June 7 at 7:30pm EST): The Hops won a huge game against Port City FC to go all the way to second in the table, but with extra games played then other teams, they’re realistically looking for one of the last playoff spots. A team they need to fight off for a spot is Greenville, who have 7 points from 5 games. While inconsistent at times, they have solid talent and profile as a club that is mid-table at worst. The Hops should have an advantage, but this should also be tight.
Port City FC vs. Burlington United (Wednesday, June 11 at 6:00pm EST): While Port City lost last week to Charlottetowne, it was on a very late goal and they played well overall. They are in the thick of the playoff race and should be expected to gain an easy 3 points against Burlington United. The expansion side drew their first game and haven’t won since, and that included a 4-1 loss to Port City earlier this year. I don’t expect the winless streak to end, but maybe they start converting chances and give a shaky Port City backline a scare.
Standings:
Hickory FC: 15 Points (+12 GD, 5 GP)
Charlottetowne Hops: 10 Points (+4 GD, 6 GP)
Appalachian FC: 9 Points (+4 GD, 5 GP)
Greenville United: 7 Points (0 GD, 5 GP)
Port City FC: 6 Points (0 GD, 4 GP)
Bristol Rhythm AFC: 6 Points (0 GD, 4 GP)
865 Alliance: 1 Point (-6 GD, 4 GP)
Burlington United: 1 Point (-14 GD, 5 GP)
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