USL2 South Central Division check-in - June 24

Asheville is in control; Dothan holding on in second place

Asheville City SC

They're not invincible, even though it feels like it. Asheville has 21 points from seven matches - no losses, and no draws. How dominant have they been? They've had two wins with scores of 1-0, but they've allowed just one goal against them, and they're sporting a gaudy +31 goal differential (scoring 4.6 goals per game). Of their five remaining games, two are against Tennessee, and one is against SSA, who held Asheville to a single goal in a 0-1 loss. The division is theirs to lose if they can win out, and they're going to be a hard team to beat in the playoffs. A final note: the men's side is looking to join the women's side, who have already clinched their division.

Dothan United

Image credit: Dothan United

Dothan is in second place with 18 points, having just come off of a 0-1 loss to Asheville City on the road. Four games remain, three against Apotheos and East Atlanta (twice), who are down at the bottom end of the table. Their other game will be the second leg of the Peanuts and Cola Derby against Columbus United, at home. Dothan took the first meeting 1-0. Even with a clean sweep of remaining games, they would need Asheville to lose three times to jump ahead of them.

Tennessee SC, Birmingham Legion 2, and Columbus United

These three teams find themselves tied up at 14 points, but Tennessee and Bham have a game in hand over Columbus. Of the three, Tennessee has the toughest path ahead of them; they still have to play Birmingham and Asheville City twice each. All three of the teams bunched up at 14 points have also had two draws, which hurts a great deal in their quests to pass Dothan (who basically have a two wins instead of draws). Columbus has come on strong over the past couple of weeks, and are the only team that's managed to score a goal against Asheville City SC all season.

The bottom half - out of the running

Image credit: Southern Soccer Academy

The four teams at the bottom are Southern Soccer Academy (7 points), East Atlanta FC (6 points) Montgomery United (5 points), and Apotheos FC (4 points). Those last two were expected to be contenders, but have had a very tough time breaking through. Montgomery caused some trouble with a win over Dothan and a draw against Tennessee, but they have lost several close matches. All of the teams down here have been competitive, and may still have something to say for the final standings at the top. Apotheos is a case study as the bottom team in a brutal division. They got crushed by Asheville City 10-0, but have an overal GD of -13; their seven other games have all been close.

Key games remaining

Birmingham Legion 2 vs Tennessee SC: (Wed, June 25 at 7:00)

Dothan United vs Columbus United: (Sat, June 28 at 7:30)

Tennessee SC vs Asheville City SC: (Tue, July 1 at 7:30)

Tennessee SC vs Birmingham Legion 2: (Wed, July 9 at 7:00)

Asheville City SC vs Tennessee SC: (Sat, July 12 at 7:30)

The Playoff Picture

The playoffs call for the division winners from the five southern divisions, plus three runners-up. If the season ended today, Dothan would have one of those spots. If the Dragons falter, it could be tough for a second place team here to sneak into the playoffs. As expected, it's been an extremely tough division.

Golden Boot Race (division)

This race is as competitive as the overall division:

Santiago Hoyos 6 goals (Dothan)

Hogan Walker 4 goals (Tennessee)

Donghyeon Kim 4 goals (Asheville)

Deniss Hayes 3 goals (Columbus)

Robin Vezinhet 3 goals (East Atlanta)

Robert Lee 3 goals (Tennessee)

Matt Reed 3 goals (Montgomery)

Edouard Nys 3 goals (Asheville)

Carter Berg 3 goals (Columbus)