The 2019 GCPL regular season came to an end on Wednesday night after the rained out matches from last week’s hurricane were finally played out. With the regular season coming to an end, this meant that the playoffs are here and the battle to hoist the GCPL Cup is on.

This year, the highly anticipated postseason is set to begin and with five new clubs making their GCPL playoff debuts. The path to lifting the 3rd annual GCPL Cup will kick off this Saturday, July 20th with two quality quarterfinal matches on deck.

#3 BOCA Knights FC v. #6 AFC Mobile (7pm at Bossier High School)

The Western conference champions will host the Eastern conference outfit from Mobile in a highly anticipated match up. Both clubs have displayed over the season a knack for scoring goals with quality attacking threats up top. AFC Mobile will look to midfielder and team scoring leader, Arad Lev-Ari, to display some magic for the Azaleas, while the Knights expect Brazilian forward, Rafa Muniz, to lead the attacking front in hopes to advance to the semis. Both BOCA and Mobile will be without their two star players, Quesi Weston and Chisom Ogbonna, due to suspensions.

#4 Louisiana Krewe v. #5 Tallahassee Soccer Club (7pm at UL-Lafayette Soccer Stadium)

The two best defensive units in the GCPL will meet in Lafayette for a quarterfinal battle. Leading the defensive front for the Battle Lions is keeper and Eastern conference June Player of the Month, Hugo Peruzzi, averaging an impressive .77 GAA, the best in the league. Looking to test Hugo and his stout defensive front will be Krewe’s leading scorer and front runner for the GCPL golden boot , Adrian Olivares Rodrigeuz. The Lafayette unit has also impressed on the defensive front with a .80 GAA, thanks in part to defender and Western conference June Player of the Month, Cristian Cubedo. Tallahassee will rely on forward and former Shreveport Rafter, Boneco Bazil, to test the Krewe’s top defender.

The semifinals are set to be played on Wednesday, July 24th.

#1 Northshore United v. Lowest Seed (7pm at Northlake Christian High School)

The second year club claimed the number one seed and enjoyed being crowned regular season champs. Climbing out on top in a grueling 3-way playoff race in the Central conference, Northshore have impressed thanks to stellar season from a corp unit. But the attacking prowess of Zachary Breaux and Mason Morise have contributed heavily to the Covington club. The Ramblers will await the lowest seed that advances from the quarters.

# 2 FC New Orleans v. Highest Seed (7pm at Pan American Stadium)

The kings of New Orleans shined in their first year in the league with some top performances by former Pioneros de Cancún man, Roger Llergo, and CD Vida bound, Jesus Benitez. The Gators led the league in goals scored and displayed a potent style of attack, scoring a total of 42 goals in 10 games. FC New Orleans will have to fill in the void of the players who have returned to their pro clubs, but the NOLA crew has plenty of depth to be up for the task.

The GCPL Cup will be played at a location to be determined by highest seed (pending league approval for hosting). Entry will be $10 for adults and $5 for kids and can be purchased here: https://archive.gcpl.sportzstudio.com/gcpl-store/.

Eastern Conference

In the second leg of the Forgotten Coast Cup, AFC Mobile traveled to Herbert Wilson Stadium on Saturday to take on Port City FC. After losing to the Azaleas in the first leg, the Sounders came away with a win in this one in a scoreline of 2-1. Missing Jordan Hall in the attack due to suspension, Port City relied on Micheal Cooper to get the job done. Cooper took to the challenge and ended up scoring both of the Sounders goals. To start the contest, both teams came out on the offensive with great ball moment and possession, but neither team could find the back of the net as the first half ended in 0-0. At the start of the second half, in the 47th minute, the Sounders took the lead after a cross was sent into the box that found the head of Cooper who directed the ball right at Mobile’s keeper, forcing the goalie to make a big save. Cooper followed up his header to get the rebound and buried the ball into the high corner of the goal, making it 1-0 Port City. In the 60th minute, a penalty was awarded to AFC. Chisom Ogbonna stepped up to the ball and booted it out of the keepers reach to tie match 1-1. The last goal of the came only a few minutes later when Cooper slotted the ball into the far post to give the Sounder the late 2-1 lead. The end of the match was a defensive battle for Port City as they were able to hold onto their lead and take the second leg of the Forgotten Coast Cup.

Tallahassee SC tied Pensacola FC in an exciting matchup at Ashton Brosnaham Stadium on Saturday night that ended in a 1-1 draw. Even though the match ended in a draw, the Battle Lions were still able to walk away with a point and stay in first place in the Eastern Conference with two games left to play in the regular season. The intense matchup saw only two goals in the full ninety minutes of action with Tallahassee SC striking first after Pete Love took advantage of a penalty kick in the 37th minute. Tallahassee’s first half PK gave them a 1-0 lead going into the second half. Unfortunately for the Battle Lions, Pensacola FC collected themselves at halftime and responded with a spectacular equalizing goal from Gareth Green in the 66th minute. Green’s game tying goal would end the match in a 1-1 draw, giving both teams one point a piece in the Conference standings. Tallahassee SC didn’t secure the win they were looking for, but they were able to secure the outright lead in the Eastern Conference.

In a stalemate of a match, the Gulf Coast Rangers made the journey to Crusader Field on Saturday to test their skills against Hattiesburg FC. In a well contested first half, HFC got the ball rolling in the 20th minute with an outstanding goal from Paul Bracken. Paul’s goal would stand as the only goal in the match going into halftime. In the second half, the match would begin to open up as Hattiesburg’s James Cooper found the back of the net for the second goal of the game for HFC. After trailing 2-0 with 25 minutes left in regulation time, the Rangers decided it was time for a late second half comeback. Calum Kearney started off the scoring rally off for Gulf Coast with a goal in the 84th minute. The momentum gained from Calum’s goal was used to tie the game in stoppage time as Matt McArthur blasted a shot past the Hattiesburg keeper, ending the match in a stunning 2-2 tie.

Central Conference

In this week’s Game of the Week, FC New Orleans took on Motagua New Orleans at Tad Gormly Stadium for the second Big Easy matchup of the season. Going into this game, both of these New Orleans clubs were tied with 15 points in the Central Conference standings. The only thing that was keeping Motagua from taking second place from FC New Orleans was the 22 to 23 goal differential. This NOLA matchup was off to an electric start with Motagua’s Kenroy Rodriguez striking first for the Blue Eagles with a goal in the 11th minute to give his team a 1-0 lead. As the match went on, FC New Orleans was able to tie the game in the 31st minute with a nice goal from Jesus Benitez. After a well fought first half, the halftime score remained at 1-1 and both teams headed to the locker room to regroup for the second half. FC New Orleans would open the second half with a goal in the 58th minute to take a 2-1 lead, but Motagua would respond with a quick goal in the 60th minute to tie the game up again. Determined to be the best soccer club from NOLA, FC New Orleans took over the rest of the game with another goal from Jesus Benitez in the 76th minute and a goal from Gilberto Dominguez in the 87th minute. These two goals would put FC New Orleans on top by a score of 4-2 and they would go on to win and secure the second place spot in the Central division.

Saturday’s match between Baton Rouge United and Northshore United was canceled due to weather, but the I-12 rivalry was rescheduled and renewed on Tuesday night. At Olympia Stadium in Baton Rouge, Northshore United was looking to secure three more points and to stay atop the table in the Central Conference. Northshore opened the match with a goal almost immediately after the starting whistle was blown. Just two minutes into the game, Tony Judice found the back of the net off a free kick that put the men from Covington up 1-0. Baton Rouge put up an outstanding fight for the rest of the game, but they could never put one past the Northshore keeper. Even though Northshore was able to hold onto the number one seed and win the game in a final score of 1-0, Baton Rouge never gave up and they stuck it out until the very end.

In the annual Sippi Cup at Clinton High School Stadium, Mississippi Blues SC hosted Gaffa FC in a thrilling matchup between neighboring teams. The weather was overcast but the players and coaches were ready to go once the kickoff whistle was blown. Gaffa FC came out of the gate aggressive and took an early 1-0 lead in the 3rd minute after Thomas McCraney stripped a shot down the right side of the net with no one around him, leaving the Blues keeper frozen. Gaffa FC took a 2-0 lead before the first half ended in the 41st minute when Craig McCabe fired a shot on goal that was deflected into the top right corner of the net by the Blues goalie. The Mississippi Blue’s struggled to get their offense going in this one and ended up getting shut out by the men from Jackson in a tough 2-0 loss.

Western Conference

Trying to keep their playoff hopes alive, Cajun SC hosted Central Texas Lobos at LUS Fiber Stadium on Saturday night. The match was off to a fast start with the Lobos drawing first blood in the 4th minute of the game after Daniel Dominguez slotted the ball home, past the Cajun SC keeper. Even though Central Texas was off to a great start, their offense began to dwindle as the match went on. Cajun SC capitalized on the Lobos dwindling offense with an equalizing goal from Josh Hughes in the 30th minute. The scoreline would remain at 1-1 going into halftime. The second half saw a lot of back and forth action, however, as both teams fought hard for a chance to take the lead. With heavy legs and no more substitutions, the club from Lafayette was finally able to break the tie in the 76th minute as Kade Kling buried one in the back of the net, ending the match in a much needed 2-1 victory for Cajuns SC.

Alexandria PBFC gets dominated by Louisiana Krewe at home over the weekend in a shocking 6-2 defeat. The loss puts the Pool Boys in third place in the Western Conference and moves the Krewe into second place. Louisiana dominated the matchup from the very beginning with Oscar Castellanos scoring the first goal of the game in the 17th minute. Ten minutes later, in the 27th minute, Dril Juno Mboungou scored for Alexandria to tie the game at one goal apiece. Not long after the game was evened up, Mauricio Rancel gave the Krewe a 2-1 advantage with a nifty goal off a rebound from a mistake by the Pool Boys keeper. Louisiana would then score two more back to back goals in the 48th and 49th minute to give them an outright 4-1 lead. Looking to extend their lead even further, in the 56th minute, Louisiana’s Adrian “Oli” Rodriguez added another goal to the score sheet with a low shot down the left side of the goal that found its way past the goalkeeper. PBFC would try to fight their way back into the game with a goal by Mackenzie Young in the 62nd minute, but Oscar Castellanos would score his second goal of the match with 20 minutes left in regulation time to give the Krewe a demanding 6-2 lead. The scoreline would stay the same for the remainder of the match as Louisiana Krewe comes away with the 6-2 victory.

The Boca Knights take over the top spot in the Western Conference on Saturday night with a solid 3-1 win over last place competitor, Shreveport United. Shreveport looked calm and composed at the beginning of the match as Ali Ibrahim snuck one past the Knights keeper to give United an early 1-0 lead. Even though Shreveport started the game on a high note, their luck would soon run out as Abdullah Rayyan evened the match at 1-1 with a goal for Boca in the 24th minute. The score would stay at 1-1 as both teams headed to the locker room for halftime. For most of the second half, it was a constant end to end battle with both teams creating scoring opportunities, but it would be the Knight’s who eventually gained the upper hand. Luis Pena gave Boca the lead after a great goal in the 83rd minute and to add some extra insurance to the score sheet in the 90th minute, Guilherme Fao Martins rolled one past the Shreveport keeper, securing the 3-1 victory for the Knights.

Eastern Conference

AFC Mobile was able to pull into second place in the Eastern Conference on Saturday with a win 2-1 win over Hattiesburg FC at Archbishop Lipscomb Stadium in Alabama. The Azaleas fell behind early in the match after a free-kick from just outside the penalty area in the 8th minute was rebounded by James Cooper and chipped over the Mobile keeper, giving HFC an early 1-0 lead. In the 28th minute, Mobile’s Chisom Ogbonna was brought down right outside the box, leading to a free kick opportunity that Arad Lev-Ari rocketed right past the Hattiesburg keeper to equalize the game at 1-1. The scoreline would remain at 1-1 going into halftime. Shortly after the second half started, AFC took the lead with a goal from Sam Blackburn who slotted home the game winning goal from a tight angle in the 54th minute. The Azaleas created a couple more chances throughout the second half but couldn’t find the back of the net to extend their one goal lead. The last 15 minutes of the match was filled with fouls and slid tackles as Eddie Dakwa and Ogbonna were both shown yellow cards. Hattiesburg FC put a powerful shot on goal towards the end of the match but, it hit the post and the Azaleas managed to hang on and come away with a 2-1 victory.

In a game where both teams left everything they had on the field, the Gulf Coast Rangers fell short to Tallahassee SC at Fairhope Municipal Stadium on Saturday night in a score of 2-0. The match decided who would stay in first and second place in the Eastern Conference and who would fall. Since AFC Mobile was able to beat Hattiesburg FC, the Azeleas were guaranteed one of the two spots in the east. With that being said, playoff positioning was at stake for both teams during this matchup. In the first half, the Battle Lions took a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute after star player Boneco Brazil scored off an excellent strike that found the lower corner of the goal. The rest of the first half was a constant battle, but neither club was able to score before the halftime whistle. The second half was a similar story as Tallahassee SC was able to able to earn themselves another goal, extending their lead to 2-0. As much as the Rangers tried to make a comeback, they just couldn’t get things going offensively and ended up getting shut out by the Battle Lions at home. The win lifted the men from Tallahassee into first place and will keep their playoff hopes alive.

In a thrilling match that saw nine goals in ninety minutes, Port City FC made the trip to Ashton Brosnaham Stadium on Saturday night to play against Pensacola FC. The Sounders took no time easing into this one as Jordan Hall poked the ball past the 59ers keeper in just the 2nd minute after a pass from Ashton Leblanc, giving Port City a very early 1-0 lead. Only two minutes after the Sounders goal, in the 4th minute, the match was evened up at 1-1 with a Pensacola corner kick that was headed into the back of the net by Lyuboslav Vitanoz. Port City FC would fight back to regain the lead in the 10th minute when Caleb Counselman put one away off a deflected save from the 59ers keeper. Four minutes later, in the 14th minute, the match was tied up again after Gareth Green dribbled into the box and slotted the ball past the Sounders keeper to even things up at 2-2. The 2-2 tie would eventually be broken after Matthew Edwards found the back of the net in the 35th minute for the Sounders, giving Port City another one goal lead. However, Pensacola would catch a break in the 45th minute after the referee awarded them a penalty kick for a collision in the box. Gareth Green stepped up to the penalty shot and placed the ball out of the goalie’s reach, tying the game at 3-3 at halftime. Both teams were cautious at the start of the second half, but that would change in the 60th minute after Steven Gallagher sent in a beautiful cross that found the head of Kieran Robins who buried it into the back of the net for the Sounders. Kieran’s goal would put Port City up 4-3 and give them their third lead of the contest. Miraculously, the match was tied up yet again with a Pensacola goal in the 67th minute off a deflected through ball that found the feet of Andy Wentz who finished the ball past the Sounders keeper. The 59ers would finish the match in heroic fashion with a last minute goal in the 90th minute from Christopher Searcy, ending the match in a well deserved 5-4 win over Port City FC.

Central Conference

Over in the Central Conference, Motagua New Orleans faced off against the Mississippi Blues at Pan American Stadium on Saturday night. In this one sided matchup, Motagua New Orleans controlled the game from the opening whistle and didn’t take their foot off the gas throughout the entire match, defeating the Blue’s in a 9-0 clean sheet victory. The goal scoring, however, didn’t start for Motagua until the 35th minute of the first half when Nestor Peralta Jr. snuck the ball past the Blues keeper for the first goal of the contest. After the first goal was scored, the flood gates were opened and the goals started pouring into the back of the net for the squad from New Orleans. Nestor Peralta Jr. would add two more goals to the score sheet for Motagua before the first half ended and he would go on to score another goal in the 58th minute, giving Nestor his fourth goal of the match and New Orleans a 4-0 edge with thirty two minutes left to play. Motagua would continue to play hard throughout the second half, scoring five more goals before the match was officially over. Man of the match, Nestor Peralta Jr. scored the last goal of the match in the 86th minute, giving him his fifth goal of the game and Motagua New Orleans a perfect 9-0 defeat over the Mississippi Blues.

Attempting to salvage their losing record late in the season, Baton Rouge United headed East on Saturday to go head to head against FC New Orleans. The club from NOLA is still undefeated with four wins and three draws on the season while Baton Rouge United is in dead last with seven straight loses. The match saw little action in the first twenty-five minutes of play, but that would soon change as Roger Llergo would find the back of the net for New Orleans with a smooth one touch snipe in the 28th minute. FC New Orleans would continue to attack the goal in the first half and they would go on to score two more goals before the halftime whistle. Baton Rouge would also put one away before the first half was over with a goal from Zayne Zezulka in the 45th minute, cutting the New Orleans lead to 3-1 at halftime. At the start of the second half, Baton Rouge United was able to keep their offensive momentum going with a goal from David Barbera in the 57th minute, making it a close 3-2 game with 33 minutes left to play. Even though Baton Rouge United started to rally back, their offensive efforts were no match for FC New Orleans as Jesus Rivera Benitez dominated the second half with three straight goals in the last thirty minutes of the game. Roger Llergo also added another goal to the score sheet before the match was over, giving him his second goal of the game and FC New Orleans an easy 7-2 win.

Sitting in first place in the Central Conference, Northshore United ventured over to Freedom Ridge Park Stadium on Saturday to face off against the 2017 GCPL Champions, Gaffa FC. The game was evenly matched as neither side could come up with a goal in the first 89 minutes of play. The first half was a standstill with both teams playing some very solid defense. Most of the second half saw similar results until the 90th minute when Tom Cosgrove took the ball away from a Northshore defenseman at the top of the penalty box and ripped a shot past the United keeper, ending the match in superb fashion with a 1-0 upset home win for Gaffa FC.

Western Conference

The Alexandria Pool Boys extended their lead at the top of the Western Conference table on Wednesday night with a 1-0 win over Cajun SC at Wildcat Stadium. The game was off to a slow start with both sides calculating their offensive attacks early on, but as the match continued, Cajun SC was able to put a lot of shots and pressure on, Nathan Gautreau, the Pool Boys keeper. Nathan was resilient between the posts and was able to come up with some big saves for his club when they needed him most. All of Nathan’s saves would soon pay off as Dril Juno Mboungou broke the 0-0 tie with a shot on goal in the 45th minute that soared past the Cajun keeper, giving the Pool Boys a 1-0 lead going into the second half. Alexandria’s one goal lead would hold true for the rest of the match and they would go on to defeat the Cajun club in a 1-0 shutout victory.

Boca Knights FC managed to hold onto the second place spot in the Western Conference on Saturday night with a win over Central Texas Lobos. On their home pitch, at Bossier High School, the Knights put on a clinic against the Lobos as they put away five unanswered goals in regulation time, leading to a clean sheet 5-0 victory. The Boca scoring drive started in the 24th minute after a phenomenal goal from Quesi Weston. After Weston’s goal, the Knights offense began to slow down, but their energy would be reignited in the 42nd minute after a nice shot from Jevanni Hinkson that flew by the Lobos keeper. Two minutes later, in the 44th minute, Quesi Weston found the back of the net for a second time, extending the Knights lead to 3-0 before the end of the first half. In the opening minutes of the second half, the match went through another period of slow and possessive play but again picked up speed after David Martinez put one past the Central Texas keeper in the 77th minute. Ending the match on a high note, Alvaro Torres scored the fifth and final goal of the game for Boca in the 90th minute, securing the three points needed and a hard fought shutout victory.

Shreveport United forfeited their match against Louisiana Krewe.

Saturday night’s matchup between Louisiana Krewe FC and Boca Knights FC will be this week’s Third Coast Soccer Game of the Week and the game will be held at UL Lafayette Soccer Stadium in Louisiana. Losing to the Knights in their first game of the season with a close scoreline of 2-1, the Krewe will be looking to defeat Boca this time around.

The early loss in the season must have motivated the Louisiana Krewe to get their act together because they have won their last three straight regular season games. Currently tied for second place with Alexandria PBFC, the Krewe will have a chance to take the top spot in the Western Conference on Saturday night if they can come up with a win against the first place Boca Knights FC.

Backed by Head Coach Joan Oliva, the Krewe from Louisiana will find out if they have improved since their first encounter with the Knights earlier this season. It will be a major test for the men from Lafayette, but they are confident in their starting eleven and feel as if they have what it takes to take down the 4-0-1 Boca Knights.

“We have been competitive in all of our matches so far this season, and we are happy for that,” stated Coach Oliva. “Now we have an opportunity to show if we have really been progressing or not. We are happy with our dynamic, the players are so committed with practices and everybody shares the same vision.”

The Louisiana Krewe have been thriving in the first half of the 2019 GCPL season and are hoping to carry their winning energy into their last five games of the year and into the playoffs if they make it that far. The Krewe continue to grow as an organization with each and every game they play and they have been strictly focused on developing their players.

“Our focus is to develop local talent with the mix of talent from abroad to compete at the next level,” commented Louisiana Krewe Club Director Kevin Mooney. “We also aim to put a quality product on the field so that members from our club and fans can strive to learn and see how the beautiful game is played and hopefully that our fans can take this style of play back to their youth teams. This is not possible without the right person at the helm and Joan Oliva for sure is the man for the job. He has tons of experience in the game, coaching licenses out the wazoo and a passion for the game that is unprecedented. Most importantly he is a players coach and he has a great connection with the players.”

Offensively, the Krewe are very sound and they have some incredible talent in the midfield with Oscar Castellanos at center mid, Dillon Gallet on the wing, and Adrian Olivares at the striker position. Castellanos is good at distributing the ball and finding space off the ball, while Winger Dillion Gallet is a fast player who has a lot of talent and the ability to finish in front of the net. Adrian Olivares is another top player to keep an eye on for the Krewe as he is the “go-to” target man for his teammates with four goals in just five games so far this season.

Per usual, the Boca Knights are in first place in the Western Conference and with a perpetual target on their backs, the Knights have been preparing for another opportunity to make it back to the GCPL playoffs. Even though Boca has been troubled with player injuries, they have still managed to hold onto the number one spot in the West.

“Each game is approached the same. We have a game plan, a focus and a belief in our system,” commented Boca Knights FC Head Coach Sergio Perez Sr. “The team continues to perfect its efficiency, conditioning, strength and team chemistry. These players know that it is each of their responsibilities to be the best they can for their teammates and club, and train that way. Injuries seem to be starting to get a hold of players. The challenge it presents is already worked on regularly and so is the chemistry of the depth of players in the club. This gives us, as a team, the ability to keep quality through a deep depth in our bench.”

Boca has built its club from the top down, something the American soccer landscape has been doing backwards for many years. The Knights philosophy for constructing their club has been based around providing an academy that educates and molds their youth players into skilled athletes.

“The athleticism, skill, and professionalism of Boca FC eventually created multiple requests from the community to provide an academy to teach their youth the same system and qualities displayed by the team,” stated Boca Knight FC Club Director Joseph Winningham. “The club deemed it to be important that everyone regardless of status in life, age or gender, or race or creed or anything else that makes a person unique, be provided with the opportunity to learn and train at the highest level they want to reach. In time, FC BOCA hopes to continue to develop youth and provide unique training opportunities. BOCA is looking to grow and continue to create beneficial relationships locally, nationally and internationally in order to provide as many opportunities as possible for experiences, growth, and training for all levels.”

One of the Knights top players to look for during Saturday night’s matchup is last year’s leading league goalscorer, Quesi Weston. Physically very strong, and fast, center forward Quesi Weston has a great ability to be in the right place at the time. Rafa Muniz is another skilled forward to watch for as he has explosive speed and quick ball handling skills, making him a lethal player with or without the ball. Defensively, Boca FC relies on Abdulah Rayyan to hold down the backfield. Rayyan is a striker’s worst nightmare with the ability to match the speed of just about anyone and his teammates look to him for confidence on the pitch.

Everyone in the GCPL will be interested in this week’s Game of the Week because the match will have a tremendous impact on the Western Conference standings. So, come on out to support these two fearless clubs as they take on each other at the UL Lafayette Soccer Stadium at 7:00 pm on Saturday, June 15th.