The Villages SC - Tampa Bay United (10-07-2021)

 

Because of horrible traffic, I arrive 3 minutes late. The “sports complex” is one pitch in the middle of nowhere with small bleachers on one side and on one of part of  one side of the goal. I nevertheless have to pay $10 and get a paper arm brace (with a letter for the bleachers section) but no ticket.

 

It is the last game of the regular season. The Villages SC has been dominating the Southeast Division of the USL Division Two (Fifth Division), winning 9 and losing and drawing each one. Tampa Bay United is second and, like The Villages SC, already guaranteed a spot in the play-offs. For some reason, and I doubt anyone knows which one, the Villages SC is known as “the buffalos”.

 

 

There are some 100 people, a very diverse crowd, with disproportionately many Hispanics and old white people – The Villages became (in)famous a few years ago because of political fights between Trump and Biden supporters. There are quite a lot of people with jerseys, not just kids, and even a small group of tifosi. A handful away supporters also made the 80 miles (140 km) drive East and are also there quite vocal.

 

Already in the 8^th minute of the game The Villages SC scores out of a quick attack. The hosts are clearly much better than the visitors. The tifosi – a mixed group of some 10-20 fans with several drums – celebrate in style.

 

In the 12^th minute a Villages header ends on top of the crossbar and four minutes later a good shot by the hosts from 16 meters out goes across the goal and just wide. A minute later a Villages defender makes a mistake that leads to the first attack of Tampa Bay United, but the shot is weak and is easily saved. Three minutes later, in a Villages counter attack, a striker goes alone at the goalie, shoots hard yet well across the goal, but a Tampa Bay defender slides it into his own goal (there was no Villages player around him). The home team remains much better but now gets sloppy. This leads to a good shot from 10 meters out by the visitors but the goalie makes a great save.

 

Then there is some drama in the stands: a drunk guy (white, late-40s) threatens to beat someone up and is escorted out by stewards and team officials. In response to his removal, he makes a Nazi salute (but afterwards leaves peacefully and drives home… drunk). As an expert on the subject, I can assure you that this was not the first time he made a Nazi salute (although nothing else – clothes or tattoos) pointed to him being a Nazi). Anyway, the home team remains dominant, the referee keeps ignoring fouls against Tamp Bay, and the Villages strikers keep missing big chances and so it stays 2-0 – even though it should have been at least 4-0.

 

At half time kids play soccer on the pitch, which I haven’t seen in a while at US games. Unfortunately, the pace and quality of the game goes down significantly in the second half. It’s not because it is too hot, although it is very humid. I am mostly focused on, and annoyed by, the announcer, a white guy who tries to imitate Mexican announcers and fails miserably. The Villages SC continues squandering chances, while the game is constantly interrupted with longer breaks because of fouls, substitutions, or water.

 

In the 72^nd minute the referee gives the hists a very soft penalty kick, which is scored low in the corner (just hard enough to beat the goalie): 3-0. I wait a few more minutes and then leave, as this game is clearly over and there is rain ahead.

 

A bit of an odd experience, as this is one of the few USL League Two games not played at a local High School or “soccer park”, and therefore gets a bit more authentic feeling – also because of the tifosi and the many real fans in jerseys – but it also a typical USL League Two game in terms of lack of culture and quality.

 

Southern Soccer Academy Kings - South Georgia Tormenta 2 (06-07-2021)

The Southern Soccer Academy Kings are a soccer academy with men and women “professional” teams. The men’s team plays in the Deep South Division of the Southern Conference of the USL League Two (i.e. Fifth Division). They play their stadium at Marathon Soccer Park, which is just outside of Marietta, Georgia, a rich northern suburb of Atlanta. In fact, it is truly off the beaten track, as it has an own driveway of almost a mile off an already remote street. SSA Kings are aligned with Chelsea FC, as can be seen from the logo.

 

JW and I arrive about fifteen minutes before kick-off. There are quite some cars in the parking lot, many fancy ones at that. We don’t have to pay to get in and make our way to the one side of bleachers. As far as one can speak of a “stadium”, it is one main building with dressing rooms and some other rooms.

 

Given that this is a soccer academy, where people (kids) pay to play soccer, the pitch is of an incredibly bad quality. In fact, it is so bent that you can’t see the lines on the other side. The grass is also of poor quality. There are some 100 people, about one third kids who play at the academy and their parents. For Marietta, the crowd is quite Southern but also quite mixed racially. A few fans in their twenties make a lot of noise, both cracking jokes and cheering on the home team, which hives the game an overall cozy atmosphere.

 

The game starts well. Interestingly, the referee is a rather young woman, who is well in control (I can only imagine the abuse she must face from players and fans in many games). In the 3^rd minute the visitors have a good attack that is easily finished in the long corner: 1-0. Although the guests are much better, they make a dumb foul and the hosts get a penalty. Although the goalie got his hands on it, the ball goes in: 1-1.

 

In the 35^th minute Tormenta has an amazing from the penalty spot but the goalie stops it spectacularly. Ten minutes later a long ball comes to the Kings striker, who is inside the box, but his partly blocked shot goes well over the goal. Another cross from the right is volleyed from 5m at the goalie, who saves. Just before half-time, a long free kick of Tormenta is headed just over the goal (but the goalie had it covered). Half Time Score: 1-1.

 

The second half starts with several half chances for the visitors but the big chance is for same Kings striker who missed before and again misses from very close. In the 65^th minute the Kings get a massive chance at the lead, but the completely free header from a mere 5 meter away is headed across the goal, well wide. In the 75^th minute the Tormenta goalie intercepts the ball but steps outside the box. The consequent free kick is headed hard to the ground from 5 meters and the goalie saves with an amazing jump.

 

Just a minute later the visitors counter attack and shoot hard at the bar, but the ball bounces out from the goal line. In the 79^th minute Tormenta has a covered shot from just outside the box, which is hard and low in the far corner. The goalkeeper has no chance: 1-2.

 

There are no more goals and the game ends 1-2. A deserved win for the clearly better team. All in all, a fairly classic USL Division Two game. A soccer academy with no roots or stadium, playing for a hundred fans/customers, at modest levels. In fact, only the remarkably poor pitch stood out from other USL League Two games.

 

Louisville City FC - Indy Eleven (26-06-2021)

I arrive several hours before kick-off in Louisville and drive straight to the stadium to buy a ticket. The Lynn Family Stadium is an absolutely stunning new stadium just outside of downtown, still at walkable distance. Opened in 2020, the 15,304 people stadium has three large stands (with minimum coverage) and one smaller one, and is shared between Louisville City FC (men), which plays in the USL Championship (Second Division) and Racing Louisville FC (women), which plays in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

 

Unfortunately, they only sell e-tickets. Moreover, the tickets have to be bought through one provider (and a special app) that charges $10. This is scandalous and yet again shows that soccer is a middle class sports in the US and is very comfortable to keep a clear financial hurdle for poorer people. The cheapest tickets are $20 ($30 with charge) and I get one for $50 ($60) with charge which puts me almost at the half and very close to the pitch. Perfect seat really.

 

I return to the stadium early, after having found a free parking space just outside the stadium and walk around the stadium a few times. Everything is brand new and the food options are impressive. As it is Pride Month, Louisville City FC has made this Pride Night and, in good pink washing fashion, is cashing in on it.

 

Interestingly, the national anthem is played before the two teams are on the pitch, I assume to prevent possible controversy over kneeling, but both teams do a 15 second silence circle against racism. Funny how this is uncontroversial. Also quite lame is that Louisville City FC wears special pride jerseys during warm-up but not during the game.

 

The stadium looks a bit over half full, but the official attendance is 10,927 – I assume they count all season ticket holders, whether they are present or not. The fans are overall middle class and white but with some diversity. The vast majority is decked out in a broad variety of LCFC gear, including special pride gear. I’m somewhat surprised that there are not that many people in the “ultras” block behind the goal — there are several drums and a lot of tifo though.

 

The game starts at a decent level and is played on a (very dry) AstroTurf pitch, which should make control easier. Quite unexpectedly, in the 6^th minute, a Louisville attack over the right side goes in through a deflection. A lucky early lead.

 

However, just three minutes later Indy has a beautiful counterattack that is headed in perfectly: 1-1. Turns out there are quite a few Indy Eleven supporters in the stadium, including next to me. I guestimate some 250 are in the away section. While Indianapolis is only a two-hour drive from Louisville, it is rare for US sports fans to travel, so this is quite an impressive turnout.

 

Just five minutes later Louisville is back up, again through a deflection, this time of a shot from 25 meter or so. We are just fifteen minutes in and it is already 2-1. Crazy! Then again, in the 20^th minute Indy has another good break and equalizes again: 2-2.

 

The early evening game is played at 90 F (32 C) but because of a good breeze it is very pleasant in the stand. However, it must be very hot for the players and the pace goes down rapidly. There are some shots at goal, which go just wide, but in the 41^st minute the visitors have a rather slow attack and a through ball is finished cold and precise: 2-3. This is also the half time score: what a game!

 

 

The second half has a bit of a slow start but in the 55^th minute Louisville has a good attack with a smart cross pass, but the Indy goalie saves. The corner is headed just wide. The visitors play very deep in the second half, so deep that they have no one up front to counter with, which also means that they get no time to breath.

 

In the 68^th minute the hosts have a kind of odd ball that is tipped just wide. Five minutes later Indy has its first good chance, but the Louisville goalie saves spectacularly. In the 78^th minute a quick attack by Louisville goes in, a deserved and partly self-inflicted would for Indy. 3-3 would also be the final score.

 

This was an absolutely wonderful football experience, among one of the best and most authentic I have had in the US, certainly outside of the MLS. The Louisville fans are not the most fanatic, but there is a good atmosphere and the stadium is gorgeous. Definitely worth a trip for any groundhopper. I will be back to see Racing Louisville FC!

 

East Atlanta FC - South Georgia Tormenta 2 (08-06=2021)

 

East Atlanta is the hip part of Atlanta, but East Atlanta FC does not play there. They play in Conyers, a commuter town roughly 25 miles (39 km) east of Atlanta, and should therefore be called East OF Atlanta FC. 

 

 

As I arrive at Rockdale Youth Soccer Academy, where they play their games, I directly recognize the ground. I was here 9 years ago, to see a game of Georgia Revolution, which has since moved to McDonough, Georgia.

 

I pay $8, which is quite a lot of money for a game in the USL Division 2 (roughly Fifth Division in the US), given that the setting would make most amateur football clubs in Europe feel ashamed. I do get a nice ticket though, albeit from a different game (and season?).

There are a few random old wooden bleachers (5 rows each) on two sides of the pitch, where some 100 people sit. The audience is reasonably mixed by class, gender, and race. Many seem to personally know a player (of the home team).

 

The game starts some 20 minutes late, as the previous game, between the youth teams of the two clubs, was delayed because of lightening. The weather has been playing up in the last days, but, despite predictions of rain, today was dry until roughly one hour before the game. Around 19.50 the game finally starts.

 

In the 3^rd minute Tormenta has a chance but the East Atlanta goalie saves the shot from close by, which goes straight at him. The corner is headed just over the goal. At that time, the clouds become darker and darker and the wind is picking up. Like many others, I am starting to look for cover, when the game is being stopped for possible lightening.

 

Shortly after 20.00 the rain comes down hard, followed by lightening. I decide to head back to Athens, which is an hour north, as I have no desire to wait for 30 minutes in my car. As I’m typing this report at home, I see that the game restarted at 21.30 and East Atlanta FC won through a goal in the 90th minute, roughly at 23.00.

 

It is rare for me to abandon a game so easily, but I think I need a break from USL Division 2 for a while. It just has barely any resemblance of professional football and most clubs lack any culture or identity.

Asheville City SC - Charlotte Independence 2 (01-06-2021)

On a Tuesday evening, I drive up to Asheville, a cute alternative-hipster town in the western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. It's a 3-4 hour drive from Athens, GA, depending on whether you go the functional or scenic route. On the menu is yet another game in the USL League Two (roughly the Fifth Division), this time in the Deep South Division, between Asheville City SC and the second team of Charlotte Independence.

 

Asheville City SC was founded in 2016 and played in the 3^rd Southeast Division of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) before joining the USL League 2 in 2019. They play their home games in the soccer stadium of the University of North Carolina Asheville, which is just a pitch with a few small bleachers on one long side. I get in for free, as someone had an extra ticket and paid it forward.

 

While this means no ticket, I was lucky, as I later read on the website that the game was sold out. They didn’t mention the number of spectators, but I guesstimate some 250 to 300 people. The fans are very (upper) middle class and very white. They are also quite young, although relatively few kids (more students). There is a small group of “ultras” with drums and horns who mostly make "smart" remarks.

 

The game seems to be played on real grass, although the pitch is suspiciously even. The players are young, early- to mid-twenties, probably several college players, and there are again very few African American players. The quality of passing and control is quite poor, particularly given the dry but flat pitch, and the pace is not too high. Still, the game flows from side to side with quite a lot of (half) chances.

 

In the 19^th minute Asheville has a long and deep cross pass that the striker takes directly, with the inside of his foot, but the goalie saves it spectacularly in the short corner. The hosts continue to pressure and in the 26^th minute a player gets the ball almost free in front of the goal (at some 5 meters) but he hits it with both of his legs.

 

 

In the 30^th minute the visitors get a ball into the box, which is headed through, but easily picked up by the Asheville goalie. A few minutes later a Charlotte defender gives a too soft pass back but his goalie courageously hits the ball just a second before the striker can kick it. Just before half time, a free kick is missed by the Asheville goalie, but, after few pinball moments, he can pick it up after all. Half time score: 0-0.

 

The game restarts at a much higher pace. In the 48^th minute Charlotte Independence 2 scores out of quick attack. To my surprise, there are actually some people in the audience applauding. Not that Charlotte is far away, just a 2 hour drive, but few people travel in the US, let alone for a second team – the first team of Charlotte Independence plays in the USL Championship (kind of Third Division). I went to see them in 2015 (report here).

 

Just a few minutes after the opener, the hosts score from a rebound: 1-1. Not much later, an Asheville striker is fouled just outside of the penalty box. The free kick leads to a header that goes just over. In the 55^th minute a quick counter by the hosts leads to a good cross but a terrible finish, meters from goal.

 

In the rest of the second half there is a lot of movement of both teams that lead to (half) chances on both sides. However, given that both the control and the passing is not very good, few of the finishes end between the posts and few challenge the goalies. Hence, the final score remains 1-1.

 

Overall, it was a quite entertaining game, despite the mediocre individual quality of the players. It never felt as a (semi) professional soccer game though, which technically the USL League 2 isn’t, but rather a summer evening game of two local teams. Still, if you are in Asheville, which is a town definitely worth visiting, and you can catch a home game of City SC, do it.

Florida Elite SA - Tampa Bay United (22-05-2021)

On my way to the beach, I make a slight detour to see a game in the Southeast Division of the USL 2, roughly the Fifth Division in the United States. Many of these teams are part of “Soccer Academies”, which are quite pricy pay-to-play soccer clubs that cater predominantly to upper middle class white kids. Florida’s Elite Soccer Association seems no exception, given that they play in the football stadium of Mandarin High School, in a posh southern part of Jacksonville. They play Tampa Bay United, which is about 200 miles southwest, and no fans made the trip.

 

I arrive almost 10 minutes too late because of a road accident and GPS failure. I don’t need to pay and walk straight walk into the first goal, which is for the home team. There are far more people than I had expected. I guesstimate 300-400 people, mostly children, who play in the youth programs of the Florida Elite Soccer Academy, and their white and upper middle class parents — many dressed in the ugly fluoride shirts of the “Soccer Association”.

 

 

They play on a very dry Astroturf football field, which is quite confusing with all the different lines (white lines for football, red lines for soccer). The players are older than I expected. The pace of the game is pretty low, the passing and control is poor.

 

Florida Elite is clearly the better team in the first half, but the quality of play is really poor and barely any chances or shots on goal are created. Half time score is 1-0 and I start to wonder how anyone scored in this game.

 

The first 15 minutes of the second half the visitors are better is first 15 minutes, but then, out of nowhere, the hosts get two good chances within three minutes. The game remains slow and poor. As Tampa Bay United keeps pushing, Florida Elite has some good counters.

 

Although the quality gets even worse, particularly in terms of control and passing, there are a few more (half) chances, but nothing goes in. 1-0 seems the maximum that these two teams could create.

 

This was a classic low division US game. Played at a football field of a local high school/college, no real soccer club with tradition, and mainly kids of the youth programs in the stands.