What a week it was in the Georgia division.
We had controversy in the midweek, crazy scoring across the weekend, and a high-profile battle that left one team in the dust in the title race.
With that as our backdrop, let’s get going with the rankings as we close in on ten full weeks in the Georgia division:
the rankings
- FC Matata, +0 from last week (W 5-2 over Potros). Matata did well to keep pace with Kalonji this weekend by winning emphatically over a spirited Potros side. They can’t be stopped on the attacking end, scoring 5+ goals for the third time in their last five matches. It’ll be hard to stop them with that kind of blistering forward skill, and they’re still my favorites for the regular season title.
- Kalonji Pro-Profile, +1 from last week (W 4-0 over Rovers AND W 2-1 over Atletico). It wasn’t pretty, but Kalonji grabbed two big wins this week. The first was a forfeit in which Rovers complained about the midweek schedule of the match and the requirement to wait out a storm in the area for that Tuesday night match. They walked off the field before the first half could finish, and that meant Kalonji kept the 4-0 scoreline they had earned to that point. This weekend, they got the more anticipated fixture taken care of. They held on in the second half over an Atletico team that was on a high note and knew they needed a win to stay competitive at the top. Kalonji sent a signal to the league that they’re for real, and Matata and LSA will be on notice.
- LSA Limeño, -1 from last week (D 2-2 with Rovers). This was not LSA’s best day. Rovers have shown they’re capable of getting quality results against the league’s best, but that doesn’t excuse an off day for Limeño in the heat of the title race. They’re a leg behind Kalonji and Matata at this point, but the silver lining is that they still have to play both teams in the remaining fixtures. Each of the top three hold their own destiny in their respective hands.
- Atlanta Elephants, +1 from last week (W 7-3 over Elephants). Atlanta keep scoring at a high rate, and that could well see them through to a fourth-place finish. Their match with Atletico will decide fourth and fifth place, but will also likely be a first-round playoff matchup no matter which way that result goes. It’ll be an interesting one to keep track of as two capable attacking sides feel each other out for the playoffs.
- Atletico Atlanta, -1 from last week (L 1-2 to Kalonji). It’s official. Atletico Atlanta isn’t on the caliber level of the best teams in this league. With all their star-studded talent and high-quality coaching from Joao Garcia, they haven’t pulled it together against teams they need to beat to be relevant in the title race. They’ll have to pull some playoff upsets if they want to repeat as UPSL National Champions–or even represent Georgia in the natty in the first place.
- Seas Jamaica All-Stars, +1 from last week (W 2-0 over ATLetic). Seas Jamaica have had a wild ride this season, but this win is a good step towards the form they want to be in for the playoffs. They could find the top half if they get a win in their last remaining match against Kalonji, but settling for sixth or seventh is a much more likely reality.
- Potros FC, -1 from last week (L 2-5 to Matata). Potros will feel very glad they accrued some quality wins early in the season, because they’re relying on those points heavily now. More points will be hard to come by in the matches that remain, but they’ve got no need to worry about relegation sitting on 12 points as they are.
- Rovers FC, +0 from last week (L 0-4 to Kalonji AND D 2-2 with LSA). They aren’t fully out of the woods yet, but after the Matata draw, Rovers have to feel much better about their survival chances and even their playoff chances since eight teams make the knockout round. Anything but a loss against ATLetic would almost surely see them through to another year in the Prem.
- Club ATLetic, +0 from last week (L 0-2 to Seas). They stay above Forest on the promise of having an extra game to play, but ATLetic are really in danger of dropping now. They’re unlikely to get points against Matata or Kalonji, which leaves a penultimate home match with Rovers for them to get at least one point. If Forest Rovers don’t pull any upsets and ATLetic find a goal differential edge in the losses between the two sides, that’ll be enough. A win against Rovers would make it that much more likely they stay up.
- Forest Rovers FC, +0 from last week (no match). Watching ATLetic lose this weekend was a big boost to their chances of survival, as they still hold onto a slender single-point advantage over their relegation rivals. ATLetic has one more match to play, but neither side is likely to pick up many points with two tough schedules ahead. That said, Forest probably won’t get another point this year and will hope seven points is enough to get them over the line.
- FC Stone Mountain, +0 from last week (L 3-7 to Elephants). This has been a long, exhausting season for Stone Mountain, and it’s officially resulting in relegation after this week’s results. We’ll see if they can regroup in Division 1 this fall and come back stronger to the Premier ranks.
actual table
- FC Matata – 17 pts, +10 GD. Form: WWDWW
- Kalonji Pro-Profile – 16 pts, +11 GD. Form: WWWWW
- LSA Limeño – 15 pts, +11 GD. Form: WWDDD
- Atlanta Elephants – 14 pts, +1 GD. Form: WDLDW
- Seas Jamaica All-Stars – 12 pts, +8 GD. Form: LWWDW
- Potros FC – 12 pts, -6 GD. Form: WWLWL
- Atletico Atlanta – 11 pts, +3 GD. Form: LDLWL
- Rovers FC – 9 pts, -6 GD. Form: LDDLD
- Forest Rovers FC – 7 pts, 0 GD. Form: LLLWL
- Club ATLetic – 6 pts, 0 GD. Form: DDDLL
- FC Stone Mountain – 0 pts, -32 GD. Form: LLLLL
Here’s a look at a big weekend as we hit the home stretch.
3) LSA v 7) Potros
1 ) Matata v 9) ATLetic
10) Forest Rovers v 5) Atletico
11) Stone Mountain v 2) Kalonji
That’s all for this week. See you next time, and don’t forget to catch these matches live on MyCujoo every week for one of the best broadcasts lower-league soccer has to offer.
Stay weird and support local soccer!
Blessings,
Danny
smlwld soccer 