Just like last week, we were initially supposed to have four matches for the NISA Independent Cup, but we ended up with just two regional championship matches played. Georgia FC forfeited their round 2 NISA Independent Cup match against Golden Ball Soccer Academy. Irvine Zeta FC’s round 2 matchup against Silicon Valley Rush was postponed initially, but it was later deemed a forfeit by the Rush, and Zeta FC moved on to the Pacific regional final. Club de Lyon FC shutout SC United Heat 2-0 to win the Southeast Regional final, and the LA Force also earned a shutout with a 5-0 victory against SC Union Maricopa as both sides got a trophy in this tournament. Let’s break down both matches to see how CDL and the Force got the job done.
Club de Lyon FC 2 SC United Heat 0 (Sunday July 28)
Club de Lyon FC shut out UPSL side SC United Heat 2-0 to win the Southeast Regional championship on Sunday at Lake Mary Stadium in the NISA Independent Cup. It was the Pedro Hernandez Echevarria show as he scored twice in this match to seal the win and hand SC United Heat its first loss to a NISA Pro side in the tournament. Echevarria scored the opening goal in the 26th minute with a lovely chip over the goalkeeper. Echevarria’s second goal was a header just before halftime to put CDL ahead 2-0, and that was enough for the victory. This was Club de Lyon FC’s second straight regional championship title and first in the Southeast Regional after making it to a regional final three consecutive years. In 2022, CDL lost 3-2 to former NISA club Chattanooga FC in the Southeast Regional final. Last year, CDL hosted Sharks FCA of Florida in the Florida Regional final and won 7-0 to win its first trophy in its inaugural season in NISA. SC United Heat had a great season in the UPSL and had a good run in the U.S. Open Cup earlier this year. After finishing second in the Southern group in last year’s tournament behind local rivals Soda City FC, SC United Heat improved and got an impressive win against the Savannah Clovers FC in round 2 at home. Despite coming up short in the final, SC United Heat gave it a good run in the NISA Independent Cup, and I hope we see them again next year. CDL has also been in good form, winning five out of its previous six matches, including recent results in the NISA Independent Cup. Their next match on the NISA schedule is August 17 at Showalter Stadium against the Michigan Stars FC.
LA Force 5 SC Union Maricopa 0 (Sunday July 28)
The LA Force dominated SC Union Maricopa 5-0 at LBCC Soccer Field on Sunday to win the West Regional final for the fourth consecutive time in the NISA Independent Cup. Josue Cartagena scored twice, while Dante Brigida, Mohamadou War, and Alex Thompson-Hill added one to the scoreboard for Los Angeles. Force goalkeeper Seth Torman also earned another clean sheet as they finished the tournament, scoring 12 goals and conceding 0 in two matches. SC Union Maricopa got here by defeating Indios Denver FC 3-1 in the previous round and upsetting NISA Pro side Arizona Monsoon FC in the first round. The last time SC Union Maricopa was in the tournament was in 2022 when they where formerly known as Valley FC Raiders and won the Southwest Regional championship. For the LA Force, it’s their fourth consecutive West Regional championship trophy after winning it in 2021, 2022, and 2023 last year. The LA Force returns to league play on August 7 as they host Arizona Monsoon FC at LBCC Soccer Field.
In other NISA Independent Cup related news, MWPL side Inter Detroit released a statement on social media earlier this week announcing that they would withdraw from playing in the Great Lakes Regional final against FC Milwaukee Torrent in the NISA Independent Cup. The club stated their reasoning behind its withdrawal from the final below.
Yesterday, the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) responded to Inter Detroit’s withdrawal from the NISA Independent Cup Great Lakes Regional final with the following statement.
NISA is extremely disappointed as all logistical information was clear in the tournament operations manual, including the fact that the league determines the location of every regional final. The league named FC Milwaukee Torrent hosts as it traveled to Inter Detroit last year. Both clubs and the league were mid-investigation when Inter Detroit made the call to abandon the match.
The league also announced it had awarded FC Milwaukee Torrent the NISA Independent Cup Great Lakes Regional trophy via forfeit. This is FC Milwaukee Torrent’s second Great Lakes Regional trophy after previously winning the trophy in 2021. Besides that, two more regional finals are left to play in the NISA Independent Cup. Irvine Zeta FC will face ALBION Silicon Valley on Sunday in the Pacific Regional final at Championship Stadium, while the Maryland Bobcats FC will take on Golden Ball Soccer Academy in the East Regional final. Enjoy the upcoming matches and I’ll see you all next week!
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