Hello everyone! I hope you all had a good Labor Day weekend. In NISA, there was a very light match schedule, with only two matches played. Both Arizona Monsoon’s home matches against Capo FC were postponed over the holiday weekend. Still, we had two entertaining matches in Matchweek 19 in the OC Clasico at JSerra and Club de Lyon FC fighting back to grab a point at the Plex against the Maryland Bobcats FC. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s recap all the NISA action.
Capo FC 0 Irvine Zeta FC 1 (Wednesday August 28)
Irvine Zeta FC edged past Capo FC 1-0 last Wednesday at JSerra Stadium to claim another three points in the OC Clasico. Marcel Salceda scored the lone goal for Zeta FC in the 78th minute to seal the win. Irvine Zeta FC hasn’t lost to Capo FC all season, going (3-2-0) against them, and bounces back in the win column after losing its previous match to the LA Force. Irvine Zeta FC’s next match will be on the road on Sunday to face Arizona Monsoon FC. Capo FC has lost three consecutive matches and will return home on Saturday to host the LA Force in the Coast Highway Derby.
Maryland Bobcats FC 2 Club de Lyon FC 2 (Saturday August 31)
After an hour and 20-minute rain delay, we had another thrilling match at the Maryland Soccerplex on Saturday as the Maryland Bobcats FC and Club de Lyon FC fought to a 2-2 draw. The Bobcats got off to a fast start early in the first half as Mutaya Mwape stepped up on the free kick and delivered a fantastic strike to give Maryland a 1-0 lead. Club de Lyon FC would respond with an equalizer in the 18th minute from Ivan Arenas and tie the match 1-1. Later in the first half, Club de Lyon turns the ball over, and the Bobcats go on a counterattack. Darwin Espinal connects with Elijah Amo, and he slots this one past the CDL goalkeeper Hector Melendez to put the Bobcats back in front 2-1 just before halftime. Late in the first half, Agustin Ortiz received a straight red card in stoppage time, and Club de Lyon went down to 10 men. In the second half, Club de Lyon FC gets a free kick opportunity, and the captain, Matias Pourrain, crushes it from outside the box to tie the match at two. Club de Lyon has now picked up 8 points out of 12 in their last four matches and sits just seven points behind the Michigan Stars for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Despite giving up another 2-1 lead and settling for another draw at home, the Bobcats still extended their unbeaten streak to 13 league matches (16 including the Independent Cup matches). Club de Lyon FC will travel to face Georgia FC tomorrow afternoon, while the Maryland Bobcats FC will also face Georgia FC in Atlanta at Silverbacks Park on Saturday.
That’s the latest recap I have on Matchweek 19. What are your thoughts on Matchweek 19 in NISA? Let me know in the comments section below. We have five matches on the NISA schedule this week, including two midweek matchups tomorrow featuring Georgia FC hosting Club de Lyon FC while the Savannah Clovers FC take on the Michigan Stars FC. We have two matches on Saturday as Georgia FC hosts the Maryland Bobcats FC in their final home match of the regular season. Capo FC will face the LA Force in the Coast Highway Derby. On Sunday, Arizona Monsoon FC will take on Irvine Zeta FC. Stay tuned I’ll have a new podcast episode out later this week.
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