Of Fish & Phantoms

It’s the regular season champions versus the plucky heartland division runner-ups. The ultimate postseason road warriors against the indomitable home field defenders. The league veteran apparitions versus the USL2 relative newbies. New Hampshire v Illinois, Phantoms v Carp, Seacoast United at Peoria City for the 2024 USL League 2 crown.

Peoria City Soccer vs Seacoast United

Sat, 08/03 - 5:30pm PST / 8:30pm EST at Shea Stadium in Peoria, IL

How they got here: Peoria City deposed past league champions Thunder Bay, Des Moines and Flint City in turn en route to the semi-finals this past Sunday. Hosting formerly professional side, and ‘24 Western Conference Champions, FC Tucson, the match saw the sides enter the lockers at half at 0-0 despite the pressure from the Carp and little response from the Arizona visitors. The deadlock didn’t make it three minutes beyond the start of the second half as the Carp’s postseason hero Luke Persenico (has scored at least once in every playoff match) opened the home side’s account. Four minutes later Persenico extended their lead to two but FC Tucson answered in the next minute to play their way back into the match. Persenico salted the victory away before the final whistle with a hattrick piece in the 67th and the Carp killed the now listless Tucson side late with two more scores to punch their ticket to the championship, 5-1, and extended their Shea Stadium-hosted matches streak this postseason to five.

Seacoast United has celebrated their postseason play since claiming the regular season title entirely on tour. The Phantoms first stopped in Ocean City, NJ, where the 71st minute substitute Zemedkun Rodriguex would break the tight, tied, match eight minutes after coming onto the pitch with what ended up being the late winner. Next, Seacoast swatted away their northeast division rivals Vermont, 3-0, finding their first score in the 70’ and punishing the Green on the counter for two more scores to nullify their seeking of an equalizer. In the Eastern Conference final, the Phantoms found their hosts in Newport News, 2023 finalists Lionsbridge FC, sterner opposition. The hosts answered Seacoast’s first two scores but Rodriguez, having earned a start after the previous weekend’s performance, gave the Phantoms the lead in the 42’.

Lionsbridge could only muster another goal in the second half while Seacoast poured in three more. The Phantoms followed the conference title match offensive onslaught with a return to their late opportunistic scoring habits in the semifinal versus Asheville City SC. In what may prove to have been the de facto national title match, the Phantoms found themselves in an odd position of being the defending side for majority of the game in the face of the Blues’ balanced but overwhelming attacking play. But in the (surprise!) 70th minute, defender So Nishikawa would pounce on an initially saved and deflected chance to put the ball away on second offering and the Phantoms held on for what felt like a smash & grab victory.

For much of their seasons, the Carp and Phantoms have played to their strengths of dominant offenses to win off-high scoring games. With a title appearance achieved and nothing (but a championship) to lose, both sides should feel free to press the gas on their attacking play for what should be an exciting, goal-abundant affair (which means it will, of course, finish 0-0 and go to penalties). Persenico will have the home crowd believing in another Shea Stadium stunner with a couple goals to keep the score knotted late, but the Phantoms’ away day veterans will find yet another novel way to win it late, 3-2.

by Ryan Stallings