(Editor’s Note: While Ginga has announced a rebrand to Atletico Atlanta, that doesn’t take effect until after the playoffs conclude.)

If you’ve only been following the UPSL Fall 2020 season for the past couple of months, you’ve likely assumed, like so many others, that Ginga Atlanta’s appearance in the final four chasing a national title was an assured given. Ginga emerged from a competitive Georgia Division in the Southeast Conference with an unblemished 14-0-0 record, scoring 65 goals against the divisional competition while allowing just 10 goals to the opposition. That regular season gauntlet resulted in experienced and disciplined play exhibited throughout their playoff run of successive close matches, bringing them to this weekend’s semi-final in their home city of Atlanta.

But, ask Manager Jaoa Guillerme Garcia if he envisioned this story unfolding as it has thus far, and he laughs while recalling the hoops he and his staff had to leap through just to get a team on the field for the 2020 Autumnal campaign. “Just before the season started, the owner of the club we had assembled a team for the fall campaign elected to not take part in the season. We had the team, so we elected to register for the league season and play anyway. There were so many more unknowns just getting to start the season off that I wasn’t thinking beyond fielding a competitive side in the Georgia division.”

While he couldn’t foresee this deep run from before that first match, a 3-1 victory over Forest Rovers FC, he can recall the moment he suspected his side had the capability of making their presence known in the playoff’s final weekend. While there are several glittering shutout wins, and matches where Ginga scored five or more goals, it was a match a bit more lost to view to the more casual observer that Garcia believes determined their season’s story up to now. “LSA Limeno, already a strong side, was having a great run of results, while I was needing to rest some players at that point in the campaign. Our substitute players started that match and performed so well, it was a real testament to the depth of our squad. Our players sitting out were extremely supportive. That match was where I believed we could make a serious push in the postseason.”

That exemplification of team depth, discipline and camaraderie shown against LSA Limeno that early November day set the tone for the rest of the season. As their competition now circled their dates on the pitch against them on the calendar, Ginga faced down increasingly competitive play, and the scorelines largely became tighter, lower scoring affairs. Still, Ginga emerged victorious from each match in turn, for which Garcia gives credit to the overall team play, but makes note of goalkeeper Albero Ciroi’s incredible run of form as well. “We have reeled off five straight close games, even the match versus AFC 615 could’ve had a different result had they scored on some early chances against us when they had us on our heels. It was our goalkeeper that kept us in those matches and gave us a chance in each one of them. He’s won USPL national player of the week three times this season already, so having him playing for us is a blessing.”

With Ciroi’s form at such high level, the rest of the Ginga lineup stacked with talent, a ferocious attacking front headlined by Belize National Team player Deon McCauley (23 goals thus far this season), and playing as the defacto home side, one could forgive Ginga assuming itself the role as favorite. Garcia sees the coming clashes in a very different light. “We approach everything as if we are a fully professional club, and our processes and expectations as a club are that we provide a professional experience and atmosphere for our players. Part of that is providing film on our opponents for our players and staff to review and study. We know we will be facing highly skilled and very disciplined teams this weekend. I believe every club represented in these semi finals has rosters full of players that will go on to play at the professional level.”

As for sentiments on the coming matches, Garcia remained mum on providing any predictions, but provided some thoughtful consideration on what it meant to come this far with Ginga Atlanta this year: “I’m just so grateful to be here, with this team, with this opportunity. The talent level of the teams in the UPSL is growing right along with the number of teams joining, so you never know what moment of time you have to take advantage to advance to this point in the competition. We like to point out amongst ourselves that we are the 3rd club in Atlanta to advance to this stage in a national competition. The Atlanta Chiefs in 1968, Atlanta United in 2018, and now Ginga Atlanta. Obviously, the Chiefs and United won the national title in those years, and we’d like to keep that streak alive. No matter the outcome though, we hope to represent Atlanta well.

There probably isn’t a better representative of the talent being fostered and grown in the UPSL right now than in the four teams that have justifiably made their way to Atlanta this weekend. The battle for the national title will kickoff in historic Silverbacks Park this evening, and conclude with the national title match on Sunday.

- Ryan Stallings