Plenty of people have unplugged from NISA due to the unending drama and with stories like the apparent immigration fraud, financial misdeeds, clubs announcing exits midseason, and, of course, the clubs going under, it’s a lot to absorb and fan fatigue is a very real thing. This year has been no exception to the drama, however, over the course of the last few weeks, the playoff position race has really intensified and this week had two clashes that had big ramifications.

While fans of NISA might be aware of the clubs battling it out, most outsiders would guess that the two most established clubs in the league, Chattanooga FC and California United Strikers, were at the top of the table. And it’s true, both clubs have been the most consistent in the league, Strikers to a greater extent. Coming into this week, CUS is sitting atop the standings (which is now a Points Per Match based table), having absolutely crushed the league for the vast majority of the season. Chattanooga has had a solid hold on the second place spot, but has struggled with form throughout the season, giving up points in matches that probably should have been wins. Coming into week 27, the two big boys on top of the league would face the two hottest teams in the league.

Hard to find a hotter team coming into week 27 than Albion San Diego, which has developed one of the most dangerous attacks in NISA. September had been a good one for Albion, though it started with a tight 2-1 loss to CFC. Since that loss, the San Diego side had won 3 matches with a combined 8-2 scoreline, including one against league-leading California United. In that run, Alioune Diakhate, the club’s Senalgese striker, has settled into the best form for a player outside of a Chattanooga kit. Diakhate is now locked into second place in the golden boot race and part of the most exciting offense in NISA. Diakhate, along with former Valley United player Jeffery Otoo and former New Amsterdam powerhouse Mayele Malongo, has terrorized the backlines of NISA and in the process climbed the ladder into the third place spot. So coming into last night and their match with Chattanooga FC, there was some thought that CFC might be on the back foot against a hotter side.

The other quick riser on the table was the very unlikely Syracuse Pulse. After a slow start, punctuated by solid wins over FCU and little else, Syracuse has become a functioning lower-table soccer club. Peter Fuller has figured out how to get just enough scoring to stay competitive, mostly relying Juan Luis, Minjae Kwak, and Kaleb Jackson, to get the job done. After struggling at the bottom end of the table for most of the season, Syracuse has now clinched the last playoff spot and is playing good soccer. Last week, the streaking New York side lost to even hotter Albion San Diego, but, headed into last night’s match with Cal United, some experts (you know who) wondered if an upset was on the docket.

Quick answer, no. To both thoughts.

California United Strikers, after giving up an opener to Syracuse from new-found goal-scorer (and defender) Bruno Rendon, found three goals from Ryo Kawashima, Gustavo Villalobos, and Omar Nuno (PK) to easily win over the upstart visitors. It was the kind of match that was good in multiple ways for the top dogs of NISA. While the win gives the team another 3 points for their league-leading average, it's actually their first win since August 7th and the first time in a while that the goals came in bunches for the California side (you’d have to go all the way back to early June to find a match where CUS scored more than 2 goals). It’s a statement win with just three matches left in the season (two of those against playoff clubs).

In the other big match of the evening, Chattanooga reminded everyone that they can win big games. Albion has been chipping away at CFC’s second place position (and the bye week that comes along with it) and this matchup was a big chance for the San Diego to make a move. Brett Jones had other ideas. Jones scored not even a minute into the match on a corner kick, setting the tone for a fun and aggressive match. Albion would answer back in the 8th minute, when Pelaez (who scored against Syracuse last week) put a rebound into the corner for the equalizer. After the half, it would be NISA’s golden boot leader Marcus Naglestad who put in the winner for CFC. The goal wasn’t pretty, but they don’t give style points. The 2-1 victory cements Chattanooga’s playoff bye and the club has already begun selling tickets for a semifinal matchup.

It will be interesting to see how the results of these two matches affect the rest of the season for these clubs. Syracuse, after a run of wins, is now on a two-match losing streak and Albion, who ended its winning streak against CFC, has two road matches against playoff clubs before finishing up at home against Cal United. For the Cal United and CFC, the wins locked up their playoff positions and both clubs now have the freedom to use the rest of their seasons as tune-ups for playoffs. After two great midweek matchups, we should all be looking forward to a fun postseason.

- Dan Vaughn