Regional Overview

In last year’s version of this competition, the Southeast Region was populated by a much different set of clubs. Former UPSL Champion Atletico Atlanta, UPSL-stalwart and now future NISA expansion side Savannah Clovers, and UPSL’s Soda City made up the amateur sides in what might have been the strongest region in the entire 2021 competition. Chattanooga FC was the NISA representative and, in the end, was the only club who came away with a win. The amateur sides each lost to CFC and then drew to each other, leaving arguably the most lopsided and disappointing table result in 2021. Draws are like kissing your sister, folks. Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing. Something something something. Needless to say, it was a romp for CFC who won its matches by a combined score of 10-0.

This year’s roster for the Southeast is certainly weaker than last season’s. New to this year’s competition are amateur sides Brevard Fire FC, Club De Lyon, and Miami Beach CF. Each have played in several leagues, including NSL, NPSL, and NISA Nation. What they bring to the table against the returning NISA side, Chattanooga FC, remains to be seen. CFC has a history in this tournament of not playing around, going for the win, and dominating the competition.

Brevard Fire FC

For Brevard Fire, the desire to play in the Independent Cup was to give the club and players exposure and see how they compared to more established clubs since they’re a very young club. BFFC currently plays in the NSL Central Florida Premier where it sits mid-table with a 3-3-3 record. While the team has scored an impressive 21 goals in that 9 game stretch, it has also conceded an equal number to its opponents, 21.

According the NSL website, Brevard Fire’s leading scorers are Aristides Abreu and Rolando Onu, both have 3 goals in league play. The club highlights Daniel Salazman, Tommy Chamberlain, Kameron Jorgensen, Alvin Fenelon, and Aden O’Hara as names to watch in their IC run. BFFC should be a fun club to watch as they like to play a high press with quick counters.

Club De Lyon

Club De Lyon, formerly the Orlando Lions, plays in the Florida Region of NISA Nation and has been fairly successful in their 2022 run. Currently CDL is second in the region with a 6-1-1 record. However, the record doesn’t tell the whole story. The Florida powerhouse has done it impressively, outscoring its opponents 30-6 for an impressive +24GD, easily tops in the region. When this team scores, it does it relentlessly, pounding opponents, including a 3 -match run that opened the season where CFL outscored their challengers 22-0.

The question that remains is can Club De Lyon do it against clubs outside of NISA Nation? That’s the big ask of any of these clubs in the Independent Cup, can they do it on the bigger stage. It should be fun to see!

Miami Beach CF

Miami Beach Club de Fútbol has a short but storied path to the present. Founded in 2018, the club has carved through the UPSL, NSL, and now also plays in the NPSL. Each league, the club has found success, winning conferences and making national playoffs, at each stop along the way. This year, MBCF entered the NPSL and has certainly found the play to be a step up from previous leagues, as the team is currently 3-2-0 and sitting in the 3rd spot of the Sunshine Conference, but there’s little doubt this club will rise to the top over time. They’re just too talented not to.

We spoke with club co-founder Tony Iafrate who describes the club’s style of play as “a dynamic and very technical style of play. Intense pressure when we don’t have the ball, accurate passage , possession ball and maximum use of the space .“ Players to watch on this team would include the GK and team captian, Cristian Blanco and attackers Aristotle Seferlis and Kini Ten Lopez. Iafrate also pointed out that two young men are showing bright promise, Mateo Hincapie and Teo Candido, both born in the 2004. For Miami Beach CF, the goal of this tournament is “to get to play against a professional team, one of the best in NISA, Chattanooga FC which are our benchmark for what they do and achieve on and off the field.”

Chattanooga FC

Chattanooga is on a roll right now, absolutely dominating NISA, since some early missteps. After beginning the season with a draw and a loss, CFC has worked its way to the top of the standings in the East, now 5-1-1. Rod Underwood’s boys have coalesced into a team of world beaters, which we saw flashes of during that first Open Cup match against Memphis. It’s not enough to pick a single person to shut down, because the unit moves together and another weapon delivers the killing blow. This is just a stinking good team, maybe the best in NISA right now.

The attack flows through Ian Cerro in the midfield. A player who made a name for himself playing for Torrent in the last Independent Cup, Cerro began to shine for Chicago House late last season and Chattanooga snatched him up, once House blew up its roster. He’s continued his form for CFC and is a key driver for the Blues’ attack. Up front, Brent Jones, Markus Naglestad, and former Maryland Bobcat Taylor Gray are just destroying NISA competition. Naglestad, in particular, is on a tear in 2022, with 7 goals in the same number of matches. And of course, Kevin Gonzalez has proved to be a rock in goal for Chattanooga, since coming to the club from the now-defunct Stumptown. Gonzalez has only allowed more than a single goal once in league play this season and in top form.

Regional Preview

While it’s difficult to predict play between clubs of varying league, it feels like Miami Beach Club de Fútbol is the amateur side to beat in this group. It’s a talented, technical side, battle-tested and ready for challengers. However, there is almost zero chance of an upset of Chattanooga FC at the NISA level. CFC is playing some of the best soccer in the league right now and has talent bursting at the seams.

- Dan Vaughn