Here comes the independent tournament for independent clubs and the independent people who think and act independently. NISA’s inaugural Independent Cup gets going this weekend, and we’re here to give you a preview of the games that will be taking place.

For the opening weekend, the Southeast Region has things all to their own. The two games being played on Saturday will be taking place at the same time (Methinks that maybe this could have been avoided since, y’know, your entire audience will be people streaming the games. But what do I know, and this digression is going on and on, so…).

Soda City FC v Savannah Clovers FC - July 11th @ 8PM ET (Memorial Stadium, Savannah GA)

So why is Columbia, South Carolina “Soda City”? Locals can fact-check me, but the story seems to go that Columbia was referred to as Cola for short, and because of this it earned the city the nickname.

While you ponder that, let us look at Cola’s own Soda City FC. Since joining the UPSL in the fall of 2018, the team has been quite impressive: 22 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses in its first three seasons, winning its conference the last two seasons. Soda City’s success on the field reached another level this past fall, when the club made it all the way to the National Semi-final against Maryland Bobcats - taking a 2-0 lead before losing 3-2. The club has stayed focused on local players, and one to watch is goalkeeper Jack Pondy (a First Team Best XI in the fall season).

One of Soda City’s conference rivals in the UPSL is Savannah Clovers who joined the league in Spring 2018. The two sides have met in the playoffs, with Savannah having beaten Soda City 3-0 in the fall 2018 playoff encounter. Savannah has been playing some friendlies in preparation for the tournament, including a 6-2 beatdown delivered to Charleston United last weekend (Does a 6-2 beatdown completely cancel out the term ‘friendly’? Asking for a friend). Forward Timo Mesa scored five of the six goals, so it says here that he will be a man to keep an eye on for Savannah.

Georgia Revolution FC v Chattanooga FC - July 11th @ 8PM ET (Finley Stadium, Chattanooga TN)

To the surprise of no one, Chattanooga looks to be clear favorite in this region. But as we know, nothing is won on paper (except maybe tic tac toe). CFC looked like a team that belonged in its first NISA match – a spirited 1-1 draw on the road against Oakland Roots in a game that will forever be known as The Tie That Became a T-Shirt. So how will Ian McGrath and the boys come back after the layoff? Motivated is my guess. And as an added bonus for the local fans, this game will be televised in Chattanooga. The rest of us poor slobs will have to mycujoo it.

Oh by the way, there will be another team on the field. Georgia Revolution FC from he NPSL and the Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League (ADASL for those in the know) started up only a couple of years after Chattanooga FC and were rivals in the NPSL right up through 2019. Like the Savannah Clovers, Georgia Revolution were prepping for the tournament by having played a recent friendly. The roster for the Revs features players who play locally but have come from all over the world. The tournament could be a showcase event for some of these players, as well as with players from all the amateur clubs, to move up in their soccer journey.

- John Howard-Fusco