OK – this time we will really have other regions joining the party. We got a fake out last weekend, but everything is now squared away with the Central Plains Region. And the winner is us, the lower league soccer-viewing public. Three days of Independent Cup footie action will be happening this weekend.

But you better be on your Ps and Qs when it comes to the Central Plains Region. With both club pairings playing Friday and Sunday, if you blink you’ll miss most everything.

Central Plains Region

Louisiana Krewe FC v Gaffa FC – Friday, July 24th @ 9PM ET (Dobie Holden Stadium, Pearl River CC, Poplarville MS)

Louisiana Krewe FC v Gaffa FC – Sunday, July 26th @ 7PM ET (Dobie Holden Stadium, Pearl River CC, Poplarville MS)

So we not only have a change in dates for these two games, we have a change in venue. Instead of St. Julien Park in Broussard, Louisiana, we move to Dobie Holden Stadium on the campus of Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Mississippi. Advantage Gaffa FC, right? Well, Poplarville is a two-hour drive from Jackson (according to the Googles), so not exactly a home game per se.

Gaffa FC from Jackson, Mississippi, have not played a competitive match since last July due to the cancellation of the 2020 GCPL season. Winners of the GCPL in their first season (2017), Gaffa just missed out on the GCPL playoffs in 2019. This is a club that has a mix of veteran players from around the world who are coaches themselves as well as young players from the local area. The team is led by their Manchester-born center back Tom Cosgrave who will be on the roster for this tournament.

Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, Louisiana Krewe have only played one season in the GCPL but enjoyed moderate success and made some noise by qualifying for the 2020 Open Cup. And yes, the club has had a certain soccer website on the front of its kits. Like Gaffa FC, Krewe have constructed a roster that has many international players but also give an opportunity for local players. Will Krewe continue its successful run of play?

Lone Star Republic v Mansfield Revolution SC, Friday, July 24th @ 9PM ET (Greenhill School, Addison TX)

Mansfield Revolution SC v Lone Star Republic, Sunday, July 26th @ 7PM ET (Summit High School, Arlington TX)

Lone Star Republic out of Richardson, Texas is a club that has made it clear its long-term intentions and ambitions. Formed in 2012, the team calls itself “The World’s Greatest North Texas Future Professional Soccer Club” on its website (which has plenty of goofiness going on – so I’m already a fan). Currently the club plays in the UPSL – but for how long? NISA-bound in the future, perhaps? Like many of the participating clubs, LSR gets a bigger spotlight to show what they’re all about.

LSR’s opponent in this home-and-home is Mansfield Revolution SC, based in Mansfield, Texas. Mansfield joined UPSL for the Fall 2019 season. Maybe the least known of all the clubs competing in the Independent Cup, but we will learn much more about Mansfield Revolution SC over this weekend.

Southeast Division

Savannah Clovers FC v Georgia Revolution FC, Saturday, July 25th @ 3PM ET (Columbia Int’l University, Columbia SC)

By pulling out a draw last weekend against Soda City, this game still has meaning for Georgia Revolution. A win against Savannah and a Soda City loss to Chattanooga FC could put the Revs into the finds (depending on goal differential). The Revs have looked dangerous at times but has yet to play a complete game. What lineup will the Revs go with this time around? Will Todd Fidler get a chance to blast some long-range rockets? Will the Eskay brothers find the magic and the back of the net? Will 16-year-old Noel Elder continue to impress?

For the Clovers, this is about earning some respect and trying to play spoiler. It’s also time that Timo Mesa went off. Virtually absent from the game against CFC, here’s hoping that Mesa can get some service and cause havoc for Georgia’s back line.

Chattanooga FC v Soda City FC, Saturday, July 25th @ 6PM ET (Columbia Int’l University, Columbia SC)

Unlike World Cup group stages where the last games happen concurrently, Soda City will have a much clearer picture when they take the field at home against Chattanooga FC. If the Revolution lose, Soda City is through to the championship game no matter what. If the Revs win, then things get interesting. The hope here is that Soda City will have to push forward and score, making for a exciting match. You have to love the effort of midfielder Graham Jermstad, who has been a player to watch in this region. Will he be able to pull out another beauty of a goal or assist that clinches things for Soda City? Or, will it be Jack Pondy standing tall in goal keeping CFC off the scoreboard?

Chattanooga, on the other hand, has little to play for at this point. But just being able to play games again might be enough motivation for McGrath, Bement, Zeca and all to play positive soccer. The question is whether they will go with their ‘A’ lineup or rest a few players. I’m sure that there is also some motivation to finish the group undefeated.

- John Howard-Fusco