Author: Daniel McMillan

AFC Mobile – Man of the Match vs Gaffa FC (7/1)

AFC Mobile gave up some difficult goals on minimal chances to the league leaders. Gaffa FC was more than up for the occasion against a home team that gave 100% from whistle-to-whistle. Here are the four players who stood out most. Who’s got your vote for Man of the Match?

22 – Brian Singler – FWD

Singler’s creativity lead to some of the best attacks of the match (photo credit: Michael Shartava)

Singler came on late in the first half and almost tied the game up with a slick pass to Amos Ndikumana. Later in the game, a nice run from Singler lead to a booming shot just over the top of the crossbar. Singler’s strength made for a difficult matchup in a tough game.

12 – Guillermo Lumbreras Jr. – MF 

Lumbreras did not back down, playing 85 minutes and earning a yellow card (photo credit: Seth Laubinger)

Lumbreras was moved from center back into the midfield due to injuries and suspensions. He was dangerous on set pieces, almost scoring off a header early in the first half. Throughout the match, he was hard tackling – even earning a yellow card that stopped a counter attack. Lumbreras showed his intelligence and never backed down from a fantastically physical matchup with the much bigger Gaffa side.

20 – Nate Gillespie – CB

Gillespie was effective both in the attack and on defense (photo credit: Seth Laubinger)

Starting the match at center back, Gillespie and Austin Hilyer worked to hold the backline together as the constant threats poured on. He also played more than a few long balls out to Clairy Kengeye on the wing providing a spark in a struggling offense. Moved into the attack for the end of the match, Gillespie took charge leading a rejuvenated group struggling to pull one back.

7 – Greg Hosford – MF 

Hosford was all over the pitch once more. The linking force from a besieged defense and the offense, Hosford continued his mode as a playmaker, while also getting some time at forward. Unfortunately, Hosford picked up his third yellow of the season; therefore, he will not be on the pitch Friday against Motagua of New Orleans.

AFC Mobile’s final regular season home game at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex on Friday, July 7th against US Open Cup qualifier and Region III champions CD Motagua of New Orleans. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m, and we will be thanking the city of Mobile for their fantastic support in our debut season. Firefighters, police officers, and EMTs will be admitted free. All other tickets are only $5.00 and, as always, kids 12 and under are admitted with no charge. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more information.

Fire

AFC Mobile – Man of the Match vs Louisiana Fire SC (6/24)

AFC Mobile found themselves down 2-0, but overcame that deficit to claw out a 2-2 draw against the Louisiana Fire SC. Here are the four players who stood out most. Who’s your vote for Man of the Match?

4 – Chisom Ogbonna – FWD

Chisom Ogbonna celebrates with fans after scoring the equalizing goal. (AFC Mobile/Seth Laubinger)

Ogbonna does what he does. Drawing and finishing his penalty and then getting on the end of a set piece to score the equalizer in the 89th minute.

24 – Jackson Barber – MF 

Jackson Barber goes in for a tackle on a Fire player. (AFC Mobile/Seth Laubinger)

Barber tore apart the left side of the Fire defense. It wasn’t just the step-overs, feints, and nutmegs, however; Barber was a gnat on the defensive side of the ball forcing the Fire to change fields repeatedly in order to avoid him in the defensive third.

14 – Sherman Winchester – MF

Winchester provided an offensive spark when switched into an attacking role. (AFC Mobile/Seth Laubinger)

Starting the game at right back, it was ultimately the move to right midfield that broke the game open for AFC Mobile. Winchester won the preceding foul and served the ball that led to the equalizing goal. Winchester almost scored the equalizer himself off a header that ricocheted off the cross bar.

7 – Greg Hosford – MF 

After scoring the equalizer against the Gulf Coast Texans last week, it was Hosford’s defensive coverage and a brilliant tactical foul that stopped what otherwise could’ve been another goal for the Fire. Additionally, Hosford provided service from all over the pitch leading to several chances for Mobile.

AFC Mobile has two upcoming back-to-back home games at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex. The next match is against league leaders Gaffa FC of Jackson, Mississippi on July 1st. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m, and we will be honoring the history of soccer in Mobile as we throwback to the 1990s when the Mobile Revelers ruled the pitch. Tickets are only $5.00 and, as always, kids 12 and under are admitted free. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more information.

AFC Mobile Man of the Match: Gulf Coast Texans (6/17)

As the second half of the season began, AFC Mobile claimed a point on the road against Pensacola’s Gulf Coast Texans. AFC Mobile fought from behind twice to pull even. Here are the four players who stood out most. Who’s your vote for Man of the Match?

4 – Chisom Ogbonna – FWD

Chisom Ogbonna celebrates after scoring the first equalizer against the Gulf Coast Texans.

Ogbonna found himself on the score sheet once more with a powerful header to equalize the game, but it was his overall leadership keeping the team in the game with levelheaded thinking and good hold up play that really allowed them to earn a point on the road.

1 – Elijah Gibson – GK 

Elijah Gibson prepares in net for the Texans’ attack.

Gibson stood on his head late in the game making three big saves as time wound down to help AFC Mobile withstand the pressure of GCPL Golden Boot leader Dillon Gallet and the Pensacola attack.

6 – Nate Gillespie – CB 

Finding himself playing at center back due to injuries, Gillespie kept placing himself in the right position to make huge game-saving tackles and pinpoint passes into the attacking third against a strong Texans side.

18 – Clairy Kengeye – CAM 

Clairy Kengeye defends against the Texans’ counter attack.

Kengeye, who has played most of his minutes for AFC Mobile on the wing, was moved into a central role due to a depleted roster. It worked out well. His hard tackling and determination led to the Fiemawhle free kick that resulted in Greg Hosford’s equalizer. Kenegeye also had a shot from about 40 yards out that may have turned into the winner had it been an inch to the left.

AFC Mobile will now host a three game home stand at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex, the first of which will be against the Louisiana Fire this Saturday, June 24th. Kickoff is at 7 p.m, and we will be honoring the educators of our community with Teacher Appreciation Night. Any school employee with a valid school ID will be admitted free of charge. As always, kids 12 and under are admitted free.

AFC Mobile earns a 2-2 draw against Pensacola’s Gulf Coast Texans

PENSACOLA, FLORDIA – AFC Mobile pulled off a stunning 2-2 draw against the Gulf Coast Texans of Pensacola. Heading into the match, the Texans were atop the Gulf Coast Premier League Eastern Conference table.

“Any time you come into one of the top of the table teams and come away with a point on your away game, I mean, it’s huge, especially the way things have kind of ended,” said AFC Mobile head coach Nate Nicholas.

AFC Mobile dominated the match early on, creating more chances and holding more possession than Pensacola. In the 15th minute, Clairy Kengeye chipped the ball over a compact Texan back-line to Chisom Ogbonna, whose shot was saved by Texan goalkeeper Rudy Seelmann. Five minutes later, AFC Mobile’s Jackson Barber juked the Texans’ left back and sent a low cross in front of the goal to Martin Fiemawhle, whose shot hit the crossbar.

In the 24th minute, the tide turned as Dillon Gallet, the Gulf Coast Texans’ leading scorer and GCPL Golden Boot leader, found himself pushed nearly to the end-line on a counter attack before bending the ball into the goal from an incredibly difficult angle, giving the Texans a 1-0 lead. Gallet’s goal completely altered the momentum of the game through the remainder of the first half.

When the second half began, the Texans came out firing on all cylinders. AFC Mobile keeper Elijah Gibson made three spectacular one-on-one saves. Then, in the 53rd minute, AFC Mobile’s Markos Mallis sent a cross into the penalty area that Ogbonna converted off a header to bring the score to 1-1.

Just minutes later, Gallet struck once more, heading the ball over Gibson off a long throw in to give the Texans a 2-1 lead, putting Mobile again on their heels in the 57th minute. From there, the game became bogged down in the midfield before resuming late with back-and-forth action. Both Mobile’s Gibson and Pensacola’s Seelmann came up with several saves to smother out promising attacks from both sides.

With time winding down, AFC Mobile earned a free kick on the edge of the penalty area in the 69th minute. Fiemawhle stepped up to take the kick and put it on frame. Greg Hosford attempted a bicycle kick on the rebound, which was blocked by a Texan defender. Off the second rebound, however, Hosford connected with a gutsy scissor kick, this time scoring the tying goal in the 70th minute.

From there, the game continued at a breakneck pace. In the 85th minute, Kengeye took a shot from 40 yards out which could have given Mobile the lead, but it passed just wide of the upper 90. Then Gibson made yet another acrobatic one-on-one save in the 87th.

“We were able to kind of see the game out…come back from being down a goal twice, score goals. I couldn’t be more proud of the guys,” Nicholas said. “Obviously we want the win, we had the chances to win. We are playing an attacking brand of soccer and it should be fun for the fans to watch. So happy with all the fans at the last home game, but we have three [home games] in a row and we are going to need them.”

—

AFC Mobile will host a three-game home-stand, the first of which will be against the Louisiana Fire at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex on Saturday, June 24th. Kickoff will be at 7:00 p.m. Join us as we honor the educators of our community with our first ever Teacher Appreciation Night!  All school employees with ID will be admitted to the match against the Louisiana Fire free of charge. As always, kids aged 12-and-under get in free and all other tickets are just $5.

Man of the Match vs. LAFSC

AFC Mobile Man of the Match vs. Louisiana Fire

AFC Mobile’s supporters traveled strong to Kenner, Louisiana, where the visiting fans may have outnumbered the home crowd. Despite some tough tackles, and late game disappointments, these four men stood out among the crowd.  Who would you choose as the Week 2 AFC Mobile Man of the Match?

1 – Brent Grube, GK 

Grube held the Fire scoreless for 88 minutes, including a saved penalty. He kept the AFC Mobile back line well-organized throughout the match.

Goalkeeper Brent Grube came off his line often to stop many Fire attacks in his first game in goal. (Photo credit – John Clark)

9 – Moses Muhubao, FW

Muhubao converted on a beautiful strike in the 76th minute to give AFC Mobile its first lead of the season.

14 – Sherman Winchester, RB/RMF

Winchester completely closed down the right side of the field in the first half. In the second half, Coach Nicholas moved him into the midfield where he was able to head on the assist for Muhubao’s strike.

Winchester was non-stop over 90 minutes of play in both the attacking, middle, and defensive third of the pitch. (Photo credit – John Clark)

19 – Dawson Jellenc, CB

Added to the roster just this week, the Bayside Academy product played 90 minutes without a mistake. Hard tackling, smart positioning, and a goal-saving clearance off the line are proof that this young man belongs.

Vote for the player of your choice below!  Think another player should be considered? Tweet us @AFCMobile!

Player signing

AFC Mobile adds local high school standouts to roster

AFC Mobile has added two local high school players to the roster ahead of the team’s first away game of the 2017 Gulf Coast Premier League season. Midfielder Clairy Kengeye joins the club after helping lead W.P. Davidson High School to the the AHSAA 7A State Championship game before falling to Oak Mountain in a penalty shootout.

Clairy Kengeye
Photo credit: Mike Kittrell/preps@al.com

“Clairy brings a lot of skill and work ethic and can bring some power to the attack,” said AFC Mobile head coach Nate Nicholas.

Bayside Academy’s Dawson Jellenc has been added to the roster to solidify the AFC Mobile defense ahead of three consecutive games on the road. Jellenc’s Bayside team made a deep run in the AHSAA 1A-3A playoffs before losing to Indian Springs 3-1 in the semifinals.

“Dawson and Clairy have played for me for years so they bring a familiarity to my style of play and expectations,” Nicholas said.

Dawson Jellenc
Photo credit hudl.com

The two additions could see action this weekend when AFC Mobile travels to Kenner, Louisiana to take on the Louisiana Fire. The Fire lost 3-2 to Jackson, Mississippi’s Gaffa FC in the first week of the season. AFC Mobile will be looking to secure its first win after a tight 2-1 loss in Week 1 to Pensacola’s Gulf Coast Texans. Saturday’s kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. at Lions Field in Kenner.

AFC Mobile will return home to the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex (“The Lip”) on Saturday, June 10th for a 7:00 p.m. match-up against Biloxi City FC, a budding rivalry being coined the “Forgotten Coast Cup.” Tickets are only $5.00, and kids 12 and under will be admitted free of charge. RSVP today and invite your friends!  Be sure to follow AFC Mobile on all your favorite social media platforms: Facebook: AFC Mobile; Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat: @AFCMobile.

 

Man of the Match

AFC Mobile Man of the Match vs. Gulf Coast Texans

The Mobile soccer community came out in full force to watch the inaugural match of AFC Mobile. The hometown team went down early, but an equalizer from Moses Muhubao, strong midfield play from Mat Dazet and Matt Merrill, and a rock solid defensive performance from Guillermo Lumbreras, Jr. gave AFC Mobile a fantastic home debut.

Who would you pick as the first ever AFC Mobile Man of the Match?

8 – Mathieu Dazet, CM 

Dazet played the vast majority of the game creating a few chances in the attacking third while constantly breaking up play in the middle.

Mat Dazet of AFC Mobile breaks up play in the second half of the May 14, 2017, game against the Gulf Coast Texans. (photo: Michael Shartava)

9 – Moses Muhubao, FW

No one will ever forget the 32nd minute when Muhubao scored the club’s first ever goal.

Moses Muhubao scores AFC Mobile’s first ever goal in a 2-1 loss to the Gulf Coast Texans. (photo: Seth Laubinger)

12 – Guillermo Lumbreras Jr., CB

Lumbreras held his own against the Texans’ attack  he stopped several dangerous balls that threatened in the defensive third.

Guillermo Lumbreras, Jr. fights with Pensacola player (Mallory R. Tew @Photography by Mal found on Facebook)

21 – Matt Merrill, CM

Merrill was a calm force in the middle of the pitch and played all 90 minutes – not bad for an 18-year-old.

Matt Merrill calmly patrolling the pitch. (photo: Michael Shartava)

Vote for the player of your choice below!  Think another player should be considered? Tweet us @AFCMobile!

Nate Nicholas

Meet AFC Mobile’s head coach Nate Nicholas

From the first kick of practice, Nate Nicholas is in motion. Arms folded, pacing, towering over most of his new AFC Mobile squad, bellowing over the sound of his drills. “Faster,” he says. “Always faster, always more pressure, always more shots.”

“My favorite team is Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp likes to play the way I like to play,” Nicholas said. “He’s a little more committed to it than I am, but I like to high press. I like high energy. I like everything to be fast. I like quick passing like Pep Guardiola, but I don’t like passing for passing’s sake. I want to get forward as quickly as possible, press the ball as quickly as possible, keep it on their side as much as possible. I like to keep the ball and for it to look pretty, but most of all, I like to win.”

Nicholas’s high-speed style goes all the way back to his days as a well-recruited club player. He was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, but moved all over the country to follow his father’s work in the oil fields before settling in Slidell, Louisiana for his high school years. There, he garnered enough attention to draw scholarship offers from William Carey, Belhaven, and The University of Mobile, among others.

“If I had stayed in Hattiesburg, I probably wouldn’t have reached the level I did, but I moved to Texas and California, which are hotbeds for soccer,” Nicholas said. “I played everything growing up. Every season it was… I wanted to be Major League in whatever that was, but I was always naturally gifted toward soccer. I always excelled more in that. Soccer was just always the one that I was the best at.”

As a player, Nicholas brought his father’s oil-field work ethic to bear on his opponents. His natural talent was augmented by his love of physical play, his speed, and his six-foot-plus stature. His desire earned him four years of play at the University of Mobile, where he became a crucial part of the 2002 national championship-winning Rams team.

While at the University of Mobile, Nicholas played under coach Peter Fuller, who would go on to oversee the academy of the Philadelphia Union in MLS, where he also served as a first-team assistant. Fuller’s tutelage shaped his nascent coaching career, when Nicholas took a job at the Alabama School of Math and Science during his junior season with the Rams.

“That was a fun one,” Nicholas said. “It was an interesting group of kids. You never expect to go to a soccer game and hear about flux capacitors and all kinds of crazy science and math stuff.”

Nicholas stayed at ASMS for two seasons before accepting an assistant coach position at UMS-Wright in Mobile, motivated by a desire to stay in his adopted home town. There, his career nearly ran into a dead-end. Desperate to find a head coaching job, he left Old Shell Road for the head coaching job at Baldwin County High School.

“That was one rough, miserable year in my life,” Nicholas said. “They were good kids, but it was an interesting experience in my life. It was a very unique situation. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, and I was still young, so leading a program at a school like that, that’s a little bit country, maybe not soccer oriented, was different for me because everywhere I’d been before was fairly soccer-minded.”

His team won just two games. He left after just one season to return to UMS-Wright as the head coach. Ignoring his own doubts about his career, he took over a team newly promoted to the 5A division, into a crowded area dominated by arch-rival St. Paul’s Episcopal, a high school sports juggernaut. In that first season, his team won both fixtures against the Saints en route to a state runner-up finish, dispelling any doubts the burgeoning star might have had about his career.

For the next three years, Nicholas’s team was ranked No. 1 in the state. He won back-to-back state titles, took down 6A powerhouses, and established UMS as one of the top teams in the Southeast. After the 2012 season, Nicholas traveled down Old Shell Road for a new challenge as head coach of the McGill-Toolen Catholic High School boys, who he has since led to a state runner-up finish.

“The crazy thing is, I was the same coach for a 2-15 team as I was for a state runner-up team,” Nicholas said. “It just shows how important players are to a coach. Without good quality players, the best coach is nothing. Even a bad coach can look good with quality players.”

As a coach, Nicholas has won more than 150 games at the high school level, driven by his undying competitive instinct. But his career, including his decision to become the first coach in AFC Mobile’s history, is driven by a deeper desire–to teach his players and pass that competitiveness and resolve on to his teams.

“There’s nothing more annoying to me than seeing a coach that’s in it for himself,” Nicholas said. “That’s very against what I am. I enjoy accolades and winning, and I would be a fool to say I don’t, but I don’t want it to be about me. I want it to be about the team and our goals, not my goals. If I preach to my team that the team’s goals will lead to your individual goals, and I don’t believe that myself, then I’m a hypocrite and I don’t want to do that. I want to practice what I preach.”

His goals for AFC Mobile are simple.

“Win. Win every game,” he said. “I want everybody to be like ‘Oh crap, Mobile’s here, and they’re going to win it, as long as they’re in it.”

AFC Mobile Season Preview: Gulf Coast Texans

AFC Mobile – Mobile, Alabama’s soccer team – plays Pensacola’s Gulf Coast Texans twice (5/14  in Mobile and 6/17 in Pensacola). Here’s what we know about the Texans and what we expect from them this season:

CLUB: Gulf Coast Texans

NICKNAME: Texans

HOME: Pensacola, Florida

FALL RECORD: The Gulf Coast Texans will be playing their inaugural GCPL season this summer.

HISTORY: The Gulf Coast Texans played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) during the 2013 season, when they finished 2nd in the Southeastern Conference.  They are the last team to beat Chattanooga FC during the regular season in Chattanooga. Since 2014 they have played in the United Soccer League’s (USL) Super 20 and continued to have the most dominant youth academy in the Florida Panhandle. Additionally, the Texans’ women’s team has won the WPSL championship and produced several players who have received call-ups to the US Women’s National Team’s senior and U23 rosters.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Dillon Gallett, Forward (Lafayette, LA)

MANAGER: Nic Cardosa

WHAT THE GULF COAST TEXANS SAYS ABOUT AFC MOBILE: “It is hard to know what to expect of anyone right now,” said Texan’s head coach Nolan Intermoia. “[AFC Mobile] seems to be doing big things in Mobile. I hope to build a great rivalry that will create inspiring football matches. Having played at the University of West Florida I know the talent from the universities of Mobile and know they provide good players. It should be a lot of fun.”

BOTTOM LINE: The Gulf Coast Texans have a slightly older squad, but it consists of players who were absolute studs for the University of West Florida and younger guys who have played in the Texans’ system for multiple years. In addition to Gallett, Felipe Lawal and Miguel Santos have NPSL experience in addition to high level college experience. This will be a solid test for AFC Mobile in the debut game of the season.

VITAL INFORMATION

HOME PITCH: Ashton Brosnaham Stadium, 10370 Ashton Brosnaham Dr., Pensacola, FL 32534 (2,500 seat capacity)

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/GulfCoastTexans

FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/Gulf-Coast-Texans-260223287326498/

HASHTAGS: #gctexans

AFC MOBILE GAMES AGAINST GULF COAST TEXANS:

  • May 14th at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex – 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • June 17th at Ashton Brosnaham Stadium – 7:00 p.m. CDT

Very few AFC Mobile season passes are now available for purchase. Buy your season passes online today!

The 2017 AFC Mobile season includes five home games at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex. Games will be played May 14th against the Gulf Coast Texans (of Pensacola), June 10th against Biloxi City FC, June 24th against Louisiana Fire SC, July 1st against Gaffa FC (of Jackson), and July 7th against CD Motagua (of New Orleans). All home games kick off at 7:00 PM.

 

Soccer Mom Sunday

Join us for #SoccerMomSunday

Mothers Day is the time we get together to celebrate all the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and other women who have made a difference in our lives. This year, AFC Mobile’s inaugural game is May 14th, which is Mothers Day. So let’s make it Soccer Mom Sunday!

The AFC Mobile coaches and players give a special shoutout to their mothers and all the mothers who are also AFC Mobile supporters. So to any mother out there, come celebrate your day with us as we celebrate you at #SoccerMomSunday, this May 14th at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex.

Tickets and season passes are available at www.afcmobile.net.