Tag: Gulf Coast Premier League

Fan Reaction: Grassroots Growth

I’ve always been a sports fan. Growing up, I participated in sports but wasn’t all that good. I played a little junior high soccer, got cut from the team at basketball try-outs; and while I grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where hockey was king, I couldn’t skate to save my life.

But my dad took me to a hockey game or two, and I still remember the fight between the Marquette Iron Rangers and the Green Bay Bobcats with 52 seconds left in the game. It was quite a sight. When the ice finally cleared of players, it was still covered with gloves and hockey sticks… and a little blood. Not sure this is good for an 8-year-old to see, but I was hooked. And I went to everything after our family moved to Seattle — football, baseball, basketball, hockey, even a soccer team called the Seattle Sounders.

The Sounders became a very big deal to me and introduced me to soccer in the 70s. Tickets weren’t expensive, and I could easily go to their games as a kid. So my friends and I would take the bus in to watch them play at the Kingdome. Fun Fact: the Sounders drew over 58,000 to a game in 1975 and were averaging about 25,000 fans a game by the late 1970s. The energy in the building was awesome, even though we still hadn’t figured out supporters group or scarves or any of the things we associate with soccer today. Sadly, soccer wasn’t quite a thing yet in the rest of the country. The NASL of that era spent too much money and had too few fans, and the league collapsed in the early 1980s.

As my sports fandom grew, so did my awareness that I was definitely NOT an athlete. I instead became the best fan I could be — loyal, loud, proud, and with the team to the end. If I couldn’t make an impact on the field, at least I could contribute from the stands. I’ve always cheered for the home team, where the jersey represents the communities I’ve called home.

The teams don’t have to be good, just ours!

Enter AFC Mobile — a club founded from the grassroots, a labor of love. AFC Mobile was formed to support soccer, and then joined a league and put out a schedule. When it became clear that we finally had a team, one that would represent our community, that was simply fantastic news to me! I don’t totally know how to describe my excitement, and my nervousness about this soccer experiment. Would soccer even work in Mobile? My wife and I decided we had to buy season tickets. Sure, we love soccer and wanted to see the games, but we also understood the importance of “butts in seats” to a team’s success. If this was going to work, it was critical that fans show up.

We didn’t need to worry.

AFC Mobile came out of the gates with more than 800 fans for its first match, one scheduled on Mother’s Day. The atmosphere was just incredibly fun, thanks in part to the Causeway Rebellion supporters group, but also due to the pent up energy of a crowd that was just excited to have a team and had been anticipating this opening match for some time.

We lost the game, but we clearly won the hearts and minds of the community. At the next game, the crowd was even bigger. And at the home finale, we had more than one thousand people on hand. This is in a league that typically drew 200 or fewer fans a game, and the Mobile community delivered five times that! Sweet lunacy, indeed!

AFC Mobile became something more than a team in its inaugural season. They became our club, our community, and a rallying point for a city that’s used to cheering for teams 200 miles away (looking at you, Auburn and Alabama). They embraced the community, and we loved them right back.

Even though the first season wasn’t great on the pitch, AFC Mobile is ours.

We finally got the elusive first win at the very last match of the season — a wild affair on the road that saw AFC Mobile take down its arch rival Biloxi City FC. (And how Biloxi became our derby match is a grand story in itself, best saved for another day).

If there was promotion and relegation in our league, we would have been relegated. We won one game in ten, finishing in last place, and yet it was one of the best times I’ve ever had in sports. Because so many people came out, so many people cared, and something special happened in the Azalea City. I was sad when the season ended.

In American soccer, teams don’t move to the next level on the pyramid because they’re good. They move on to the next level for a metric that’s at least as important: fan support! AFC Mobile and this community passed its first test. AFC Mobile had a great first season in the stands, and it will grow. When I met some of our players at the kit reveal before this inaugural season, I reminded them of who they were, and what they represent. Years and maybe decades from now, they will always be the first representatives of our community’s soccer team. They were keenly aware of this, and thrilled to be part of it.

As supporters, we should also remember our role in all this. We showed up and we wore scarves (in 90 degree heat) and we sang and we stomped. We bought swag and wore it proudly. We made the players feel like they were part of something. We showed a community that soccer can and will work in a city that’s addicted to the other kind of football. We did the unexpected.

We can take pride in that fact as fans and supporters. We are the first generation of AFC Mobile, and we are laying the foundation for the best that’s yet to come.

Always Mobile, ALways Home.

#SL1702

 

Nineteen Players Selected to Return To Invitational Tryout

Nearly 50 players came out to Herndon (Sage) Park in Mobile on December 9th to participate in AFC Mobile’s Open Tryout for the 2018 GCPL season. Nineteen of those players have been invited back by the coaching staff to participate in an Invitational Tryout.

  • Erik Aispuro
  • Suleiman Carr
  • Roman Causse
  • Chris Cory
  • Cam Cranton
  • Drew Dixon
  • Abraham Estaba
  • Brantton Greene
  • Desmond Ibie
  • Jean Paul Irakiza
  • Kevin Jackson
  • Nam Le
  • Tomas Lopez
  • Dillon Lowe
  • Jesse McCarty
  • Alejandro Ojeda
  • Alec Peacock
  • Laurentiu Pirvu
  • Carlos Varas

These players will join other invited player to compete for a spot on AFC Mobile’s 2018 roster.

 

Fan Reaction: Stewart Thames – the Face in the Crowd

Sometimes, the support of a team is simply about soccer. Not everyone will be popping smoke and banging drums. Some come to the matches to take in a full-on battle. They are their to watch gladiators on the pitch play the game they love for their city. This is Stewart Thames.

In this fan reaction, Stewart Thames recalls what is important about AFC Mobile to him: wanting his team to succeed. He came to AFC Mobile for soccer. He has never had issues being critical of the club, but that is only because it is his club.

You’ll find me inconspicuously hidden among the crowd of fans…[but] This is my team and I want them to win

I am not an influential person in the Mobile soccer community.

I am not a member of the Causeway Rebellion.

And I am not someone who is going to know everyone at an AFC Mobile match.

I am just an “average” fan.

Of course, one of the biggest disconnects between my life as a soccer fan growing up in Mobile and the soccer teams I watched was geography. I always enjoyed watching matches in England, Germany, and Spain, but I never really gained a real attachment to any European club.

When I really became interested in soccer, the closest top professional team was in Houston, and I had yet to become aware of the myriad of smaller leagues scattered across the United States. I took an immediate interest in our domestic league and I became an avid supporter of a certain Rave Green team in the Pacific Northwest. During those days, MLS matches were rarely televised nationally. So, I would stream Sounders matches on my laptop from suspect sports streaming sites, and I even paid for an online subscription so that I could watch every match.

While I was just as real of a fan as someone from Seattle, I still felt that I was missing part of the “fan experience” because I had no real connection to the city.

I first found out about AFC Mobile through Twitter. When I read that Mobile would have an organized “semi-pro” soccer team, I was engulfed with a wave of skepticism and excitement. While I had a small group of fellow soccer fans my age, I was curious as to whether Mobile was capable of supporting a soccer team. My excitement primarily stemmed from the fact that there would be a local soccer team that I could support and always call “my team” regardless of the circumstances.

In fact, I was so eager to learn more about the team that I privately messaged Abram Chamberlain asking him when the team would begin play. Even before the first whistle, I knew that I was committed to being an AFC Mobile fan.

I know that the fan and game day experience is a big deal to most small clubs and its supporters, but for me, my fandom consists of having a team that I can support regardless of the circumstances. Maybe it’s a little bit selfish that I don’t care that much about the camaraderie of the supporter groups or the “family friendly” atmospheres.

To me, it is all about experiencing the sadness and joy that you get from passionately supporting a team regardless of how good that team is or what division that team competes in. AFC Mobile has given me that chance to call a local team my own. I remember going to that first AFC Mobile game and being excited that over 800 people turned out to watch the match. I was pleased to see that Mobile could support a 5th division soccer team, but my “inner fan” took over as soon AFC Mobile started its first match against the Gulf Coast Texas.

While I was excited to be at the first ever AFC Mobile home match, I was also slightly annoyed that AFC Mobile lost. It wasn’t an “I’m not going to watch that anymore” type of annoyance, but it was a “this is my team and I want them to win, dammit” annoyance that any real fan of a team experiences. From then, my love for the club didn’t cease. I streamed away matches (when available), and I even stayed up until 3 a.m. in Oxford, England while studying abroad to watch AFC Mobile lose to Motagua and Gaffa. It didn’t cross my mind that the team was winless up to that point and that I could just check the score in the morning. AFC Mobile was my team and I was going to watch them just as fervently as I watch the Sounders or the United States National Team. I was a soccer fan from Mobile who finally had a Mobile team.

My fandom is not the typical type of soccer fandom that most people envision when they think “soccer fan.” You won’t find me chanting or beating drums in the supporters section. Every team needs those types of fans, but that’s not me. You’ll find me inconspicuously hidden among the crowd of fans questioning a call by the referee, applauding or cursing a tactical move by our manager, or just admiring the sheer brilliance of a good pass.

I may not be the one who shows the most outward emotion, but I am also the first person to stand up and applaud when Chisom scores a goal or when Matt Merrill makes a crunching tackle in the midfield. I can be annoyed when the team is not doing well on the field, and I can cheer for the club when it does the little things right. Being a fan of a team means experiencing all of the good and all of the bad. AFC Mobile’s lone win against Biloxi was made even sweeter because I experienced the last gasp golazo by a 10 (or was it 9?) man Biloxi in Lipscomb Stadium. That’s the fun part of being a fan: sticking with a club during the peaks and valleys of a season.

AFC Mobile has given me the opportunity to support an authentic Mobile soccer team. I now have a local team that I can root for and be proud to call my own. So, thank you, AFC Mobile, for giving a diehard Mobile soccer fan the chance to cheer for a Mobile soccer team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brent Grube Joins AFC Mobile as Goalkeeping Coach

MOBILE, ALABAMA – Former AFC Mobile goalkeeper and current Mary G. Montgomery High School girls soccer coach Brent Grube will join the Club coaching staff as an assistant for the 2018 season, the club announced Sunday afternoon.

“Brent was a good player for us last year. I’m excited to have him moving to the coaching side of the organization,” said head coach Nate Nicholas. “He will be a great help to me and [assistant coach] Ruben Risco in helping prepare for games and practices on the goalkeeper side.”

Last season, Grube was part of AFC Mobile’s inaugural roster and started four games at goalkeeper, before suffering an injury in the offseason. He will now transition to goalkeeper coach on Nicholas’s staff this season.

“When I tore my ACL, I thought that my time with AFC Mobile was over,” said Grube. “Having played [goalkeeper] my entire career, I’m happy that I will be able to pass on my experience to AFC Mobile players. I am very excited to join the coaching staff and I look forward to the season.”

Grube joins the staff in time for AFC Mobile’s open tryouts on December 9 from 2:00-6:00 PM at Herndon (Sage) Park.

“In Brent, the club is able to get not just a good coach, but a good person. He displayed leadership in training and on the pitch last season,” stated AFC Mobile President Abram Chamberlain. “Being able to retain him as part of the AFC Mobile family is huge. We are extremely happy to have him continue with us as we move into our new season and our next chapter.”

Early registration is available online for $15.00 until December 8th and will be $25.00 for walk-up registration on December 9th.

Fan Reaction: Pride, City, Club

Soccer has become huge in the United States. Groups in Mobile gather to watch US Men’s and Women’s National Team games as well as the English Premier League, the top Mexican division, America’s Major League Soccer, and many more leagues from around the world. However, nothing can compare to supporting a team that represents you, your culture, and your city. Nothing is better than pride, city, club.

In this Fan Reaction, supporter Sam Zanaty explains how his passion for soccer and his love of Mobile were able to mesh together and explode into something truly special.

We made ourselves known with the “M-O-B” chant

When I reflect back on growing up in Mobile, I fondly remember attending Mobile Bay Bears and Mystics games. If I had played my cards just right, I’d be fortunate enough to get Dippin’ Dots ice cream! And like most youngsters, I’d hope for a chance of catching a foul ball or getting a post-game autograph from one of the players. These are my memories of sporting events in Mobile.

Today, I’m 25 years old, my passion for sports can best be described as a love for the game of soccer. You’ll most definitely find me rooting for the men’s and woman’s US National Teams (but let’s not discuss the men’s team right now) and my favorite teams from Europe. COYS!

Still, there is something very special about supporting your hometown. I remember distinctly my excitement to find out that the city of Mobile would have a soccer team. I was relaxing one weekend checking out posts on Facebook when I saw one regarding AFC Mobile. My first swag purchase was a scarf, and later would follow with both a home and away jersey. That’s right… I do get a bit passionate about soccer teams. After a couple hats and another scarf, I felt like my swag collection was ready to represent AFC Mobile. Some would say I purchased too many things (You’re welcome AFC Mobile financial group).

The first home game I was able to attend was against Biloxi City FC (now Port City FC). Little did I, or anyone else in attendance, know that the game would be a roller coaster ride full of unexpected turns. Numerous goals, a scary injury and more red cards issued in a single team that I’ve ever witnessed in person. Unfortunately, we lost. However, I instantly bonded with the other fans in attendance, rooting our team on to represent our city.

Another fond memory I had of last season was attending the game where we broke 1,000 fans in attendance! Fans made up of young families, and a few hooligans, all wanting to support AFC Mobile. Being a part of the Causeway Rebellion and providing the boys a supportive atmosphere at home (and away) was an absolute blast! We made ourselves known with the “M-O-B” chant. If you are unfamiliar with it, google the Icelandic national team chant. Just imagine if we, Mobilians, can get 2,000 people to perform this at a game.

During the last home game, as I was leaving the Lip, I overheard a little girl speaking to her father and she asked “Are we coming back again next weekend?” The dad was unsure of the schedule so I had to be the barer of bad news that tonight was the last home game until next season. She was bummed of course, but then filled with excitement for the next season.

Me too young lady!

The future of the beautiful game of soccer is bright with our youth, and if we can continue to support this great game and our hometown team, who knows the level of success AFC Mobile can reach. I encourage all who are reading, to attend a game this upcoming 2018 season. You will not be disappointed and who knows, you too might unleash your love of the game.

For the love of the beautiful game.

AFC Mobile claims first ever win with dominant performance over Biloxi

GULFPORT–Powered by a first-half brace from Austin Hilyer and a goal apiece from Matt Merrill and Chisom Ogbonna, AFC Mobile beat Biloxi City FC 4-2 on Saturday for the first ever win in the club’s history.

“To get that monkey off the back, for me, for coach Ruben, for the team, for the fans, it’s an amazing feeling,” AFC Mobile head coach Nate Nicholas said. “I knew we had it in us. Tonight, we played them off the park. We were the better team from start to finish.”

Biloxi opened the scoring in the 15th minute when the home team bundled in a corner that bounced across the end line over right back Sherman Winchester’s attempted clearance. Ten minutes later, Hilyer drew a yellow card while stopping a Biloxi counter.

Five minutes after that, a Markos Mallis corner skipped through the box to Hilyer’s waiting foot at the back post for the equalizer.

In the 35th minute, Hilyer headed home off another corner to give the team from Mobile a lead it would never relinquish.

“I was just in the right place at the right time,” Hilyer said. “He placed that cross perfectly, and I was right there. Perfect timing, I guess.”

Mobile dominated the second half from the first whistle, earning its third goal when midfielder Matt Merrill blasted a shot from outside the box past the Biloxi keeper.

Chisom Ogbonna had a chance to finish the match in the 62nd minute when he was brought down in the box to earn a penalty, but the forward’s resulting kick was saved. He didn’t make the same mistake twice. Ogbonna was again brought down in the 69th minute, and blasted the penalty off the underside of the crossbar and into the goal.

“He is a true professional,” Nicholas said of the club’s leading goalscorer. “He comes, he works hard, he is a leader. Even without the armband, he’s been a leader on the team, not just by scoring goals but showing when to calm down and when to go. When you have a player of that level on your team who you don’t have to coach, who’s another coach on the field, you love it. He’s been amazing.”

The home team got one back in the 75th minute, but it was scant consolation as Mobile’s win ended Biloxi’s bid for the Gulf Coast Premier League playoffs and avenged a 2-1 loss in Mobile, giving the Azaleas the 5-4 series win on aggregate.

After the first win in club history, the traveling fans – a bus-full and then some… more than 100 – took to the pitch to greet their club.

“When your fans outnumber, or are at least 10 times louder, than the home fans, and it feels like you’re at a home game, you’ve got nothing but love for that,” Nicholas said. “I almost lost my voice in the first half, and I know they were going crazy. It buoyed us all season to know they had our backs.”

“They’re amazing,” Hilyer said of the Causeway Rebellion Supporters Group. “We were on the field and the other team was telling us ‘y’all’s fans are crazy.’ That pushed us the entire match, and we couldn’t be more pleased with them.”

AFC Mobile ended its inaugural season with six points, one win, three draws and six losses, and the top six attendance records in the league, including Biloxi’s record attendance of more than 400 set Saturday night, the highest in a GCPL match not hosted by AFC Mobile.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” Nicholas said of his squad. “Every one of them came out and worked hard, and this is just reward for a whole season.

The Causeway Rebellion cheers on the team.

AFC Mobile Breaks 1,000 in Attendance, Falls 2-1 to CD Motagua of NOLA

AFC Mobile once again broke the Gulf Coast Premier League attendance record as 1,040 fans were on hand at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex to see the home team fall 2-1 to CD Motagua of New Orleans.

“That’s an amazing feat. We never even imagined to have a hundred… to get a thousand today, that says a lot about what the team is to the city and what we bring to the table. We can only improve from here,” said AFC Mobile co-captain Martin Fiemawhle.

AFC Mobile nearly opened the scoring six minutes into the match when Chisom Ogbonna broke away on a counter attack and was brought down by a Motagua defender.

Mobile’s best early chance came in the 14th minute when Ogbonna danced his way down the lefthand side of the box, bringing Motagua’s goalkeeper to his knees. Before reaching the touchline, he sent the ball back to Clairy Kengeye in the center of the box. Kengeye took a shot at an open goal, but it was deflected by Motagua defender Anthony Pieters.

Motagua’s Reese Wilson took a shot in the 27th minute that was easily collected by goalkeeper Barou Ndaw, who made his first start of the season for AFC Mobile.

The away team was awarded a free kick just outside the box in the 30th. Motagua sent the ball into the box and, after a late run and a little scramble in front of the goal, Pieters shot bounced its way into the net, but the apparent goal was called back for offside. After the no-goal, Motagua’s Steven Morris was promptly shown a straight red card for dissent.

Mayor Sandy Stimpson was on hand to perform the pregame coin toss. (Photo: Seth Laubinger)

AFC Mobile tried to capitalize quickly on the one-man advantage. Ogbonna fired in a shot from the left side of the box that was saved by the Motagua keeper.

Despite being down a man, Motagua took the lead in the 42nd minute when Wilson scored a screamer from the righthand side.

“What’s crazy is we always have a few chances to score, to get on the board and, whether it’s a post or a bad hit or a good save, we don’t quite connect on that and then we give up one chance and we’re down,” said AFC Mobile head coach Nate Nicholas. “It makes it real difficult when the other team’s strike rate is one-for-one and ours is zero-for-five.”  

Ogbonna got another chance to equalize before halftime. Forward Brian Singler laid the ball off for him at the top of the box, but his shot was easily saved.

Motagua took a 2-0 lead in the 70th minute after Brandon Chagnard finished a shot from the middle of the box. Four minutes later, Mobile cut the lead in half after Ogbonna got on the end of a give away from a Motagua defender. Ogbonna fired home a close range shot from a tight angle, sending the crowd of over 1,000 into a frenzy.

Mobile nearly leveled the game after a bit of fancy footwork from Kengeye, but his first effort was saved and a rebound were both saved.

Mobile’s last chance to equalize came in the 94th minute when goalkeeper Ndaw sent a free kick into the box that nobody could capitalize on. The whistle blew, and the game finished 2-1 in favor of CD Motagua New Orleans.

AFC Mobile will travel to Biloxi next week to take on Biloxi City FC in the final match of the 2017 Gulf Coast Premier League season. The club is organizing a bus trip for fans. Tickets are $30 which includes a spot on the bus and a ticket to the match. Spaces are limited, so buy your ticket today!  

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.

Gaffa (photo: Michael Shartava)

AFC Mobile Falls to Eastern Conference Leaders Gaffa FC

AFC Mobile lost 3-0 to Gulf Coast Premier League Eastern Conference leaders Gaffa FC of Jackson, MS on Saturday night in front of another great crowd of 816. The game was a physical, chippy affair with six yellow cards shown between the two teams.

AFC Mobile dominated possession early in the first half. Clairy Kengeye streaked down the side of the pitch and sent in a beautiful hanging cross, but couldn’t find anyone on the receiving end.

“When you don’t finish those early chances, it really puts you behind the eight ball when you get a strike on goal or try to finish it and you don’t capitalize,” AFC Mobile head coach Nate Nicholas said.

Ten minutes into the game, Gaffa’s Chance Boardene got behind the Mobile defense and took a soft shot that was easily collected by Mobile’s goalkeeper Elijah Gibson. Five minutes later, Gaffa’s Cory McCabe took a free kick from the right hand side of the pitch that went wide.

In the 15th minute, Gaffa’s Steven Simmons blindsided AFC Mobile midfielder Greg Hosford with a violent shove during a stoppage in play. The home crowd pleaded with the official to discipline Simmons, but no card was shown.

Clairy Kengeye was a bright spot in the first half for Mobile. In the 27th minute, he displayed some fancy footwork, dancing his way into the right side of the box and playing the ball to Batevya Mediateur, but Mediateur’s shot was saved.

Two minutes later, Mobile’s Amos Ndikumana fired a shot from the left hand side of box that went just over the crossbar.

In the 31st minute, Gaffa’s Michael Kuwornu powered his way behind the Mobile defense and attempted to take a shot from a tight angle. Mobile’s Austin Hilyer attempted to clear it, but the ball took a bad deflection and bounced into the net, giving Gaffa a 1-0 lead.

Mobile nearly equalized in the 45th minute when Chris Rumsey took a shot that was deflected away by the Gaffa keeper, but no one from the home team was able to get on the end of the ball. The ball eventually found the feet of Ndilkumana, who sent a shot over the crossbar.

Mobile was unable to continue the momentum from late in the first half into the second, as Gaffa’s Stephen Roberson chipped a shot from 20 yards out that went soaring over Gibson and into the back of the net, giving the team from Jackson a 2-0 lead.

“I think when the second half started and they scored that goal early,” Nicholas said, “we were pressing, pressing, pressing and we almost pressed too hard and got a little bit out of our wits.”

AFC Mobile nearly pulled a goal back in the 53rd minute when Matt Merrill fired a header off a Mediateur corner kick from point blank range that was saved by the Gaffa keeper.

Gaffa’s Patrick Ross was shown yellow in the 61st minute for forcefully throwing the ball in at Gillespie’s back, but Gillespie was also shown a yellow for inciting the incident.

As the second half continued, Mobile had chances to cut the scoreline in half. In the 66th minute, Mediateur played a ball to Kengeye on the right hand side of the pitch. Despite a heavy first touch, Kengeye took a shot from a tight angle that went into the side netting.

“They got in our heads a little bit… it shows our youth when you’re able to get put off your game like that and that’s what they did to us…we let them get in our heads a little bit,” Nicholas said. 

In the 72nd minute, Ndikumana was brought down in the box. The fans cheered for what they thought was surely a penalty, but their appeals were ignored by the referee.

Gaffa nearly added a third goal to their tally in the 77th minute off a free kick, but the ball was cleared off the line by Gillespie. The away team tacked on one more goal in stoppage time after a giveaway by Mobile’s KC Espoir. Gaffa’s Chance Boardene found himself clear behind the Mobile defense and slotted home the final goal of the night.

Join us next Friday as we say “Thank You Mobile” at our final home match of the 2017 GCPL Season. Kickoff against the reigning GCPL champions, CD Motagua of New Orleans, is at 7:00 p.m. on Friday night, July 7th at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex. Tickets are only $5, and kids 12 and under will be admitted free of charge.

The Mobile Revelers: Mobile’s Original Minor League Soccer Team

There’s no doubt that Mobile is a soccer town. The city is home to high quality men’s and women’s college soccer programs, a number of competitive local high school teams, quality youth clubs, and a burgeoning minor league team. However, AFC Mobile is not the first team to represent the city of Mobile. From 1995 to 1997, between the 1994 World Cup in the United States and the dawn of Major League Soccer, the Mobile Revelers staked a claim as one of the south’s best clubs.

revelers

The team was the brainchild of former University of South Alabama men’s coach Roy Patton. Patton approached local soccer enthusiasts Steve Clements and Ken Kvalheim to form a new professional soccer team to play in the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues (USISL) Professional League, a multi-regional league sanctioned as a Division III Professional League by the U.S. Soccer Federation. The USISL was a predecessor to the modern day United Soccer League (USL) and Premier Development League (PDL). 

“At the time, the South Alabama [NCAA] program was just on fire and of course Mobile College [NAIA] had a really great program as well. Pretty much all our players came from those two schools,” Clements said. Patton’s goal was to give his college players and other local players the opportunity to continue playing soccer at a high level.  “We hated the fact that they graduated and left us,” Clements said. “That was one of Roy’s primary goals was to give these players an opportunity to continue playing soccer at a level that they might be seen in the bigger leagues.”

The Revelers roster, much like the roster of the South Alabama team at the time, was made up of players from across the globe. “We were not that international, compared to my 1995 season at South [Alabama], but we came from South Africa, England, Scotland, Denmark, Trinidad, and the US,” said former Mobile Reveler left back Søren Jørgensen.

Jørgensen was from Copenhagen, Denmark and earned a scholarship to play for South Alabama. Unfortunately, his high school credits did not properly transfer to the American system and he was unable to meet NCAA eligibility requirements. But he had fallen in love with the Mobile soccer community, and he decided to stay in Mobile and play for the Revelers.

Mobile Reveler left back Søren Jørgensen

Jørgensen said that even though the core of Revelers players graduated from South Alabama in 1994 or ’95, it wasn’t hard to break into the group. “It was easy to enter the group,” Jørgensen said. “As long as you can play some good soccer and drink a beer afterwards.”

Patton originally intended for the team to play its matches at South Alabama. He would coach the team at home and Tom Bierster, his assistant coach, would coach the team on the road. That plan never came to fruition, as behind-the-scenes politics at South Alabama could not be worked out.  “There were issues… I don’t really know exactly everything on that level, but at one point, Joe Gottfried went to Roy and said, ‘look, you can’t play at South… I’m getting too much pressure and if you coach this team, you may not have a job with the college,'” Bierster said.

Ultimately, Bierster took the reigns as the head coach of the Revelers heading into their inaugural season. Soon after, Patton left South Alabama to take the head job at the University of Vermont. He would eventually return to the Port City as the head coach of the University of Mobile.

Despite the talent in the city, not everyone in Mobile embraced soccer. This became apparent during the Revelers search for a home field.  “Some people didn’t understand it at all,” Kvalheim said. “I remember we were looking to do some practice, or some tryouts on the field – and I’ll never forget – a football coach told us that the soccer players would damage his field.”

Ironically, the Revelers finally found a home outside of Mobile at the Fairhope Municipal Soccer Complex, a venue that quickly gained a reputation as one of the nicest facilities in the USISL.  “My second season, everyone wanted to come to Fairhope because they heard how beautiful the field was, and it was,” Bierster said.  

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Mobile Revelers Inaugural Game Roster Sheet

With a stadium deal in place and a roster full of players ready to play, the only thing the club was missing was a moniker. “We wanted to make something that was synonymous to who we are,” Kvalheim said. “We were the first sports team to say ‘we need to capitalize on what makes us unique to the region, what makes us unique to being Mobile,’ and ‘Revelers’ just worked out.”

The Revelers finished their inaugural season in second place in the Southeast Division and were eliminated from the playoffs in the Divisional Semifinal round.  “We got a little bit known out there because our first season we were better than .500 and we got people wanting to come play for us,” Bierster said.  One of the players that Mobile added was Bill Elliott. Elliott is currently the head coach at the University of West Florida and the NPSL’s Chattanooga FC. Elliott said that the core of South Alabama and University of Mobile players were crucial to building the team’s success in the first year.  “All those guys knew each other really well…I think even when they were in college in the offseason they played together, you know, pick up games,” Elliott said. “By the time I joined they had a very good core and I was fortunate enough to be able to work my way into that and become a part of it and really enjoy my time playing there.”

Elliott took the University of West Florida job in 1995 and has been there ever since. He has lead the Argonauts to nine conference championships. He took the managerial position at Chattanooga FC in 2011 and has been the runner-up in three of the last five NPSL National Championships. Elliott thinks the biggest change in the American lower league landscape is the amount of professionalism shown from the clubs at this level.

“In those days, everything in the league was very ‘Bull Durham-ish.’ I think now there’s a lot more professionalism in those leagues… I think there was a lot more gimmicks and minor league baseball marketing tricks to kinda get people out,” Elliott said.  Mobile wasn’t above using wild promotions to draw fans out to the stadium. The Revelers were able to draw 2000 fans to a match by bringing the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders in town to perform a halftime show.

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Mobile Revelers with Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

Bierster said that Mobile’s greatest game came against one of the USISL’s powerhouses, the Minnesota Thunder. The Thunder had won four consecutive league championships and boasted the likes of future MLS star, Bundesliga regular, and U.S international Tony Sanneh as well as current Minnesota United sporting director Manny Lagos and his brother Gerard.

The Thunder were playing in New Orleans on a Friday night before making the trip to Fairhope on Saturday. Bierster drove to the match in New Orleans and devised a game plan that took the Thunder to the wire. Instead of going at the Thunder head-to-head, Bierster told the Revelers to absorb pressure from the Thunder attack before trying to hit them on the counter. The Thunder found themselves shell-shocked. The Revelers took the game to double-overtime and were mere seconds from a shootout when Tony Sanneh turned a Revs’ defender, launched a shot with his left foot, and won the game 1-0 with five seconds left.  News of the Revelers’ unexpected success against the Thunder spread quickly. Days after the last-second loss, Bierster received a phone call from Bob Gansler, former manager of the US Men’s National Team during the 1990 World Cup in Italy and the head coach of the Milwaukee Rampage at the time, asking Bierster how his Revelers took the Thunder to double-overtime.

The Revelers returned to the playoffs in the 1996 season, but failed to move beyond the Conference Semifinals. Bierster left the team following the 1996 season. The Revelers did not qualify for the playoffs in 1997, which turned out to be their final season.

“The biggest problem with professional sports from our standpoint back then was that we were required by the league, and by conscience frankly, to provide these kids with workers comp insurance and the cost of it became absolutely oppressive to say the least,” Clements said. “With that in mind, with the travel that was involved, we simply couldn’t generate enough money between ticket sales and sponsorships to make it viable.”

The Revelers only lasted for three years in the Mobile area, but their impact on the game in the area can be felt today.  “I really believe that what we did, we created an opportunity to expose a lot of people to a sport that they didn’t know very much about,” Kvalheim said.

AFC Mobile will be paying tribute to the city’s original minor league soccer team by holding Mobile Revelers Night this Saturday, July 1st. Kickoff against Gaffa FC of Jackson, Mississippi is at 7:00 p.m. All tickets are only $5, and kids 12 and under are admitted free. AFC Mobile is also auctioning off an original limited edition Mobile Revelers Inaugural Season Commemorative Poster.  All auction proceeds will be donated to USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital. Click here to participate in the auction. Come out and honor Mobile’s soccer history while supporting your local grassroots soccer team!