Tag: non league soccer

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.  

revelers
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.

Revelers
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!

AFC Mobile Overcomes Two-Goal Deficit To Draw Louisiana Fire

MOBILE, AL – In a reversal of what transpired at the second match of the season, AFC Mobile came back from a two goal deficit to draw 2-2 with the Louisiana Fire Saturday night at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex in Mobile. Earlier this season, AFC Mobile fell to the Fire 2-1 after two heartbreaking, last-gasp goals by the team from Kenner.  But it was AFC Mobile, led by Forward Chisom Ogbonna, who spoiled the Fire’s night this time around in front of yet another Gulf Coast Premier League record-breaking crowd of 951. 

“It’s always nice to be on the better end, but I would’ve liked that to be the winning goal instead of the tying goal, but this is a season where we’re learning… and I’ll tell you what, I couldn’t be more proud of the guys, just fighting through, fighting hard,” AFC Mobile head coach Nate Nicholas said. “It’s easy to get down and to quit, but these guys keep coming out every week and working hard and nobody in the league can says they’re getting an easy game from us. When they come they know they’re gonna get a tough game.”

The Fire nearly found the back of the net seven minutes into the game when Danni Eyo beat the Mobile defense and fired a shot into the side netting. Ten minutes later, the Fire’s Dante Oliver sent another a shot into the side netting.

AFC Mobile nearly took the lead in the 22nd minute after Greg Hosford crossed in a beautiful ball to Chisom Ogbonna, but Ogbonna’s header ricocheted off the left post. Minutes later, Clairy Kengeye sent a cross across the face of the goal, but no one was there to receive it.

In the 31st minute, Ogbonna had another chance to give Mobile the lead, but his header went just wide. Mere seconds later, the Fire’s Oliver took a shot that bounced off the bottom left post right back to himself, then slotted it into the net to give the Fire a 1-0 lead.

The Fire nearly doubled their lead two minutes into the second half. AFC Mobile goalkeeper Brent Grube came off his line, but the Fire’s Donte Oliver chipped a shot passed him, which was cleared off the line by Mobile’s Pat O’Neal.

The Azaleas nearly equalized on a Batevya Mediateur corner in the 50th minute. A mass of bodies scrambled in front of the Fire goal, and Mobile’s Guillermo Lumbreras, Jr. got on the end of it, but his shot went just over the crossbar.

Mobile had another chance to get on the board in the 54th minute. Chris Rumsey kept the ball from rolling over the touchline on the west side of the pitch and played the ball to Kengeye, whose first shot was saved by Fire keeper Pepe Serrano. The ball bounced back in front of Kengeye, whose second attempt crossed the face of the goal and went wide.

Ogbonna had another chance to bring Mobile level, but his long range shot went just wide.

In the 58th minute, the Fire’s Oliver was brought down in the box.  He slotted home the penalty himself, giving the Fire a 2-0 advantage.

Mobile got a chance to equalize after Ogbonna was brought down in the box and awarded a penalty. Ogbonna coolly finished the penalty to cut the Fire lead in half, 2-1, in the 67th minute.

Mobile nearly equalized in the 76th minute after Hosford played the ball to Kengeye on the left attacking side, but Kengye’s shot deflected wide off a Fire player.

Minutes later, despite calls for offside from the crowd, Oliver got in behind the Mobile defense and nearly regained the Fire’s two-goal lead, but he was unable to convert.

In the 87th minute, AFC Mobile’s Sherman Winchester headed a ball off the crossbar. Two minutes later, Winchester played a nice ball to Ogbonna who chipped the ball over the Fire defense, but he couldn’t get a shot off.

In the first minute of stoppage time, Ogbonna headed in a goal off an AFC Mobile free kick, leveling the game 2-2. That goal was Ogbonna’s sixth of the season.

“I never give up. As a team we keep fighting to the whistle. We never give up. We keep fighting.” Ogbonna said.

AFC Mobile will be back at home next weekend to take on the current Gulf Coast Premier League Eastern Conference leaders, Gaffa FC of Jackson, Mississippi. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, July, 1st. We will be honoring Mobile’s soccer history by throwing back to the 1990s when the Mobile Revelers ruled the pitch! Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more details! All tickets are just $5, and kids ages 12 and under are admitted for free. 

 

Know Your Enemy: The Louisiana Fire

AFC Mobile will take on the Louisiana Fire at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex this Saturday, June 24th at 7:00 p.m. This will be the second meeting between the two clubs this season. Two goals in the final minutes of the first match saw the Fire snatch three points from AFC Mobile on May 20th at Lions Field in Kenner, Louisiana.

The Fire are sitting on six points in the league table, which puts them at 5th place in the Gulf Coast Premier League Eastern Conference. The Fire opened the season with a 3-2 loss to Gaffa FC, then notched their first win of the season against AFC Mobile in the second week of the season. The Fire grabbed three more points the following weekend with a 1-0 win against Biloxi City FC.

Two late goals saw AFC Mobile come up just short against the Louisiana Fire on 5/20. (Photo – John Clark)

Heading into this weekend’s contest, the Fire are on a three-game losing streak. After a thrilling 4-3 loss to the Gulf Coast Texans, a 4-2 loss to CD Motagua of New Orleans, and another 3-2 loss to Gaffa FC, the Fire are coming into Mobile hungry for another win.

AFC Mobile is coming off a tightly contested 2-2 draw with the Gulf Coast Texans. The Azaleas will be looking to avenge their 2-1 loss to the Fire early in the season and get the club’s first ever win.

This Saturday’s game is also Teacher Appreciation Night! All school employees with a valid school ID will be admitted free of charge. As always, kids 12 and under are admitted free. General admission tickets are only $5. Kickoff against the Louisiana Fire will be Saturday, June 24th at 7:00 p.m. at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex off Michael Boulevard near Airport and I-65. Come support your local grassroots soccer team and join us in honoring our educators!

Brent Grube: Goalkeeper and Geometry Teacher

You’re used to seeing AFC Mobile goalkeeper Brent Grube cutting down angles in his penalty box, but off the pitch, the Mobile net-minder spends his days teaching about them as a 10th grade geometry teacher at Mary G. Montgomery High School.

Grube knew he wanted to be a teacher as early as his 9th grade year, and has since been inspired by a number of great teachers and supportive parents who helped him reach that decision.

“I had a lot of good teachers that kind of helped me decide,” Grube said. “They seemed fun and interesting and I thought, ‘This seems like something I could enjoy doing.'”

Grube said it was hard to choose a favorite teacher, but two in particular stood out.

“My ninth-grade math teacher was probably one of my favorites–Mr. Signori,” Grube said. “After him I had Mr. Castilline. They both showed me that, yeah, you can actually be kind of fun in math.”

Grube, does more than just teach at MGM: he’s also the varsity girl’s soccer coach. He said that the most rewarding thing about coaching is getting to see how his players progress through the years.

“I didn’t quite expect it at first, but that was the part I really started to enjoy, was getting to see that progress that they’re making.” Grube said. “Usually we’re going to see someone for several years, whereas normally in the classroom you see someone for a semester or a year and they move on past you. You don’t get to see their progress every year.”

Grube has been playing soccer since he was four-years old. Like many young players, he excelled in other sports as well, but he knew soccer was the one that stood out. He was a goalkeeper from day one.

“I kind of always tended to play in goal,” Grube said. “My brother was a forward, so anytime we were playing around, he would always tell me to go stand over there so he could shoot. So I just kind of naturally developed that rivalry with him and I think that ended up playing to some of my strengths. Probably somewhere around 5th or 6th grade I started really playing competitively in goal and that was where I got my first taste of really enjoying the higher competition of being in goal.”

That higher level of competition is something Grube is always looking for. He said that his favorite thing about playing for AFC Mobile is being a part of a high-level, competitive team for the first time since he was in college.

“That’s been the best thing for me, just being able to be out there and really push myself to play better and have a bunch of guys who are trying to do the same thing and trying to really build soccer in this area,” Grube said.

This weekend, AFC Mobile will be honoring the educators of our community by hosting our first Teacher Appreciation Night. All school employees will be admitted free of charge with a school ID. General admission tickets are only $5. As always, kids 12 and under are admitted free. Kickoff against the Louisiana Fire will be Saturday, June 24th at 7 p.m. at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex off Michael Boulevard near Airport and I-65. Come support your local grassroots soccer team and join us in honoring our educators!

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.”

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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.