GM blog: Closing out regular season
While the table may look incomplete, the standings are final in the 2019 UPSL Midwest South Division. Further, as the UPSL spring season playoffs are underway, Milwaukee Bavarians (the 2018 UPSL spring champion) has advanced to represent the conference at the national playoff tournament. Joliet Soccer United were South Division Champs in 2019, as this conference only participates in the spring season. They qualified for the conference playoffs and lost to the Bavs 3-1 in the final. As for how the table looks and feels for the Bhoys, 2019 is a marked improvement over our inaugural season in 2018. Including a season where the Bhoys picked up the first UPSL league win in club history, a solid mid-table finish reflects the work in the offseason as the coaching staff prepared for the work on the pitch. The Bhoys finished the season on June 29 with a heart-breaking loss away to Maritsa; on a blistering hot day in St. Louis, the Bhoys conceded twice late to finish the season with a 2-3 loss to Maritsa, who were keen to repay the 4-0 drubbing the Bhoys put on them at Cardinal Ritter Stadium in May. The UPSL offseason is now upon us, and there is plenty of work, planning and strategizing to be done by the Bhoys leadership. A more thorough season-ending wrap up will be put together in August, with a peek behind the curtain at financials and a recap of the past two years. In short — and in advance of that next post — the Bhoys have come a long way from the November 2017 announcement that they will join the UPSL in the expanding Midwest Conference. A change in name and reaching independence as a club happened in between the two seasons, as well as more than one lesson learned the hard way. With the UPSL season wrapped up, the focus shifts to the CIASA competition, which comes down to this Sunday, July 21, where a champion will be decided.
Last weekend saw the Bhoys drop points for just the second time this CIASA season, along with their first loss. This Sunday at Cardinal Ritter Stadium, the Old Bhoys take on Boomers; with a win, the Bhoys will clinch first in the division and win the league. A loss or draw, however, will see FC Miller be crowned as title winner of the Premier Division of CIASA. All to play for, and the Bhoys are looking for their first club championship of any kind this weekend in the heat of summer in Indy. A look at the current table shows how tightly contested the league is.
Want to connect? Drop us a line: oldbhoyshq@gmail.com or via twitter @OldBhoysSC. We’d love to hear from you on how we can continue to build Old Bhoys into 2020 and beyond!
COYOB!
Follow Andy on Twitter: @Andy_H_1980.
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