Saturday, May 31, 2014

NPSL: The First Weekend Without PCFC

The only thought is to have the remaining six games be walkovers and let people get their points since they may not play each other in true round-robin fashion. But the end is currently in discussion at the NPSL league level.

The Southeast Conference is one short with the shocking folding of Pensacola City FC and the whole saga is far from being over.
At least, that's the gut feeling at the HQ. PCFC was supposed to play the Georgia Revs Friday night before their next meeting was supposed to be in Chattanooga FC, but that's now in the wind.

As is the rest of their season...

The other teams carried on as they did: Nashville was hosting Rocket City. Chattanooga FC was playing Knoxville Force and New Orleans traveled the eight hours to Atlanta to take on Silverbacks Reserves against that backdrop (pictured right, thanks New Orleans Jesters their own selves). It was as everything was normal save the fold/dissolving/whatever-you-want-to-call-it after only three games into a season.

The opinions have been documented from both sides over the last few days from both ownership and players of the franchise- you can catch up with them hyah for starters...

So, what do the rest of the league think of what has gone down...???

"It surprised me," Silverbacks head coach Alejandro Pombo admitted. "It has never happened before. When you're here, you commit to the league and I have always thought that you end the season. Three years ago, when we were Atlanta FC, we had on-the-field problems. But we finished the season.

"What happened there... that's not the way. You have to figure it out to the end. They were supposed to travel to Chattanooga to play, but now they're not. They should have talked with the league to see if they could get some help to continue to play and finish the season."
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New Orleans Jesters head coach Kenneth Farrell was more matter-of-fact about it:

"Irresponsible. Unprofessional. Embarrassing...

"We can pull together as brothers in times like this," he admitted. "Once you have committed, you have committed to the league. You should have talked to the league about it and figured out what to do. And the league would have done that. You don't blame the league in a situation like this. It happened without them knowing- any of us knowing... we're a good league and you just don't do that."


Sources close to the league that OSG Sports talked to about this raise the standard financial questions. Did the re-branding and name change from the Texans family to PCFC come as a result of partners pulling out and, therefore, create a loss of funds that Bill Fetke counted on for financial stability...? There were plans, we are told, of bringing in players from all corners- including Asia. That did't happen, either.

So, is this a part of a larger cascade for Fetke and PCFC that created the dissolving...???

Only he can answer... and now some of the Internationals on the roster have to still find a way to pay bills and have a roof over their heads starting tomorrow...

And that prospect is daunting at least and scary at most...

More when we know more...

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