This week’s Third Coast Soccer Game of the Week for the 2019 GCPL season will feature Alexandria PBFC and Cajun SC. These two western conference rivals have been battling with each other since before the existence of the GCPL and just recently joined forces to foster the athletic development of their young players.
In an effort to provide more and better opportunities to the players in Central Louisiana, Cajun Soccer Club of Lafayette and Crossroads Soccer Association (PBFC’s parent organization) of Alexandria partnered up in between the 2018 and 2019 youth soccer seasons.
“With this partnership and the fact that our coaching staff is made up of CSC youth staff, there’s an obvious respect for CSC’s youth development, but ultimately, a shared vision of providing an upper level outlet for standout youth players and alumni (in the GCPL) is the connecting link that makes the CSA/CSC partnership so special.” said PBFC Head Coach Jeremy Poklemba . “Now that the clubs have a joint venture in developing youth talent, it of course adds another layer to the great rivalry we’ve had over the past 6-8 years.”
The Pool Boys had a roller coaster season last year after a solid run in 2017. They recently added some new college talent and made some significant changes to their roster.
Matheus Fulini, a LSUA graduate, joined PBFC this season after a stint with Shreveport Rafters of the NPSL last season.
“We have a strong connection to the local colleges in the area (Louisiana College and Louisiana State University-Alexandria), and we have been fortunate in drawing some serious talent from all over the world into our roster.” added Poklemba “With all that talent, it’s sometimes difficult to gel into a cohesive team. Hopefully we’ve learned from the past and our new roster additions will fit into their roles as we push forward for another playoff birth.”
One of the new players to watch for on Pool Boys FC is midfielder Elias Hanna. Hanna, a local Crossroads Soccer Association product and current CSC Academy Team member, has an unmatched work ethic and is a great distributor of the ball. Another off season addition to look out for is center midfielder Matheus Fulini, former Louisiana College and LSUA player who is expected to do great things from the middle of the pitch. Supporting these new players at the forward position is Mackenzie Young, a Scottish skipper who has the ability to play anywhere on the pitch.
Cajun SC’s squad consists of all but 2 players who have graduated from the CSC youth academy.
Cajun SC is coming off a strong start to their season after dismantling Shreveport United 5-1. The Lafayette unit has made it to the GCPL finals the last two years, but have unfortunately come up short both times. Mark Hiller, the new Cajun SC head coach, is determined to help his club bounce back from these devastating finals loses as he has been preparing his players during the off season for another opportunity to compete in the championship.
“We have tried to implement a clear style of play which the boys have bought into,” said Cajun SC Head Coach Mark Hiller. “Everyone knows the roles they are expected to fulfill within the system we have implemented. We are confident as always of reaching the playoffs but know the teams in the league are very tough and every game will be close. We will take it one game at a time and try to improve with each game.”
This talented Cajun SC squad is also full of young college talent as they are the only team in the GCPL to feature over 80 percent of homegrown players.
“The GCPL has given our collegiate players an avenue to come home and continue to train in an environment that pushes them all,” stated Cajun SC Executive Director Michael Ritch. “They go back to their college teams in great shape and as better players. The local guys that still play have done an amazing job of creating a buy in from everyone where they are all accountable to each other. They set the foundation of what this team is made of and the give the future generations something to strive for.”
Kade Kling and Jordan Angelle are two top Cajun SC players to look out for come Saturday night’s matchup. Kling is a goal scoring winger who possesses strong one v one skills while Angelle is an athletic full back who has the potential to add some needed assists from the dangerous areas he gets into. These two players seek to lead Cajun SC to a much needed victory over their western conference rivals early in the season.
The journey to the playoffs continues on Saturday for these two clubs as Cajun SC hosts Alexandria PBFC at LUS Fiber Stadium at 7:45pm. Come on out to watch these two Louisiana teams duke it out in this game of the week.
This Game of the Week feature is sponsored by Third Coast Soccer. The largest retail soccer store in the gulf south. Visit www.thirdcoastsoccer.net today!
