Tag: Pre-Season

2024 UPSL Georgia Premier Division Fall Season Realignment

The growth and popularity of soccer in the United States continues to grow and prosper in 2024. Since the appearance of the UPSL in the Georgia area in 2018, the same could be said for developmental, lower league soccer.

From its modest beginnings as the UPSL Atlanta Caribbean Division teams were just a step up from recreational teams. In 2024, fully professional clubs and academies are now commonplace as they continue building clubs and training up players to advance to the next class of professional soccer players in the USA.

The 2024 Spring season in the UPSL Georgia Premier Division was one of the most compelling and competitive in the history of the Georgia Conference. As we move on to the coming Fall season, a realignment was needed to assure that the Premier division would further reach the next level of progress. Following are the details of this realignment:

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Leaving the Premier Division in the Fall:
Atlanta United Academy:
A realignment internally at Atlanta United sees them dissolve the U19 Academy team to reorganize and focus on MLS Next with U16 and U18 age groups. A return to the UPSL could happen in the near future but for now, United will be replaced by keeping up one of the Spring season’s relegated teams in Premier.

Soccer Saves Lives (SSL) FC:
SSL FC’s existence in the Premier Division has been ruled ineligible due to the team operating as a 2nd team to Kalonji Pro-Profile as well as a consistent failure to meet participation standards for the Premier Division. Under UPSL rules, participating clubs may not field 2 teams at the same time in the Premier Division. Teams that participate in Premier also must meet the minimum standards of participation in the Premier Division. SSL will be manually moved to a lower division to be determined after the Georgia Conference realignment is completed.

Relegated Teams:
Due to both Atlanta United Academy and SSL FC leaving the Premier Division for Fall, this allows both the Spring season’s relegated teams, FC Atlanta and North Georgia United FC, to remain in the Georgia Premier Division for the coming Fall season.

Promotion Details:
LSA won the division 1 playoff and qualified for automatic promotion to the Premier. Unfortunately, LSA reported that they would not be able to field a team in Premier for the Fall season.

As a consequence of LSA not progressing to the Premier Division, runner’s up Fountain City FC will take the automatic promotion spot vacated by LSA.

Vinotinto Atlanta won the Division 1 promotion playoff and earned promotion to the Premier Division. Vinotinto’s return to the Georgia Conference top flight after only one season in division 1.

Legends FC (like LSA FC and Atlanta United Academy) reported that they too would be skipping the Fall season which in turn, opened another promotion spot which goes to the runner up to the division 1 playoffs, Atlanta Fire South FC (to be rebranded as Albion SC Atlanta)

Note: The UPSL has granted the Georgia Division an additional spot in Premier to bring the total number of teams to 14 teams. This allocation can be applied to the Fall season or to the Spring 2025 season. More to come on that…

ASMG’s UPSL Premier Division’s Top 10 Goals (Spring 2023)

Top Ten Goals of the 2023 Spring Season in the UPSL Georgia Premier Division

10. North Georgia United
9. Dalton United
8. Club the Strongest
7. LGSA
6. Atlanta Rovers
5. Atlanta United
4. Kalonji Pro-Profile
3. Legends FC
2. Atlanta Rovers
1. North Georgia United

Want more UPSL Georgia Soccer?
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About the Atlantic Soccer Media Group:
The Atlantic Soccer Media Group is a sports broadcasting company that produces live match coverage for lower tier soccer leagues in the United States. Clients include teams from the United Premier Soccer League, United Women’s Soccer and other leagues in the Southeast Region of the United States.

Who is the United Premier Soccer League?
The United Premier Soccer League is a Semi-Professional soccer league that occupies the fourth tier of the US Soccer pyramid, just below the three professional tiers in the pyramid. The UPSL is the largest and most competitive pro-development league in North America. The UPSL operates year-round, comprising of a Spring and Fall season. Each season includes a national playoff that ends with the crowning of a National Champion.

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UPSL Georgia Community Cup

The UPSL Georgia Conference will have a new competitive feature named the 2023 Summer Community Cup. This new competition has been created as a season curtain raiser and will put the regular season winner of Division 1 up against the regular season winner of the Premier Division.

Historic Silverback’s Park Stadium is a fitting venue for this match.

In this game we will have current  Division 1 Champion’s UMA FC facing current Premier Division winners Dalton United FC. The match will be played at Silverbacks Stadium in Doraville Georgia on Friday, August 18th. The Atlantic Soccer Media Group will be the broadcast partner to live stream the match on YouTube.

Both Dalton United FC and UMA FC are both newer teams in the Georgia Conference but both have stamped their presence on the conference with impressive displays both in their respective regular season’s as well as in the post season.

Come out to beautiful Silverback’s Park for a great sporting evening for the entire family and witness tomorrow’s stars today competing at the top level in the United Premier Soccer League.

Legends FC Skipper’s Battle Beyond The Pitch

Legends FC head coach, Mark Wozniak has build a solid Georgia Premier Division side in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) in their first year in the league. But there is more to coach Wozniak than meets the eye. Since birth, Wozniak has battled chronic kidney disease in additional to fulfilling his duties as college coach and head coach of the Pro-Development club, Legends FC currently playing the UPSL.

Despite the monumental challenges this brings to Wozniak, it’s clear this has not stopped him from excelling in his position as coach at the highest levels. This life, has included a soccer scholarship to university and a stint overseas in the game. Something that is his medical staff could not have predicted for Wozniak.

More recently, complications have forced a bit of a change to coach Wozniak’s daily routine. This includes dialysis 3 times a week and being placed on a waiting list for a kidney transplant. All the while, still working his passion in the game. A real challenge for the coach but also a inspiration to all who come into contact with him.

To read the full story from Pacey Strickland, click here to go to The Times-News