Written By Zion Williams

After a convincing 4-1 win over the Savannah Clovers FC on Saturday that saw three different Bobcats players get on the scoresheet, the Bobcats will look to continue their form against Albion San Diego on Thursday at 9pm. The matchup is the first of a very important string of away matches for the Bobcats, who sit at 2nd place in the NISA standings. The Bobcats will look to extend their lead over Albion San Diego, who sit in 4th just five points below the Bobcats with a game in hand. 

Coming off a merger in 2021, Albion San Diego is competing in its second official season in NISA, finishing 4th in the regular season and as a runner-up in the playoffs in their inaugural season. In the previous three meetings, Albion San Diego has gotten the best of the Bobcats, winning 2-1 and most recently, 2-0, but in between those matchups the Bobcats beat them 1-0. Albion San Diego’s Shinya Kadono and Daniel Bedoya are a midfield pair to watch out for, combining for 3 goals and 5 assists through 7 games played in the league. The Bobcats will certainly look to keep them quiet to help limit the success of San Diego. 

However, the Bobcats have certain weapons of their own, namely Darwin Espinal, who leads the league with 6 goals and 2 assists. They also boast a talented midfield pair of their own, Andrew Wivell and Josselin Possian, combining for 4 goals and 3 assists in the league.

The Bobcats haven’t strung together consecutive wins in all competitions since April 22nd. Thursday evenings matchup presents them the opportunity to break this pattern and gain more momentum in the league, while also evening up the series between these two organizations. Although, there is more on the line, as the Bobcats will be more motivated by keeping pace with Chattanooga FC given that they are legitimate title contenders.