Polonia SC takes on NY International in Brooklyn
By Noah Zimmerman
Polonia SC and FC Sandzak battled at Randall’s Island to a 1-1 draw last Wednesday night. The CSL title race remains razor thin. (Photo: NZ Media)
The top division of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League has been locked into a wild title race since the opening weeks of the season. NY International FC, Polonia SC, FC Sandzak, and Central Park Rangers II have been separated by just a few points for months, with multiple clubs spending time atop the D1 table.
With just a few matches remaining, Polonia and International have been trading places at the top of the league. After last weekend’s matches, NYIFC held a three point lead with one more match played than the other title challengers.
With a win over Borgetto FC this Thursday night, Polonia would match International with 45 points, but their 3-1 win in the Fall would propel them back into a lead, as head-to-head serves as the first tiebreaker.
The real tiebreaker is coming up this Sunday in Brooklyn when NY International visit Polonia at their longtime home at McCarren Park. The two top dogs of the CSL will face off to likely decide who ends up lifting the league title. The league winner will also earn promotion to the American Premier Soccer League (APSL).
Kickoff will be at 10am on Sunday on what should be a beautiful morning in Brooklyn. The McCarren Park soccer field, located on Lorimer St between Driggs Ave and Bayard St, is open to the public. You can also watch the match live on Game in Frame, who have been broadcasting the CSL title race alongside their coverage of academy, amateur, and semi-professional soccer in the Northeast.
“Sunday’s title battle has a special feel to it, we’ve covered a lot of great matches, but it’s rare you get a game where an entire season rides on one result,” said owner and commentator Josh Pratt. “These teams have been fighting for the CSL D1 title dream and promotion to the APSL since September, the emotions will be high, we are looking forward to broadcasting the drama.”
Livestream coverage will begin just before kickoff at www.gameinframe.com as well as their YouTube page.
Sandzak took on FC Ulqini on Tuesday night in Staten Island with a chance to pull within four points of the leaders. CPR II will play their game in hand next Thursday against KidSuper Samba AC II, who are locked into a relegation battle with Manhattan Celtic II.
Hoboken FC 1912 II held 1st place for a good portion of the Fall, but a 7-game losing streak dropped them down to 5th. They are still in reach of the Division 1 playoffs; 34 points with three matches to play.
Pancyprians close in on APSL Metro title
Meanwhile in the APSL, the NY Pancyprian Freedoms are close to lifting the league title, up three points on the NY Greek Americans with a game in hand. They’ve only conceded a remarkable 14 goals in their 18 matches. Four of those goals were scored by the Greek Americans, coming in a 1-1 draw and a 3-1 win, the only defeat suffered by Pancyprians this season.
Pancyprians head to Staten Island on Sunday night for a match against newly promoted Richmond County FC, who won CSL Division 1 last season. Richmond are close to securing safety in their debut APSL season, a rare feat in a very competitive league. They’ll take on the Greek Americans the following week before finishing the season against SC Vistula Garfield.
NYGA will take on Doxa FCW at their home field at Hofstra University. After that they’ll only have two matches remaining to catch Pancyprians, who would need to drop points to open a window for a late title push.
The relegation battle is also razor thin, with the bottom four of Vistula, KidSuper Samba AC, Doxa, and Central Park Rangers separated by a few points. Richmond sits just one spot ahead of them in 8th.
Hoboken FC 1912, NY Athletic Club, and Zum Schneider FC 03 sit in the 5th, 6th, and 7th positions respectively. They are all out of reach of the APSL playoffs, but well clear of the relegation battle.
