MOBA Proud

With the opening rounds of the PDL Playoffs concluded, all that remains is for the final four teams to face off for the championship. The season has been long, and once again, Peachtree City MOBA find themselves on the outside looking in. While the 2017 campaign did not go as planned, year two did hold a long list of positives for the seasons to come. During the offseason, MOBA made a number of big acquisitions, including Jamaican internationals goalkeeper Nick Nelson and midfielder Khallil Stewart, Trinidad and Tobago international midfielder Matthew Wooling, University of Dayton standout defender Michael Brezovsky, and former Memphis City talent Santiago Moore. Alongside returning players like Todd Fidler, Adam Sheikali, and Salomon Lorenzano, the 2017 roster seemed well set to make a run, and hopes were high throughout the pre-season as MOBA walked through their three match schedule. Securing a home and away win against Georgia Revolution FC and another home victory...

Well, at long last, the book is closed. Fourteen matches, 1,260 minutes, and the 2017 PDL season has come to its conclusion. Though it may not have gone to plan for MOBA, there are a number of positives to be taken from a season full of negatives, and even though MOBA did not finish where they had hoped, one cannot help but to have high hopes for the coming seasons. Playing SC United Bantams for the fifth time in two years, MOBA have never gotten a result against their South Carolina rivals, and they had hoped that a home finale would bode well for the yellow and black. Missing key pieces such as Adam Sheikali, Todd Fidler, and Daniel Valenciano, the ninety minutes to come were not going to be easy, but they had nothing to lose. Things got off to an abysmal start, however, as MOBA's Cris Araya went down with a leg injury in the opening minute of play. Immediately after the sub off, MOBA's Jairo Ruiz failed to clear the ball away from the MOBA net in the fourth minu...

Two and a half months, thirteen matches, and we are finally at the conclusion. While the season may not have gone quite as Peachtree City had hoped, MOBA can still finish on a high note and equal last season's record with a win on Saturday. The task will not be an easy one, but this MOBA side is motivated to give the fans something positive going into the offseason. Following a 3-9-2 season last year that featured just one home win, MOBA were expecting to get themselves into the title conversation in their second year. With only a handful of players returning and a bunch of new talent, the season held a lot of promise, and that promise escalated after the three-match pre-season in which MOBA won all three matches over their NPSL neighbors Georgia Revolution FC and fifth-division side East Point Pumas by an aggregate score of 14-3. The season immediately took a turn for the worst, however, as MOBA got run out of Nashville in the season opener by a score of 6-1. That...

Sometimes in sports, things just do not go your way. Whether it be a stretch of minutes or a whole game, Lady Luck may look upon you unfavorably, and that appears to be exactly what happened to MOBA in Saturday's Clasico rematch. After being routed by Tormenta 6-3 on Monday, MOBA looked for revenge against their in-state rivals who were still fighting for a playoff spot, but that never seemed to come to fruition. As the first half started, things looked great for MOBA, as the defense played outstanding in the opening half hour. Headed by Michael Brezovsky and James Thomas, MOBA's back four did an excellent job keeping Tormenta off the ball and away from the goal. The offense seemed to be struggling a bit to get things going, but the score sat even, so it was not a glaring issue. That is, until Jad Arslan made his name known again. In the thirty-seventh minute, Michael Brezovsky, who had played excellent up to this point, tried to play the ball up field, but it was inter...

There is nothing better in sports than a rivalry. Two sides that hate each other more than a cat hates water going head-to-head in search of supremacy over the other is sure to bring some outstanding matchups, and the Georgia PDL Clasico has proven no different. After two years and four matches, the series between Peachtree City and South Georgia is deadlocked at 1-2-1, with Saturday's matchup having the potential to put one side on top going into the 2018 season. Thus far in the series, all four matches have been absolute classics, as the final decision came right to the final minutes. In the first matchup back in June of 2016, it was MOBA who drew first blood, as Iain Smith scored the match's lone goal and MOBA won 1-0. A month later, the two sides met for the first time in Peachtree City in one of the most exciting matches in MOBA history. After MOBA went into the break up a goal thanks to Nick Spielman's header, Jeremy Rector and Todd Fidler, who was making his M...

A season can go however it wishes. Teams can be good, and teams can be bad. Teams can score every game, and teams can struggle to score at all. No matter how a year goes, rivalry matches are a whole different monster. Take records, statistics, game film, and throw it all out the window, because a rivalry isn't played by any usual means, and the 4th Georgia PDL Clasico proved no different. Just like on Saturday, the opening few minutes of the match could not have gone any worse for MOBA. After Tormenta midfielder Nick Wells won the ball from both Salomon Lorenzano and Daniel Olaniran, Wells took a run and played an expert ball up the field toward Jad Arslan. Arslan, who had not scored all season, touched the ball past goalkeeper Luke Oesterle, found himself in open space, and chipped the ball into the empty net, putting Tormenta up 1-0 in the fourth minute. Twelve matches, fifteen first half goals for opposing teams against Peachtree City, and only one time have MOBA been a...

Let's just put the first half of the season behind us. Looking at the second half by itself, MOBA have been on a roll through their last four, going 2-1-1 overall, including their first ever two-match unbeaten streak in team history. With victories on the road against Nashville SC and at home against Tri-Cities, as well as a draw on Saturday in Mississippi, MOBA find themselves in an excellent place, finally pulling off the bottom of the table, and hopefully it will stick. The road won't be easy, but MOBA are fueled up and ready to compete. Courtesy: South Georgia Tormenta FC Heading into Clinton, Mississippi following a dramatic 2-1 home victory against Tri-Cities, MOBA knew they could get a result, but it would take the effort of the full roster to pull it out. Playing with just sixteen available men (one of which was head coach Omar Jarun, who was not expected to actually play), the starting lineup against Brilla was packed full of players who had not played much th...

Any chance the Avenue has room for a statue of Todd Fidler? Going into Saturday's matchup with Mississippi Brilla FC, MOBA found themselves on a high after winning two of their last three matches in dramatic fashion. Goals were finally beginning to come for the MOBA offense, and the defense was doing just enough to keep the opposition at bay. Facing a Brilla team that average 0.78 goals allowed per game would, however, be a tough draw for any team, but MOBA had the confidence they needed to get a result. Following an hour long weather delay, the match could not have started off any worse for MOBA, as Andre DeGiorgi put the home side up almost immediately with a brilliant goal in the opening five minutes. Things calmed down offensively afterwards, but Brilla were still dominating possession and chances in the early going. Any opportunities that MOBA found themselves with were broken up, and all the pressure was on the defense to keep things within arms reach. MOBA's firs...

Despite a very slow start to the season for Peachtree City, things are finally beginning to come together in the second half of the campaign. After going 0-6-1 in their first seven matches while only scoring six goals, MOBA are now 2-1-0 in their last three with victories on the road against Nashville SC U23 on June 21st and at home against Tri-Cities Otters FC on June 27th, scoring five goals in the process. Things will not be easy going down the final stretch of the season, but Peachtree City find themselves in a great place to finish strong. Facing an Otters team that beat them in both of their previous matchups, MOBA looked to finally get their revenge, and there was no better place than at home. Despite giving up a goal early on, Omar Jarun, who took over head coaching duties from owner Volker Harms, fired up his troops heading into the second half. With a potential equalizer looming large, Jarun made the executive decision to sub in midfielder Victor Forti, and in...

It may have taken a month and a half and nine games, but things are finally coming together for Peachtree City MOBA. After starting the season 0-6-1, MOBA found themselves at the bottom of the table and searching for an answer. Enter Edmundo Robinson and Todd Fidler. The two midfielder/forwards have been at the center of MOBA's strong run of success over the last three matches, and they look to keep their rolls going into the offseason. Having finally earned their first victory in almost a year on June 21st in Nashville, MOBA needed to fix their home issues if they hoped to fix their season. Returning home to meet Tri-Cities was not going to make that task easy, however. Having played the Otters twice this season, Tri-Cities defeated MOBA in both matches by just one goal, but both of those matches were in Johnson City. This time, the site of battle turned to Peachtree City. As the first half started, it was the Otters who got on the board first, as Sam Amure headed in Conner...

As has been said for many years, there is no place like home. For Peachtree City, they need that to ring true over their final four home matches if they hope to dig themselves out of a shallow hole at the bottom of the table. It won't take much to pull MOBA back toward the middle of the table, and a victory against Tri-Cities would be just what they need to get started. After finally getting their first victory of the season on the road against Nashville SC in a 3-2 thriller, Peachtree City went into Irmo, South Carolina with the hopes of getting a second against a desperate SC United side. Hopes don't always equal wins, however, as SC United's Bradlee Baladez scored in the seventeenth minute and MOBA could never find their equalizer in a match that epitomized MOBA's early season goal-scoring troubles. Having lost to the Bantams for the third time in club history, Peachtree City will be looking to finally get their name in the win column of the series on the fina...

Coming off a 3-2 victory in Nashville on Wednesday, MOBA took the trip across state lines to Irmo, South Carolina for a rematch with SC United Bantams. Having earned their first victory of the year, Peachtree City needed to carry over the momentum and play as they did against Nashville SC if they hoped to defeat the Bantams for the first time in club history. Right out of the gate, it was MOBA who seemed to be on top, as they dominated possession and attack, but they could not find the net. Fifteen minutes passed, and neither team could find the net. With all looking safe for Peachtree City, all it took was a minute for things to get turned around. In the seventeenth minute, it was Bradlee Baladez who got the scoring started off a Leandro Browne assist. Just like that, MOBA were back on the tail end of a 1-0 scoreline, but with the experience of winning under their belt, hopes were in favor of MOBA being able to equalize before halftime. That would not happen, however, as the rem...

At long last, it has finally happened. Peachtree City MOBA were able to close out Wednesday's match against Nashville SC U23 stronger than any match in the past and steal three points on the road against the second-place team in the division. The victory not only marked Peachtree City's first PDL win since June 22nd of 2016, but it was also the first time that MOBA have defeated Nashville following 6-1 and 2-1 defeats. Going into the final six matches of the season, MOBA hope to carry this new found momentum into South Carolina as they take on an SC United Bantams that came out on top in the last meeting thanks to a late stoppage time winner from Terell Williamson. Heading into Nashville on a seven-match winless streak which featured four one-goal losses, Peachtree City needed to get things turned around in a hurry, but facing a team that had beaten them in the previous two matches without their leading goal scorer in Edmundo Robinson was going to be a tall order. The m...

Nobody ever said winning would be easy. Following a below par 0-6-1 start for Peachtree City MOBA, the yellow and black found themselves back in Nashville against a team that had outscored them 8-2 in their first two matchups. If MOBA hoped to have any shot against a dominant Nashville SC team, they were going to need to pull out every trick they could. The match started out heavily in favor of the U23's, as they dominated the attack and possession of the first three minutes. Despite the quick start, the MOBA defense, spearheaded by second-year players Adam Sheikali and Salomon Lorenzano, successfully held Nashville at bay while the offense got their feet beneath them. As the first few minutes ticked by, Peachtree City began to claw back into the match and pose a threat to Nashville keeper William Pyle. It was Nashville who got the first big chance for either team, however, when Blake Wilson nearly opened the scoring in the seventh minute, however Daniel Olaniran made an exper...

It goes without saying that there was a massive increase in competitiveness in the second matchup between Peachtree City MOBA and Nashville SC U23 compared to the first. The May 13th battle between the two sides that ended in a 6-1 Nashville victory was dominated by the U23's, however the June 3rd match in Peachtree City, despite still being won by Nashville 2-1, was a far more intriguing game that made every fan hold their breath until the final whistle. Now, MOBA and Nashville are back in Tennessee for the third and final entry of the series in 2017, as Nashville look to complete the sweep, and Peachtree City hope to spoil Nashville's undefeated home record. Halfway through the year, MOBA are fighting for every point they can get their hands on. Following the first coaching change in franchise history, the results have not been up to expectations, as Peachtree City currently sit at 0-6-1, which is last in the division. Despite winning all of their friendlies against NP...