On Sunday, Say Word FC won the 2025 USASA Region III Amateur Cup, becoming the second team to qualify for the 2025 National Amateur Cup Finals. The team completed a gauntlet of games, culminating with a 1-0 win on Sunday afternoon against ASC New Stars.
Say Word, competing in its first-ever Region III tournament, will now head to Milwaukee later this summer for a chance at a national title and a spot in the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
Last Sunday’s final was the culmination of a three day, six team tournament featuring clubs from across the southern United States. In total, six teams representing three states descended on Browns Summit, N.C.
Separated into two groups of three teams, each team played three games against opponents from the opposite group. The two teams with the highest point total after three games, regardless of group, would advance to the final on Sunday.
Weather played a factor in the tournament. Saturday, June 14 saw harsh rain sweep across North Carolina and postponed all soccer matches that evening for Region III. The games were instead played on Sunday morning, pushing the Regional final to the afternoon.
Two additional issues came from this however. Firstly, Say Word FC’s final group stage opponent, Brute Force FC, was unable to field a full squad for its final match on Sunday. That meant Say Word advanced to the final without playing a game that morning. Their opponent ASC New Stars, which had traveled all the way from Houston, battled and narrowly beat two-time defending regional champion Tobacco Road FC on Sunday morning.
The second issue was the final itself, which was pushed up from 2 pm to 1 pm local time in order to avoid incoming storms. Giving ASC New Stars even less time to recover before the championship match.
In the end, the Texas side still gave Say Word a tough match. The New Stars held the fresh squad scoreless through the first half, but Lionel Mobiang scored early in the second half for what would be the game’s only goal. New Stars were shown a red card 70 minutes in as well, making a difficult situation near insurmountable.
Below is a complete recap of the entire Region III tournament, with scores from each of the group stage games.
FRIDAY, JUNE 13
Tobacco Road FC (NC, TASL)
9:1
Brute Force FC (GA, ADASL)
Bryan Park Soccer Complex, BP Field 3 – Browns Summit, NC
TRFC:
- Tyler Petz (x2)
- William Casey
- Jahmir Flowers
- Ali Al-Qaq
- Boni Salinas
- Carlos Lemona
- Austin Briggs
- Ryan Rosales
BFFC:
- Guilherme Caldas
Say Word FC (NC, NCSL)
7:0
Peachtree SC (GA, ADASL)
Bryan Park Soccer Complex, BP Field 7 – Browns Summit, NC
SWFC:
- Claudio Garcia-Yanez (x2)
- Renato Hanzek
- Parker Spesock
- Francis Boafo
- Cristian Romero
- Diego Giffuni
Tar Devils SC (NC, NCSL)
0:4
ASC New Stars (TX, HFA)
Bryan Park Soccer Complex, BP Field 8 – Browns Summit, NC
ASC:
- Dessaline Felix Allison (x3)
- Ivan Luquetta
SATURDAY, JUNE 14
ASC New Stars (TX, HFA)
2:2
Say Word FC (NC, NCSL)
Bryan Park Soccer Complex, BP Field 2 – Browns Summit, NC
ASC:
- Hani Ahmad
- Miguel Zapata
SWFC:
- Renato Hanzek
- Alejandro Lopez
Brute Force FC (GA, ADASL)
2:3
Tar Devils SC (NC, NCSL)
Bryan Park Soccer Complex, BP Field 3 – Browns Summit, NC
BFFC:
- Guilherme Caldas
- Rando Esaie
TDSC:
- Jose Garcia
- Don Williams Jr.
- Brian Potocnik
Peachtree SC (GA, ADASL)
1:6
Tobacco Road FC (NC, TASL)
Bryan Park Soccer Complex, BP Field 7 – Browns Summit, NC
PSC:
- Pedro Marinho
TRFC:
- Mateo Perdomo (x2)
- Carlos Lemona
- Sean Ellis
- Tommy Robertson
- Rodrigo Byrne
SUNDAY, JUNE 15 (9 AM)
(The third games of group stage play were originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, June 14 at 8 PM. However adverse weather forced the matches to be postponed until Sunday morning, also pushing the time of the USASA Region III Final back into the early afternoon.)
Tobacco Road FC (NC, TASL)
1:2
ASC New Stars (TX, HFA)
Bryan Park Soccer Complex, BP Field 2 – Browns Summit, NC
TRFC:
- Kevan Kahoussi
ASC:
- Ivan Luquetta
- Diego Herrera (PK)
Tar Devils SC (NC, NCSL)
3:0
Peachtree SC (GA, ADASL)
Bryan Park Soccer Complex, BP Field 3 – Browns Summit, NC
TDSC:
- Jose Garcia (x2)
- Michael Pasca
Say Word FC (NC, NCSL)
W:L
Brute Force FC (GA, ADASL)
Bryan Park Soccer Complex, BP Field 7 – Browns Summit, NC
Due to lack of players, Brute Force FC forfeit their final group stage match against Say Word FC.
Final Group Stage Standings
| Team | Group | Points | Wins | Draws | Loses | GF | GA | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Say Word FC | A | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | +10 |
| ASC New Stars | B | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 |
| Tobacco Road FC | A | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 4 | +12 |
| Tar Devils SC | A | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -1 |
| Brute Force FC | B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 15 | -12 |
| Peachtree SC | B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 16 | -15 |
SUNDAY, JUNE 15 (1 PM)
Say Word FC (NC, NCSL)
1:0
ASC New Stars (TX, HFA)
Bryan Park Soccer Complex, BP Field 2 – Browns Summit, NC
SWFC:
- Lionel Mobiang
With Rayados and Triangle Brigade having all but wrapped up their spots in the final, the third round of games featured some wacky results. Rayados tied Motagua 3-3, and Cajun SC beat Red Force 4-3. Resting his players, Sisneros’ side lost 11-0 to Lynch’s in its final game. However, Rayados and Triangle Brigade won their groups and earned berths to the 2015 US Open Cup.