Two local teams have changed directions in the current strides with GCPL Western Conference play. Shreveport United made it two in a row and pushed their ways back into the playoff picture. Red River FC had to go on the road and had to play a quasi-home game in Austin, TX last week. The road trip was not kind to the Black Bears as they finished with a tie and loss for the weekend.
Shreveport United 4, Cajun Rush 1
Shreveport United took a second consecutive win for the season and moved into third place in the GCPL Western Conference. United dominated with a 4-1 win over Cajun Rush on Saturday night at Lee Hedges Stadium. After a scoreless first half with only a yellow card recorded on the score sheet for Cajun Rush, the explosive second half was mainly dominated by United. The stalemate finally was broken as Steven Bush popped the net in the 52nd minute to give United a 1-0 lead. Keeping United fresh, David Martinz came in for Adam Bihler in the 59th minute. Seeing that they needed to catch up Cajun Crush make a change with three subs in the 60-minute range. Cade Trahan came in for Brandon Briscoe in the 60th minute. Kade Theunissen subbed in for Chase Clark in the 66th minute. Claudy St. Louis came on the pitch for Jamison Angelle in the 67th. The changes weren’t enough as Steve Bush once again struck with a second goal for the game in the 69th minute to push the lead to 2-0 for United. Cajun Crush finally got their opportunity in the 75th minute as Jabari Broussard cut the lead to 2-1. Shreveport brought in Vladimir Hood for Daniel Meza afterward. Both teams made substitutes in the 82nd minutes as Bruno Palmieri joined the game for Shreveport United and Thomas Morris came on for Cajun Crush. In a flurry to keep fresh legs to keep the win, United brought in Nick Sepulvado (88th), Will Bradford (90th), and Michael Hamauei (90th). Shreveport United added insurance in the last few minutes with goals by Vladimir Hood (90th) and David Martinez (90th) to get the 4-1 win.
Red River FC 3, Central Texas Lobos 3
A fast-paced first half saw the Lobos come back early in the second half to pull off the 3-3 tie. The Lobos didn’t waste time in getting on the scoreboard as Joel Garbuio netted the first goal in the 5th minute. The Black Bears got the opportunity to tie the game with a penalty kick by Hugo Juliao in the 9th minute. Already within the first ten minutes, the score was tied 1-1. Sergio Perez popped the net to give Red River FC their first lead of the game in the 20th minute. Garbuio did not allow the Black Bears to celebrate long as he knotted the game at 2 in the 24th minute. The Black Bears took the 3-2 lead into halftime as Joab Sanchez scored in the 41st minute. Sanchez went out early in the second half as Abdullah Rayyan came in. The Lobos made a change also subbing out Hasan Nhew and subbing in Brayan Villalobos-Castillo in the 53rd minute. Garbuio grabbed his hat trick in the 58th minute tying the game at 3-3 for Central Texas. Neither team had to settle for a point apiece in the high-scoring event.
Central Texas Lobos 2, Red River FC 0
A couple of weeks ago Central Texas had traveled to North Louisiana, but the match with Red River FC had been rained out due to thunderstorms in the area. To make up the home game, Red River had to settle for a home game in Austin. The quasi-home was not kind to the Black Bears on Sunday morning. Central Texas made on a substitute in the first half as Ahmed Hamed came in for Jordan Guardado. A late first-half goal by Diego Portales gave the Lobos the 1-0 halftime lead. The Lobos continued to change things up on the pitch early in the second half as Andy Flores and Joel Garbuio entered the contest in the 46th minute. Black Bears made their first substitution in the 54th minute as Sergio Perez made his appearance in the match. Central Texas made two more subs afterward as Andre Wabulakombe and Gianluca Mata came in the 61st and 75th minute, respectively. The Lobos found an opening and scored an insurance goal in the 83rd minute by Juan Pablo Correa – Valencia to seal the win for the Lobos.
Shreveport United will have to go on the road and face the second-place Central Texas Lobos. A win could push a chance for the playoffs. Red River FC will be at home on Saturday at 7:15 pm at the Minden Recreation Center Stadium. The Black Bears will take on Cajun Crush.
Western Conference
| Teams | Rec | Pts | Goal Differential |
| LA Krewe | 7-1-0 | 21 | +19 |
| Central Texas Lobos | 4-1-1 | 13 | +3 |
| Shreveport United | 3-2-1 | 10 | -3 |
| Red River FC | 2-3-2 | 8 | -1 |
| Cajun Rush | 1-4-0 | 3 | -1 |
| Alexandria PBFC | 0-6-0 | 0 | -17 |
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