On a sleepy Friday morning (the match kicked off at 8:30 AM EST), Villita FC played their last group stage match vs. Blade & Grass FC. The Little Village had everything to play for in this match as they were in a win-and-advance situation. However, it was not meant to be, as Villita fell to B&G 2-1. 

The first half was mostly uneventful as the two teams were evenly matched and still waking up. B&G intercepted a Villita pass to earn a two-on-one breakaway opportunity that led to a goal in the ninth minute to break the deadlock. Villita’s struggles continued from yesterday afternoon as they did not register a shot (in general or on target) in the first half.

In the second half, Villita played much better as they were more aggressive and made way more opportunities for themselves, including two shots that had to be saved within the first two minutes of the half. Villita earned a Penalty Kick in the 36th minute, but the shot was wide of the goal, truly a missed opportunity that would cost Villita. However, The Little Village did find the back of the net in the 39th minute to draw themselves even with B&G. This set up the Target Ending at two goals, meaning that the next goal would win the match. 

In Target Time, Villita continued their momentum from the end of the second half and opened with two great shots on target. However, neither team was able to break the deadlock with seven players on the field, so the official moved to the second phase of the Target Time, where they brought the match down to six vs. six. A few moments into the change, B&G intercepted another Villita pass and had a one-on-one chance vs. a flat-footed, arms-down keeper that led to the goal for B&G that gave them the victory.

With the loss, Villita exits the tournament with a record of one win, two losses, three points in group A, and a goal difference of negative two; last place in group A. 

The Little Village was a popular sleeper pick to win the tournament, so the early exit will not sit well with the player, coaches, or management. Especially after the hot start and huge win over Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, to go out like this is not going to leave a good taste in anyone’s mouth. The future for Villita FC seems to be up in the air as the club was formed primarily out of two clubs (San Diego Soccers and Metro Louisville) merging rosters and finding several financial supporters across the Bluegrass. It is still being determined if this will happen again next year for the next version of the TST 7v7 $1 Million showcase.

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