Following a loss to Sydney, our hopes in the GEO Cup now ride on winning out, and Sydney losing out. We can only take care of our side, and that starts this week as we welcome Joburg City 94 to The Pyramid. We got our first official win over Joburg back in week 3, but we're both different teams now. We're dealing with Bukayo Saka's hamstring injury, and, despite the loss to Sydney, showed we can certainly find the net. This week we'll be featuring defenseman Maxence Lacroix, who will be featured for the first time this season. #TheGoldStandard

Of course I would mess up the playoff scenarios I set, as I completely forgot ties could happen. And, of course, there was one. Let's start on the European side, where Inter Istanbul has claimed that pool, and thanks to the Europeans performance in the Global Series, will be hosting the final. Meanwhile, the World side is still Sydney Harbour FC's to lose, despite taking a loss to Club de Ragatas do Independencia. The easiest solution: Sydney Harbour FC wins against FC Tokyo Sakura and claims the World pool outright. Eye of the Sun can only win the pool with a win and a Sydney Harbour FC loss. Both Bukchon Hanok Stripes and Club de Ragatas do Independencia can claim the title as well. Club de Ragatas do Independencia will claim the World pool with a win over CF Federal and a Sydney Harbour FC loss. Bukchon Hanok Stripes require a three way tie, so would need a win, a Sydney Harbour FC loss and a Club de Ragatas do Independencia win. In that scenario, the team with the most points scored in pool play will claim the World pool. Got it?


So the World side has GEO Cup affecting games across the board this week, as Sydney Harbour FC will travel to Japan to take on FC Tokyo Sakura. Eye of the Sun FC will host Bukchon Hanok Stripes. And Club de Ragatas do Independencia hosts CF Federal in a battle of the only teams from the Americas. On the European side, they're playing it out. European pool winners, Inter Istanbul, will host 1. VfV 1158 Munich as a final tuneup before the GEO Cup final. Olympique de Bastille will travel to Italy to take on FC Alfa Roma. And St. Mungo FC will travel to Spain to take on Atlético Barcelona. The Global Series matchup, despite the game not affecting anything, will be from Rio de Janeiro and will feature Amsterdam KVV and Joburg City 94.

We started Geo Cup play with a game that meant nothing, and we're going to end it with another game that means nothing, as Istanbul has the European Group wrapped up. We at least get to finish the schedule at home, as we host St. Mungo. We'll look to get a little bit of momentum going into the second half of the year. Backup G Stefan Ortega gets a second straight start after putting up a valiant effort in a loss against Olympique.

Congrats to Inter Istanbul on their GEO Cup win. This guarantees The Old Club a playoff spot.

Getting back from the GEO Cup, we head back on the road to Paris to take on Olympique de Bastille. The Arcs are right in the thick of things for the playoff hunt, so we'll need to bring our A-game to France. We did pretty well in the GEO Cup, though a couple more wins would've been ideal, and we look to keep that momentum going. Featured for us for this game is defensemen Milos Kerkez, who stepped into the Starting XI with Cristian Romero's injury and has solidified himself as someone who needs time on the pitch. #TheGoldStandard