1859 FC and NOLA Athletic FC Meet in a First-Place Showdown

October 29th, 2026

Six games in, two clubs, 13 points each. The first season of the UPSL Gulf Coast Conference has delivered exactly the race it promised.

On Saturday, October 31, 1859 FC host NOLA Athletic FC at City Park Pan Am Stadium in New Orleans with sole possession of first place on the line. Both clubs sit at 4-1-1, with 1859 ahead on goal difference, +13 to +9.

How the race took shape

Uptown United set the early pace with three straight wins, including a 2-1 win over 1859 on opening day. On October 10, NOLA Athletic made their own statement with a 5-0 win at Uptown, with Javier Portillo Martínez scoring twice and Clarens Julien, Edwar Hernandez and Bendea Telfort adding one each.

1859 answered the next day with a 1-0 win over Nola Wolves FC, then won 4-0 at Pali FC on October 17, with Axel Agurcia scoring twice. NOLA Athletic stayed right with them, beating Diversity United FC 3-0 on October 24.

A rematch with history

1859 won the first meeting 3-0 at Young Audiences Park in September, and they arrive on the back of a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Uptown on October 23. Agurcia leads the club with five goals. For NOLA Athletic, Portillo Martínez and Hernandez have three each.

Plenty still to play for

Saturday won’t settle everything. Uptown United sit two points back on 11, and the regular season runs through November 21. But the winner of this one will carry first place, and real momentum, into the final three weeks of the inaugural campaign.

For a conference only six weeks old, the Gulf Coast already has a rivalry.

About the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)

Founded in 2011, the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) serves as the unofficial fourth tier of the U.S. Soccer pyramid. With over 900 teams competing across its Premier, Division 1, Division 2, Academy, and Women’s divisions, the UPSL is the largest semi-professional soccer league in North America.

A National Affiliate member of the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), the UPSL is made up of independently owned and operated clubs. Through its USSF affiliation, UPSL teams are eligible to compete in the U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Rounds.

For more information, visit www.upsl.com or follow @upslsoccer on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

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