Round 2 of "Polk County Soccer Championship" Sunday as Tropics travel to Winter Haven

AUBURNDALE, Fla. –  The Florida Tropics SC Presented by Bond Clinic and Winter Haven United will square off in “round two” of the Polk County soccer championships when they meet again Sunday in a United Premier Soccer League Florida West division showdown.

The game is a rematch of an Oct. 3 matchup which the Tropics won, 4-1, on a rain-soaked night at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale. 

Florida currently holds down second place in the division, four points behind Sarasota-based Dragon City FC. Those two teams will tangle next weekend in Sarasota, and the Tropics still have played one less game than Dragon City, meaning they continue to control their own fate when it comes to a regular-season title.

The Tropics have had an amazingly balanced offensive attack in amassing its 5-1-0 record this fall, with three different players – Bruno Henrique, Kewin Duque – leading in scoring with five goals each. Players with four goals so far this year include Melvin Boateng, Corey Mills, and Wendell Albuquerque.

“We are looking forward to our rematch this weekend. It’s great to have a quality local rivalry, and I expect this  game to be similar to the first one which was a spirited match and was well played by both sides,” Coach Lucas Teixeira noted. “We will need to make sure we stay aggressive and focused to get the result we want.

The matchup was originally scheduled for Saturday, but has moved to Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at Lake Maude Sports Complex in Winter Haven. Admission is $5 a person.

The Tropics will play a 12-game fall season and are the defending 2019 Spring UPSL national champions. Because of the ongoing pandemic, the UPSL did not play a spring season this year. Florida will also start its fifth season playing indoors in the Major Arena Soccer League this winter as the defending Eastern Conference champions. Games are played at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.