When Decatur FC blazed into the league in 2024, the club decisively blew away the competition. They followed it up last year with a 7-0-0 record and a league championship, and expectations were that the team would remain just as dominant this year.
That hasn’t been the case.
The level of play around the league has improved substantially, which Decatur FC found out as they drew, 1-1, with Atlanta Fire United on Tuesday. It’s the third non-win of the season, the most in the franchise’s short history. Decatur is 2-2-1 through five matches with two more left to play.
In some ways, it’s a situation of Decatur’s own making. That’s not a negative, per se. Decatur’s dominance in previous seasons forced other teams to elevate their programs. And as the most successful team in the league, they always have a target on their backs.
That’s what you want. As a club, you want to be the team that everybody wants to beat.
Campbell chapman
“That’s what you want,” Decatur coach Campbell Chapman said. “As a club, you want to be the team that everybody wants to beat. Last year, winning the conference, going 7-0-0 set a high standard. Obviously, you can see this year, we’re not going to reach those standards again, but that’s not uncommon in sports. It’s hard to keep it going because everybody around you raises their game.”
It’s a reality they experienced against AFU, who has yet to win a game, recording four straight losses to begin its season, yet played Decatur just as fiercely as the best teams in the WPSL. The Fire were pressuring Decatur all over the field, making it difficult for the club to complete the passes it uses to fuel its offense. This, too, is a tactic other teams have utilized against the club this season, recognizing the facilitating power of Decatur’s midfield and opting to take it away as an option.
Decatur got plenty of long balls in deep, just as it has in its last two matches. But just as in previous games this season, the team was unable to bury its chances. The issue has not been that the team has lost talent. It’s been a combination of difficult weather, hard opponents, and bad luck.
“We’re dominating games,” Chapman said. “We’re just not getting the results.”
Bad luck struck hard in this game. A clearing attempt early in the first half took a very fortuitous bounce for Atlanta Fire. Still, goalkeeper Nikki Bidun was ready, diving for the save, only for the ball to go off the foot of a Decatur defender and far over Bidun’s head for the 1-0 deficit.
“They go one up on a deflected shot, and here we are again, chasing the game,” Campbell said.
Despite the unlucky bounce, despite the cramped schedule, and despite a few injury scares throughout the game, Decatur stuck with its process.
Seconds before the whistle blew for halftime, they were rewarded as AFU failed to pursue a ball it thought was heading out of bounds in the corner. Defender Jordyn Crosby sprinted after it and retrieved it, however, and after a brief passing sequence, forward Dylan Driver arced the ball into the top corner of the net.
That was all the offense the game would see. As on Sunday, the wet field caused the pace of play to drag, and neither side could find the tiebreaker. Decatur headed home once again without a victory, but Chapman’s focus is on ending the season on a high note over the next three games.
“We can only control what we do on the pitch, and we’ve got to rise to the competition,” Chapman said. “They’re going to play tough against us, and we’re not looking backwards. We’re just going to look forward.”
Decatur FC plays again on Tues., June 23, when they host Chattanooga FC at Decatur High School.
