A new champion was crowned for the third-straight year in the men's division at the 7v7 competition
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Bumpy Pitch FC defeated Pumas De Alabama 2-1 in TST 2025 finalMatch ended in 2v2 scenario, over 60 minutes playedFormer USMNT captain Bornstein crowned championFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Bumpy Pitch FC were crowned champions of TST 2025 Monday evening at Wakemed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., after defeating Pumas De Alabama 2-1 in the championship game.
An unprecedented final, BPFC came back from a 1-0 deficit at the end of regulation to score twice in Target Score Time – with the winner arriving after teams were reduced to a 2v2 battle on the pitch. Charlie Gonzalez scored the winner, firing from nearly 30 yards on an open goal to secure the title and the one million dollar prize.
"It just means a lot," Gonzalez said postgame on ESPN+. "You can do anything in life, it doesn't have to be in soccer. It can be anything you put yourself through, you know, you've just got to be committed," he added, sharing what the moment meant to him.
His third year competing in TST, Gonzalez made it to the final with Nani FC in 2024, but fell short of the $1M prize. This time around, he bagged the winning strike and earned a golden fleece, which guarantees him entry for life at TST as a fan.
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The Bumpy Pitch FC roster sported many recognizable names, including former USMNT captain Jonathan Bornstein – though he didn't feature immensely in the final. Others included former Liga MX players Jesus Molina, Alan Ponce, Edgar Castillo Carrillo, Duvier Orlando Riascos Barahona and former Red Star Belgrade man and the team's leading scorer throughout the competition, Cristian Martinez Borja.
To get to the final, BPFC defeated Plymouth Argyle in the Round of 32, Sebastian Giovinco and Kwik GOAL FC in the Round of 16, Drip FC in the quarterfinals, and Stephen Ireland's Pasha Luxury in the semifinals.
This was BPFC's first title.
DID YOU KNOW?
In 2023, Newtown Pride FC claimed the inaugural title, while in 2024, La Bombonera claimed the title. Multiple players from the 2024-winning roster on La Bombonera switched sides to represent Pumas this go-around.
The Soccer TournamentWHAT NEXT?
With his portion of the winnings, game-winning scorer Gonzalez said he is going to take his parents on a trip and treat them. Having already competed for three years in the competition, surely he will be back for 2025 – and BPFC are surely to follow.
