UPSL: The 2025 Playoffs, So Far
UPSL is the league that never sleeps - as soon as one season ends another one is already underway! It should not be a surprise then, that half of the playoff field has been settled for a month while other conferences were still figuring out their contenders. This weekend, we head into the second half of the Round of 16 The Western Conferences are on standby with the Eastern half of the UPSL in action. All four matchups give us some big names and there should be some all time bangers in here.
New York Braveheart SC vs Lynchburg FC
07/19/2025 at 3:00 pm (EST) from the Aviator Sports and Event Center in Brooklyn, NY
Braveheart SC came in 2d in the Northeast American - North with 7 wins, 2 draws, and a loss, which gave them 23 points. Miguel Soto (10), Harry Cooke (7), Daniel Bedoya (5), and many more gave them a +26 GD. New York had a 5-2 goalfest of a road win in the Round of 32, beating Fall River FC, and moved on to the Round of 16 to face Lynchburg FC
Lynchburg FC finished top of DMV South-B with 28 points from 9 wins and a draw; goals were spread out amongst them with Patrick Hissim (6), John Clark (4), Luke Eberle (4), and Wilson Bowles (4). Lynchburg knocked out DC Hyper on the road in the Round of 32 to get here.
2. Tennessee Tempo FC vs Asheville FC
07/19/25 at 4:00 pm (EST) from Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, TN
Tennessee Tempo finished 2nd in the KN-TN conference with 10 wins and only 1 loss all season. Harrison Watts led the line on 13 goals, Greg Cousins added 8 more, and Nathaniel Bedai 7 more to that. Notably, their defense allowed only 7 goals all season helping them to earn a fantastic +41 GD. Tempo dominated 314 SC in the Round of 32 and will host a hopeful Asheville FC next.
Asheville FC came in 2nd in their Mid-Atlantic South, just behind previous champions, Soda City. Adam Spencer contributed a team-high 8 goals, while Zeljko Stanojevic had 5. They sent Potros FC home last round and hope to upset another top team when the travel to Murfreesboro this weekend.
3. Chicago Nation FC vs New York Shockers
07/20/25 at 2:00 pm (EST) from Byers Field at Robert M Boulton Stadium in Parma, Ohio
Chicago Nation FC finished with an identical record of 8 wins, 0 losses, and 2 draws with KS Wisloka Chicago and advanced to the Round of 32 where they knocked out Detroit City FC II. Zakhar Shkidchenko netted 8 goals to lead the team, Daniel Lukaszczyk added 7, and Mark Vitaliy Hul had 5. They host New York Shockers.
New York Shockers advanced from the Round of 32 after defeating Ohio Fut SC in penalties 4-3. The team from Albany, NY were champions of the Western NY-East Conference and finished with 7 wins, 2 draws, and a loss. The league website has 15 different goal scorers listed in what looks like a full-team effort to get to this stage of the season and they head to Ohio to take on the team from Illinois.
4. Miami United FC vs Lakeland United
07/20/25 at 6:00 pm (EST) from Flamingo West Park in Cooper City, FL
Miami United FC won the Florida-South conference on 31 points and a +29 GD with 10 wins, a draw, and a couple of losses. Diego Morales is the danger man, who bagged 10 goals; Luis Peralta had 9; Alejo Fernandez 9; and Robertino Insua scored 8. Miami shut out FC America Spurs, 3-0, in their opening playoff game.
Lakeland United knocked out Florida Premier from the playoff picture with a 1-0 win on the road. They finished 4th in a very tight Florida-West conference, which saw 1st and 2nd place teams stumble at the conference playoff stage. With only 6 wins all year, they see themselves playing a really tough opponent in Miami United - Lakeland were led in scoring by Vitor Mendonca, who had 9 according to the UPSL website.
Protagonist Soccer’s Post-Season Coverage of UPSL
by Joshua Duder