With most of the oxygen in the soccer universe being consumed by the World Cup, it would be easy to miss the playoff soccer happening in the amateur ranks. Most of the leagues have finished regular season play and are moving rapidly towards crowning their leagues’ champion.

As the cohost of the W Show podcast, available on the Protagonist Podcast feed, I have been thrilled to watch the rapid expansion of the amateur women’s game across the league map. This year, the level of play was only elevated further due to the addition of multiple quality teams and a host of aspiring women athletes. Now two rounds into the playoffs, we’re down to just four remaining teams set to battle this Saturday.

Both National Semifinal matches are on Saturday, July 11. Vermont Green will host Asheville City at Virtue Field in Burlington, VT with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET, while Salmon Bay will host Minnesota Aurora at Interbay Stadium in Seattle, WA at 10:30 p.m. ET. The league finale will take place “during the weekend of July 18 with location and time to be determined.”

So let’s dig into the semifinal matchups:

Vermont Green FC vs Asheville City SC

Vermont Green’s rise to the semifinals in its first season as a women’s team has to be seen as a massive success. After a few friendlies with some big-time celebrity involvement, the club made a commitment to expanding into the women’s game and the payoff has been evident since day one. The regular season was a breeze for the expansion side, going undefeated and winning the Northeast Division easily. It was the first time in three years that a team not named North Carolina Courage U23 won the division.

The party continued in the first round of the playoffs, with Green winning over Long Island Rough Riders. After a scoreless first half, forward Emily Mara broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute. Mara would find the second for her brace and the score would end 3-0. The second round brought long-time challenger Eagle FC to Burlington. The home side would earn another shutout vicotry and the Eastern Conference title. Goals from defender Violet Rademacher and midfeidler Tess Barrett would be the deciders in a 2-0 win. Vermont’s next opponent, Asheville City SC, will visit Virtue Field on Saturday in a true test of Green’s newfound dominance.

Unlike Vermont Green, Asheville City SC is damn near a heritage women’s program. The Blues have been in play for almost a decade, beginning their run in the WPSL in 2018 before jumping to USL-W five years ago. After a first couple of seasons, the team is now in their third straight playoff run and becoming a force in the South Central Division. The regular season was a dream for ACSC, stringing together win after win and giving up only four goals in their 10-match regular season run. After giving up its only loss in the second match of the season, the Blues put together a stellar run to finish off play, capped with a revenge win over Birmingham Legion in its final regular season match.

The playoffs were more of that same stingy defense for the Blues. The postseason began with a big 3-0 win over Texas champion Lonestar SC. Juli Viera kicked off the scoring early and added a second for a brace. The third goal was an own goal from Lonestar. The second round of the playoffs was another regular time shut out for Asheville against FC Miami City, though the home side also didn’t score. After 120 minutes, the match was decided by PKs, 4-3.

*Photo Credit: USL W League social media*

Neither of these teams give up many goals and this match will be tough and low-scoring. Vermont will host this semifinal match and, given how the fans in green know how to show up, the crowd will be loud and spectacular. Hard not to assume that the 12th player will make a massive impact on the final result. My prediction, Vermont wins 2-1.

Salmon Bay FC vs Minnesota Aurora

The women’s side of former USL2 Champions Ballard FC, Salmon Bay FC joined the league last season and finished 3rd in the Northwest division. Regardless of the inauspicious start to league play, 2026 would be a very different season for the Seattle, Washington side. The Northwest Division featured a tightly-packed table, with three teams vying for the playoff spot. Salmon Bay, West Seattle Rhodies FC, and Snohomish United were neck and neck all season. After 12 matches, Salmon Bay managed to finish on top with a .1 PPM edge over the Rhodies.

In the playoffs, Salmon Bay drew the Mountain Division champion Colorado Storm. The Mountain Division has produced finalists the last two season (Runners-up Colorado Storm in 2024 and USL W Champion Utah United in 2025) and certainly offered a tough start for newcomers Salmon Bay. The match was a even affair for 120 minutes, with neither side managing to find the net. In PKs, Salmon Bay would triumph in the 6th round of shots to advance to the Western Conference Finals against Capo FC. The undefeated NorCal champions came to Washington with an perfect record, but left with a single and final loss. Salmon Bay would triumph 3-0 with a goal from Samiah Shell and a brace from Ameera Hussen.

You’d be hard pressed to find a better-run amatuer women’s program in the entire United States than Minnesota Aurora. founded in 2022 and entering the newly-launched USL W League. Community-owned and focused, Aurora has built a reputation of stellar play since inception. The team has won it’s Heartland Conference every year in dominant fashion. In fact, the team has NEVER lost a regular season match, sporting an incredibly 5 year regular season record of 55-0-5. They just do soccer right in Minnesota.

In spite of all that regular season success however, the team has never won a league title. And this year they are focused on ending that streak. The team traveled to Pittsburgh, PA for it’s playoff opener, facing Union FC Macomb. The defense that gave up a single goal all season was on display, shutting down Macomb in impressive fashion. Skye Leach and Jelena Zbiljic would provide the goal tallies for the visiting side, 2-0. In the Central Conference Final, home side Pittsburgh Riveters would require Aurora to use stoppage time heroics to advance. After trading goals with Pittsburgh, with just 2 minutes of stoppage time to work with, Pennsylvania native Gracie Dunaway would find herself in the perfect spot to one-time a crossed ball into the net for the win.

The decision to have Salmon Bay host the match wasn’t without some controversy. Minnesota Aurora issued a statement through its social channels expressing disappointment with the league’s decision to site the match in Washington and the planned kickoff time of 9:30PT (though it appears that has been adjusted to 7:30PT according to the league’s website). “We are incredibly frustrated that our bid to host the semifinals in Minnesota has been denied. As the only team that traveled for the conference playoffs and with the best record in the league, a premier facility in TCO Stadium, and the strongest fan support in the USL W, Aurora has earned the right to host.” The statement also highlighted the late kickoff time would effectively deny their supporters from engaging with the match via streaming.

*Photo Credit: Minnesota Aurora social media*

While they are the traveling team, all the pressure on this match is on Minnesota Aurora. Salmon Bay is playing with house money as a first-time playoff team with the massive advantage of hosting the match in front of a strong local fanbase. Aurora has proven they can put together perfect regular season runs, but the playoffs have been the team’s achilles heel. Can they continue the success another round and inch closer to a first league championship? I say yes. Aurora wins 2-0.

- Dan Vaughn