The USL’s own W League is headed into its third full season and the strong have only become stronger; the league has become bigger; and there is so much more at stake. With the USL Super League in the offing, opportunities for players to make the transition from amateur to professional have never been more plentiful and opportunities for successful coaches to make their mark and be offered the chance to not only get paid to do what they love, but to make a career of it, are in the balance.

Join our staff and guest writers as we take a look at the biggest stories and most compelling matchups of the 2024 USL W League Season!

AC Houston Sur vs Lonestar SC

5/11 at Ross Sterling High School

Two steady-performing South Texas women’s soccer forces meet up in the newly formed Texas Lonestar division looking to take their game to the next level. Both teams have regularly dominated in lower division and youth leagues this game will help to see who is ready to make the next jump up in skill and competition level. Judging from the rosters both teams are young college and recent college grads. Hopefully, they add veteran and ex-professional players to bring in leadership.

Danielle Gawronski

FC Olympia vs Tacoma Galaxy

05/18 at South Sound Stadium

Last year’s winners of the Northwest Division have undergone a rebrand but have retained the heart and spirit of a winner - and last year, without an in-state rival, they traveled extensively to Oregon. That’s changed this season with the addition of Tacoma Galaxy, a squad that comes out of the legendary indoor program, the Tacoma Stars, and one who hopes to go to Lacey Washington and steal a result from the returning division champs.

Josh Duder

Detroit City FC vs Flint City AFC

5/18 at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, MI

These two kick off their season with a home and away in consecutive weeks - first at Atwood Stadium in Flint, but then the second between these two clubs is at Keyworth. The supporters of DCFC make home field a true advantage for their club and this will be the home opener for Detroit City FC; it should be lit.

Dan Vaughn

Eagle FC vs Lancaster Inferno FC

5/19 at Mountain View Middle School, Mechanicsburg PA

New to USL W in 2024, but far from being new as a club, Lancaster Inferno joined the league from the UWS (their second team is playing in UWS 2) where they have consistently competed for division titles and have made runs for the championship. Now in the Big W, their first matchup of the season is against Eagle FC - the club that won this division last year. These two Pennsylvania clubs have the potential to develop a great rivalry.

John Howard-Fusco

NC Courage II vs SG Tormenta FC

05/19 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC

NC Courage II, Last season's USL W second place team, is ready to get their 2024 playoff dreams underway. Their first meeting will have them face off against the winners of the inaugural USL W season in 2022, South Georgia Tormenta FC. Neither of these two former finalists are currently ranked in the top of the division making for a great match to see if there's a spark of either side's previous glory.

MaryBeth Zmuda

Richmond Ivy SC v Charlottesville Blues FC

5/23 at City Stadium in Richmond

The two new clubs in the Mid-Atlantic will play each other home and away this season in an I-64 derby matchup! The first game in the series will be the second competitive match ever for both clubs, so both will be looking for a statement win against a regional rival. They meet again just two weeks later (06/05 at Charlottesville) and the result will likely be defining as the clubs head into the back half of the season. Excited to see how this newborn rivalry develops!

Kate McCarthy - RiverCity93 Podcast

Richmond Ivy SC v Christos FC

06/01 at City Stadium in Richmond, VA

Richmond and Christos’ men’s programs have a long history in the US Open Cup. After the Kickers topped Christos earlier this year in the USOC, the Ivy have the opportunity to make it a 2024 double over Christos at home in May. And depending on the result, June’s second matchup (06/19 at Glen Burnie, MD) could determine one side walking away with a winning record. Christos finished second in the division last season and will be expecting to compete again for the playoff spots - newcomers Ivy will have to bring their A Game.

Kate McCarthy - RiverCity93 Podcast

Indy Eleven vs Racing Louisville FC

06/07 at Main Field, Grand Park in Westfield, IN

The second of three meetings between the two teams but the only one at home for the defending league champions in this series. Indy and Racing finished 1st and 2nd in the Central Conference - even on points but Indy had the tie-breaker when they won away last year. Now, the home advantage is Racing’s, but can they seal it with an away result of their own this season?

Josh Duder

Minnesota Aurora FC vs River Light FC

06/08 at TCO Stadium in Eagan, MN

Before any games are played, Minnesota Aurora have gone two full seasons without losing a regular season game. They absolutely swept the Central Conference away last year with a perfect record and a +56 goal differential. And let’s be honest, this is a good division… but freshmen Riverlight FC have spent a good amount of time preparing for this season and by the time this fixture arrives, they will already have hosted Aurora and this game could be pivotal for either as a mid-season tussle between two good squads.

Josh Duder

TLH Reckoning vs Tampa Bay United

06/19 at Gene Cox Stadium in Tallahassee, FL

Tampa Bay and Miami City run the rule over the Southern Conference / Southeast Division - taking turns finishing first and second over the first two years of the league. Last year, Tampa were invincible in the regular season, destroying the division with 43 goals scored and only allowing a league record 1… one goal allowed. All that is to say that the new kids on the block, TLH Reckoning will have their work cut out for them and fingers crossed they give their fans, friends and family something to cheer for in their final home game of the season.

Josh Duder

Lexington SC vs Indy Eleven

06/18 at Toyota Stadium in Georgetown, KY

The second game of a home-and-home series may be pivotal for the Valley Division title. Indy went undefeated in the regular season in the inaugural 2022 W League and won the title last season. Last year Lexington joined the W League and finished third after Racing Louisville and Indy Eleven. Those two are likely to be the favorites for the division again, but Lexington could play the role of spoiler. In addition, both Lexington and Indy are fielding squads in the inaugural professional USL Super League season beginning this fall. It will be interesting to see how these USL organizations transition from the women’s amateur game to the professional level.

Dan Creel

Lexington SC vs Racing Louisville FC

06/21 at Toyota Stadium in Georgetown, KY

The 2nd to last match of the season for both Kentucky teams could likely become a determining factor towards the sole playoff spot from the Valley Division. Racing missed out on the playoffs last year based on head-to-head tiebreaker to eventual champs Indy Eleven, and with the Eleven being Racing’s next match, they will need to ensure not to leave anything to chance this time. Lexington has brought in a roster that is “deeper and more competitive” than last year in the eyes of 2nd year head coach Alan Kirkup, with the goal of being able to compete against Racing and Indy. Keep your eyes on the Valley Division this year, it’s going to be a battle for the top spot in a 3 horse race.

Jon Hunt

NC Courage II vs. Carolina Ascent FC

06/21 at WakeMed Soccer Park - Field 2

The state of North Carolina is about to have 2 fully professional women’s teams, but sadly there currently is no way for those clubs to face each other in a competitive senior match. However, the club’s top amateur teams will face off for the first time in this matchup. Hopefully we have a women’s Open Cup someday, but for now this will be the only way for Carolina fans to experience the Dogwood Derby on the women’s side.

Jon Hunt

San Francisco Glens SC vs California Storm

06/23 at Skyline College in San Bruno, CA

The 2023 NorCal Division Champions meet the legendary California Soccer Storm only once this season in a replay of last year’s conference finals. The Glens had Storm’s number last season, beating them once in Davis, Drawing 4-4 at Skyline, then beating them again to advance to the Semifinals. By the time they faceoff for this one it’s entirely possible a playoff run could be on the line.

Josh Duder

Racing Louisville FC vs Indy Eleven

6/30 at Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center

Indy Eleven won the W League Championship last season and has plenty of reasons to want to repeat (given some of the drama in Indy), but Racing Louisville actually had an identical regular season record to Indy Eleven. Indy advanced into the playoffs because of head-to-head while Racing were out. Plenty to play for in this final match of the regular season.

Dan Vaughn

Oakland Soul SC vs San Francisco Glens SC

06/30 at Merritt College Soccer Stadium in Oakland, CA

In order to be the best, you have to beat the best and the two teams who finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the NorCal Division last year, SF Glens and Oakland Soul, are scheduled to close out the season in Oakland. It’s probably not a stretch to imagine these two sides will be fighting for the division title again this year and that Merritt College Soccer Stadium could be the battleground for a title defending fixture.

Josh Duder

Edited by Joshua Duder
Special thanks to all contributors - we couldn’t do things like this without you!