Last Year: You couldn’t have had a better season as an expansion side that Carolina delivered its fans in 2024. Well, maybe two more wins, but other than that Mrs. Lincoln, the play was great, right? Ascent finished the regular season on top of the standings as one of the most consistent teams in the Super League. After kicking off its season in front of a packed house, support for the club was pretty consistent, one of the better supported clubs in the league. With an offense led by Mia Corbin, who finished in the top three in scoring, the real power of Carolina was their defense. The team led the league with 12 clean sheets and least goals conceded. Losing in the semifinals seemed like a failure, but in retrospect, the 2024-25 Ascent was a fantastic team.

Over the Break: Much to the chagrin to some, the team added Martina Navratilova as a minority owner (personally I think it’s a smart move, regardless of her complicated politics). The team added from the professional ranks with Maddie Mercado (Seattle Reign) and Sydney Martinez (Brooklyn FC). Forward Macey Bader who was a two-time All-Tournament team from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte also joins the team. Big retentions with Defender of the Year Jill Aguilera. Not to mention one of my favorite players in the league, Riley Parker will be back.

Circle the Date: Can’t point to a bigger match than the season opener against Tampa Bay. You want to prove you’re a champion? Beat the champions.

Remaining Questions: The only real question is can Carolina seal the deal. They’re a solid squad with some legitimate stars who couldn’t find their way through the playoffs last season. No point in working so hard during the regular season to not clinch it in the playoffs. Can they do it again?

The Finish: As good as this team was last season and a lack of big losses over the offseason, I think Carolina is a top 3 team in this league. Too well-coached and well-rostered to not deliver some more hardware this season. I see big things for Ascent.

Last Year: At one point last season, Brooklyn FC couldn’t lose. And at another point in the season, this team couldn’t help but lose, and at times, lose badly. On top of the table to start the spring, the club went winless in 11 straight games. The offense dried, and the stout defense became vulnerable. The winless streak would eventually do in head coach Jessica Silva, and the club finished the season with sporting director Kevin Tenjo on the sidelines and out of the playoffs.

Over the Break: Significant roster turnover from Year 1 to Year 2 of the Super League was to be expected. But Brooklyn only bringing back six players was surprising. And leading this almost completely new squad is a new coach - Tomás Tengarrinha, who coached top division clubs in Portugal. As for the roster build, it’s clear that Brooklyn FC focused on bringing in players with professional experience. Only one player, goalkeeper and Long Island native Nicolette Pasquarella, joins the club as a rookie to the pro game. Boosting the offense are The Sisters Markovic - forward Ana Maria and midfielder Kristina (Kiki), Croatian-born and professionally nurtured in Switzerland. American-born Emma Loving joins the midfield, coming back to the US after stints in France, Germany and Sweden. NaYeong Shin moves from Lexington SC to the back line for Brooklyn, along with Jordan Thompson (Sydney FC) and Alice Barbieri (Sampdoria).

Circle the Date: Brooklyn will have an eight-game stretch from September 28th to November 22nd where they will be home for seven of those games. Making the most of this stretch of games will be important, as they will be on the road for the following six games from the end of the fall leg to the beginning of the spring leg.

Remaining Questions: Coach Tengarrinha is known for playing attacking football. Does this roster have enough attacking players? How is the midfield going to look, with only four players on the roster listed as a midfielder. And will lack of depth wear out the midfield? Sam Kroeger was playing every minute of every game, and it affected her play in the second half of the season.

The Finish: Boy, it is a hard chore to try and predict where Brooklyn FC will finish. With the exception of newcomer Sporting JAX, Brooklyn enters the season with a roster full of uncertainty. They are the Super League’s x-factor this season - a season where they could finish anywhere from 3rd to 8th depending on how things work out. A 6th place finish seems like a reasonable landing spot.

Last Year: Oh boy was Lexington bad. After assembling a roster full of unproven and new players, the results were predictably bad, as other teams collected former professional players to fill their 11s. It was the stuff of nightmares, how bad it was for Lexington. They were a bad team and finished dead last in every important measure. Four total wins and a negative 33 goal differential meant this lost a lot last year, 18 times in fact. It was a rough year, but now it’s time to turn the pages to glorious hope!

Over the Break: No team on this list had a bigger, more impressive offseason than Lexington SC. The big one, of course, is League MVP Emina Ekic. She will be joined in her home state return by former Spokane forward McKenzie Weinert. Then Lexington snatched Addie McCain from Ft. Lauderdale to throw into the attack. This team will look nothing like the toothless attack of last season. Brand new head coach Masaki Hemmi will have all the toys to play with and there will and SHOULD be tons of expectation for this team. Just too good to not expect more.

Circle the Date: How could you not circle that October 4th away matchup with Spokane, Ekic was the core of Zephyr last year and it will be great to see the fans reaction to her in green. I also think that April 18th and May 16th are big matchups with Tampa Bay Sun, both at home. Can Lexington now punch with the big clubs in this league? These kind of matchups will tell us a ton, especially as the season ends.

Remaining Questions: I think the big question remaining is chemistry. Yes, Lexington added the parts, but can they work together to win matches. I say yes, but we’ll have to wait and see. No team will be more transformed from last year to this (maybe Brooklyn, but that’s in the other direction).

The Finish: I see good things for Lexington and think they’ll finish top 4 in this league. I think it will be a fistfight finish tho, with so many teams improved, but I’m a big believer in Ekic.

Last Year: Much like Carolina, Tampa Bay Sun were the team that stayed steady the entire season. Led by a group of amazing attackers, Sun kept stacking up wins the entire season, finishing in playoff position, as hot as their name. And then it was two wins later, including the final over Ft. Lauderdale, and Tampa Bay was riding the boats and slinging trophies. Just a perfect season, honestly. The gambles they made in their roster paid off (yeah, I’m looking at you, Sydny Nasello) and they won the first Championship in USL Super League history.

Over the Break: After a quiet beginning to their offseason, Tampa added to one of the best rosters in the league. That includes former Brooklyn star Mackenzie Pluck, Washington Spirit loanee Emma Gaines-Ramos, Boston Legacy FC loanee Emerson Elgin, former Ft. Lauderdale defender Sabrina McNeill, and Austrian international Bella Kresche. The team also signed Jilly Shimkin, who played her college ball with Texas. Head coach Denise Schilte-Brown returns to defend her title. One big loss to the roster is Cecilie Fløe Nielsen, who left for Napoli.

Circle the Date: If I’m looking at anything in Tampa’s schedule, it’s the murderers row they get to close out their season: April 18th, Lexington (away), 25th Carolina (home), May 2nd Ft Lauderdale (away), 9th Dallas (home), 16th Lexington (away). That’s going to be a meat-grinder to finish off their regular season run. Very necessary that they have points locked away to prepare for what could be the toughest part of their schedule.

Remaining Questions: Of all the clubs we’re previewing, I have the least questions about Tampa Bay. The Sun went about their business like professionals in the offseason and have one of the deepest and best rosters in the entire league. Led by the best coach in the league, I’d be shocked by anything less than another playoff berth.

The Finish: Real talk, this is a champion club. I think anything less than defending the crown would be a disappointment. Of course, things could happen but on paper and heading into tonight’s matchups, this is a team I expect to hoist another trophy.