With the USL W League kicking off its 2026 regular seasons, here’s three things I spotted in week one. I’ll be revisiting this space on a weekly basis to give three talking points for you at the proverbial water cooler.

Week One Was Just 6 Matches

Yeah, maybe that’s obvious, but when we’re talking about a league that stretches from California to New York, there’s so much more coming this week that we didn’t get in week one. In fact, many teams will be playing two matches a week for the next 4-5 weeks in a break-neck pace to finish the season and prep for the playoffs. It’s a quirk of the women’s amateur game and, as much as I generally despise it, it’s not going to change anytime soon.

Oakland Is Capital D Dangerous

If you listen to the W Show (and you should be), you know that John and myself have often claimed that the NorCal Division is the toughest in the league. And though we’ve yet to get a league champion out of the division, the infighting between some of the best teams in this league makes for must-see streaming.

Soul players celebrating a big opening win. *Photo courtesy of Oakland Soul*

Oakland Soul, sister team to the USL Championship side Oakland Roots, benefits from slick marketing and excellent community building to be one of the best and most-followed teams in the league. The team is ALWAYS a competitor in the division and finished second in 2025 to Stockton Cargo FC. Maybe 2026 will be the year for this side, as Stockton drew with Monterey Bay while the Soul won 6-1 over Marin FC Sirens. Both Shaelan Murison and Sydney Middaugh scored braces in the rout. Can this team climb the mountain, when it came up short last season? Early signs say maybe.

6 Is The Number to Beat

Mentioned the score in the Oakland Soul match, but another team also hung 6 in their league opener. SoCal expansion LASC hug 6 on SoCal Reds in a big shoutout win. And while 6 might seem like a lot of goals, last year’s highest score was Utah United’s absolute thrashing of Colorado International Soccer Academy (CISA), 18-0. United would, of course, go on to win the 2025 USL W League title.

Looking Forward

My pick for match to watch this week/end is Ann Arbor vs Detroit City on Saturday. There’s been bad blood between these two organizations since day one a we love a good in-state rivalry. Get it!

- Dan Vaughn