Lower Tier Soccer | Top Tier Coverage
Protagonist soccer is a media organization dedicated to lower-tier soccer; UPSL, NPSL, BSSL
Started in 2011, the Raul Briones Cup has been Southern California’s top men’s amateur tournament for more than a decade and its champions are among the region's elite. “We’ve had some really good teams win the Briones Cup... This is the tournament that real men’s soccer clubs in SoCal want to be a part of.”
by Dennis Pope
Read MoreIt’s the FINAL COUNTDOWN! Yesterday we brought you 23 down to 14 and today we go from number 13 to the number one kit in the Top 23 Tops of 2023 list - where seven panelists volunteered to look at 50 shirts from around the US soccer scene, divisions 2 and below, and ranked them from 50 to 1. We took the average rankings then put them in that order! Here’s that list.
Read MoreWeek 7 saw another undefeated team fall…twice! It was a wild weekend of soccer and Geo takes you through the fixtures and how the results impact the league.
by Geo Monterroso
Read MoreProtagonist Soccer brings you our prestigious Top 23 Tops of 2023 list and this year we’ve done it in style. Seven Kitnerd panelists from across lower league soccer weigh in and share their opinions about this year’s most impressive US-based club kits! In Part One, we explain the process, give you a list of notable exclusions, and start the countdown. from number 23 to number 14.
Read MoreWith the MASL season now going full throttle, we were fortunate to steal a little time from CEO and Co-Owner of St Louis Ambush, Shelly Clark. When we reached out with a few questions about what makes her team tick, she was generous and provided some great insight about the professional arena soccer team in St Louis, MO.
Read MoreWe’re back from the holidays and we have soccer soccer soccer, indoor and out! The UPSL returns to its playoffs bracket; the SoCal Premier League is kicking off for the second half of the season; MASL, WISL, MLIS and PASL are all going balls off the walls - our writers, podcasters, and contributors pick the games they think look compelling. Let’s get stuck in!
by Protagonist Staff
Read MoreProtagonist Podcasts Presents: America’s Greatest is a brand new podcast series co-hosted by several of Protagonist’s writers and podcasters. We want to explore the history and pedigree of the sport in the United States. In episode nine we discuss the 2020 NISA final with none other than Protagonist Soccer Editor Dan Vaughn and Fletcher Sharpe, writer and podcaster for the Daily Detroit.
by Joshua Duder
Read MoreThe USL Championship season may have ended in November but teams have already started moving to make sure they improve in 2024. This series will look at the moves teams have made and what gaps still need to be addressed as they take this offseason to build a Championship-caliber squad. This week, we look at Detroit City, Memphis 901, New Mexico United, Miami FC, returners North Carolina FC and newcomers Rhode Island FC.
by Phil Baki
Read MoreThe final weekend of 2023 brought so many highlight moments from the Major Arena Soccer League. Geo walks you through all the action from the weekend that was in the MASL.
by Geo Monterroso
Read MoreOne of our favorite times of the year is when new clubs, with great logos and big dreams, pops onto the scene to get us hyped for the next season. To kick off the new year, Protagonist regular, Rich Schenck, was able to hunt down the story of the Ypsi Yetis!
Read More