Lower Tier Soccer | Top Tier Coverage
Protagonist soccer is a media organization dedicated to lower-tier soccer; UPSL, NPSL, BSSL
Every soccer fan will tell you that half the fun in being a soccer fan is judging the kits each year. A new season means new kits and Rich will be rating the kits being rolled out for the 2024 Midwest Premier League season, these are his personal opinions. This is part one.
by Rich Schenck
Read MoreAfter coming up just short of a USL Championship title last year, Charleston Battery are playing even better this season, the last undefeated team in the Eastern Conference. Head Coach Ben Pirmann sat down with Protagonist to discuss his approach to coaching and how he’s constantly pushing his players to improve.
by Dan Vaughn
Read MoreAhead of the full review of the weekend that was in the USL Championship in the Championship Hangover, Phil has four players who really rose to the occasion this week and set themselves apart. This will be a chance for us to see how the eye test stands up to the stats and what impact each player had on the outcome of their particular match.
by Phil Baki
Read MoreWith the big amateur leagues back in the swing of things, we’re bringing back our 3+1 series. Each week we’ll recap 3 of the best matches from the previous week, then preview 1 of the upcoming week’s matches. Hence the name, 3+1. The USL W League is getting rolling and we had a full slate of matches in week 1.
by Dan Vaughn
Read MoreWith the big amateur leagues back in the swing of things, we’re bringing back our 3+1 series. Each week we’ll recap 3 of the best matches from the previous week, then preview 1 of the upcoming week’s matches. Hence the name, 3+1. The NPSL is really starting to get rolling across the country, so a full slate of matches for amateur soccer fans. Here’s this week’s edition.
by Dan Vaughn
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreYear four of the Common’s existence is a sentimental one for the small, but the loudest, part of the fanbase, marking ten years of soccer since Lansing United’s 2014 debut in NPSL. The 2014 Great Lakes West Champions would eventually fall in the National Semi-Finals to the New York Red Bulls U-23s, the eventual NPSL National Champions. Five different leagues and three different clubs have been serenaded by this core group of diehards through the decade. Although the colors and the names have changed, this group has continued to be, Lansing First.
by Rich Schneck
Read MoreWhen Coach John Galas got the call, he was a man of two minds - taking care of himself and combating cancer, but also continuing to prepare his club during the offseason, for the big year ahead. During his darkest days, Hummel had John in their hearts and minds, they reached out to the club with the idea to raise awareness of his fight against the rare Synovial Sarcoma the only way they knew how.
by Josh Duder
Read MoreIn the world of amateur soccer, rosters are full of players not making a penny for their sweat and hard work. Minneapolis City announced a new NIL collective that will benefit its players by sharing 20% of sales on its new merchandise line, Minnesota Made. The deal appears to be the first of its kind in USL League Two.
by Dan Vaughn
Read MoreThe soccer season just got better! Sure, the top two professional USL men’s leagues have been underway for a few months and the US Open Cup has just wrapped up the Round of 32… but its really the launch of the amateur leagues which signal that the summer of soccer is upon us.
Our writers and favorite contributors take a close look at the biggest storylines in USL League Two; will the legends of amateur soccer find their way to the playoffs yet again; what young organizations will upturn the apple carts this season; and who will look the best doing it?
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