Inside, outside, cup bound and down - we have soccer from the UPSL, USL Championship, USL League One, Metroplex Premier League, Major Arena Soccer League, NISA, ASL, San Francisco Soccer Football League and the First Round of the USASA Amateur Cup. I mean, if you loved watching the Open Cup midweek, and let’s be honest, the only folks who didn’t are water-carrying curmudgeons, then let’s get stuck in for these teams we love and the league they play in!

Josh Duder Picks…
- PDX Football Club vs St Johns FC - UPSL
  - Fri, 04/04 - 7:30pm PT / 10:30pm ET
    at La Salle HS Stadium in Portland, OR
  - The UPSL has expanded its footprint in the Pacific Northwest, so much so that there is now an all Oregon Division which includes both Deportivo Rose City and St Johns FC - two teams who have had to drive north to Washington to complete their away legs. That’s all over now, until playoffs, and St Johns just has to make a short trip across Portland to face “newcomers” PDX FC. Of course, for the Meadowlarks, and their raucous Supporters Group the Black Hearts Union, they are not newcomers at all, and are actually one of the most well-established amateur teams in the state. This first match for new PDX FC head coach, and former Portland Timber, Jorge Villafana, will definitely be worth the price of admission and you can pick up your season tickets while you’re at it!

Dan Vaughn Picks…
- Texas Outlaws vs San Diego Sockers - MASL
  - Sat, 04/06- 7:00pm PT / 10:00pm ET
    at Mesquite Arena in Mesquite, TX
  - Both clubs are qualified for the playoffs and have battled all season in the West. Both Tavoy Morgan (SDS) and Vinicius Dantas (tex) are within 3 points of the top spot in the league leaders’ list. Plenty to make this match interesting.

Alan Underwood Picks…
- Las Vegas Lights FC vs San Antonio FC - USL Championship
  - Sat, 04/06 - 07:30pm PT / 10:30pm ET
    at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, NV
  - This has all the makings of a wonderful night cap for Saturday’s lineup of games. Both teams are coming off of 2 straight wins. Last year San Antonio was almost as good on the road as they were at home, so this should show how legitimate Las Vegas can be this season. If you can stay up late enough, this one could be a fun matchup to pay attention to.

Josh Duder Picks…
- Richmond Kickers vs Central Valley Fuego FC - USL League One
  - Sat, 04/06 - 3:00pm PT / 6:00pm ET
    at City Stadium in Richmond, VA
  - Only two games in for Richmond and this might be considered a “must-win.” Although the season is long and there will be plenty of time to turn it around, a third loss in a row and to another team struggling to figure itself out, could compound the injury. Fuego have also lost two in a row, but at least they started out with a win and have proven to themselves that they can do it. However, suffering an embarrassing cup loss at home to an amateur side midweek is giving new boss Jermaine Jones a lot of bad vibes to work with. Both teams need a win, badly.

Dan Creel Picks…
- Los Angeles Force vs Irvine Zeta FC - NISA
  - Sat 04/06 - 10:00pm PT / 1:00am ET
    at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Long Beach, CA
  - The NISA season has been delayed until the first weekend of April. One match of three has already been postponed and another may not happen. Given all that, this match between founding members LA Force against expansion club Irvine Zeta has a good chance of being the league opener. Founding members LA Force are coming off a mediocre 2023 but seem to have decided to try relevance again in 2024. Their roster is deep and loaded and they should be a favorite to win the league. Irvine Zeta has had some front office turnover but looks to be on solid financial footing (especially compared to a number of other NISA teams). It will be a good opportunity to see what these two teams have to offer and might be the start of a Southern California rivalry.

Jon Hunt Picks…
- Louisville City vs Indy Eleven - USL Championship
  - Sat, 04/06 - 1:00pm PT / 4:00pm ET
    at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, KY
  - Arguably the most obvious pick this weekend lands in the first ever USLC match to appear on CBS (THE CBS) and whoever picks the matches for USL or CBS knew what they were doing when they chose the legendary LIPAFC - a rivalry older than time itself. It was one of my circle the date matches for a reason - this match is history in the making! But can it live up to the hype?

Josh Duder Picks…
- Greenville Triumph vs Northern Colorado Hailstorm - USL League One
  - Sat, 04/06 - 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET
    at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, SC
  - While One Knox have surprised a few people, they have the weekend off, and a team who is historically used to being at or near the top of the standings, Greenville Triumph, has an opportunity to earn 3 points at home and lead the league. However, last year’s surprise top four challenger, Northern Colorado Hailstorm, have started the season in a funk after the departure of their most potent contributors from last year. Coach Eamon Zayed has a fabulous mind for soccer but really has his work cut out for him this week.

Ben Brannigan Picks…
- The International Threat vs North Texas Legends - Metroplex Premier League
  - Sat, 04/06 - 5:30pm PT / 8:30pm ET
    at Allen Health and Training Center in Allen, TX
  - Two very capable team’s, with lots of talent on show. TITFC boys lost out last time out to a good Inter FortWorth 2-1, while the Legends tied 0-0 with Dallas Athletico. Both teams will be eager to put on a show and get back in the W column. It will be a tight affair, but I know they will both be out to win so will see some exciting forward play and players showcasing their skills under lights in Allen Saturday Night, get along and see local love soccer. You won't be disappointed.

Jon Hunt Picks…
- JAC HESF vs Club Athletic Los Angeles - ASL Pro California
  - Sun, 04/07 - 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET
    at LACC Stadium in Los Angeles, CA
  - A battle of two of the best clubs in the LA-OC division. Jachesf will look to extend their winning streak to 4 matches and take ahold of top of the table while Club Athletic will be looking to extend their own winning streak and try to gain some separation from the rest of the extremely tight table.

Josh Duder Picks…
- Inter SF vs SF Glens - San Francisco Soccer Football League
  - Sun, 04/07 - 10:45am PT / 1:45pm ET
    at Beach Chalet Field #3 in San Francisco, CA
  - The San Francisco Soccer Football League is already underway and after four weeks we can already get an important matchup between 2nd and 3rd when SF Glens host Inter SF this Sunday. Both teams already have three wins each and it's important to keep pace with SF Italian AC, who have 4 from 4. Playoff implications in April? Absolutely.

Michael Battista Picks…
- SC Vistula Garfield (EPSL) vs New York Shockers (NPSL) - USASA Region 1 Amateur Cup - First Round
  - Sun, 04/07 - 11:00am PT / 2:00pm ET
    at Garfield HS Stadium in Garfield, NJ
  - One of the first official games of 2025 U.S. Open Cup qualifying, the United States Adult Soccer Association‘s Amateur Cup kicks off this weekend. The competition, which sends its champion to the following year’s Open Cup and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, kicks off in the northeast with USASA Region I and two very odd teams. After a landmark 2022-23, SC Vistula Garfield jumped up to the Eastern Premier Soccer League where it now sits second from the bottom of the Metropolitan Conference table.
    Their opponent is the New York Shockers of the National Premier Soccer League, who find themselves with one of their league’s automatic bids to the tournament despite finishing last season with only three wins in the North Atlantic Conference. Whether this game is streamed (probably by New Logical) or you go out to watch it in person like a sicko (AKA me), it’s a unique pairing in the much larger scheme of the global soccer system where the winner of this game could, hypothetically, win the FIFA Club World Cup.

Josh Duder Picks…
- KC Comets vs Utica City FC - MASL
  - Mon, 04/08 - 4:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET
    at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, MO
  - The KC Comets and Utica City FC are 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in the Eastern Conference and even though both have clinched, there’s still some room for jockeying around in those playoff spots. The two sides play this Monday and again on Monday the 15th at Adirondack Bank Center but they better watch their back because if the Milwaukee Wave can get a pair of surprise results against the Flash (as unlikely as that is) the Wave can steal that second spot right out from under them both.

by the Protagonist Staff