We’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!

Jon Hunt Picks…
- San Diego Sockers vs Texas Outlaws FC - MASL
  - THIS GAME HAS BEEN POSTPONED - TIME AND DATE ARE TBD
  - The 2 top dogs of the western conference square off as Luiz Morales and the Outlaws will be looking to hand Charlies Gomez and the Shockers their first loss of the season. The Shockers defense will be tested and can prove that they are the best in the league if they can snuff out the quick firing Outlaws attack. This one has all the markets to be a classic.

Jon Hunt Picks…
- Detroit United FC vs Great Lakes FC - PASL Women’s Division
  - Sat, 01/06 - 5:00p PT / 8:00p ET
    at Detroit City Fieldhouse ON YOUTUBE
  - Detroit City FC kicks off their inaugural PASL season against Great Lakes FC, as both sides look to get the season started off right with a win. The match will be streamed on DCFC’s youtube channel.

Dennis Pope Picks…
- La Familia FC vs Real Sociedad OC - SoCal Premier League, Raul Briones Cup - Group Stage
  - Sat, 01/06- 5:30p PT / 8:30p ET
    at Ralph M. Lewis Sports Complex, Fontana, CA
  - The must-see match in Group B, a pair of recent title holders face off to determine advancement to the Round of 16. La Familia FC, last season’s Brent Freeman Cup and Division Two champions, currently sit one point out of first place in Division One Inland Empire. Real Sociedad, the current SoCal Premier Under-23 Division champion, are two points back of the top of the table in Division One Orange County.

Josh Duder Picks…
- St Louis City SC Academy vs Arlington SA Pro - UPSL Playoffs
  - Sat, 01/06 - 11:00a PT / 2:00p ET
    at the LSC Training Complex
  - This is a UPSL National Playoffs Round of 16 matchup between two sides who finished 2nd in their respective divisions. St Louis City SC Academy, however, finished with a +37 Goal Differential and ripped Atlanta City 7-1 in their first playoff game and Arlington only finished with a +9 GD but beat Charlotte FC Academy 4-2 in the Round of 32 - can they knock off another MLS Academy side en route to the Quarter Finals?

Dennis Pope Picks…
- Ocelot FC 2 vs FC United Kingdom - SoCal Premier League, Division One
  - Sat, 01/06 - 7:30p PT / 10:30p ET
    at Ralph M. Lewis Sports Complex, Fontana, CA
  - Ocelot FC 2 (7-1-1) averages more than four goals per 90 minutes and leads Division One Inland Empire by a single point over La Familia FC. Forward Eddie Calderon is one of three on the team with four goals. FC United Kingdom (2-2-5) started the season with just two points from its first five matches but won two of three in the Raul Briones Cup group stage in December. Can FCUK resurrect its season? The second half starts this weekend.

Jon Hunt Picks…
- Snohomish Sky vs Vancouver Lightning - WISL
  - Sat, 01/06 - 7:00p PT / 10:00p ET
    at Snohomish Sports Dome
  - The Lightning are 1 of 2 teams in the WISL this season that have yet to win a match, they will be hoping to end their 6 match losing streak when they take on the Sky, who are bottom of the Baker division, in the first matchup between the 2 sides this season.

Josh Duder Picks…
- Foro Soccer Club vs Southwest FC - UPSL Playoffs
  - Sat, 01/06 12:00p PT / 3:00p ET
    at Scharbauer Sports Complex in Midland, TX
  - Everything in Texas is Bigger and this is a Big Big playoff game between two first place teams - Foro SC won their Texas North division, going unbeaten and amassing a +27 GD. They beat Kaptiva 4-1 in the Round of 32 Playoff game the week before Christmas and have had some time off to prepare. Southwest FC won their West Texas/NM division but did lose a game and have a poorer scoring record. They snuck by Lonestar FC in the Round of 32, 1-0 and go on the road to face very stiff competition.

Dennis Pope Picks…
- Club Tepa vs Modesto City FC - Pacific Premier League, Umberto Abronzino Cup Group Stage
  - Sat, 01/06 - 5:10p PT / 8:10p ET
    at Crocker Amazon Soccer Field 3, San Francisco, CA
  - An interesting look at a match that resembles a promotion battle as Club Tepa, which placed second in the Pacific Premier in the Fall 2023 season, hosts Modesto City FC, the last place team from NISA Nation’s Pacific Region. The White House is known to travel well and enjoys a trip into The City. Can Christian Copland’s side start the tournament on the front foot?

Josh Duder Picks…

Rapid City FC vs Cleveland Crunch - MLIS
- Sat, 01/06 11:00a PT / 2:00p ET
  at SoccerZone in Jenison, MI
- Rapid City got their season off on the right foot with a home win over Ohio Extreme last week, winning 25-2; Alex Mendez leads the way with 8 goals and a 10.0 PPGA! They host again this weekend and put their 25.0 GFA on the line as they give Cleveland Crunch their first game of the season. Cleveland finished second in the East last season, just behind Rapid City, and may be looking to upturn the proverbial apple-cart on day one.

Dan Vaughn Picks…
- Monterrey Flash vs Chihuahua Savage Futbol Club - MASL
  - Sun, 01/07 1:35p PT / 4:35p ET
    at Arena Borregos in Monterrey, MX
  - Last year’s champions have struggled against Monterrey so far, losing both matches in the first home and home matchup. The Flash have turned those two wins into the beginning of a winning streak that is now 5 matches long. Can Monterrey continue its run? We’ll find out this weekend!
    * Monterrey went away to Corner Sport Arena in Chihuahua and defeated the Savage 8-5. Alexis Espinosa scored a brace for the visitors and Christian Hernandez made 14 saves.

by the Protagonist Staff