July is upon us and playoffs are looming for all of the leagues - some are already getting into their first round matchups and others still have a few weeks to go, but the matches picked out by our staff highlight the jeopardy in play this weekend.

Dan Vaughn Picks…
- Chattanooga Red Wolves vs SG Tormenta FC - USL W League
  - Friday, June 30th - 4:30pm PST / 7:30pm EST on ELEVEN
  - Final match of the season for both clubs, though Red Wolves have crushed the league this year. This is a budding rivalry and I’m here for it! Prediction: Red Wolves win 2-1

John Howard-Fusco Picks…
- Atlantic City FC vs Motown FC - NPSL
  - Saturday, July 1st - 4pm PST / 7pm EST on ELEVEN
  - FC Motown has all but locked up the NPSL Keystone East Conference, and a win down in South Jersey will seal the deal. The Morristown, NJ club is undefeated after eight league matches (7 wins, 1 draw) with a goal differential of +18. And which club managed the one draw? Atlantic City FC, of course, earning a 1-1 draw on the road back in late May.

Josh Duder Picks…
- MPLS City SC vs St. Croix SC - UPSL
  - Saturday, July 1st - 4pm PST / 7pm EST on ELEVEN
  - MPLS City SC and St. Croix SC are 1 and 2 in the Midwest West and face off one more time in the Conference final. With the UPSL having announced the Spring 2023 League Champion will earn a 1st Round Berth in the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, I expect both teams to give it their all to advance. They played each other in week 4 of the regular season and it was a close one, ending 3-2 for the Murder.

Danielle Gawronski Picks…
- Cincinnati Sirens FC vs Indiana Union - UWS
  - Saturday, July 1st - 4pm PST / 7pm EST on ELEVEN
  - The last time these two met Cincinnati handed Indiana their only loss of the season, they will want revenge and to even the score. Cincinnati is ranked #1 and Indiana is ranked #2, every game counts as we are nearing the playoffs. Check out Cincinnati’s Mikala Woods as she continues to increase her goal tally. She has a few more to go to catch up to Indiana’s Jenna Lang with a team high of 8.

Dennis Pope Picks…
- Capo FC vs Inland Empire Republic FC - NISA Independent Cup
  - Saturday, July 1st - 7pm PST / 10pm EST on ELEVEN
  - Capo FC won the SoCal Premier League’s 2022-’23 title. I.E. Republic FC dominated the SoCal Premier League 2023 Spring Season before losing the final in a shootout. So this is something close to a SoCal Premier League Community Shield match.
    Prediction: Capo FC 3-1

Ryan Stallings Picks…
- Des Moines Menace vs Chicago City SC - USL League Two
  - Saturday, July 1st - 5pm PST / 8pm EST on ELEVEN
  - It’s The 2how’s Power Rankings’ #3 side hosting the #1 team in the league in a match that potentially holds divisional, conference and national playoff picture implications. Chicago City bested Des Moines, 3-1 back in May when the Menace were wrapping up a third straight match on the road. Now, two-time league national champions Des Moines will look to repay the home side hospitalities. A Chicago City win will all but wrap up the Heartland division crown, as would a draw. A Des Moines win, by two goals or less creates a lot of tie-breaking scenarios I’m not sure anyone in, or outside, the league quite knows how to untangle.
    Prediction: Des Moines Menace 2 - 2 Chicago City SC

Dan Creel Picks…
- Lexington SC vs SG Tormenta FC - USL League One
  - Sunday, July 2nd - 4pm PST / 7pm EST on ESPN+
  - Two teams with a lot of talent and both play fun attacking styles. The home side Lexington is starting to gain traction in its expansion year. The defending champs, Tormenta, are struggling and need to start getting things together.

Lis Schendel Picks…

Oakland Soul vs SF Glens - USL W League
- Sunday, July 2nd - 4pm PST / 7pm EST on ELEVEN
- The Soul are hosting the Glens this time with something major on the line: NorCal Division’s second playoff spot in the Western Conference - the first already having gone to the Glens after they tied Cal Storm last week. If the Soul beat the unbeaten (but beatable) Glens, the spot is theirs. If they tie, they better hope their PPM is enough to overtake the Storm. If they lose against the Glens and then the Storm beat Stockton Cargo (who play the same day) then its to the Wild Card.
  Regardless of playoff implications, I love watching these two teams play - they play beautifully and the Soul produce great home games. Most importantly, their legacy is being written as you read this sentence. They’re two organizations that are just getting started in the women’s game at this higher level and will be around for decades to come. These are two teams women’s soccer fans across the country and the world should be paying attention to.

Josh Duder Picks…
- FC Milwaukee Torrent vs Chicago Kics FC - WPSL
  - Sunday, July 2nd - 1pm PST / 4pm EST on ELEVEN
  - Torrent and Kics are 1 and 2 in the Lake Michigan Division and are set to square off on the last day of their season to decide the winner. Before they get there, however, each has an away game on Friday which could throw a wrench in their plans. If things do go as expected, Torrent will be out to avenge themselves for the only bad mark on their record… a loss back on June 18th to none other than Kics. Should Kics do the double over Torrent, they would pip the division title.

by the Protagonist Staff