Our writers, podcasters, and guest contributors have looked high and low for games they feel you should pay attention to this week. From USL Championship to the Metroplex Premier League; WPSL gets kicked off and USL W League is into week two; USL League One, Bay State Soccer League, NPSL, and the UPSL all have regular season games. We get a shout out at the SoCal Premier League’s Briones and Freeman Cup Finals as well as the USASA Region One Amateur Cup Semifinal. Its all here… so let’s get stuck in!

Dan Vaughn Picks…
- Greenville Liberty SC vs Birmingham Legion WFC - USL W League
  - Friday, 05/17 - 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET
    at Paladin Stadium, in Greenville, SC
  - Greenville kicked off its season with a big 3-0 win over Asheville City. Three different players scored goals for Liberty. On Friday, will be at home again, this time to face Birmingham Legion who are kicking off their 2023 campaign on the road. BLFC will be looking to steal points, while Liberty will be looking to extend their winning streak..

Jon Hunt Picks…
- FC Dayton vs Junction - WPSL
  - Fri, 05/17 - 3:00pm PT / 6:00pm ET
    at Alumni Stadium
  - The Midwest Conference Gateway division kicks off with a battle between Junction FC and FC Dayton. Both teams will be looking to get the season off on the right foot and capture 3 points to open the season.

Jon Hunt Picks…
- Charlotte Independence vs Union Omaha - League One
  - Fri, 05/17 - 4:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET at American Legion Memorial Stadium
  - Some Friday night football to kickoff the USL1 weekend with 2 sides that have quietly worked their way into the #2 and #3 spots on the league table, while having 3 (Omaha) or 2 (Charlotte) games in hand on league leaders Greenville. Both sides come into this one having lost their past 2 matches. I suspect both will be desperate to get back to winning ways.

Alan Underwood Picks…
- Tampa Bay Rowdies vs FC Tulsa - USL Championship
  - Sat, 05/18 - 4:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET Al Lang Stadium in St Petersburg, FL
  - Tampa Bay has had a rough run as of late in league play, even if a little unlucky. Tulsa is on a reunion tour of sorts with two consecutive draws against former Eastern Conference teams. Can Tampa turn their good play into wins, or can Tulsa break their streak of draws and walk away with all 3 points? In a week that doesn’t feature too many marquee match-ups in the Championship, this one is one to keep an eye on, especially with the recent transfer drama involving Nate Worth.

Dan Vaughn Picks…
- Providence City FC vs FC Bebbanbürg - Bay State Soccer League
  - Sat, 05/18 - 6:00am PT / 9:00am ET
    at Milot Field in Rehoboth
  - Everyone’s favorite pirate-themed soccer club faces FC Bebbanbürg this weekend in a match that both need to win. Providence is coming off a 2-2 draw against MIT last week and dangerously close to the relegation spots, while FC Bebbanbürg hasn’t had a win since week 1 of the BSSL season. Must win for both teams.4.

Ben Brannigan Picks…
- Denton Diablos FC vs Fort Worth Vaqueros - NPSL
  - Sat, 05/18 - 6:30pm PT / 7:30pm Central
    at Pioneer Soccer Park in Denton, TX
  - It’s “The Chisholm Trail Clasico!” Always a fun event and good and tight affair, if you are in Denton this Saturday evening, there should be a big crowd in attendance too.

Ben Brannigan Picks…
- FC Ladera vs NTX Legends FC - Metroplex Premier League
  - Sat, 05/18 - 7:00pm PT / 8:00pm Central
    at Rolling Hills Soccer Complex, Field 10 in Ft Worth, TX
  - The only MPL Premier game this weekend , TWO Teams looking to keep improving in every game , and will have the rest of league watching them this weekend, there is also a boat load of games at same venue Saturday from the MPL 2 as well , so get out and support local football in the metroplex and especially Fort Worth

Jon Hunt Picks…
- Wake FC vs SC United Bantams - USL W League
  - Sat 05/18 - 1:30pm PT / 4:30pm ET
    at Ting Park
  - Wake FC were just ranked as the 9th best team in the W-League in the latest power rankings, and they will need to keep up their stellar play to get points against some weaker foes before taking on W-League powerhouses like Tormenta and NC Courage II.

Josh Duder Picks…
- Rush Academy Select vs Miami United FC - UPSL
  - Sat, 05/18 - 12:00pm PT / 3:00pm ET
    at Club Med SandPiper Way
  - After their excursion in the US Open Cup, Miami United have slowly gained ground on Rush Select Academy in the Florida South Division. Now the two sides, both with 7 wins, are separated by a single point (Rush have played one more game, which was a 0-0 draw with ISA) and slam into each other this weekend. With only a few weeks to go in regular season play, this game could be a divisional decider with playoff implications.

Josh Duder Picks…
- Iron Rose FC vs FC Davis - WPSL
  - Sat, 05/18 - 7:00pm PT / 10:00pm ET
    at West Park HS Field in Roseville, CA
  - Last week Iron Rose got their inaugural season off to a positive start by drawing 1-1 with SF Elite and alphabetically, that puts them in first place of the West Pac North… for now. This weekend, they host their first ever home match and are set to host FC Davis - this will be the first game of the year for Davis, who finished middle of the pack last season with 4 wins, 4 losses, and a draw.

Michael Battista Picks…
- Christos FC vs Steel Pulse FC - USASA Region I Amateur Cup Semifinal
  - Sun, 05/19 - 12:00pm PT / 3:00pm ET
    at Cedar Lane Park Field #6 in Columbia, MD
  - Two sides that are incredibly familiar with one another face off, two wins away from winning a regional title and reaching the 2024 National Amateur Cup, the top prize of the U.S. Adult Soccer Association. Christos is looking to reach its first Region I final since it won in 2017 and will be coming off hosting its USL League Two season opener the day prior. To get here, the storied side beat Alexandria Reds of the NPSL via penalty kicks and MDCVSA state cup champions Club Atlético Los Toros.
    Steel Pulse have yet to make a big break onto the national stage but are two time defending Maryland Super Soccer League Division 1 playoff champions and beat two 2024 U.S. Open Cup teams to reach the semis (West Chester United SC & Vereinigung Erzgebirge). Pulse are currently in second place in Division 1 of the MSSL while Christos has pulled out of the spring season and forfeit all of its matches. Both Christos and Pulse qualified for the Region I tournament by reaching the 2023-24 Stewart Cup final, the Maryland State Soccer Association’s biggest tournament. Christos won that game, 5-1, and secured its 11th Stewart Cup title.

Dennis Pope Picks…
- La Familia FC vs Lobos FC - SoCal Premier League, Briones Cup Final
  - Sun, 05/19 - 7:00pm PT / 10:00pm ET
    at Biola University
  - A ticket to this summer’s NISA Independent Cup is on the line in this one! La Familia FC is the 2023/24 SoCal Premier League Division I Inland Empire Region champion and faces its first of two tests here for a historic SoCal Premier League “double”, with a matchup against Worldwide Problems FC for the SoCal Premier League Division I championship (and optional promotion to NISA Nation) still on the schedule. Head coach Steven Rodriguez has assembled a tight group that has produced an 18-match unbeaten streak to this point. Lobos FC accepted an invitation to the tournament this year and is unbeaten (10-2-0 overall) across all competitions since rejoining the SoCal Premier League.

Dennis Pope Picks…
- Monsters FC vs Desert FC - SoCal Premier League, Freeman Cup Final
  - Sun, 05/19 - 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET
    at Biola University
  - Monsters FC finished third in the SoCal Premier League Division II Los Angeles Region and looks to wrap up some hardware for the first time in several seasons. Led by top scorer Hugo Ceja (10 goals), Monsters tied for second in goals (44) among Division II L.A. Region teams. Desert FC has had an up-and-down season on several fronts but secured a third-place finish in the Division I Inland Empire Region. Experienced attacker Cody Shelton has scored goals in NISA Nation, NPSL and UPSL and will be a marked man here.

by the Protagonist Staff