This week we have League Finals for both NISA and the USL Championship as well as playoffs for UPSL. The regular season marches on for NISA Nation and the Western Indoor Soccer League. Our guests and contributors continue to tell us the best games of the week and why to watch ‘em - let’s get stuck in!

Jon Hunt Picks…
- Phoenix Rising UPSL vs PSC FC AZ - UPSL Fall/Winter
  - Fri, 11/10 - time TBD
    at TBD
  - While the senior side takes on the Battery in the USLC final on Sunday, the Rising’s youth side will hope to capture some of their playoff magic as they look for their first win in the 2023 Fall campaign after starting off 0-0-8 with -23 GD. Luckily, they will face the other team at the bottom of the UPSL Arizona table, but it will still be challenging for Rising to pull out the victory as they have yet to score more than 1 goal in a match all season.

Jon Hunt Picks…
- St Louis City SC Academy vs Tennessee Tempo FC - UPSL Fall/Winter
  - Sat, 11/11 - 1:00p PT / 4:00p ET
    at City Park Training Center
  - The Tempo enter this matchup 2nd in the table, just 1 point behind Pre-College DA, and as the best team on the road during the fall campaign (4-0-0). They will face a City Academy side that is undefeated at home with a +25 GD, and they will be looking to get revenge from their first fall matchup against the Tempo when they fell 1-4 on the road in Tennessee.

Del Shaffer Picks…
- Charleston Battery vs Phoenix Rising FC - USL Championship, League Final
  - Sun, 11/12 - 4:00p PT / 7:00p ET
    from Patriots Point Soccer Stadium on ESPN2
  - The Charleston Battery welcome Phoenix Rising to Patriots Point for the second time this season. This time, there is a USL Championship on the line and a potential happy ending for one of two Cinderella tales. Charleston and Phoenix took two completely different paths to get to the Final. Sunday, the Battery will have home field advantage with what will be a SOLD OUT Patriots Point.

John Howard-Fusco Picks…
- Michigan Stars FC vs Flower City Union - NISA League Final
  - Sat, 11/11 - 12:30p PT / 3:30p ET
    at Romeo Stadium, Washington, MI on FIFA Plus
    The final we all predicted, right? Don’t listen to Vaughn - no one expected Flower City to make the finals. And yet, here they are after taking care of the 3rd-seed LA Force (on the road) and the top-seed Chattanooga FC (on the road). Now they face the club no one likes facing come playoff time, the defending champion Stars. It says here that Michigan should be able to take care of business and repeat as champions. Or, perhaps, FCU has the Stars right where they want them.

Josh Duder Picks…
- Oly-Pen Force vs Snohomish County FC - WISL Regular Season
  - Sat, 11/11 - 7:00p PT / 10:00p ET
    at Bremerton Sports Center
  - Last year Oly-Pen Force finished last and Snohomish County finished 3rd Bottom… this may and up a proverbial 6-pointer when we look back later. Snohomish County have started off especially poor losing 22-6 to the reborn South Sound FC then lost 9-1 to new neighbors Snohomish Sky. Meanwhile, Force got a week 1 win, 8-5 over Vancouver Lightning but lost a close one, 8-9 to Oly Town FC. Whoever wins this may set themselves in the right direction again.

Dennis Pope Picks…
- Las Vegas Legends vs Capo FC - NISA Nation
  - Sat, 11/11 - 7:00p PT / 10:00p ET
    at Faith Lutheran HS in Las Vegas, NV
  - If either of these clubs has designs on a division title, these particular three points are among the most crucial this season. Led by Elijah Rice and Brandon Vargas’ 18 combined goals, Las Vegas Legends FC is unbeaten across its last seven matches. Despite losing 4-3 to Temecula FC last week, Capo FC remains three points from the top of the table

Josh Duder Picks…
- Chicago Nation FC vs Panathinaikos Chicago - UPSL Fall/Winter Playoffs
  - Sat, 111/11 - 5:00p PT / 8:00p EST
    at Ackerman Sports and Fitness Turf
  - The Midwest Central finished tight, with both Chicago Nation and Panathinaikos Chicago having identical records, 6-1-1 and 19 points. Chicago Nation FC finished with a greater Goal Differential and has the tie-breaker over 2nd place Panathinaikos after a dominant 4-0 away win at Olympic Park back on September 30th. If you are nearby and have any hope of catching this, please do, there’s no way this isn’t worth the watch.

by the Protagonist Staff