Having attended multiple UPSL Championship Weekends, I have to admit I’m sad to not be in person for this one. The UPSL pulled out all the stops on this one, hosting the matches in Columbus, Ohio, in Historic Crew Stadium. That Stadium is soccer holy ground, the site of the original dos a cero match between the USMNT and El Tri. Add to that the legacy of Columbus Crew in MLS, one of the original clubs and twice winners of MLS Cup. Pretty awesome place to be playing soccer, if you ask me.

The semi-finals kick off tonight, with the Championship match on Sunday. Sunday will also be the date of the third-place match. Here’s the dates and times from the UPSL.

Semi-Final One: Friday, August 5th at 5:30 pm (EST).
Semi-Final Two: Friday, August 5th at 8:30 pm (EST).
Third-place match: Sunday, August 7th at 12:00 pm (EST).
Championship match: Sunday, August 7th at 3:00 pm (EST).

Semifinal One: Beaman United FC vs Queensboro FC II

It’s hard to put into words how dominant Beaman United FC was this season. The Nashville club scored 52 goals and had two scorers in double digit goals in 10 matches! That’s insane. Eryk Fernandez (14 goals) and Seth Poku (12 goals) will put intense pressure on the Queensboro backline in this matchup. In an interview on the UPSL website, head coach Gift Ndam talked about this dream season for his club.

“We understand that no team in this league is an easy team, and we have to compete every game. Every team so far has been relentless in attack and so that is our mindset. I told the boys they have to earn every win. You don’t get that anywhere else in other leagues, this level of competition.”

MF Minguk Seo is vital for Queensboro FC II. The 18-year-old has 6 goals and 9 assists for his club.

Queensboro FC II emerged from the Northeast - American with an identical regular season record as their semifinal opponent, 8-1-1. Scoring was not an issue for this club, as they netted 38 goals in 10 matches. Forwards Jonathan Santillan (12 goals) and Damien Barker John (9 goals) do the majority of the scoring for the club. Santillan is the leading goal scorer in the playoffs this year, with 4 in 3 matches. 19 year-old Barker John is a product of Jamaica, New York and is a freshman at Louisville. As a club, the team was stout in defense, only allowing 7 goals all regular season and going undefeated at home.

It will be interesting to see which club is able to establish dominance on the offensive side of the ball. Both clubs gave up less than a goal a match in the regular season. In the playoffs, Queensboro has been the more dominant of the two, only surrendering 2 goals in 3 matches. Beaman has given up 5 goals in the playoffs.

Semi-Final Two: Orange County FC vs Dodge City Toros 8:30ET

You’d be hard pressed to find a tougher, more-impressive, soccer division in any league than the UPSL SoCal North. The conference was an absolute bloodbath this year, with the heavyweights of California beating each other up al season long. The regular season ended with the top 5 clubs all within 3 points of each other. LA FC Academy won the Conference, with Orange County FC taking runner-up. Orange County would get its revenge in the national playoffs, as the clubs faced each other for a final match of this season. In the end, Orange County would emerge with a 1-0 win and a trip to the round of 16.

Orange County FC is one of best-coached squads in amateur soccer.

Now in the semifinal, Orange County has been through the fires and is battle-tested. In the regular season, the team scored 42 goals in 12 matches, while only surrendering 10. That aggressive defense has continued in the playoffs, as Orange County has given up ONE goal in three of the toughest matches of the season. On attack, OCFC is led by 27 year-old José Montes De Oca. The Mexican-American striker scored 11 goals this season. Oh, and one more thing, this club is coached by US Soccer Hall of Famer Paul Caligiuri.

In comparison with Orange County, Dodge City Toros is clearly the less-flashy underdog. The team emerged from the Midwest South Conference with a 6-1-3 record. The club scored 35 goals in 10 matches, giving up 13 to their opponents. No player on the team scored more than 5 goals in the regular season, doing just enough to get into the national playoffs. However, tin the playoffs, the Kansas City club has almost matched the defensive stand of their semi-final opponent, only surrendering 2 goals in their playoff run.

While the first semi-final match seems like a matchup of equal heavyweights, it’s hard to see the second matchup as a fair fight. OCFC is clearly the favorite, while Dodge City is the underdog. However, the Toros have punched up all season and through the national playoffs, they know how to win against the favorites. They are the cinderella story this year, can they continue to dream against Orange County? Or will OCFC continue its dominant run to the Championship on Sunday?

My prediction for which matchup we see on Sunday in the Championship? Orange County FC vs Beaman United FC. Let’s see what we get!

- Dan Vaughn