Earlier this week, the UPSL announced the location and layout for their national playoff and eventual championship final, which is currently in play and will be completed in March of 2021. The final weekend will be played in Atlanta Silverbacks Park March 5-7.

For many, the 2020 Fall season has flown under the radar, including for many of us at Protagonist. With the diversity of locations and the number of clubs involved, it can be a challenge to keep dialed in to the sprawling national league. The playoffs, however, offer a great glimpse into the best of the league, with each round bringing diverse and interesting matchups.

The fact that the league even played a fall season was surprising to many, given the state of the pandemic across the country. The UPSL was careful to work with local mandates and restrictions, meaning divisions were allowed to play in areas where it legal, while others were forced to shutter for the rest of the year. For those that did want to play, the risk of COVID was still present, which reduced the number of participating clubs even further.

The league is thrilled to be playing the league final in Atlanta. In a press release on the announcement, UPSL commissioner Yan Skwara did not hold back. "The UPSL is proud to bring its National Championship weekend to the great City of Atlanta and to iconic Silverbacks Park. The teams and players deserve a professional atmosphere, and Silverbacks Park has about as much character and history as any soccer facility in the United States. We're excited to share this news and look forward to a tremendous weekend of soccer in Atlanta."

The choice of a city in the American South, where the pandemic hasn’t been as aggressively dealt with by government leaders, should not be a surprise. The timeline of the tournament may be also banking on the pandemic slowing, with the oncoming rollout of the vaccine. How that plays out in reality remains to be seen. The league had issued COVID protocols earlier this year and, so far, it appears that the UPSL has avoided any major outbreaks among its players and staff. According to Dennis Pope, Head of UPSL media relations, “protocols will be in place but the details of those aren’t spelled out at this time. We will certainly follow state and municipal guidelines, mask up, physically distance benches, etc.”

The announcement of the playoff final in Atlanta highlighted the potential for “traveling fans.” Of course, rather than putting yourself or others at risk, fans of the clubs can always use Mycujoo, which will stream all the matches. Either way, fans will get to enjoy the final of a UPSL season played in the toughest of circumstances in March, 2021.

- Dan Vaughn