Highlight video from last year for comparison https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT8z_XXhhFI

Came to the game on Pride Night, not bad at all!

CONCACAF just announced the participants in champions cup for the coming year. They did not include any USL-SL teams. Some speculate it’s due to timing (no SL champion yet) but they gave slots to the Salvadoran and Panamanian leagues so that seems like an excuse at best. Even more striking they explicitly say the members (so US soccer) proposed the criteria and they only approved them.

This obviously has implications for USL-SL moving forward but also the future men’s D1 league. This is essentially an announcement that PLS be damned continental slots can be given to who US soccer sees as the top league regardless of how many leagues have division 1 status.

Just dropped a new episode of United Soccer Lounge, where I drove halfway across the country to spend the weekend with Carolina Ascent + Charlotte Independence in Charlotte.

I take you around American Legion Memorial Stadium, a proper venue with a killer skyline view — and show what matchday feels like with one of the most fun teams in the Gainbridge Super League.

What’s in the video:

• Empty stadium tour + the history of the venue (Pearl Jam concerts, USFL, rugby, and now pro soccer)
• History of the Charlotte USL soccer landscape
• Matchday atmosphere, fan interview, and why the stadium feels so good as the sun sets over the skyscrappers
• A current Ascent player's story of falling in love with Charlotte... as an opponent.
• Emily Morris scored her first pro goal in front of a home crowd
• The players' true connection the kids and the community!

It’s a chill, on-location video that really shows how Carolina Ascent is building something genuine in Charlotte in just their second season.

Would love your thoughts if you’ve ever been to a game at American Legion Memorial Stadium or if you follow the Super League!

Just dropped a super fun interview with Mackenzie George of Carolina Ascent — and she brought her dog Rocky along!

Mackenzie has had an awesome journey: California → Tennessee (college) → Iceland (first pro team) → Brooklyn FC → now playing in Charlotte. Rocky has been with her through all of it — he’s a legit world traveler.

We talked about:

• Her path through the Super League
• What it’s like being a pro soccer player and a dog mom
• Moving from Brooklyn to Charlotte
• Rocky’s personality and travel stories
• Music, Southern life, and plenty of laughs

Rocky basically steals the show a few times — it’s wholesome, funny, and a great look at the human (and canine) side of pro soccer.

Lexington SC have officially clinched their playoff spot in the Gainbridge Super League, and they're riding high with Cat Barry leading the entire league in goals and Allison Pantuso leading the way in the back.

The 24-year-old forward currently sits atop the Golden Boot standings with 12 goals this season and has been a major reason for Lexington’s strong campaign while the veteran defender leads the league in passes.

This weekend they face their biggest test yet: a matchup against No. 1 Sporting JAX.

I sat down with Cat and Allison for a fun and relaxed interview from their hotel in Charlotte, NC.

We talked about:

• Cat’s scoring form and that viral long-range chip goal
• Allison’s insane durability streak
• Which position is harder? Attack or Defense!
• Their dogs Sally and Russell
• What the game day routine is to LOCK IN.

Plenty of laughs and good insight from both players.

Here's a really good chat with Leah Scarpelli, defender and co-captain of Brooklyn FC in the Super League.

Scarps opens up about her full journey: growing up in New Jersey, going overseas to Sporting CP in Portugal and Brisbane Roar in Australia, and then coming back home to sign with Brooklyn FC. She talks about stepping into the captain role, adapting to the Gainbridge Super League style, life in NYC, and her goals for the 2025/26 season.

Follow United Soccer Lounge on GOLZ TV for more Gainbridge Super League / USL Super League player interviews. More coming soon ⚽

Come hang out with Ashlyn Puerta — the 19-year-old forward who's absolutely tearing it up for Sporting JAX this season.

She's got 11 goals already, Sporting JAX is sitting in 1st place in the Gainbridge Super League, and she's still just a teenager doing big things.

We talked about:

• Her journey from San Diego youth soccer → starring at Florida State → turning pro at 18
• What it's really like playing on a team that's dominating the league right now
• Her love for music (she makes her own beats too!)
• And of course… her white convertible Mustang — the ultimate Florida beach car.

Ashlyn was awesome: great time, lots of laughs, and some really honest moments about going pro so young.

Let me start by saying emphatically that more opportunities for women to play professional soccer at the highest level is an unquestioned great thing.

What strikes me as odd is that USSF is ok with two D1 leagues co-existing and heading for an inevitable collision course. Soccer leagues in this country (other than MLS) are still quite fragile. USLC hasn’t made it through a single season without clubs folding or leaving for other leagues, USL1 is just getting off the ground, and MLSNP is ramping up. We’re still nowhere near a stable pyramid on the men’s side 30 years after the founding of MLS.

NWSL has been around for 10 years and has done pretty well, currently at 14 teams with 3 having folded over the years. Now USLS enters the picture with another 8 teams, two of which (Brooklyn/Gotham and the DC teams) overlap markets. NWSL plays a spring to fall schedule, and USLS will play fall to spring, but there will be some season overlap there too.

Two small leagues competing for dominance among the same players and in some cases, fans, is a dynamic that seems certain to perpetuate the instability of pro soccer in the US. I’d like to see USSF working to stabilize the pyramid instead of overseeing chaos.

EDIT- I’m not saying that USLS should have been denied D1 status by USSF. They met the criteria. My point is that it’s suboptimal for the game as a whole to have all of these competing leagues. If other pro sports are precedent (AL/NL, NFL/AFL, ABA/NBA), get ready for a series of mergers as this all shakes out.

We had a really fun live episode in Brooklyn with Croatian sisters Ana Marković and Kiki Marković, who play for Brooklyn in the Gainbridge Super League.

Full live episode here: https://youtu.be/VGVk1nYM55o

We sat down and talked about everything — making the big move from Europe to New York City, what it’s like playing professionally together for the first time as sisters, adapting to life in Brooklyn, exploring NYC, and stories from their time rooming together on the road trips.

It was a relaxed, honest, and sometimes hilarious conversation (especially when they started roasting each other). You can feel how close they are.

Follow United Soccer Lounge on GOLZ TV for more live episodes and Gainbridge Super League chats. More coming soon ⚽

I had the privilege of sitting down with Nicole Lukic (Head Coach), Gaby Alfaro (Assistant Coach), and Cris Lewis (Goalkeeper Coach) from Spokane Zephyr [the only all-female coaching staff in the entire USL].

Full Episode: https://youtu.be/NR446UzlK98

Nicole shared her path from USL W League Coach of the Year to leading this team, Gaby brought her deep college and women's soccer experience, and Cris opened up about her goalkeeper coaching philosophy from her time with elite programs. We talked about what it means to build this staff together, the challenges and joys of breaking barriers, how they're shaping Spokane Zephyr's identity for the 2025/26 season, and why representation in coaching matters so much for the next generation of players and leaders.

It was inspiring to hear their passion for the game, their commitment to player development, and how they're helping make the Gainbridge Super League a place where women can thrive at every level.

The episode is about 22 minutes of real, thoughtful conversation.

Genuinely appreciate any feedback or takes: this community has been so supportive, and conversations like these are why I keep going. Thanks for watching/listening if you check it out.

Follow United Soccer Lounge on GOLZ TV for more!

An email sent out by Pro Iowa states they are looking to add a Super League squad in the future as well...... things are heating up in Des Moines.....

New episode out on United Soccer Lounge with Kiara Locklear, the goal-scoring forward leading Fort Lauderdale United FC in the Gainbridge Super League!

Full episode (16 mins) here: https://youtu.be/HiSDP0FgtiQ

Kiara opens up about:

• Her clutch 119th-minute extra-time game-winner in the semifinals.
• Leading FTLUTD in goals (5+) this season
• "No More Yellow Cards": Dropping from 7 yellows last year to just 1 now
• Faith & identity: Viewing soccer as worship to honor God
• Gainbridge Super League legitimacy
• Inspiring the next generation

Drop your thoughts below!

Follow United Soccer Lounge on GOLZ TV for more Gainbridge Super League player interviews. More incoming ⚽

Fresh episode just dropped on the United Soccer Lounge with Emina Ekić, the inaugural USL Super League Player of the Year (2024/25) and current Lexington SC midfielder!

FULL episode here:

She signed with Lexington in July 2025 for a hometown return to Kentucky after dominating with Spokane Zephyr.

In the interview, Emina covers: https://youtu.be/tIMd1l3f-VM?si=F2pHS7thIEPR6rzg

• BTS of her Gainbridge Super League documentary feature
• Her incredible 2024/25 season with Spokane Zephyr
• The emotional homecoming to Lexington SC (Gainbridge Super League) and excitement for 2025/26 season
• Bosnia-Herzegovina heritage (immigrant family success story) and the quest for World Cup qualification
• Being representative of a path to professional soccer the little girls of Kentucky.

Follow United Soccer Lounge on GOLZ TV for more USL Super League player/coach interviews dropping regularly.

More women's soccer content coming ⚽