USL Championship Opening Weekend Review | OneFootball

The biggest opening weekend news wasn’t the two new expansion teams taking the pitch for the first time. Or the record crowd for the Commonwealth Cup which started the season. Nor was it the defending champion Pittsburgh Riverhounds dropping game one of their title defense.

It was the pause.

At nearly every game, players on both sides stood perfectly still for an entire minute after the opening whistle. Then began playing. This was a quiet protest around the continued fracas between the USL and the USLPA over a collective bargaining agreement.

In all, ten games were played. Goals were scored and celebrated. Yellow cards issued. Soccer prevailed, as it should.

Commonwealth Cup: Lexington SC 1 – 2 Louisville City

Two Kentucky teams kicked off the season. Lexington SC hosted local rival Louisville City SC in a Friday night fixture at Lexington Stadium. The match broke attendance records with 8,277 people sporting green or purple depending on their affiliation.

Lexington struck first when Aaron Molloy found the net after seventeen minutes, thereby becoming an answer in a very obscure future soccer-related trivia question. His strike from way outside the box was a thing of beauty, dipping just under the outstretched arms of Ryan Troutman.

Louisville City were unfazed conceding so early, and played patiently while building up the attack. That patience was rewarded when halftime substitute Mukwelle Akale danced and dribbled past three Lexington defenders, hitting a slow-moving shot that creeped past the keeper, off the post, and in. It was Akale’s debut goal for LouCity after transferring from New Mexico United. The clutch goal came in the 85th minute after Aiden McFadden, unmarked on the far post, easily tapped in Logan Ketterer’s parried save.

Sporting JAX 0 – 3 Hartford Athletic

Welcome to the USL Championship, Jacksonville! Here’s your first loss.

The crowd at Hodges Stadium exceeded 10,000, which is an impressive number for a newly founded team. But the team will need to produce better soccer to keep filling those seats. Though they put up a good fight for most of the match, a lack of clinical finishing haunted the JAX players, particularly in the early moments. That profligacy bit them as Hartford’s Augustine Williams struck only a minute before halftime. Only 2 ofJAX’s 13 shots were on target, as opposed to 8 of Hartford’s 14. 

In the second half, an errant kick from Antonio Gomez onto Barry Coffey’s calf resulted in a penalty. But Williams’ tepid effort from the spot was stopped by goalkeeper Christian Olivares. Ultimately, JAX was undone by fresh legs. Hartford subbed on Samuel Careaga, who scored six minutes after hitting the pitch. That alacrity was beaten by Adewale Obalola, who only took four minutes to score after coming on minutes from full time.

Charleston Battery 2 – 1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds

In the pale orange glow of a late winter’s setting sun, the USL Cup champion Pittsburgh Riverhounds kicked off their 2026 campaign to defend their title. They fell short on this day, falling to a stubborn Charleston in front of 5,000 spectators. The Battery started in high gear, forcing three saves from Pittsburgh keeper Nicolás Campuzano before 15 minutes. In total, 78% of their shots were on frame. Small wonder two of them poked through, though the first was especially galling as it was conceded from a set piece in first half stoppage time. Adding insult to injury, Sean Suber, the goalscorer, was a former Riverhound.  

The Hounds only managed six total shots, two on frame, yet still never scored. Their single goal was the result of a Nathan Messer error.

San Antonio FC 2 – 1 Phoenix Rising FC

More akin to a MMA duel dressed as a soccer game, this match featured a total of 42 fouls between both teams! Okay, it also fielded 18 shots (nine for each) and the statistical anomaly of the more dangerous team, Phoenix, losing. Rising’s xG was three times higher, they had twice as many shots on target, and three more corners. All to no avail.

Monterey Bay 0 – 1 Oakland Roots

Coming into this match, the Roots were under a very dark cloud. They held the unfortunate record of the USL Championship team with the worst March record. Dating back to 2022, Oakland has managed only one win out of 14 games. Nine of those were losses, the other four draws.

The match against local rival side Monterey Bay was a tense and nervy one, and in fairness the hosts had the better chances. But Roots keeper Raphael Spiegel made four critical saves to keep them alive. In the dying minutes of the match, midfielder Mark Fisher, a recent signing from Toronto FC, struck the net from a tight angle. His debut goal turned out to be the winner, breaking (for now) the duck of Oakland’s March Malaise.

Sacramento Republic FC 2 – 0 FC Tulsa

Republic continued their impressive run of drawing big crowds, packing in over 11,000 into Heart Health Park. Defending Western Conference champions FC Tulsa were the better team on paper, with more shots, more shots on frame and double Sacramento’s xG. But stats don’t win games; goals do. And in that respect, Republic’s two on frame efforts both struck the net and gave them the win. The first came from Frederik Kleemann, who came in unmarked from the flank and met Ryan Spaulding’s cross to head it home. The second came from Kyle Edwards, who had 12 goals in 2025, 8 of those from the bench. He came on in the 72nd minute and put the game to bed with a laser strike to the lower right corner. Defensively, Danny Vitiello’s three saves earned him his 59th shutout.

Orange County SC 1 – 1 Las Vegas Lights FC

Orange County’s Lyam Mackinnon scored early (22nd minute) on his team’s only shot on frame. Las Vegas, meanwhile, needed Nighte Pickering’s clutch shot in the 84th minute to earn the draw.

El Paso Locomotive FC 2 – 2 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

Rubio Rubín’s brace for El Paso makes him the league’s top scorer after one week.

Birmingham Legion FC 0 – 1 Tampa Bay Rowdies

There is still a soccer pulse in Tampa Bay! Last year hurricanes damaged their facilities and rumors swirled surrounding their future. But the venerable club, resurrected in 2008 from the ashes of the old, got the job done on opening night. When Birmingham made a hash of Tampa’s long throw, Marco Micaletto was Johnny-on-the-spot to drive it home.

Brooklyn FC 1 – 0 Indy Eleven

It wasn’t pretty, but none of the 4,500 fans at Maimonides Park, nestled in the shadows of Coney Island’s landmark roller coasters, would care. All they know is that Brooklyn FC won their inaugural game, becoming only the second expansion team since 2019 to accomplish that feat. The lone goal came after Peter Mangione was tripped in the box. The resulting penalty kick was taken by striker Juan Carlos Obregón Jr., who hit a cheeky strike straight up the middle into the top netting.