Lower90

Lower90 Newsletter July 6th 2026

FootballNews365 / July 6, 2026

Great soccer is happening in the US! And not just at the World Cup!

This Week in US Soccer

----------------------

It was a week that seemed allergic to conventional endings, with late goals, jaw-dropping comebacks, and stoppage-time chaos rippling across the USL Championship, League One, League Two, and the NPSL. The Championship saw Sporting JAX survive a 93rd-minute equalizer rollercoaster against Loudoun United, while Detroit City FC and Portland Hearts of Pine both snatched road victories in the final minutes of their respective fixtures. Meanwhile, the NPSL delivered its share of madness — none more so than a ten-goal thriller in Philadelphia that has to be seen to be believed.

Match of the Week: NPSL — Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals vs West Chester United SC

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Editor’s pick: Ten goals, a 90th-minute equalizer to make it 5-5, and a red card in the dying seconds — Philadelphia vs West Chester delivered the most unhinged match of the season and it isn’t particularly close.

Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals and West Chester United SC played out a remarkable 5–5 draw in NPSL action on July 1, with ten different goal-scoring moments packed into 90 minutes. J. Weaver struck twice and J. Gier grabbed a stoppage-time equalizer for the hosts, while A. Zama’s brace and goals from P. Rojek and T. Regan kept West Chester in front for most of the contest.

West Chester raced out of the blocks. An unmarked finish in the seventh minute gave the visitors an early lead, and Rojek doubled the advantage five minutes later. S. Tanaka pulled one back for the Ukrainian Nationals in the 19th minute, but Regan restored the two-goal cushion just three minutes later to make it 3–1.

Weaver’s first, right before halftime in the 43rd minute, cut the deficit to one. The second half opened scrappily — Rojek picked up a yellow card in the 49th minute, and Weaver was booked two minutes later. That caution did nothing to slow Weaver down. After Zama made it 4–2 for West Chester in the 55th minute, Weaver answered almost immediately, scoring again in the 57th to keep the hosts within striking distance.

The final ten minutes were chaos. Burling equalized at 4–4 in the 82nd minute, only for Zama to restore West Chester’s lead two minutes later. It looked done. Then Gier struck in the 90th minute to level it at 5–5, and Rojek was sent off in the dying seconds, capping a miserable end to the match for the visitors.

The draw leaves both sides searching for the consistency needed to make a meaningful push in the NPSL standings.

This Week’s Highlights

----------------------

USL League One — FC Naples vs Portland Hearts of Pine

Portland Hearts of Pine pulled off a genuine heist in Naples on July 3, coming from 2-1 down with minutes remaining to steal a 3-2 road win. Christopher Garcia and Serigne Faye had given Naples a lead that looked comfortable enough heading into the final stretch, but Diego Gonzalez leveled it in the 88th minute and Mikey Lopez completed the mugging in the 91st. Three points that Naples will feel they had already pocketed, ripped away in the most ruthless fashion possible.

USL Championship — Loudoun United FC vs Sporting JAX

If you thought a 91st-minute goal was enough to settle a match, Sporting JAX’s Emil Jääskeläinen had other ideas. Loudoun’s Kieran Sadlier had scored right at the end of the first half, and it looked like Abdellatif Aboukoura’s 91st-minute strike had completed a stunning JAX comeback to take all three points. Then Jääskeläinen leveled it in the 93rd — a 2-2 draw that left everyone in the building needing a moment to process what they’d just watched.

USL Championship — Birmingham Legion FC vs Detroit City FC

Detroit City FC made the trip to Birmingham and walked away with three points thanks to Ben Morris’s 90+2 minute winner. Rio Hope-Gund had given the Legion hope with a goal just two minutes into the match, but Tyler Pasher equalized for Detroit in the 24th minute and Morris had the final word deep in stoppage time. A big away result for Detroit City with genuine standings implications as the Championship season tightens up.

NPSL — Duluth FC vs Dakota Fusion FC

Duluth were staring at a defeat after J. Cervantes put Dakota Fusion ahead in the 82nd minute, but what followed was one of the more remarkable three-minute stretches in NPSL play this season. K. Green pulled Duluth level in the 89th, and then J. Magalhaes turned the ball into his own net in the 90th to hand the hosts a 2-1 win they had absolutely no right to be celebrating. Dakota Fusion will need time to get over this one.

Results Roundup

---------------

NPSL — Joy AC vs Minnesota Blizzard FC — Joy AC 3-2 Minnesota Blizzard FC. Minnesota led twice and looked set to take the points, but R. Bert’s own goal in the 90th minute handed Joy AC a gut-punch victory.

USL League One — AV ALTA FC vs Charlotte Independence — AV ALTA FC 1-1 Charlotte Independence. Charlotte thought they’d done enough, but Jerry Desdunes shattered those plans with a 90+1 equalizer to steal a point for the hosts.

USL Championship — Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Lexington SC — Tampa Bay Rowdies 1-4 Lexington SC. Lexington exploded with two goals inside the opening 15 minutes and never looked back, dismantling Tampa Bay in a complete road destruction on Independence Day.

NPSL — Minnesota Blizzard FC vs Siouxland United FC — Minnesota Blizzard FC 0-2 Siouxland United FC. Y. Urakami gifted Siouxland two own goals in the same half, and M. Just’s red card in the 39th minute left the visitors a man short for over an hour — and they still held on for the clean sheet.

USL League One — Union Omaha vs AV ALTA FC — Union Omaha 3-1 AV ALTA FC. Omaha were staring at a loss before erupting with three goals in 13 wild second-half minutes to flip the script completely.

NPSL — OSNER’S FC vs American Soccer Club New York — OSNER’S FC 3-1 American Soccer Club New York. J. Rosero was completely unstoppable, bagging a clinical hat trick across both halves to single-handedly carry OSNER’S FC to a dominant victory.

NPSL — Buffalo Stallions vs Niagara 1812 — Buffalo Stallions 2-2 Niagara 1812. Buffalo clawed back from two goals down to level, and then C. Provenzano was sent off in the 90+1 to leave this combustible derby finishing with ten men apiece.

USL Championship — Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs Phoenix Rising FC — Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 3-1 Phoenix Rising FC. Phoenix’s Gunnar Studenthofft had the perfect start with a 4th-minute stunner, but Adrien Pérez hijacked the match with a brace and an assist as Colorado ran out comfortable 3-1 winners.

USL League Two — Ballard FC vs Tacoma Stars — Ballard FC 7-0 Tacoma Stars. An absolute statement from Ballard — a 7-0 demolition of Tacoma Stars that announced their attacking intent to the entire Pacific Northwest.

USL League Two — St. Croix Legends vs Edgewater Castle FC — St. Croix Legends 7-1 Edgewater Castle FC. St. Croix put on a goal-fest spectacle in a one-sided 7-1 dismantling that showcased some genuinely eye-catching attacking firepower.

USL League Two — Erie Sports Center vs Akron City FC — Erie Sports Center 1-6 Akron City FC. Akron rolled into Erie and put on a merciless road clinic, hammering their hosts 6-1 in one of the most lopsided results the league has seen this season.

USL League One — Charlotte Independence vs Corpus Christi FC — Charlotte Independence 2-1 Corpus Christi FC. Charlotte trailed at the break but Javen Romero’s stoppage-time strike completed a first-half comeback that left Corpus Christi absolutely gutted heading into the locker room.

USL Championship — San Antonio FC vs Monterey Bay FC — San Antonio FC 0-0 Monterey Bay FC. Zero goals but maximum ill temper — 11 yellow cards and a stoppage-time second yellow made this the most combustible goalless draw you’re likely to see all season.

USL W League — Pittsburgh Riveters SC vs Minnesota Aurora FC — Pittsburgh Riveters SC 1-2 Minnesota Aurora FC. Minnesota Aurora FC showed real championship mentality, erasing Pittsburgh’s lead with two unanswered goals to claim a gutsy road victory.

USL League Two — Project 51O vs San Francisco City FC — Project 51O 4-2 San Francisco City FC. Six goals, two SF City comebacks, and a relentless Project 51O attack that kept finding answers in a pulsating thriller that never gave either side a moment’s rest.

Until next week — keep watching the beautiful game

Originally published by Lower90 on Substack.