Lower90

Lower90 Newsletter for June 29, 2026

FootballNews365 / June 29, 2026

World cup may be popping, but there is some great soccer happening at the lower levels in the US!

This Week in US Soccer

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If you thought you’d seen everything American soccer had to offer, this week humbled you fast. The NPSL delivered scorelines that looked like FIFA glitches — 11-0, 9-0, 7-0 — while the comeback merchants were equally busy, with Santa Cruz FC and New Jersey United both clawing back from the dead in the dying minutes. The USL W League got in on the action too, with Utah United’s stunning 10-1 road win over Flatirons and a South Florida derby draw that no defense could claim bragging rights from. In short: if you missed this week’s action across the lower divisions, you’ve got some catching up to do.

Match of the Week: NPSL — Jackson Lions FC vs Hershey FC

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Editor’s pick: An 11-0 scoreline alone would be enough, but when you dig into the detail — four goals from I. Abbey, a hat trick from J. Troiano, a treble from A. Asiedu, and Abbey still adding a fourth in the 90th minute — this transcends a mere blowout and becomes something genuinely historic.

Jackson Lions FC routed Hershey FC 11–0 in NPSL action on Wednesday, a historic demolition powered by hat tricks from I. Abbey and A. Asiedu, a treble from J. Troiano, and a goal from R. Jarusevicius.

The hosts wasted no time asserting dominance. Abbey opened the scoring in the 13th minute, and Troiano doubled the lead just four minutes later. Troiano struck again in the 24th minute before Abbey added a fourth in the 25th to make it 4–0 inside the opening half hour. Hershey’s frustration showed when J. Krongold picked up a yellow card in the 21st minute, sandwiched between the goals. Jackson Lions took a commanding lead into the break with the contest already well beyond reach.

The second half offered no relief for the visitors. Troiano completed his hat trick in the 54th minute, and Asiedu joined the rampage with goals in the 58th and 65th minutes. Jarusevicius made it 8–0 in the 74th minute with the only goal from a player outside the main trio. Asiedu then grabbed his third in the 82nd minute before Abbey completed his own hat trick two minutes later. Abbey wasn’t finished — he added an 11th in the 90th minute to cap a personal four-goal haul and seal the largest margin of victory either side has seen this season.

No red cards were shown despite the lopsided nature of the contest, with the match playing out its full duration without major incident beyond the scoreline itself.

The emphatic result should give Jackson Lions FC a significant boost in goal difference as they push through the NPSL summer schedule.

This Week’s Highlights

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NPSL — New Jersey United AC vs Players Development Academy

M. Porto’s stoppage-time equalizer rescued a barely believable 3-3 draw for New Jersey United, but the context is what makes this one unforgettable. PDA had two players sent off in the final five minutes — D. Navas in the 85th and E. Stingl in the 90th — and were down to nine men when Porto stabbed home in added time to cancel out S. Taenaka’s 90th-minute goal that had briefly looked like the winner. Taenaka had also scored in the 82nd minute to give PDA what appeared to be a cushion, but nine men and a team with nothing to lose proved an irresistible combination.

NPSL — Erie Commodores FC vs Cleveland SC

Erie Commodores were trailing Cleveland SC when A. Faye decided the game had gone on long enough without his involvement — and then scored three times in eight extraordinary minutes. Goals in the 52nd, 54th, and 60th minutes transformed a deficit into a lead that the Commodores never relinquished, with D. Sumner’s 89th-minute strike making it 4-3 to confirm the win despite S. Conolly pulling one back for Cleveland in the 76th. An own goal on the stroke of half-time had given Erie a 2-1 lead at the break, but Faye’s second-half blitz was the story of the match by a considerable distance.

NPSL — Santa Cruz FC vs American Soccer Club New York

This one looked over at 4-1 to American Soccer Club New York in the second half, and truthfully, most of us would have written off Santa Cruz FC at that point. We would have been wrong. Y. Sanchez pulled one back in the 64th minute, added another in the 72nd to make it 4-3, and then L. Pinto — with the clock at 83 minutes — levelled at 4-4 to complete one of the most extraordinary comebacks the NPSL has seen this season. ASCNY had built their lead on a brace from J. De Souza De Aquino (7’, 45’) and goals from C. Prouty and C. Morandi, but it counted for nothing as Santa Cruz refused to go quietly.

NPSL — Hub City FC vs Ristozi FC

Ristozi FC made the trip and made it count with a merciless 7-0 dismantling of Hub City FC, the kind of road performance that sends a message to the rest of the division. S. Kodama opened in the 26th minute and J. Petty had two goals by the 56th, but the moment that truly defined the afternoon came in the 78th and 79th minutes when J. Miyahara scored twice inside sixty seconds to push the scoreline to 6-0. M. Yamamoto added a seventh in the 88th to wrap up a result that leaves no ambiguity about where Ristozi stand as an attacking threat in this competition.

Results Roundup

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NPSL — Virginia Dream FC vs Alexandria Reds — 1-1. Two red cards, seven yellows, and L. Emson still finding the net in the 87th minute — this one had everything a drama addict could want.

USL W League — Flatirons FC vs Utah United — 1-10. Utah United put ten goals past Flatirons FC in a stunning road annihilation that announced them as a genuine force in the W League.

NPSL — Hershey FC vs Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals — 0-9. Three days after the 11-0 humiliation at Jackson Lions, Hershey shipped nine more as Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals scored four times in the opening 23 minutes to complete a miserable week for the club.

NPSL — DMV Elite FC vs District Elite FC — 0-4. District Elite won 4-0 on the road despite finishing with ten men after a red card in the 87th minute, somehow growing stronger with fewer players on the pitch.

USL W League — Dayton Dutch Lions FC vs Racing Louisville FC — 3-4. Racing Louisville FC refused to let Dayton back in across a seven-goal thriller, claiming a 4-3 road win in the W League’s best attacking showcase of the weekend.

USL W League — Paisley Athletic FC vs Long Island Rough Riders — 3-4. Long Island fired four goals on the road to edge a breathless seven-goal affair at Paisley Athletic, with the home side scoring three times and still walking away empty-handed.

USL W League — Fort Lauderdale United FC vs FC Miami City — 3-3. Six goals, two South Florida rivals, and no winner — Fort Lauderdale and FC Miami City served up a scorching derby draw that neither defense could control.

NPSL — Players Development Academy vs WC Predators — 3-2. D. Grace equalized for the Predators in the 64th minute and then scored an own goal just two minutes later to hand PDA victory in one of the most heartbreaking individual moments of the season.

USL League Two — Cleveland Force SC vs FC Buffalo — 1-7. FC Buffalo went to Cleveland and left with a jaw-dropping 7-1 victory, one of the most lopsided results in League Two this season.

NPSL — FC Pride vs Gio’s Lions SC Chicago — 1-1. Y. Lakhlifi scored the equalizer for FC Pride and then got himself sent off with a second yellow in the 90th minute, leaving his team a man down at the final whistle in a truly wild result.

USL W League — Santa Clarita Blue Heat FC vs SoCal Reds FC — 6-0. Santa Clarita Blue Heat FC rolled over SoCal Reds 6-0 in a Southern California shutout that announced them as one of the most dangerous attacks in the W League.

USL League Two — Staten Island ASC vs Long Island Rough Riders — 0-6. Long Island made the short trip across New York and buried Staten Island 6-0, claiming total bragging rights in one of the most dominant local derby performances of the season.

NPSL — Ambassadors FC Ohio vs Erie Commodores FC — 0-1. A. Sanchez Ros’s cruel own goal in the 88th minute handed Erie Commodores victory over Ambassadors, who had done everything right only to be undone in the cruelest fashion possible.

USL W League — Miami AC vs FC Miami City — 0-4. FC Miami City stormed into rival Miami AC’s backyard and delivered a commanding 4-0 derby demolition, shutting out the hosts completely in a statement of local supremacy.

NPSL — AC Newport vs Santa Cruz FC — 2-2. Three goals in the opening 19 minutes set a frantic pace, and E. Conceicao’s 75th-minute equalizer rescued Santa Cruz from a 2-1 deficit to force a wild draw, accompanied by six yellow cards for good measure.

Until next week — keep watching the beautiful game

Originally published by Lower90 on Substack.