Lower90

Lower90 Weekly Newsletter of Aug 31, 2026

FootballNews365 / August 31, 2026

Goals, Goals, Goals...lots of them this week. Strikers seem to be in late season form in the USL and are getting their groove on in the Gainbridge Super League. Read on for more!

THE LOWER90 WEEKLY

It was a week that delivered drama in bundles across all three USL divisions, with comeback victories, hat tricks, and late-game heartbreak keeping fans locked to their screens from Hartford to El Paso. The USL Championship saw its standings tightened in key spots, with New Mexico United and El Paso Locomotive both picking up crucial home wins while Hartford Athletic pulled off one of the most jaw-dropping turnarounds of the season. Over in League One and the Super League, heavy scorelines and confident performances served notice that the business end of the season is very much upon us.

Match of the Week: USL Championship — Hartford Athletic vs Birmingham Legion FC

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Editor’s pick: Three goals in 32 minutes after going two down — including two before halftime — makes this the most viscerally thrilling match of the week, full stop. Hartford didn’t just beat Birmingham; they broke them.

Hartford Athletic completed a stunning comeback to defeat Birmingham Legion FC 3–2 at home on Saturday night in USL Championship action. Romario Williams struck twice for the visitors in the first half, but goals from Barry Coffey (42’), Michee Ngalina (45+3’), and Jordan Scarlett (74’) turned the match on its head.

Birmingham looked in full control early. Williams opened the scoring in the 21st minute, finishing off a Dawson McCartney delivery, then doubled the lead in the 39th when he converted from a Peter-Lee Vassell pass. At 2–0, the Legion appeared comfortable.

Hartford had other ideas. Just three minutes after falling two behind, Coffey pulled one back, latching onto a Sebastian Anderson feed to cut the deficit in half. The momentum swung decisively before the break when Ngalina equalized deep in first-half stoppage time, guided by a pass from Junior Moreira. Hartford went into the interval level after looking dead and buried.

The second half was a tense, scrappy affair. Six yellow cards were shown across the match, including one to Anderson in the 26th minute — though the booking did nothing to dull his influence. He set up the winner in the 74th minute, picking out Jordan Scarlett to complete the turnaround. Coffey, who had sparked the comeback, was himself cautioned four minutes earlier but stayed disciplined enough to see the result through.

Birmingham pushed late but could not find an equalizer, with the match stretching into six minutes of added time before the final whistle.

The victory gives Hartford valuable points in a tightly packed midtable picture as the regular season enters its final stretch.

This Week’s Highlights

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USL Championship — El Paso Locomotive FC vs Loudoun United FC

Rubio Rubín was simply in a different stratosphere on Saturday, putting Loudoun to the sword with a hat trick completed by the 40th minute — and El Paso were already 3-1 up at the break before Carl-Fred Sainte added gloss in the 90+1’. Abdellatif Aboukoura chipped in with a goal of his own in the 17th, but this game belonged entirely to Rubín. For Loudoun, there are serious questions to answer after being taken apart that ruthlessly before halftime.

USL Championship — El Paso Locomotive FC vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

El Paso and Pittsburgh served up a proper gut-punch of a match midweek, with Robbie Mertz opening the scoring in the 53rd minute only for Eric Calvillo to level four minutes later and seemingly earn the Riverhounds a hard-fought point. Then came the 90+3’ — Noah Dollenmayer applied the finish that sent El Paso’s home crowd into raptures and left Pittsburgh to make the long trip back east empty-handed. Late winners don’t come much more brutal than that.

USL League One — Charlotte Independence vs AV ALTA FC

Jon Bakero put on a performance that coaches show on film sessions, contributing two goals and three assists as Charlotte dismantled AV ALTA 5-0 at home Thursday. Souaibou Marou added one in the 14th, Reudd Manin buried a third right before halftime, and Enzo Martínez put the cherry on top in the 81st. Charlotte barely broke a sweat, and with a performance this emphatic, they’re sending a clear message to the rest of League One about where they stand.

USL Championship — Charleston Battery vs Miami FC

Charleston put on a clinic on Monday that Miami simply had no answer for. Miguel Berry was the headline act — scoring in the 45+3’ and 47th minutes to make it 3-0 before the second half was barely alive — but Maalique Foster got things rolling in the 19th and Graham Smith and Alec Hughes added their names to the scoresheet later on. A 5-0 scoreline is humbling at any level; for Miami, this one stings particularly hard given how early the contest was effectively over.

Results Roundup

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USL League One — Chattanooga Red Wolves SC vs Athletic Club Boise — Boise 3-2. Thomas Amang’s 81st-minute strike completed a remarkable road comeback after Chattanooga had fought back to lead 2-1, making it one of the week’s more chaotic five-goal affairs.

USL Championship — New Mexico United vs Lexington SC — New Mexico 2-1. Lexington led and were looking comfortable until United produced a stunning five-minute blitz — Keller in the 73rd, Reid-Stephen in the 78th — to snatch all three points in front of a raucous home crowd.

USL Championship — Brooklyn FC vs Sporting JAX — Brooklyn 4-1. Peter Mangione brace led the charge as Brooklyn buried three goals before halftime and never looked back in a clinical, one-sided demolition.

USL Championship — New Mexico United vs San Antonio FC — San Antonio 2-1. Twelve yellow cards, frayed tempers throughout, and Nicky Hernandez’s 52nd-minute strike proving the decisive blow in one of the most ill-tempered matches of the season.

USL League One — Greenville Triumph SC vs FC Naples — Greenville 4-0. A statement performance in the final third as Greenville — including a Muba Nour brace — turned the last 35 minutes into a highlight reel at Naples’ expense.

USL Championship — Phoenix Rising FC vs Indy Eleven — Phoenix 2-1. Three goals in the opening 28 minutes set the tone, and despite Indy’s best efforts to claw back into it, Phoenix held on for a breathless home win.

USL Super League — Carolina Ascent FC vs Tampa Bay Sun FC — Tampa Bay 2-1. Carolina’s equalizer lasted all of seven minutes before Sydny Nasello restored Tampa Bay’s lead in the 75th to seal a well-earned away win.

USL League One — Portland Hearts of Pine vs Fort Wayne FC — Fort Wayne 4-1. Taig Healy was unplayable on the road, netting twice as Fort Wayne put in one of League One’s most dominant away performances of the campaign.

USL Championship — Monterey Bay FC vs Sacramento Republic FC — Draw, 1-1. Sacramento looked out of it until Cal Jennings popped up in the 84th minute to steal a share of the spoils and silence the home crowd.

USL League One — Westchester SC vs Spokane Velocity FC — Spokane 3-1. Westchester dared to lead, but Spokane responded with three unanswered goals — Andre Lewis capping the comeback in the 72nd — to completely flip the script.

USL Super League — Lexington SC vs DC Power FC — DC Power 2-1. Emily Colton’s second-half strike proved the difference as Lexington’s 90+4’ consolation arrived far too late to salvage anything.

USL Championship — FC Tulsa vs Rhode Island FC — Tulsa 1-0. An early goal and six yellow cards later, Tulsa survived a relentless Rhode Island siege to cling to all three points by their fingernails.

USL League One — Richmond Kickers vs Forward Madison FC — Forward Madison 2-1. Roman Torres scored in the 2nd minute and set up the 58th-minute winner to single-handedly drive Madison’s gutsy road victory.

USL Super League — Sporting JAX vs Dallas Trinity FC — Sporting JAX 2-0. Baylee DeSmit’s first-half goal set the tone and Sophia Boman sealed it as Sporting JAX kept a clean sheet in a composed home performance that bolsters their Super League credentials.

Until next week — keep watching the beautiful game

Originally published by Lower90 on Substack.