USL: Unvisited

Despite me visiting many of the teams USL League Two's Metropolitan Division, I wasn't able to get to all of them. There are other teams in the division that I wasn't able to get to, as they're kinda awkwardly located and none of them had afternoon games (the only team in the Metropolitan division with afternoon games was NJ Copa). However, I feel like in the interest of "completeness", I should talk a little bit about them.

HUDSON VALLEY HAMMERS - Newburgh, NY

The Hudson Valley Hammers are the division's northernmost team - being based in Newburgh, NY. They (apparently) joined the division in 2022, and were actually the first team in the division I heard about - they made the playoffs last season, which earned them (and FC Motown) a trip to Vermont where they (both) lost to the Green¹.

Of the teams I didn't get to see, this would be the most "doable" IMO - it's about an hour or so away from where I live, and there are no tolls to be paid (the next team is a bit closer but involves crossing the Cuomo Tappan Zee Bridge). Unfortunately, all but two of their matches start at 7:30 PM or later (i.e. a 9:30 departure home down a dark New York State Thruway) - and I couldn't make it to either game.

WESTCHESTER FLAMES - New Rochelle, NY

The Westchester Flames were founded in 1999, which makes them the longest tenured fourth tier team in the Metropolitan Division. This, plus a 2002 national championship, make them easily the most "pedigreed" team in the division.

I had a couple of dates that MAY have worked to see the Flames, but various things ended up making me think it wasn't exactly worth it (the rather expensive toll for the Tappan Zee Bridge, the fact that the Flames didn't "combine" well with other planned trips, and the one "decently doable" game threatened by rain). Of course, given that they got essentially pantsed when I saw them against FC Motown (and then lose two other games against Cedar Stars and NJ Copa), I don't think I missed too much...

MANHATTAN SC - New York, NY

Originally a rec team based on the Upper West Side of New York City, Manhattan SC joined USL2 in 2019. They've won the division once, which also represents the club's only playoff appearance (but ended up losing their lone playoff game).

You'd think that it'd be easy to visit a team in Manhattan given, y'know, the fact that it's Manhattan. The issue with that, however, is the fact that the team plays in a stadium on the campus of the University of Mount Saint Vincent (nee College) - a place that's difficult to get to by train, as it's FAR from the subway and only served by Metro North (and, contrary to the team's name, in the Bronx). Throw in the George Washington Bridge and its near 20 dollar tolls (plus obligatory NYC traffic concerns), and this trip was never really feasible for me IMO (though I did BRIEFLY think about coming here on a Wednesday night - but again, traffic and tolls).

LONG ISLAND ROUGH RIDERS - Hempstead, NY

Founded in 1994 (which actually predates Major League Soccer), the Rough Riders are (technically) the Metropolitan Division's oldest team (though the Flames have been around the various leagues that eventually became USL2 longer). They actually have two THIRD division titles, and joined USL2 in 2007, but have yet to win a USL2 title - though they made the championship game in 2022.

Being on Long Island, sadly, makes a trip out here pretty much impossible, and their schedule doesn't help either: there's a baseball team on the island I'd like to visit (i.e. combine the two into one trip for "value"), but the schedules didn't line up (it also doesn't help that the soccer team is by Nassau Coliseum, and the baseball team is somewhere in Suffolk County).

Other Divisions

There were also other teams in USL2's other divisions that I had some thoughts about visiting, but ended up not. These teams are all in different divisions - not just from the Metropolitan Division, but from each other as well:

AC CONNECTICUT - Danbury/Waterbury, CT (Northeast Division)

AC Connecticut is one of those "large youth soccer academies with a USL2 team" based in Newtown, CT (just east of Danbury). They joined what is now USL2 in 2012 as "CFC Azul", then changed to their current name in 2015.

They were the visitors when I saw Vermont Green back in 2023, and then a week or so after that game, I saw the first few minutes of another game where they were once again the visitors (and got THRASHED)². This year, I wanted to see them host the Green, but the date wasn't feasible as it was a Wednesday night - and then I found out the game was in a different location from what I was expecting (FURTHER from me).

PORT CITY FC - Wilmington, NC (South Atlantic Division)

Information on Port City FC's history is scarce, but Wikipedia indicates that the club was founded in 2014 (and seemingly implies they were originally from Biloxi, Mississippi). Part of the reason information is scarce, however, is that 2026 marks their USL2 debut! They were in the NPSL prior to this year, and it seems like they're not the only team to have "made the jump".

The team was home the week I was down near Wilmington, but due to me having FOUR other events I wanted to go to on four different days, I felt I had to cut down on traveling, and this ended up getting cut (alongside the Wilmington Sharks). The game I would have gone to saw Port City clinging to a lead until their opponents - 2025 NPSL champions Hickory FC - scored two late goals to steal victory.

One note: the team splits home games between two sites in Wilmington - one of which is at UNC Wilmington (which is where the game I wanted to see was), and the other one is near where the Sharks play.

ANNAPOLIS BLUES - Annapolis, MD (Chesapeake Division)

The Annapolis Blues are probably one of the biggest stories in "non-professional" American soccer. They were founded in 2023 as an NPSL team then moved to USL2 in 2025, but have been known for their MASSIVE attendances: last year, they outdrew most of the USL Championship as well as all of USL League One (as the biggest team in USL 1 only has around 6,000 seats in their stadium³, and the Blues drew 8,700).

For a LONG while, I was contemplating the idea of driving down and visiting the Blues. However, the combination of an awkward location and the things I am doing the day after my intended trip (July 11) made this unfeasible.

BALLARD FC - Seattle, WA (Northwest Division)

In 2021, local soccer players in Seattle started a football club and named it after the Ballard neighborhood. Since then, they've been quite successful - marked by winning the USL2 national championship in 2023.

When I thought about trips to make in the future when planning the 26 in 26, this was HIGH on my list. Having heard a lot about the success of the club, I was curious about what they were like in person. One problem, however: I live in New Jersey and it’s not exactly “close” to Seattle. Throw in the logistics of said trip being AWFUL, and this one had to be shelved (maybe next year...).

One thing Ballard has which almost NO other USL2 club has: a full-fledged physical team store. It’s in a local marketplace and, as you may expect, specializes in special Ballard FC merch - shirts, scarves, etc.

"BONUS": The USL W League

That's right - there's more than one women's league in the USL!

On some level, the USL W League is basically "USL2 for women": it's a largely regionalized league which features a lot of the same divisions as USL2. It was founded in 2021 as the successor to another USL W-League which was a (different) semi-pro league that folded in 2015, and many of its clubs are "sister" clubs to USL sides (not just USL2 by the way). However, there are a few "independent" teams in USLW, like...

PAISLEY ATHLETIC - Kearny, NJ

The only "women's only" team in USLW's Metropolitan Division, Paisley Athletic is a "female forward" soccer organization founded in 2021, and in 2023 they joined USLW. I had a plan to watch a game this year, but it got "kicked down the road" quite a bit; unfortunately, the eventual date I landed on featured rain and thunderstorms, and since it was the final home game of the season (plus the club having ZERO online retail presence)⁴...

As an aside, the other USLW teams in the Metropolitan Division are the Rough Riders, Manhattan SC, Morris Elite, Cedar Stars, and NJ Copa. In addition, every team outside the Metropolitan Division I talked about in this post fields a USLW side⁵. I had some thoughts about seeing a few USLW games, but none of them really panned out - including a potential trip to see AC Connecticut's USLW side take on Vermont Green's women's side (which has essentially been around since 2024 but just joined USLW this year). Mind you, AC Connecticut Women scored exactly FOUR goals over the course of ten games (and let in SEVENTEEN in two games against Vermont...).