The Conference Quarterfinals gave us plenty of entertainment last week. 3 games resulted in upset wins. 3 games were decided in penalty shootouts (all of them ending 5-4). One of those also had both regular-time goals scored on PKs. There were 4 red cards, 1 going to a winning team. And one of the upsets kicked the Players’ Shield winners out.
That brings us to 8 teams left. All games will be played Saturday evening; here’s a preview of all four games.
Eastern Conference
Louisville City v. The Miami FC (6:00pm, ESPN+)
Despite pounding the Pittsburgh Riverhounds with 12 shots, it took Lou City until stoppage time in the first half of extra time to break the deadlock. That goal was all they needed to advance. They are now the top seed in the East, thanks to their opponent tomorrow, who pulled off the worst v. first upset. They scored first against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, although the lead lasted only 10 minutes. The two played another 76 minutes without scoring. Miami also had the unusual event of a red card during the shootout, but thanks to goalkeeper Eloy Room they knocked the Rowdies off. That puts them in the position of having to play every game on the road to win it all. Getting by Louisville will be a challenge.
Charleston Battery v. Hartford Athletic (6:30pm, ESPN+)
The Battery came from behind to even it up 1-1 with Rhode Island and got the win in a shootout. Hartford were given an early boost when Detroit’s (ex-Legionary) Kobe Hernandez-Foster was red-carded after just 19 minutes. They finished with a 2-1 win despite Detroit putting up 21 short-handed shots. Charleston are unlikely to allow that kind of advantage, being highly disciplined. Expect another close game here.
Western Conference
New Mexico United v. Colorado Springs Switchbacks (8:00pm, ESPN+)
New Mexico were already 2 goals up when Phoenix Rising got their first red early in the second half. They were shown another one with 15 minutes left and that was pretty much game over. The Switchbacks traded penalties with Lexington and went on to get the 5-4 shootout win. They are now the strongest surviving away seed and possibly have the best chance at continuing to knock off home seeds. Look for a ton of attacking soccer in this one.
Sacramento Republic v. El Paso Locomotive (9:00pm, ESPN+)
The Republic split a predictable 4 shots on goal with FC Tulsa and got the only goal in perhaps the least enjoyable game of last weekend. El Paso got by a typically physical San Antonio team 2-1, the red card right at the final whistle not making a difference. This will feature an aggressive attack facing off with a tough defense. It probably will not get ugly though and will serve as a very nice nightcap.
Back in the Old Country
Birmingham City recovered masterfully from the shock they got at Cardiff two weeks ago, winning 2 games this week going away. The Blues took a 3-1 win at Lincoln City and a 3-0 home win over Millwall. August Priske added 2 more to his season total against Lincoln, the other 4 goals were spread among 4 other players. Priske now has 6 goals in 11 games. The wins pushed the team up to 3rd in the table and just 2 points out of 1st. They are tied on points with Stoke City and Swansea City, but have a far better goal difference; at +13 they are 8 goals better than the other two and behind only Southampton and West Ham United, both on +15. The Hammers are lucky to be in that position though; they had to come from 3 goals down in midweek to draw 3-3 with the aforementioned Cardiff.
The points tie is almost certainly about to break: the team hosts Swansea tomorrow (9:00am, Paramount+) and immediately after the upcoming international break, they head to Stoke on the 21st. As for the teams they are chasing, Middlesbrough at the top got only their second loss of the season Wednesday, 0-2 to Wrexham (who are struggling this year). They play 20th-place Watford tomorrow; barring a surprise result they will stay at the top. Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2nd go to Wrexham, which could be a toss-up. The Blues could move up ahead of them, a nice boost before the break.
The Ladies were whipped 1-4 by Spurs last week, back to their losing ways. They head to the London City Lionesses Sunday (8:30 am, Paramount+). The Lionesses are the only truly independent team in the WSL, having broken away from their original parent, Millwall, back in 2019. Currently 3rd, they won the title in 2025.
