Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rowdies
The opening round of the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs delivered an immediate reminder that regular-season success offers little protection in a single-elimination tournament. Players’ Shield winners Tampa Bay Rowdies were stunned by eighth-seeded Miami FC, while Detroit City and defending champions Pittsburgh Riverhounds also saw their seasons come to an early end.
The Western Conference followed a different script. New Mexico, Sacramento and El Paso all advanced, while Colorado Springs ended Lexington’s historic debut postseason in a penalty shootout. With eight clubs remaining, the Conference Semifinals are set, and the road to the Championship Final is beginning to take shape.
Eastern Conference
The biggest upset of the opening round came at Al Lang Stadium, where eighth-seeded Miami FC eliminated Tampa Bay Rowdies 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw. Miami goalkeeper Eloy Room denied MD Myers from the penalty spot late in extra time before making two additional saves in the shootout, ending the season of a Tampa Bay side that finished with the Championship’s best regular-season record.
Miami finished 25 points behind the Rowdies but advances to its first Eastern Conference Semifinal since joining the league in 2020. The result dramatically changes the conference outlook, removing the league’s strongest regular-season side and opening the door for the remaining contenders.
Detroit City also suffered an early exit, falling 2-1 at home to Hartford Athletic. Kobe Hernández-Foster’s 19th-minute red card left Detroit playing most of the match with 10 men, and Sadat Anaku capitalized with two goals, including the 75th-minute winner. Hartford became the first visiting Championship side to score twice at Keyworth Stadium this season, eliminating one of the league’s strongest defensive teams and securing its first postseason victory.
Charleston Battery narrowly avoided a similar fate against Rhode Island FC. After falling behind in the first half, Miguel Berry equalized in stoppage time to force extra time before Charleston advanced 5-4 on penalties. The victory was particularly meaningful after Rhode Island eliminated the Battery in each of the previous two postseasons, and Charleston now holds the highest remaining seed in the East.
Louisville City completed the semifinal field with a 1-0 extra-time victory over defending champions Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Tola Showunmi scored the decisive goal in first-half stoppage time of extra time, extending Louisville’s unbeaten run to eight matches and continuing the club’s momentum following its USL Cup triumph.
The East now features Louisville hosting Miami and Charleston welcoming Hartford. With Tampa Bay and Detroit eliminated, the conference has been significantly reshaped. Charleston retains home-field advantage, but Miami and Hartford have already demonstrated how little seeding can mean once the postseason begins.
Western Conference
Unlike the East, the Western Conference’s leading contenders largely survived the opening round. New Mexico United advanced with a 2-0 victory over Phoenix Rising, with Greg Hurst scoring in the seventh minute before Jake LaCava doubled the advantage shortly after halftime. Phoenix later received two red cards, ending any realistic chance of a comeback and sending New Mexico into the semifinals with home-field advantage intact.
Sacramento Republic continued its remarkable late-season run with a 1-0 victory over defending Western Conference champions FC Tulsa. The match remained scoreless until the 88th minute, when 19-year-old academy product Blake Willey fired home the winner from the edge of the penalty area.
Republic gradually took control after halftime, limiting Tulsa to just one shot on target while creating several opportunities of its own. The victory sends Sacramento into the Conference Semifinals, where it will host El Paso, a club Republic defeated 1-0 on the road just two weeks earlier.
El Paso secured its place with a 2-1 victory over San Antonio FC, earning its first postseason win since 2020. Rubio Rubín opened the scoring before Tony Alfaro doubled the lead, and Locomotive held off a late San Antonio response. The result provides a needed boost after consecutive defeats to Sacramento and New Mexico cost El Paso the conference’s top seed at the end of the regular season.
The West’s only lower-seeded winner came in Lexington, where Colorado Springs advanced 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw. Phillip Goodrum opened the scoring from the spot before Khori Bennett equalized with a second-half penalty. Goalkeeper Christian Herrera then made the decisive shootout save, ending Lexington’s first Championship postseason appearance.
Colorado Springs, the 2024 champions, now travels to New Mexico for the Conference Semifinals. The Switchbacks have become one of the West’s more difficult teams to defeat during the closing weeks of the season, setting up an intriguing matchup against the conference’s top seed.
The West now features three of its top four regular-season seeds, with Colorado Springs replacing Lexington. New Mexico retains home-field advantage, but Sacramento’s sustained momentum and El Paso’s attacking quality leave the conference race far from predictable.
The Road Ahead
The Conference Semifinals on November 7 feature Louisville hosting Miami and Charleston welcoming Hartford in the East, while New Mexico faces Colorado Springs and Sacramento hosts El Paso in the West.
The opening round has already reshaped expectations, particularly in the East, where two of the top three seeds have been eliminated. Miami’s upset of Tampa Bay stands as the defining result of the weekend, while Hartford’s breakthrough and Charleston’s narrow escape demonstrate just how quickly a postseason can change.
In the West, the favorites largely survived, but the margins remain narrow. Sacramento and El Paso renew their recent rivalry with a place in the Conference Final at stake, while New Mexico faces a Colorado Springs side that has already demonstrated its ability to survive under pressure.
Eight clubs remain, each now three victories away from lifting the trophy. The opening round proved that regular-season accomplishments can disappear in a single night, and the coming weeks will determine which teams can turn postseason momentum into a championship.
