WEEK 1 SCHEDULE
Saturday, August 15
DC Power FC v Carolina Ascent FC, 7:00 p.m. ET
Lexington SC v Brooklyn FC, 7:00 p.m. ET
Fort Lauderdale United v Sporting JAX, 7:30 p.m. ET
Dallas Trinity FC v Tampa Bay Sun FC, 8:30 p.m. ET
REWIND: THE FINAL
LEXINGTON MAKES HISTORY
Regan Steigleder and Addie McCain scored in the first period of extra time to earn Lexington SC a 3-1 victory against Carolina Ascent FC in the 2026 Gainbridge Super League Final on Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 7,715 fans at Lexington SC Stadium to cap a worst-to-first season with the club’s first league title.
WATCH: Relive the Final! Built for Success: “Top of the Heap”
Read the full Final Recap: Lexington SC Claims Gainbridge Super League Title in extra time thriller
WEEK 1 STORYLINES
2026 FALL SEASON
The 2026 Gainbridge Super League season is a condensed season to bridge the gap between seasons as the league transitions to a Spring-to-Fall calendar in 2027.
The league’s eight clubs will begin competition on August 15. Each club will play 14 matches – seven home and seven away – before the regular season concludes on November 28. The club finishing first in the table will be awarded the Players’ Shield, while the top four clubs will qualify for the playoffs. Semifinal matches will be played on December 5, with The Final set for December 12 to determine the Fall Season champion.
FALL SEASON PREVIEW
Check out the 2026 Gainbridge Super League Fall Season Preview for a complete look-around the teams competing this season, their biggest returners, additions, and storylines to keep an eye on.
NEW ADDITIONS
Read up on many of the new additions around the League:
- READ: Six Newcomers to Watch in the Gainbridge Super League this Season
- READ: 8 Prospects to Watch in the 2026 Gainbridge Super League Fall Season
- READ: Sporting JAX bolsters its roster ahead of sophomore season
- READ: DC Power announces five new signings including Tyler Lussi, and duo from Spokane
- READ: Fort Lauderdale United adds League veterans and global experience ahead of 2026 fall season
WILL DC FINALLY GET A W AGAINST CAROLINA?
DC Power FC and Carolina Ascent FC will meet for the ninth time in league history, with the Power still searching for their first win against last season’s finalists. Ascent enters the matchup with a 6-0-2 record all-time in the series.
This time, however, the Power have a familiar face on their side. Forward Tyler Lussi joined Carolina during last season’s Winter Break, appearing in 13 matches and scoring four goals. Now, Lussi returns to face her former club as part of a revamped DC side that also features exciting additions Emma Jaskaniec and Katie Cappelletti.FIRST TO 20?
Lexington SC’s Addie McCain currently sits at 19 regular season goals, and would become the first Gainbridge Super League player to reach 20 regular season goals should she find the back of the net this weekend.
WEEK 1 DISCIPLINE REPORT
TAMPA, Fla. – There are no new suspensions to report.
UPCOMING MILESTONES & ACTIVE STREAKS
Upcoming Milestones
Approaching 20 all-time regular season goals – no player has previously reached this milestone
Addie McCain (LEX) – 19
Approaching 15 all-time regular season goals – five players have previously reached this milestone
Jasmine Hamid (DAL) – 13
McKenzie Weinert (LEX) – 13
Approaching 10 all-time regular season goals – 18 players have previously reached this milestone
N/A
Approaching 10 all-time regular season assists – four players have previously reached this milestone
Sam Kroeger (TB) – 9
Kiara Locklear (FTL) – 8
Approaching 20 all-time regular season shutouts – no player has previously reached this milestone
Hope Hisey (CAR) – 19
Approaching 10 all-time regular season shutouts – four players has previously reached this milestone
Kaitlyn Parks (JAX) – 9
Active Streaks
Consecutive regular season minutes played across seasons
Allison Pantuso (LEX) – 4,950
DCvCAR
- DC Power enter the 2026 Fall season after going 8-11-9, 33 points in the 2025/26 season.
- DC’s Top 3 leading goalscorers from last season are all returning to the nation’s capital: Gianna Gourley (8 goals), Alyssa Walker (7 goals) & Loza Abera (7 goals).
- Additional notable returning starters are Captain Susanna Fitch and defenders Sydney Cummings, Claire Constant and Paige Almendariz. Also returning are midfielders Anna Bagley and Emily Colton.
- DC has added some big names to their roster including Tyler Lussi, Emma Jaskaneic, Sarah McCoy, Katie Cappelletti and loanees Mak Whitman and Sam Cary Angel.
- Carolina Ascent kicks off the 2026 Fall season after heartbreak in the Final, after Lexington scored two goals in Extra Time to claim the title 3-1, after finishing the regular season 15-7-6 (51 points).
- Most of Carolina’s core team returns with 19 players from last season’s roster sticking around.
- Carolina may have had the smallest number of off-season signings, but they had what could be the most impactful signing with the two-time reigning Gainbridge Super League Goalkeeper of the Year Hope Hisey signing for the North Carolina side. Joining her is former Spokane teammate Reese Tappan.
- DC has never beaten Carolina in their eight all-time meetings. The Ascent have a 6-0-2 record against the Power in their series, with Carolina having posted a 3-0-1 record in the series during the 2025/26 season.
- The Power will be aiming to improve their home form this season, having won only twice in 14 regular season games at Audi Field in the 2025/26 season, tied for second-fewest in the league.
- Carolina was one of the league’s best road teams during the past campaign, going 9-2-3 away from home for the second-most road victories in the regular season.
LEXvBKN
- Lexington SC returns to action in the stadium the team lifted the championship trophy in at the end of May after beating Carolina Ascent 3-1 following Extra Time.
- Like Carolina, Lexington returned nearly their entire roster. The most notable departure is former loanee Kat Asman who won the Golden Glove. Asman completed her loan and is now with Denver Summit (NWSL).
- Notable additions to the reigning champions are Katie Murray, who formally competed with Spokane and Goalkeeper Ryan Campbell, on loan from Gotham FC.
- Brooklyn FC looks to finish in a playoff spot for the first time after an up-and-down 2025/26 season where the team finished 6-14-8 (26 points).
- BKFC has returned a few key players like Catherine Zimmerman, Jess Garziano, Jordan Thompson and Jennifer Cudjoe. Leading goalscorer Rebecca Cooke will be sidelined all season following a knee injury at the conclusion of the 2025/26 season.
- New faces in the borough include former Tampa Bay standouts Carlee Giamonna and Jilly Shimkin, as well as Ashlyn Miller and Boston Legacy loanee Sophia Lowenberg.
- Lexington was the best home club in the Super League a season ago, going 8-2-4 in the regular season before winning both of its playoff games on home turf.
- Brooklyn recorded the fewest away wins in the Super League during the 2025/26 season, going 2-8-6.
- Lexington is undefeated in the past six meetings between the two clubs, including winning all four of their contests in the 2025/26 season while posting a +7-goal differential.
FTLvJAX
- Fort Lauderdale United FC looks to return to the top of the table after an up-and-down 2025/26 season. The South Florida side finished with 23 points after going 5-15-8 on the season.
- FTL has returned a core group of players including Kiara Locklear, Sh’nia Gordon, Taylor Smith, Kelli Van Treeck and Ella Simpson, plus late-season arrivals Margot Mace and Emily Thompson.
- Fort Lauderdale has also added some potential key pieces, including defender Megan Oyler and Haylee Thomas from Spokane and former Duke standout Farrah Walters, who averaged 4.5 shots and 1.01xG per 90 minutes as a senior for the Blue Devils.
- Sporting Club Jacksonville is looking to build on its second-place finish in its inaugural season which saw the club lead the league with 54 goals and narrowly miss out on winning the Players’ Shield.
- Sporting JAX has returned most of its key figures from the its inaugural season, including 2025/26 Player of the Year Ashlyn Puerta and standout forwards Paige Kenton and Baylee DeSmit.
- Jacksonville has added a handful of pieces, including former Spokane defender Ginger Fontenot, who is likely to slot in as the right wingback in the club’s typical 3-5-2 formation.
- Fort Lauderdale will try to earn its first win against Jacksonville in the series between the club’s, with Sporting having gone 6-0-2 against Sunshine State rivals FTL UTD and Tampa Bay Sun FC in its inaugural season.
- Sporting JAX was the first team in Super League history to feature three double-digit goalscorers in a regular season in the 2025/26 campaign with Baylee DeSmit (12G), Ashlyn Puerta (12G) and Paige Kenton (10G) all reaching the mark.
- Saturday will mark Tyrone Mears’ return to the sideline as Fort Lauderdale United’s Head Coach. Mears led the side to an 11-8-9 record in the 2024/25 season as the side advanced to the Super League Final.
DALvTB
- Dallas Trinity FC will kick off the new season under new Head Coach Lee Nguyen aiming to earn its third consecutive trip to the Gainbridge Super League Playoffs. Trinity finished fourth in the standings a season ago with an 11-10-7 record.
- Trinity has seen some notable departures this summer, including the retired Amber Wisner and departed forward Allie Thornton and defenders Samar Guidry and Hannah Davidson, while Lexi Missimo has headed on loan to Les Marseillaises, the women’s team of Olympique de Marseille in France.
- New faces include a trio of arrivals from Spokane, including Argentine international Sophia Braun, midfielder Allie Knox and forward Ally Cook. The side has also added a handful of loanees including goalkeeper Neeku Purcell from Reign FC and forward Seven Castain from Orlando Pride.
- Tampa Bay Sun FC enters the new season aiming to rebound from an eighth-place finish in the past campaign with a 5-14-9 record as the side’s title defense faltered early in the campaign and didn’t recover.
- The Sun have retained 10 players from the past campaign including 2025/26 All-League selection Sydny Nasello and veterans Vivienne Bessette and Jordyn Listro, all of whom played major roles in the club’s 2024/25 title season.
- Tampa Bay has also added forwards Kennedy White from the A-League Women’s Melbourne Victory and Eleanor Dale from English club Sunderland AFC, while also bringing aboard attacking playmaker Tori Zierenberg from Spokane.
- Dallas and Tampa Bay are all square in their all-time series with each side taking two wins and the sides playing to three draws in their seven contests. The Sun took victory at the Cotton Bowl when the sides last met there in March.