Lexington SC, Carolina Ascent FC square off in Final rematch; Tampa Bay Sun FC aims for successful home opener
Welcome to The Weekender, where we’ll get you set up for what you need to know going into the Week 5 slate in the 2026 Gainbridge Super League fall season.
This weekend features a full four-game slate that kicks off on Friday night with a rematch of May’s Super League Final between Lexington SC and Carolina Ascent FC, with the weekend also featuring the home opener for Tampa Bay Sun FC and a Sunday doubleheader.
Here’s what we’re looking out for.
1. Game of the Weekend – Lexington SC vs. Carolina Ascent FC
104 days after they squared off in the Gainbridge Super League Final, Lexington SC and Carolina Ascent reconvene at Lexington SC Stadium on Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET | Peacock) for their first meeting of the new season.
It’s a chance to gain revenge for Ascent, which held a halftime lead on May 30 before Lexington took a 3-1 victory after extra time to complete the double. As importantly, though, it’s a contest that could say plenty about where both of these sides are headed in the current Fall Season.
- START AND STOP: Defending titleholders Lexington SC (1-1-0, 3pts) is champing at the bit to get back on the field, having had byes in two of the opening four weeks of the campaign. After an impressive 3-0 win to open the season at home to Brooklyn FC, the side had to sit and wait for a chance to rebound after its seven-game home winning streak was brought to an end on August 29 with a 2-1 loss to DC Power FC. That absence allowed its rivals for top spot a season ago to open a lead at the top of the standings, with Ascent in second with three wins from four games and Sporting Club Jacksonville undefeated on 10 points in its first four outings.
- ROAD WARRIORS: Carolina’s 3-0 victory last Saturday night against Fort Lauderdale United FC got Ascent (3-1-0, 9pts) back on course after its first setback of the season, but the quality the side has shown on the road throughout the current year might be key to Friday’s clash. Carolina has won a league-record eight consecutive regular season away games dating back to last season, bolstering its stellar road record over its first two seasons. The side is 17-6-7 away from home in the regular season, comfortably the most road wins in league history.
- STARS ON DISPLAY: In terms of personnel, there will be plenty of familiar faces back on the turf in Lexington on Friday night. Among them, the players currently sitting 1-2 in goal contributions in Super League history with Lexington’s Addie McCain (25G+A) and Carolina’s Mia Corbin (24G+A) both having made positive starts to the new campaign. Between returnees and new arrivals, there could be as many as eight players named to the 2025/26 Super League All-League Teams in action on Friday night, with the likes of Carolina’s Jill Aguilera and Lexington’s Catherine Barry also set to make their presence felt.
For both sets of players, though, the lingering memories from just over three months ago are still fresh enough to be part of the buildup to the rematch.
“It’ll be a fun game,” said McCain. “I mean, they have every reason to feel like they really want to beat us, and I think we do too. This team hasn’t proven anything yet, so we still feel like we have a lot to prove.”
“I think it’d be naïve of me to say that we don’t care about the fact that we lost in the final, we get to play them again, and that there isn’t something extra going into this game,” added Aguilera.
That should add up to one of the must-see games of the season.
2. The Rest of the Weekend’s Action
Tampa Bay Sun FC vs. Fort Lauderdale United FC (Saturday, 6 p.m. ET | Peacock)
- Tampa Bay Sun FC (1-1-1, 4pts) plays its home opener as it returns to action against in-state foe Fort Lauderdale United FC (1-2-0, 3pts) after a notable victory in its most recent outing. The Sun took a 2-1 victory against Carolina Ascent in Week 3 to add to its positive start to the season as both Shea Connors and Sydny Nasello found the net, with the side having shown an attacking brightness that it was lacking a season ago. Fort Lauderdale is coming off a 3-0 setback to the same Ascent side and will head to Suncoast Credit Union Field in search of its first win against Tampa Bay all-time. The Sun have posted a 4-0-5 record against FTL UTD in their nine previous meetings, and will hope to add a first home-opener win in club history.
Brooklyn FC vs. Sporting Club Jacksonville (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET | Peacock)
- Sporting Club Jacksonville (3-0-1, 10pts) will aim to continue its undefeated start to the season as it visits Brooklyn FC (0-4-0, 0pts) at Maimonides Park with the hosts looking for their first points of the season. Jacksonville saw its perfect start to the campaign come to an end in Week 4 as it played to a 1-1 draw against DC Power FC with Maggie Illig scoring the equalizer for the visitors at Audi Field. Brooklyn, meanwhile, suffered a 3-0 setback at Dallas Trinity FC, becoming the first team to suffer four consecutive defeats to start a Super League season. Jacksonville went 2-0-1 when the sides met a season ago with Sophia Boman notching two goals and two assists across the three meetings, giving BKFC a potential uphill fight to pin back the current league leaders.
Dallas Trinity FC vs. DC Power FC (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET | Peacock)
- Dallas Trinity FC (1-2-1, 4pts) will look to build on the first victory of Head Coach Lee Nguyen’s tenure as it plays host to DC Power FC (2-1-1, 7pts) at the Cotton Bowl in an intriguing test for both sides. Trinity swept to a 3-0 victory against Brooklyn FC last Saturday night in its most recent outing as Seven Castain bagged her second goal of the season and 20-year-old Onyeka Gamero also found the net in the first half with Dallas showing more incisiveness in the attacking third. DC played to a 1-1 draw against Sporting Club Jacksonville in its Week 4 outing as Claire Constant opened the scoring at Audi Field, but the result extended the Power’s undefeated streak to three games, giving them a solid start to the campaign overall.
3. Kit of the Week – Tampa Bay Sun FC’s La Setima Kit
Tampa Bay Sun FC will debut its La Setima Kit on Saturday night at home to Fort Lauderdale United FC with the sharp design paying tribute to the Ybor City district of Tampa and 7th Avenue, which has been a cultural heartbeat in the city for more than a century.
4. Landmark of the Week – Carolina Ascent FC’s Audrey Coleman
Coleman could become the second player to record double-digit regular season goals and assists in Super League history, having recorded nine goals and 10 assists entering Friday’s game against Lexington SC.
Check out Week 5’s News & Notes
5. Where to Watch Nationally
Friday
Lexington SC vs. Carolina Ascent FC, 7:30 p.m. ET (Peacock)
Saturday
Tampa Bay Sun FC vs. Fort Lauderdale United FC, 6 p.m. ET (Peacock)
Sunday
Brooklyn FC vs. Sporting Club Jacksonville, 3 p.m. ET (Peacock)
Dallas Trinity FC vs. DC Power FC, 7 p.m. ET (Peacock)