The dates and format are now set for the first-ever USL Super League Playoffs.
The eight-team women's league will stage a four-team, three-match playoffs over two weekends in June to crown a first-ever champion and conclude the league's inaugural 2024-2025 season.
There will be two single-elimination semifinals played between the top four teams in the final table the weekend of June 7, then a USL Super League Final the weekend of June 14, with specific dates and times still to be determined as of the release of the league's official announcement.
USL Super League will also reward the team that finishes the season at the top of the table with the Players' Shield, so another American soccer league gets to embrace the Cup vs. Shield debate.
On the local side, Brooklyn FC sits within striking distance of both a playoff berth and the Players' Shield. The team sits in second place with 33 points through 21 matches, one point behind current league leaders Carolina Ascent, on 34 points after 21 matches.
The big problem for Brooklyn: They have struggled mightily in the Spring half of the USL Super League season, winless in all seven matches played following a winter break that saw the team travel to Italy and play a friendly against Napoli Femminile.
Andrew Leigh
Brooklyn enjoyed a six-point lead at the top of the table when league play paused for a winter break, a break Jessica Silva's team entered on a five-match winning streak. The results have not carried over during the Spring, even as Brooklyn began playing games at its intended home stadium, Maimonides Park in Coney Island.
The team is winless in three home matches played at the Coney Island baseball stadium, earning a first home point and scoring their first-ever Brooklyn goals during a 2-2 draw with Tampa Bay Sun on March 29 in front of an announced crowd of 2,830.
If results don't turn around, a playoff spot might not be a given, as the two teams directly below Brooklyn in the table – Fort Lauderdale United FC and Dallas Trinity – each have two games in hand on BKFC, and each is within three points of second place.
If Brooklyn does finish high enough in the table to earn a home playoff game, will that game be played at Maimonides Park? The USL Super League left itself venue wiggle room while announcing its playoff plan, with the league's release stating that for the playoffs, "Hosting will be determined by seeding, subject to League approval and venue availability."
Remember, Maimonides Park hosted no Brooklyn FC matches during the Fall half of the season after issues with the turf playing surface raised player safety concerns and caused all Brooklyn home matches to move to Upper Manhattan, at Columbia University. They've been playing in Coney Island without incident so far this Spring season, though it remains to be seen if the league will agree to hold one of its final showpiece matches on the converted baseball diamond.
