2025 Seasonal Records (So Far)
First Goal
How poetic that Lexington SC, the newest franchise in the league, would score the first USL goal of the season 8 minutes and 36 seconds into their inaugural game against Hartford Athletic. And what a goal! After a Hartford clearance, right-back Joe Hafferty stepped up from around 30 yards out and absolutely belted it into the upper right corner. An utter golazo. I hope it’s not forgotten when the goal of the year nominees are announced.
Quickest USL Goal
Jacob Rufe scored the earliest goal in regulation so far this season with his 1 minute 43 second header off a corner kick for Birmingham Legion. That would prove to be his team’s highlight of the match, as Loudoun United would recover less than three minutes later with their own header off a corner.
Yellow Cards
Sacramento Republic midfielder Blake Willey set the 2025 USL record for the fastest yellow card in regulation. He got booked after 1 minute and 25 seconds for a silly challenge. This was the first start for the academy graduate after turning pro last year at only 16 years old; I daresay he’d want to be remembered for something more positive, but a record is a record.
Close on Blake’s heels was Oakland Roots defender Tyler Gibson. He drew a yellow after 2 minutes 45 seconds after the starting whistle. This would be the start of a long night for the Roots, who got spanked 4 – 2 by Orange County.
In a flurry of, well, something, Colorado Springs Switchbacks earned four yellows in a ten minutes span. Slow down on the halftime energy drinks, lads! In all, Week 1 saw a whopping 55 yellow cards issued; an average of 5 per game.
Red Cards
Miami FC’s Francicso Bonfiglio saw red in the 42nd minute of their match against Detroit City FC. There was zero doubt in referee Alyssa Nichol’s mind as she sent him off for a reckless challenge followed by a retaliatory kick-out at defender Michael Bryant. Perhaps Bonfiglio was upset for the thumping header Bryant had done moments before to give DCFC the lead? Who knows. The good news? Fewer than 1,400 spectators witnessed it live (that’s less than 10% of their stadium’s capacity). In total, four red cards were shown in the opening weekend.
A Breakthrough for Officials
This one probably flew under your radar, but female referees officiated three of the eleven matches on Saturday (Orange County, Miami FC & Birmingham Legion). What a huge step forward and positive move for the sport overall. Kudos to the USL!
The Results
Lexington SC 2 – 0 Hartford Athletic
Miami FC 0 – 2 Detroit City FC
North Carolina FC 1 – 1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Charleston Battery 1 – 2 Louisville City FC
Birmingham Legion FC 1 – 3 Loudoun United FC
San Antonio FC 1 – 0 Monterey Bay
El Paso Locomotive FC 2 – 2 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Phoenix Rising FC 0 – 1 FC Tulsa
Orange County SC 4 – 2 Oakland Roots
Sacramento Republic FC 2 – 1 New Mexico United
Las Vegas Lights FC 1 – 0 Tampa Bay Rowdies
Goal of the Week
You can watch all four nominees for Goal of the Week below. Once you’ve checked them out, visit this page to cast your vote!
