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HomeNewsWhat we learned from Week 21 in the USL Super League
Brooklyn FC Carolina Ascent FC Dallas Trinity FC DC Power FC Features Fort Lauderdale Lexington SC Spokane Zephyr FC Tampa Bay Sun FC

Week 21 of the USL Super League season saw 11 goals scored, seven new goal scorers and a huge upset. 

Here are the three biggest takeaways from last weekend: 

The winter break did some teams better than others 

Going into Saturday, Spokane Zephyr FC was dead last in the standings and hadn’t won a match since late October. DC Power FC had scored only seven goals all season and really struggled to earn results. Both teams looked like entirely different squads in their Spring Schedule debuts. 

Spokane dominated Dallas Trinity FC at the Cotton Bowl, a stadium that so far this season has been a fortress for the home team. Zephyr have always been able to create quality looks in the final third but taking an early lead on the road while also defending the best we’ve seen all season with two of their stars away on international duty must be a huge confidence boost. Meanwhile, Dallas has dropped five points at home in its first two matches back and looks a little disorganized on both sides of the ball. 

DC headed to Charlotte with five of their players away on international duty, most notably captain and defender Claire Constant. While the team did make some defensive mistakes that resulted in three conceded goals, it has to still get credit for taking advantage of opportunities on the other end of the field. Three shots converted to three goals against arguably the best goalkeeper and one of the most experienced defensive units in the league. It was exactly what DC needed before its next match against Lexington at home. 

Draws are killing Carolina and Tampa Bay 

Tampa Bay Sun FC recorded a draw for the third match in a row, and while getting a point against the No. 1 team is respectable, the Sun didn’t capitalize on an important home opportunity. Tampa Bay had two matches under its belt against a Brooklyn team that hadn’t played a league match in over two months, which showed as Brooklyn took a while to get into the match. The Sun has to turn these draws into wins if it wants to finish in the top four. 

Carolina Ascent FC also squeaked by with a draw against DC in a match up that should have been an easy win. The Ascent missed multiple shots from point-blank range, gave up a penalty and conceded the tying goal through a defensive error, and a DC own goal gave Carolina its only lead of the match. After just narrowly beating Lexington 2-1 in Week 20, Carolina has to clean things up if it hopes to hold on to a spot above the playoff line. 

Fort Lauderdale looks the best it has all season 

Fort Lauderdale United FC has earned 13 of 15 points in its last five matches, a feat that only Brooklyn has accomplished this season. The team crushed Lexington on Saturday in every statistic, recording 62% of possession on nearly 500 passes and outshooting Lexington 17-10.  

Before the break, FTL UTD already looked to be on the rise as Jasmine Hamid and Kiara Locklear (Pralle) started to get going in front of goal, then the spring additions bolstered the team’s defense and the depth coming off the bench. Julia Grosso was creating chances and shutting down Lexington’s attack in her debut. The duo of Laurel Ansbrow and Laveni Vaka could become the most dominant center back pairing in the league. Jorian Baucom has the potential to be a game-changer as a sub. Every other team needs to be wary when matching up against Fort Lauderdale for the rest of the season.