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MATCHES TO WATCH IN 2025 — WEST REGION

Published May 7, 2025

MATCHES TO WATCH —
WEST REGION

Out West is where it all began, 27 years ago. And where it came back to last year, when the California Storm captured its record fifth WPSL National Championship. Along with the reigning national champs, the West Region features bitter NWSL reserve team showdowns, longstanding desert rivalries, a reconfigured SoCal Conference guaranteed to produce magical moments. Up north look for huge crowds, and a fierce Northern California Classico that was first played in 1998—and every year since. Here are some of the games to watch in the West Region.

WEEK FOUR: May 26 – June 1

Seattle Reign FC II vs. Portland Thorns FC II

Pac Northwest Conference

Saturday, May 31

2 p.m. (PDT)

Interbay Stadium – Seattle, Wash.

Action heats up in the Pacific Northwest when the reserve sides of two of the NWSL’s most bitter rivals face off for the first time in 2025.

The clubs split the series in 2024 in both club’s inaugural WPSL season. Seattle shut out the high-scoring Thorns 2-0 in Seattle; five days later it was Portland’s turn, winning 3-1 at the iconic Providence Park. Portland finished in second place in conference play in 2024, one point ahead of Seattle in the table.

WEEK FIVE: June 2 – 8

PHX Heat FC vs. Desert Dreams F.C.

Desert Conference

Friday, June 6

7:30 p.m. (MST)

Spirit Field – Surprise, Ariz.

PHX Heat FC and Desert Dreams F.C. bring some fresh blood to the always competitive Desert Conference in the first of two meetings between the two expansion sides. The Week Five match kicks off PHX Heat’s debut season. Desert Dreams F.C. enters the match with the competitive advantage of two matches under its belt, making its debut in Week Three on the road, followed by its home opener a week later.

Spokane SC Shadow vs. Westside Metros FC

Pac Northwest Conference

Sunday, June 8

3 p.m. (PDT)

Whitworth University – Spokane, Wash.

Conference champs Spokane SC Shadow had more than its hands full with longtime rival, Westside Metros FC in 2024. After a convincing 3-0 Spokane home win in Week Four, the Metros returned the favor in Week Eight, shutting out the high-scoring Shadow 2-0. The two clubs will meet again in the return match, in both club’s final match of the 2025 regular season.

San Diego Strikers vs. Beach Futbol Club

SoCal Conference

Sunday, June 8

4 p.m. (PDT)

Merill Douglas Stadium – San Diego, Calif.

North meets South in the realigned SoCal Conference when the San Diego Strikers hosts Beach Futbol Club as two of last year’s top teams square off for the first time in regular season play in Week Five action.

San Diego finished two points shy of the top spot in the division table in 2024. WPSL champs in 2014, Beach Futbol Club returned to WPSL play last season in triumphant fashion, winning its division. This is the only meeting between the two clubs this season.

WEEK SIX: June 9 – 15

Spokane SC Shadow vs. Portland Thorns FC II

Saturday, June 14

3 p.m.

Whitworth University – Spokane, Wash.

The top two teams in the Northwest Conference square off in this mid-season clash in what could determine the fate of the entire conference when Spokane SC Shadow hosts Portland Thorns FC II June 14.

Conference champs in 2024, Spokane won the series between the two clubs in two high-scoring affairs last season: a 3-3 draw in Spokane followed by a 4-2 Spokane win at Providence Park a month later. The two clubs play back-to-back, with the return match five days later at providence Park.

Napa Valley 1839 FC vs. Lamorinda United

NorCal Conference

Wednesday, June 11

7 p.m. (PDT)

Justin Siena High School – Napa, Calif.

Expect a big, boisterous crowd when Napa Valley 1839 FC squares off with Lamorinda United in what is sure to provide a bevy of goals for both sides.

Both mid-table finishers in 2024, Lamorinda led the conference with 30 goals. Napa Valley banged in a fourth-best 22 goals. The two club’s only meeting in 2024 was a 5-4 goalfest, with Lamorinda netting a late-game winner. This is the only meeting between the two clubs in 2025.

FC Tucson vs. SC del Sol

Desert Conference

Saturday, June 14

7 p.m. (MST)

Kino North Stadium – Tucson, Ariz.

For more than a decade these two clubs have been battling for the state title. FC Tucson boasts three conference titles in 11 WPSL seasons. From up the road in Phoenix, SC del Sol holds five conference titles entering its 15^th WPSL season, including the last three in a row.

SC del Sol was the runaway conference winners in 2024, finishing 10 points clear of second-place Tucson. In the first of two meetings between the two clubs last season, FC Tucson played to a heroic 2-2 draw in front of a home crowd giving SC del Sol the only blemish on its record. In the return match a month later in Phoenix, SC del Sol scored two unanswered goals enroute to its third consecutive Desert Conference title.

FC Davis vs. Iron Rose FC

NorCal Conference

Saturday, June 14

7 p.m. (PDT)

Playfields Soccer Stadium – Davis, Calif.

Only goal differential kept FC Davis from the top spot in the NorCal Conference last season; Iron Rose FC finished just four points behind the conference leaders in its inaugural season, playing in front of some of the biggest crowds in the league. The two clubs’ only meeting was played to a 1-1 draw early in the season before either team fully found its stride.

This Week Six match—the only meeting between the two clubs this season—could be a huge factor for both sides’ title chase.

WEEK SEVEN:June 16 – 22

California Storm vs. San Francisco Nighthawks

NorCal Conference

Sunday, June 22

7 p.m. (PDT)

Davis Legacy Soccer Complex – Davis, Calif.

In the grandmother of them all, the league’s two founding clubs square off in the 27^th edition of the NorCal Classico, when the defending WPSL Champions host the San Francisco Nighthawks in front of the always boisterous crowd at Davis Legacy Soccer Complex.

In the only meeting between the two clubs in 2024, San Francisco more than weathered everything the high-scoring Storm unleashed, playing to a 1-1 draw at the historic Kezar Stadium. This is the only meeting between the storied sides in 2025.

Week Eight: June 23 – 29

FC Premier vs. SoCal Dutch Lions FC

SoCal Conference

Friday, June 27

7 p.m. (PDT)

Saint Anthony Athletic Complex – Long Beach, Calif.

WPSL veterans square off for the first time in SoCal Conference play when FC Premier hosts SoCal Dutch Lions FC in a Week Eight matchup that could weigh heavily on the conference standings.

FC Premier finished 2024 two points shy of the top spot in the division last season, and finished second in the division for the third consecutive season. SoCal Dutch Lions FC was five points shy, finishing fourth in the division, also for the third consecutive season. This is the only meeting between the two clubs this year.