FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Top-seeded Fort Lauderdale United FC (9-5-4, 31 PTS) is preparing to host a surging Spokane Zephyr FC (5-7-6, 21 PTS) team on Saturday evening. The teams met twice in the first half of the season, drawing in the first meeting in Spokane before FTL UTD secured a 2-1 victory at home in the second matchup. Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m., and with both teams on hot-streaks, Saturday night’s duel is set to be an action-packed 90 minutes at Beyond Bancard Field.
The newly-appointed No. 1 seed in the USL Super League standings, Fort Lauderdale United enters its matchup with Spokane on an eight-match unbeaten streak that dates back to December (6W, 2D). Led by the terrific trio of Super League joint-leading scorer Addie McCain (9G), reigning back-to-back Player of the Month Jasmine Hamid (7G, 2A) and the dynamic Kiara Locklear (3G, 4A), the Fort Lauderdale club owns one of the most dominant attacks in the league. Additionally, with Sh’Nia Gordon coming off a 2-goal performance against Brooklyn FC, the Spokane defense will have its hands full with the Fort Lauderdale attack. Defensively, Fort Lauderdale is led by February Team of the Month selection Laurel Ansbrow, as well as goalkeeper Cosette Morche, who’s 4 clean sheets rank third in the Super League. As a club, FTL UTD paces the league in passes (7,758) and ranks 2nd in goals scored (26).
Coming off a pair of thrilling wins vs. DC Power and Tampa Bay Sun FC, Spokane Zephyr FC enters Saturday’s matchup winning three of its last four matches. The Spokane club is led by Emina Ekic (5G, 4A), one of only two players in the Super League with at least 5 goals and 4 assists on the season. In fact, Ekic and FTL UTD defender Julia Grosso were teammates on the Melbourne City team that won the Australian A-League Premiership in 2023-24. Spokane’s back-line is led by Sarah Clark, who ranks second in the league in passes (1,094). As a club, Zephyr ranks 2nd-to-last in goals scored (20), and will have no easy-feat in front of them as FTL UTD has conceded just six goals in the last 8 matches.
Matchup History
The two clubs met in the historic first match in Super League history on August 17 in Spokane. Zephyr FC took a 1-0 lead on an early penalty kick, but a clutch goal in the 72nd minute from McCain helped the Fort Lauderdale United club secure a point in a 1-1 draw on the road.
The teams met for the second time on December 7, but this time at Beyond Bancard Field. McCain and Sheyenne Allen scored in a thrilling 2-1 victory at home for FTL UTD. In fact, the victory was the second match in the current eight-match unbeaten streak.
Where to Watch
The match is set to kick-off at 7:30 p.m. and it will be streamed on the Peacock app and available for local viewing on FanDuel Sports Network. The direct link to watch the match can be found here.
Tickets
Season ticket packages for all home matches, as well as single-game tickets can be purchased here. FTL UTD’s next home match is scheduled for Saturday, March 22 against Spokane Zephyr FC for Country Night. The clubs first met on August 17 in the inaugural match for both teams, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. On December 7, Fort Lauderdale cruised to a 2-1 home victory in the second meeting courtesy of goals from McCain and Allen.