NY Empire FC Finishes Regular Season in Style with 7-2 Victory, Sets Sights on Playoffs

NY Empire FC closed out the Spring 2026 UPSL regular season in emphatic fashion Saturday night, earning a dominant 7-2 victory and carrying plenty of momentum into next weekend's playoffs.

The attack was firing on all cylinders as Johan Velez led the way with a hat trick, producing one of his best performances of the season. Velez was dangerous throughout the match, consistently finding space in the final third and finishing his chances clinically.

Alan Martinez continued his strong campaign by adding another goal to his season tally, while Julian DiCecco, Matt Sloan, and David Sanchez also found the back of the net as Empire overwhelmed their opponents with relentless attacking pressure.

The victory caps off an impressive regular season for NY Empire FC, a campaign that saw the club continue to establish itself as one of the top sides in the UPSL American Northeast Division. After securing their playoff berth in recent weeks, Empire entered the final match looking to build confidence and sharpness heading into the postseason—and they accomplished exactly that.

Now the focus turns to the UPSL Playoffs.

NY Empire FC will host New York Braveheart SC in the American North Quarterfinal this Saturday night at SUSA Orlin & Cohen Sports Complex. The two sides met earlier this season in a tightly contested match, and Empire will be looking for revenge with a place in the semifinals on the line. The matchup is listed on the UPSL playoff schedule for June 13.

Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM, and the club is expecting one of its biggest crowds of the season as playoff soccer comes to Long Island.

The message is simple:

One game. Win and advance.

Saturday night. Home field. Playoffs.