Following yesterday's USL W League National Final that saw Salmon Bay take the title on penalties over Vermont Green, the season is officially over for another year. So now is the perfect time to recap how each of the eight clubs in the USLW Heartland Division did in 2026.
1st Place - Minnesota Aurora (12-0-0, 36 points)
Five seasons, five division titles, and five years where Aurora has come up just short. In 2025 Aurora fell in the National Semi-Finals to eventual champions Utah United and 2026 ended much the same. Following a dominant regular season that saw the club go 12-0 and extend their regular season unbeaten streak to five straight seasons, they entered the playoffs as the favourite. After finishing the season with two away matches they traveled to Pittsburgh where they won a third Central Conference titles. Then after four straight on the road Aurora was required to go across the country to Seattle, WA to face Salmon Bay. Five straight away matches and two cross-country trips caught up with them as Aurora fell in penalties to the eventual national champions.
2nd Place - River Light FC (7-1-4, 22 points)
Coming off a third place finish in 2025, River Light had the goal of one-upping that performance in 2026. In a way they did as the club finished second in the division behind only Minnesota Aurora. But record wise River Light finished the campaign with the exact same record as they had during 2025. RLFC also scored exactly the same number of goals in 2026 as they did in 2025 with 23 but allowed four more at 20 goals. River Light has shown themselves to be one of the best teams in the Heartland, but when Minnesota Aurora is in the same division it's hard to stand out in a league that only awards one playoff spot to each division.
3rd Place - Edgewater Castle (6-3-3, 21 points)
With a 2025 UWS National Title in their pocket Edgewater Castle was expected to fight for a spot at the top of the Heartland and that they did. Four wins in their first five matches to start the season had the Rooks looking like a dark horse to take the crown from Aurora, but the back end of the season had different plans. A draw with RKC and a massive loss to Aurora started what would be a five match winless skid and pushed them out of the title race. Edgewater Castle then finished the season with two straight wins to earn a winning record and third place in their first season in the W League.
4th Place - Sioux Falls City FC (5-2-5, 17 points)
After a second place finish in 2025, the 2026 season was massively disappointing for the South Dakota club. Four straight wins on the season had SFCFC flying high in the opening weeks, but after a loss to Aurora in match five it all came tumbling down. City only secured one more victory following the loss in Minnesota, that coming at home against River Light FC. Three losses to close the season ended Sioux Falls outside chance at a top two finish, but did secure them a top half spot.
5th Place - Rockford Raptors (5-1-6, 16 points)
Another first year team from Illinois coming over from UWS, Rockford outperformed the expectations of many in their first season in the league. While Rockford only secured five wins on the season, they managed a high profile win over River Light FC as well as a season sweep of Rochester FC. If a few bounces went their way Rockford could have easily finished in the top half. But the Raptors are looking strong for a return in 2027.
6th Place - Rally Madison (4-1-7, 13 points)
The most touted and looked forward to expansion side in the Heartland had amazing crowds all season, even if the results weren't all that amazing. A tight loss in their home opener against Minnesota Aurora seemed to signal good things were coming for Rally, but that took much longer than expected. Madison lost six straight to open the season, dashing their hopes of a Heartland title and putting them in the battle for the wooden spoon. But three wins on the trot and five consecutive earning points turned their season around and Rally only loss one more match all year. That being the season finale at home against Edgewater Castle.
7th Place - RKC Third Coast (2-2-8, 8 points)
They say defence wins championships, but in order to do that you also need at least a decent offence. In 2026 offence was something that did not come easy to RKC Third Coast. While their numbers may not seem impressive, having allowed 21 goals on the season, a majority of those came in the final few matches of the campaign. Allowing twelve goals in their final four matches but a slight stain on the defence, but RKC did pick up a 5-0 victory over Rochester, just enough to get them out of wooden spoon territory.
8th Place - Rochester FC (2-0-10, 6 points)
From fourth place in 2025 to taking the wooden spoon in 2026, the last twelve months have been a whirlwind for the Loons women. Three losses to start the campaign and five to end it handed the RFC women their second worst season on record. Rochester only secured points twice on the season, those coming in wins at home against Edgewater Castle and RKC Third Coast, while they lost every away match on the season. To be competitive Rochester will be looking at a major retooling for the 2027 season.
