WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 14, 2026) – DC Power Football Club opens the 2026 Fall season against Carolina Ascent FC on Saturday, August 15 in the club’s Fall Home Opener. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at Audi Field.
Saturday’s match begins a condensed 14-game Gainbridge Super League campaign that runs from August through December, a format that allows the league to transition to a Spring-to-Fall calendar in 2027. The competition structure remains the same, with the club finishing first in the table receiving the Players’ Shield and the top four clubs qualifying for the playoffs. The single-elimination postseason concludes with the final on December 12.
D.C.’s side closed the 2025/26 season on 33 points, falling short of the fourth and final playoff spot and the first postseason appearance in franchise history. With ten fewer matches on the calendar this Fall, the margin for a slow start is thinner than it has been in either of the club’s first two campaigns.
Head Coach Omid Namazi enters his second full season on the touchline with a squad rebuilt across every line. Power FC acquired Gotham FC forward Mak Whitham and Chicago Stars FC defender Sam Cary Angel on loan through 2026, and added forward Kayla Colbert, defender Hallie Augustyn, midfielder Abby Boyan, and free agent signings Katie Cappelletti, Emma Jaskaniec, Tyler Lussi, Sarah McCoy and Tatum Thomason.
The club also retained a core from last season, re-signing forward Loza Abera and midfielder Anna Bagley, extending midfielder Ellie Gilbert and goalkeeper Makenna Gottschalk through 2026/27, and locking in Justina Gaynor through 2027.
Scouting Carolina Ascent FC
DC Power FC is 0-6-2 all-time against Carolina Ascent FC. Led by Head Coach Philip Poole, the Ascent finished third in the 2025/26 table and advanced to the Gainbridge Super League Final as runners-up. Carolina also claimed the league’s inaugural Players’ Shield in 2024/25.
The fixture carries history for both clubs. Carolina Ascent FC defeated DC Power FC, 1-0, at American Legion Memorial Stadium on August 17, 2024 in the first match ever played in the Gainbridge Super League, a night that drew a then-league-record crowd of 10,553. Nearly two years later, the same two sides open a new era of the league’s calendar against one another.
The last time DC Power FC met Carolina Ascent FC on Tuesday, March 17 at Audi Field, D.C.’s side fell 1-0 and was unable to find an equalizer. Power FC is still searching for its first win in the series.
Saturday marks the first of seven home matches on the Fall slate, with Sporting JAX visiting Audi Field on Friday, September 4.
DC Power FC’s match against Carolina Ascent FC will be streamed live on Peacock TV beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET.
