That PSA Elite game is in the first round. The Georgia game is in the play-in round, meaning Georgia faced the very real possibility of travel in the first round on top of the play-in round travel. A better solution would have been to wait until all teams were qualified, then create a pair of play-in matchups that were reasonably close together. And I'm not even insisting an NPSL-free play-in round, just don't lock those teams into a matchup that's going to create a huge travel expense before the first round even starts.
I think the play-in round could have been better managed. I also think that qualifying teams from USASA need more help financially, especially if they are going to be forced to travel 1500 miles. I am the president of a local USASA club and the costs are not easy to deal with.