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Wikipedia

USL Championship

January 26, 2023

"USL" redirects here. For other uses, see USL (disambiguation).

The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, placing it under Major League Soccer (Division I) in the hierarchy.[1] The USL is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.[2]

USL Championship
Organizing bodyUnited Soccer League
FoundedSeptember 8, 2010 (2010-09-08)
First season2011
CountryUnited States
ConfederationCONCACAF
(North American Football Union)
ConferencesEastern Conference
Western Conference
Number of teams24
Level on pyramid2
Domestic cup(s)U.S. Open Cup
Current champion(s)San Antonio FC
(2022)
Current regular
season title		San Antonio FC
(2022)
Most championshipsOrlando City
Louisville City FC
(2 titles each)
Most regular
season titles		Orlando City (3 titles)
TV partnersESPN+
YouTube
TUDN
OneFootball
Websiteuslchampionship.com
Current: 2023 USL Championship season

The league is owned and operated by United Soccer League and was formed as result of the merger of their USL First (USL-1) and Second Divisions (USL-2), following the 2010 season which saw neither the USL-1 nor the North American Soccer League (NASL) receive Division II sanctioning from the USSF, resulting in the temporary USSF Division 2 Pro League. United Soccer Leagues stated that the merger would strengthen the league's position within the American professional soccer landscape through stability, commercial growth and the professional development of soccer in four main regions throughout the United States and Canada.[3]

Five USL Championship teams are affiliated to MLS teams. Until 2020, a majority of MLS teams had an affiliate in either the USL Championship or third-level USL League One (USL1). With the creation of MLS Next Pro, the only MLS affiliation that remains for the 2023 season is that of Loudoun United FC with D.C. United.

History

Founding (2010)

On September 8, 2010, the United Soccer Leagues formally announced the creation of USL Pro in a press release.[3] Prior to the official announcement of the new league, on August 11, 2010, the Dayton Dutch Lions FC revealed they would be joining the "USL-Pro Championship Division (former USL-2)" at a press conference, revealing the name of the new league before its official announcement.[4] With this disclosure, the Dutch Lions were the first confirmed team in USL Pro for its inaugural 2011 season. Alongside the announcement of the new league, the Richmond Kickers revealed they would be moving to USL Pro for 2011.[5] With the departure of the Portland Timbers to MLS in 2011 and the defection of the Puerto Rico Islanders to the NASL[6] from USL-1, the Austin Aztex were the only remaining USL-1 team not yet a part of USL Pro.

On September 22, 2010, the "Caribbean Division" of USL Pro was announced, with teams from Puerto Rico and Antigua and Barbuda signing on to compete in the league.[7] With the addition of Puerto Rico United to the league and "Caribbean Division", league representatives expressed their intent to see expansion in the region continue, with an eventual 8-team "Caribbean Conference".[8] With the inclusion of a team from Los Angeles, this division eventually became the International Division. On September 22, 2010, USL announced that Sevilla FC Puerto Rico and River Plate Puerto Rico would be joining USL Pro in 2011 alongside Antigua Barracuda FC as part of the building blocks of a Caribbean division.[7] On September 28, 2010, USL announced that one of their flagship clubs and reigning 2010 USL-2 Champions, the Charleston Battery, would be joining USL Pro for its launch in 2011.[9] On September 30, 2010, nearly two months following the team's own announcement of a "USL Pro Championship Division" move, the USL formally announced Dayton Dutch Lions FC would join USL Pro.[10] On October 4 and 7, 2010, the USL revealed two USL-2 clubs, the Charlotte Eagles and the Harrisburg City Islanders (later known as Penn FC), would be making the jump to USL Pro for 2011.[11][12]

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds were added as the 9th official team on October 22, 2010.[13] October 25, 2010, saw the addition of the Rochester Rhinos[14] who had previously committed to the NASL, along with expansion team Orlando City SC (formerly the Austin Aztex FC of USL-1) after new ownership secured and moved the team from Texas to Florida.[15]

On November 9, 2010, former USL-2 side Wilmington Hammerheads officially joined the league as the 12th team,[16] followed on November 17, 2010, by F.C. New York.[17] The expected number of teams to launch league play in 2011 was announced as 18–20, alongside the announcement of the Wilmington Hammerheads joining the league.[16]

The Los Angeles Blues, associated with the successful women's Pali Blues organization, were added on December 7, 2010, with a message of future "Western Conference" growth into 2012.[18] The "Caribbean Division" of USL Pro grew to four teams on December 9, 2010, with the addition of Puerto Rico United to the league,[8] marking the last of the 15 teams that would compete in USL Pro in its inaugural 2011 season.

On September 14, 2010, United Soccer Leagues President Tim Holt expressed the desired structure for the league to launch with 14–18 teams across four specific geographic areas in 2011, expansion to 22–26 teams by 2013, and 28–32 teams by 2015.[19]

Following USL Pro's first annual general meeting, the league confirmed it would debut with 16 teams playing a 24-game regular season schedule in 2011, with planned growth for 20–24 teams to start the 2012 season.[20]

Progression of expansion
Season # Teams
2011 12
2012 11
2013 13
2014 14
2015 24
2016 29
2017 30
2018 33
2019 36
2020 35
2021 31
2022 27
2023 24

Play begins (2011–2012)

Main articles: 2011 USL Pro season and 2012 USL Pro season

USL Pro debuted in 2011, starting with 15 teams playing a 24-game regular season schedule. American and National Division teams played a home-and-away series against all opponents from the two divisions (totaling 18 games), 2 additional regional rivalry matches, with each team making an additional trip to either Los Angeles or the Caribbean to play two games while hosting International Division competition for two games. International Division teams played each team in their division four times (twice home, twice away, totaling 16 games) while traveling to face American or National Division opponents in four games and hosting those opponents for four games.[20][21][22]

The original playoff format saw eight teams compete in a one-game quarterfinal. Both the American and National Divisions saw their top three teams advance for an inter-divisional playoff, while the top two teams in the International Division played-off against each other to reach the semi-finals. The four remaining teams were re-seeded for a single semi-final match, again with the higher seed hosting, leading up to a single match for the USL Cup. In all playoff matches the highest seeded team hosted.[23]

The first league game was played on April 2, 2011. The Richmond Kickers defeated Orlando City SC 2-0 at Richmond's City Stadium. Stanley Nyazamba scored the first goal in the 35th minute on a penalty kick.[24]

On May 10, 2011, early in the league's inaugural season, the league announced that it was dropping the three Puerto Rican clubs from the USL Pro schedule.[25] The PRSL clubs were dropped due to economic and ownership issues.[25] The two remaining International Division teams – Antigua Barracuda FC and Los Angeles Blues – were re-aligned into the American and National Divisions. Due to the removal of the International Division, the revised playoff format featured the top four teams in each of the two divisions. The two division playoff winners met in the USL Pro Championship at the home venue of the team with the better record.

Following the 2011 season, USL Pro announced with the release of the 2012 season schedule that F.C. New York would not be returning to play, with the former National and American Divisions being dissolved to form a single, eleven team league table.[26]

Beginnings of MLS partnership (2013–2014)

Main articles: 2013 USL Pro season and 2014 USL Pro season

Two expansion teams joined for the 2013 season: Phoenix FC[27][28] and the VSI Tampa Bay FC.[29]

On January 23, 2013, United Soccer Leagues and MLS announced a multi-year agreement to integrate MLS Reserve League play with USL Pro teams, first through team affiliations and "interleague" play, but eventually fully merging MLS Reserves into the USL Pro structure. The stated goals[30] of this partnership are to improve North American player development, strengthen league competition, build long-term ties between the leagues and expand the audience for both the leagues and developing players.

While the 2013 season would feature partnered competitions between USL Pro and MLS Reserve teams, four Major League Soccer clubs opted to affiliate with an existing USL Pro team, agreeing to loan at least four MLS players to their affiliate: Sporting Kansas City with Orlando City, the Philadelphia Union with the Harrisburg City Islanders, D.C. United with the Richmond Kickers and the New England Revolution with the Rochester Rhinos. Each MLS club will eventually be expected to either affiliate with a USL Pro team or operate an independent reserve team in the league.[31][32] The Houston Dynamo announced that they would be partnering with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in 2014.[33] However, this partnership between the Riverhounds and Dynamo was dissolved after just one year.[34] Following the conclusion of the 2013 season, VSI Tampa Bay folded after only one season, along with founding league member Antigua.[35]

In December 2012, Sacramento announced it would begin play in 2014 as an expansion team,[36] and in July 2014, USL announced that Oklahoma City would also join USL in 2014.[37]Orlando City announced that it would leave USL after the 2014 season to join MLS as an expansion team for the 2015 season.[38][39][40] The Los Angeles Blues were rebranded as Orange County Blues FC on February 5, 2014.[41] The Phoenix FC franchise was revoked and replaced with Arizona United SC on March 13, 2014.[42]

In what would become a major trend, on January 29, 2014, the LA Galaxy announced the creation of LA Galaxy II, a reserve team within the club's existing development structure. The Galaxy purchased a USL Pro expansion franchise[43] and became the first MLS club to enter its reserve team into the USL Pro.

Expansion of MLS partnership and first rebranding (2015–2016)

Main articles: 2015 USL season and 2016 USL season

USL Pro nearly doubled the number of teams in the league for 2015 in large part due to MLS franchises following the path taken by the LA Galaxy II. Seven MLS clubs announced the purchase of a USL Pro franchise for their reserve team. These MLS franchises joined four independent expansion teams that were previously announced for Colorado Springs, St. Louis, Tulsa and Austin. Additionally, Orlando City sold its franchise rights to Louisville interests, which unveiled Louisville City FC on June 3, 2014, as an affiliate of the new MLS side.[44] The United Soccer Leagues announced that the Charlotte Eagles would drop to its Premier Development League (PDL), now known as USL League Two, while selling their franchise rights to another Charlotte group, which formed Charlotte Independence for play beginning in 2015.[45] Finally, on December 11, 2014, the Dayton Dutch Lions self-relegated to play in the PDL starting in 2015.[46]

During 2014 and early 2015, the various MLS clubs in conjunction with the USL announced seven new franchises that would be owned or controlled by MLS team ownership, and would all begin play in 2015. On September 10, 2014, Real Salt Lake revealed the name of their previously announced USL Pro affiliate team would be Real Monarchs, and confirmed that the team would begin play in 2015.[47][48] The team played at Rio Tinto Stadium until the 5,000-seat Zions Bank Stadium was built in Herriman, Utah.[49] Both the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC created their own USL Pro squads, Portland Timbers 2 and Seattle Sounders FC 2 on October 14, 2014.[50] The Montreal Impact announced that it would field a USL Pro team in September 2014. On November 18, 2014, FC Montreal officially joined the league.[51][52][53] On November 20, 2014, Toronto FC announced that it would also field a team, subsequently named Toronto FC II, for the 2015 season.[54]Whitecaps FC 2 joined USL Pro the next day.[55] After discussing plans for a USL Pro team in 2015,[56] then postponing those plans in September,[57] the New York Red Bulls announced that their USL Pro team, New York Red Bulls II would begin play in 2015.[58][59]

MLS affiliations were announced for the remaining MLS teams that did not have an affiliation in 2014 and did not elect to purchase a USL Pro franchise. On September 18, 2014, the Colorado Rapids announced an affiliation partnership with the Charlotte Independence.[60] On January 16, 2015 New York City FC announced that it would have an affiliate relationship with the Wilmington Hammerheads[61] and the Chicago Fire announced their affiliation with St Louis.[62] On February 9, 2015, FC Dallas announced it would add Arizona United SC as its USL Pro affiliate.[63][64] As a result, all 20 MLS teams for the 2015 season were either fielding their own team in the USL Pro or were affiliated with an independent USL Pro club.

The league also announced in 2015 that the league would be divided into two conferences. Teams would play a 28-game schedule with 22 games against all the teams in their conference, and the teams would be further assigned to four-club subdivisions for the other six games with an eye towards geographic rivalries between clubs.[65]

 
USL logo used from 2015 until 2018

On February 10, 2015, United Soccer Leagues announced a branding change for the league. It would now be called the United Soccer League or "USL" for short. They introduced a new logo and branding, and stated their intention to apply for Division II status within the United States Soccer Federation hierarchy.[66]

During the 2015 season, USL announced several expansion teams for the 2016 season. The 25th franchise was awarded to Lone Star, LLC and the team would be named Rio Grande Valley FC.[67] In a first for the USL, the team has a "hybrid" affiliation with the Houston Dynamo, who are responsible for the tactical part of the club, while the ownership group, Lone Star, is responsible for operations and management.[68][69] FC Cincinnati was added as the 26th franchise[70][71] and Bethlehem Steel FC, in the Lehigh Valley area and owned by the Philadelphia Union, became the 27th,[72][73] Orlando City B (owned by Orlando City SC) as the 29th,[74] the Swope Park Rangers (owned by Sporting Kansas City) as the 30th,[75] and San Antonio FC as the 31st.[76]

The Austin Aztex announced that they would go on hiatus for the 2016 USL season on October 2, 2015. Floods damaging House Park midway through the 2015 season forced the team to relocate to a high school facility. The team was intended to return in 2017, pending construction of a new, soccer-specific stadium.[77] However, stadium and ownership issues continued to plague the franchise, and they did not return.[78]

Division II sanctioning and second rebranding (2017–2019)

Main articles: 2017 USL season, 2018 USL season, and 2019 USL Championship season

Expansion continued for the 2017 season with Reno 1868 FC, which had been announced during the 2015 season as the 28th franchise, starting play.[79] On October 25, 2016, the USL added two teams from the North American Soccer League (NASL): the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Ottawa Fury FC. This was the first time a club moved from the NASL to the USL.[80] The Montreal Impact also announced that it would fold its USL team, FC Montreal, in favor of affiliating with Ottawa Fury FC.[81]

On August 31, 2016, Kyle Eng sold his majority share of Arizona United SC to an investment group led by Berke Bakay and was rebranded as Phoenix Rising FC.[82][83][84] Ivory Coast Soccer Legend Didier Drogba later purchased a share of the team and played the final two seasons of his career there.[85][86][87][88]

On January 6, 2017, the U.S. Soccer board of directors voted to grant provisional Division II status to the USL for the 2017 season,[1] placing the league on the same tier as the North American Soccer League. The NASL was also downgraded from Division II sanctioning to a provisional status due to its membership decreasing below the 12 team minimum. Following the 2017 season, the USL gained two more NASL teams: Indy Eleven[89] and North Carolina FC.[90] For the 2018 season, the NASL's provisional sanctioning was not renewed by U.S. Soccer, while the USL was granted full sanctioning under Division II on a year-to-year basis.[91] The NASL sued U.S. Soccer, asking a court to order U.S. Soccer to grant NASL Division II status, but the request was denied by the trial court, and denied again by the appeals court.[92]

The USL's expansion efforts continued in the 2018 season with the additions of Nashville SC,[93][94] Las Vegas Lights FC,[95][96][97] Fresno FC (affiliated with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC)[98] and Atlanta United 2 (owned by Atlanta United FC).[99][100] The league also lost Orlando City B and the Rochester Rhinos, which each announced a hiatus,[101][102] while the Whitecaps FC 2 were folded after its parent team in Vancouver decided to no longer run its own development team and affiliated with the new Fresno expansion.

Four teams left the USL top flight after the 2018 season. The ownership group of FC Cincinnati was awarded an MLS franchise that started play under the FC Cincinnati name in 2019.[103] Penn FC,[104] the Richmond Kickers,[105] and Toronto FC II voluntarily dropped to USL League One, a new third-level league that United Soccer Leagues launched in 2019.[106] The Kickers and Toronto FC II began League One play in 2019; Penn FC suspended professional operations for 2019 and will resume play in League One in 2020. In addition, the announced hiatuses for both the Rhinos and Orlando City B became permanent departures. The Rhinos originally announced they would extend their hiatus through 2019 before resuming play in League One in 2020,[107] but ended up not resuming play until 2022, by which time the club had changed its name to Rochester New York FC and joined the new third-level MLS Next Pro.[108] Orlando City B resumed play in 2019 in League One.[109]

The league also approved several other expansion locations in Austin,[110] Birmingham,[111] Memphis,[112][113] Chicago,[114][115] Oakland East Bay, Hartford,[116] Albuquerque,[117] El Paso,[118] Loudoun County, Virginia,[119] and San Diego.[120] All of these teams began play in 2019 except for San Diego, which began play in the 2020 season; Chicago and East Bay were both announced to launch by 2021, but were indefinitely put on hold when they had issues in securing stadium plans.[121]

Recent history (2020–present)

Main articles: 2020 USL Championship season and 2021 USL Championship season

Following the end of the 2019 season, three teams left the USL Championship. Nashville SC was awarded a Major League Soccer franchise,[122] Fresno FC announced that they would not be returning to Fresno,[123] and Ottawa Fury FC announced that they would be suspending operations after not receiving sanctioning to remain in USL by CONCACAF and U.S. Soccer.[124] An expansion team was announced for the New York City borough of Queens to be named Queensboro FC.[125] On December 11, the Ottawa Fury announced the sale of its franchise rights to the ownership group of Miami FC, with Miami set to participate in the 2020 USL Championship season. This marked the entrance of another former NASL team into the league, with Miami having previously spent time in NPSL and the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) after the NASL folded.

Saint Louis FC folded at the end of the 2020 season. The city is set to receive an MLS franchise, with St. Louis City SC set to start play in 2023. A spokesperson for SLFC told Sports Illustrated in August of that year, "The ownership decided that with the financial impact of COVID-19 and MLS on the horizon, it didn’t make sense to continue operations."[126] Also at the end of the 2020 season, two MLS clubs, the Philadelphia Union and Portland Timbers, withdrew their reserve sides, Philadelphia Union II and Portland Timbers 2, from the United Soccer League system.[127] The proposed East Bay club's bid had faltered due to stadium issues and its USL franchise rights were purchased by Oakland Roots SC, which had previously played in the NISA, with plans to debut in the USLC for the 2021 season.[128][129] On November 6, 2020, Reno 1868 FC announced it was ceasing operations as a result of the financial and operational impacts of COVID-19.[130] On January 10, 2021, North Carolina FC club chairman Stephen Malik announced that the club would make a "strategic move" to USL League One.[131]

On February 1, 2021, Monterey Bay FC joined the USL Championship. Monterey Bay FC is a continuation of the USL Championship's Fresno FC franchise. Fresno FC, the original club owned by Ray Beshoff, ceased operations after the 2019 season because he was unable to secure construction of a soccer-specific stadium. Beshoff, however, retained the franchise rights and managed to land the franchise to play their home matches at Cardinale Stadium on the campus of California State University, Monterey Bay in Seaside, California. On November 13, 2021, it was announced that Detroit City would join the USL Championship for the 2022 USL Championship season, becoming the third NISA team to join the league after Miami FC and Oakland Roots SC.[132] On December 2, 2021, Charlotte Independence decided to drop down to the third tier USL League One for 2022, with the goal of better serving its youth players, as well as the fact that a new expansion franchise in the city Charlotte FC was joining Major League Soccer that season, with whom several Independence players had signed for.[133][134] On December 3, 2021, Oklahoma City Energy FC announced that it will temporarily suspend soccer operations and will not compete in the 2022 USL Championship season. The decision comes after Energy FC's home field at Taft Stadium, which is owned and operated by the Oklahoma City Public Schools, will undergo major renovations that directly overlap with the 2022 USL Championship season and will resume play for the 2023 USL Championship season in its temporary home at Taft Stadium.[135] On December 6, 2021, Major League Soccer announced MLS Next Pro – a Division III league that will begin play in 2022. All MLS clubs with reserve teams in USL Championship or USL League One will be moving to MLS Next Pro by 2023.[136] On December 10, 2021, the USL Championship has approved a new ownership group for USL Championship club Austin Bold FC. The new ownership group consists of Donnie Nelson, Neil Leibman, and Bobby Epstein. The team will not participate in the 2022 USL Championship season as it actively seeks relocation to another city in Texas.[137]

On January 27, 2022, the USL officially awarded USL Pro Iowa an expansion team to be based in Des Moines, Iowa, that would join the league in the 2024 season. The team's majority owner is Kyle Krause, who has been the majority owner of USL League 2 side Des Moines Menace since 1998.[138] On July 14, 2022, the USL announced a group that intended to bring USL Championship and Super League teams to New Orleans, Louisiana, with a goal for the Championship side to kick off by 2025.[139] On August 12, 2022, ground was broken in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on a stadium intended for a USL Championship expansion side that will begin play in 2024 when the stadium is completed.[140] On August 30, 2022, the USL announced that a group of investors had formed to bring USL Championship and USL Super League expansion teams to Jacksonville, Florida, with the goal for the Championship side to kick off in 2025.[141] On October 19, 2022, the USL awarded an expansion team to USL Milwaukee, set to begin play in 2025 with plans to build an 8,000-seat stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[142]

Teams

class=notpageimage|
Locations of teams in the USL Championship
  •   Western Conference
  •   Eastern Conference
  •   On hiatus
  •   Future team

The following teams will play in the 2023 USL Championship season.[143]

Team City Stadium Capacity Founded Joined Head coach
Eastern Conference
Birmingham Legion FC Birmingham, Alabama Protective Stadium[i] 47,100 2017 2019   Tom Soehn
Charleston Battery Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Patriots Point Soccer Complex[ii] 3,900 1993 2011   Ben Pirmann
Detroit City FC Hamtramck, Michigan Keyworth Stadium[i] 7,933 2012 2022   Trevor James
Hartford Athletic Hartford, Connecticut Trinity Health Stadium[ii] 5,500 2018 2019   Tab Ramos
Indy Eleven Indianapolis, Indiana Carroll Stadium[i] 10,524 2013 2018   Mark Lowry
Loudoun United FC Leesburg, Virginia Segra Field[ii] 5,000 2018 2019   Ryan Martin
Louisville City FC Louisville, Kentucky Lynn Family Stadium[ii] 11,700 2014 2015   Danny Cruz
Memphis 901 FC Memphis, Tennessee AutoZone Park[iii] 10,000 2018 2019   Stephen Glass
Miami FC University Park, Florida Riccardo Silva Stadium[i] 20,000 2015 2020   Anthony Pulis
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Highmark Stadium[ii] 5,000 1998 2011   Bob Lilley
Tampa Bay Rowdies St. Petersburg, Florida Al Lang Stadium[iii] 7,227 2008 2017   Neill Collins
FC Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma Oneok Field[iii] 7,833 2013 2015   Blair Gavin
Western Conference
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Colorado Springs, Colorado Weidner Field[ii] 8,000 2013 2015   Stephen Hogan
El Paso Locomotive FC El Paso, Texas Southwest University Park[iii] 9,500 2018 2019   Brian Clarhaut
Las Vegas Lights FC Las Vegas, Nevada Cashman Field[ii] 9,334 2017 2018   Isidro Sanchez
Monterey Bay FC Seaside, California Cardinale Stadium[ii] 6,000 2021 2022   Frank Yallop
New Mexico United Albuquerque, New Mexico Rio Grande Credit Union Field[iii] 13,500 2018 2019   Zach Prince
Oakland Roots SC Oakland, California Laney College Stadium[i] 5,500 2018 2021   Noah Delgado
Orange County SC Irvine, California Championship Soccer Stadium[ii] 5,000 2010 2011   Richard Chaplow
Phoenix Rising FC Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium[ii][144] 10,000 2014   Juan Guerra
Rio Grande Valley FC Edinburg, Texas H-E-B Park[ii] 9,400 2015 2016   Wilmer Cabrera
Sacramento Republic FC Sacramento, California Heart Health Park[ii] 11,569 2012 2014   Mark Briggs
San Antonio FC San Antonio, Texas Toyota Field[ii] 8,296 2016   Alen Marcina
San Diego Loyal SC San Diego, California Torero Stadium[i] 6,000 2019 2020   Nate Miller

Expansion teams

Team City Stadium Capacity Founded Joining Head coach
Planned expansion teams
Queensboro FC[145] Queens, New York New stadium at York College[ii] 7,500 2019 TBA[146]
Rhode Island FC Pawtucket, Rhode Island Tidewater Landing Stadium[ii] 7,500 2019 2024[147]
USL Pro Iowa[148][149] Des Moines, Iowa Pro Iowa Stadium[ii] 6,100 2022 2025[150]
USL Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin Iron District Stadium[ii] 8,000 2022 2025[151]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Shared facility; not a soccer-specific stadium
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Soccer-specific stadium
  3. ^ a b c d e Baseball park

On hiatus

Club City Stadium Capacity Joined Notes
OKC Energy FC Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Taft Stadium 7,500 2014 Plans to return no later than the 2026 season[152]
Fort Worth Fort Worth, Texas 10,000 2017 Plans to return for the 2024 season pending the completion of a new stadium[153]

Former teams

Club City Stadium Capacity Joined Final season MLS affiliation Fate
Antigua Barracuda FC St. John's, Antigua Stanford Cricket Ground 5,000 2011 2013 None Folded
Atlanta United 2 Kennesaw, Georgia Fifth Third Bank Stadium 8,318 2018 2022 Atlanta United Moved to MLS Next Pro
Austin Bold FC Austin, Texas Circuit of the Americas 5,000 2017 2021 None Relocated to Fort Worth[154]
Austin Aztex Austin, Texas House Park 6,500 2015 Columbus Crew SC Folded
Charlotte Eagles Charlotte, North Carolina Dickson Field 5,006 2011 2014 None Moved to Premier Development League[i]
Charlotte Independence Charlotte, North Carolina Memorial Stadium 10,500 2014 2021 None Moved to USL League One[155]
FC Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Nippert Stadium 33,800 2015 2018 None Moved to Major League Soccer
Dayton Dutch Lions West Carrollton, Ohio DOC Stadium 3,000 2011 2014 Columbus Crew SC Moved to Premier Development League[i]
FC Montreal Montreal, Quebec Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard 3,500 2015 2016 Montreal Impact Folded by MLS parent club
F.C. New York Queens, New York Belson Stadium 2,168 2011 None Moved to National Premier Soccer League
Fresno FC Fresno, California Chukchansi Park 12,500 2017 2019 None Relocated to Monterey County, California, became Monterey Bay FC
LA Galaxy II Carson, California Dignity Health Sports Park 10,000 2014 2022 LA Galaxy Moved to MLS Next Pro
Nashville SC Nashville, Tennessee First Tennessee Park 10,000 2016 2019 None Moved to Major League Soccer
New York Red Bulls II Montclair, New Jersey MSU Soccer Park 5,000 2015 2022 New York Red Bulls Moved to MLS Next Pro
North Carolina FC Cary, North Carolina Sahlen's Stadium 10,000 2018 2020 None Moved to USL League One[156]
Orlando City B Orlando, Florida Orlando City Stadium 3,500 2016 2017 Orlando City SC Moved to USL League One[157]
Orlando City SC Bay Lake, Florida ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex 5,500 2011 2014 Sporting Kansas City Moved to Major League Soccer; USL rights transferred to Louisville
Ottawa Fury FC Ottawa, Ontario TD Place Stadium 24,000 2017 2019 Montreal Impact Folded;[124] USL rights transferred to Miami[158]
Penn FC Harrisburg, Pennsylvania FNB Field 6,187 2011 2018 None Folded
Philadelphia Union II Chester, Pennsylvania Subaru Park 18,500 2015 2020 Philadelphia Union Moved to MLS Next Pro
Phoenix FC Tempe, Arizona Sun Devil Soccer Stadium 3,400 2013 None Folded; replaced by Arizona United SC[ii]
Portland Timbers 2 Hillsboro, Oregon Hillsboro Stadium 7,600 2015 2020 Portland Timbers Moved to MLS Next Pro
Puerto Rico United[iii] Aguada, Puerto Rico Aguada Stadium 4,000 2011 None Moved to Liga Nacional (PR)
Real Monarchs Herriman, Utah Zions Bank Stadium[iv] 5,000 2015 2021 Real Salt Lake Moved to MLS Next Pro
Reno 1868 FC Reno, Nevada Greater Nevada Field[v] 9,013 2017 2020 San Jose Earthquakes Folded
River Plate Puerto Rico[iii] Fajardo, Puerto Rico Roberto Clemente Stadium 12,500 2011 None Moved to Puerto Rico Soccer League
Richmond Kickers Richmond, Virginia City Stadium 22,000 2011 2018 D.C. United Moved to USL League One
Rochester Rhinos Rochester, New York Marina Auto Stadium 13,768 2011 2017 New England Revolution Moved to MLS Next Pro[159]
Saint Louis FC Fenton, Missouri West Community Stadium[iv] 5,500 2014 2020 None Folded
Sevilla Puerto Rico[iii] Juncos, Puerto Rico Josué Elevadito González Stadium 2,500 2011 None Moved to Liga Nacional (PR)
Sporting Kansas City II Kansas City, Kansas Children's Mercy Park[iv] 18,467 2016 2021 Sporting Kansas City Moved to MLS Next Pro
Tacoma Defiance Tacoma, Washington Cheney Stadium[v] 6,500 2015 2021 Seattle Sounders FC Moved to MLS Next Pro
Toronto FC II Toronto, Ontario Lamport Stadium 9,600 2014 2018 Toronto FC Moved to USL League One
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 Vancouver, British Columbia Thunderbird Stadium 3,500 2015 2017 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Moved to MLS Next Pro
VSI Tampa Bay FC Plant City, Florida Plant City Stadium 6,700 2013 2013 None Folded
Wilmington Hammerheads FC Wilmington, North Carolina Legion Stadium 6,000 2011 2016 Toronto FC & New York City FC Moved to PDL[i]
  1. ^ a b c Known as USL League Two (USL2) since the 2019 season
  2. ^ Renamed as Phoenix Rising FC in 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Puerto Rico United, River Plate Puerto Rico, and Sevilla Puerto Rico tried to participate in the USL's first season but had financial difficulties almost immediately and the league had to cancel all games after May and make significant changes to the remaining schedule
  4. ^ a b c Soccer specific stadium
  5. ^ a b Baseball park

Timeline

USL MilwaukeeUSL Pro IowaRhode Island FCQueensboro FCDetroit City FCOakland Roots SCSan Diego Loyal SCMiami FCNew Mexico UnitedMemphis 901 FCLoudoun United FCHartford AthleticEl Paso Locomotive FCBirmingham Legion FCAustin Bold FCNorth Carolina FCNashville SC (2018–19)Las Vegas Lights FCIndy ElevenMonterey Bay FCFresno FCAtlanta United 2Tampa Bay RowdiesReno 1868 FCOttawa Fury FCSporting Kansas City IISwope Park RangersSan Antonio FCRio Grande Valley FCOrlando City BFC Cincinnati (2016–18)Philadelphia Union IIBethlehem Steel FCWhitecaps FC 2FC TulsaTulsa Roughnecks FCToronto FC IITacoma DefianceSeattle Sounders FC 2Saint Louis FCReal MonarchsPortland Timbers 2New York Red Bulls IILouisville City FCFC MontrealColorado Springs Switchbacks FCCharlotte IndependenceAustin AztexSacramento Republic FCOklahoma City Energy FCOklahoma City Energy FCLA Galaxy IIPhoenix Rising FCArizona United SCVSI Tampa Bay FCPhoenix FCWilmington Hammerheads FCRochester New York FCRichmond KickersPittsburgh Riverhounds SCOrlando City SC (2010–2014)Orange County SCOrange County SCOrange County SCPenn FCHarrisburg City IslandersF.C. New YorkDayton Dutch LionsCharlotte EaglesCharleston BatteryAntigua Barracuda FC

‡ Puerto Rico clubs Puerto Rico United, River Plate Puerto Rico, and Sevilla Puerto Rico began play in the league, but in May 2011 United Soccer Leagues announced that the teams would not finish the season due to financial difficulties.[160]

Competition format

USL Pro's scheduling format changed for the 2015 season to accommodate the expansion that took place during the 2014–2015 off-season, and the league's resulting need to divide teams into conferences – which eliminated the single table.[161][162]

All teams played 28 regular-season matches stretching from March to September. This included a 22-game, double-round-robin schedule that pitted each team against all its conference opponents at home and on the road. The remaining six fixtures were played against regional rivals, which lead to some inter-conference regular season matches. The top six finishers in each conference went through to the October playoffs, which continued as a series of single-game knockout rounds. After three rounds of intra-conference play, the two conference champions met in the championship match, to be hosted by the team with the better regular-season record.[163] For 2016 season the season was extended to 30 games.[164]

Starting with the 2019 season, teams will play regular-season games only within their conference. Each team will play a home-and-home schedule within its conference, resulting in a 34-game schedule. The top 10 teams from each conference will qualify for the playoffs, which will continue to be held with separate brackets for each conference and conducted entirely as one-off knockout matches. The opening round, which the league calls the "play-in round", sees the bottom four teams in action, with the 7 seed hosting the 10 seed and 8 hosting 9. The survivors join the top six sides from their respective conferences, with the lowest remaining seed visiting the 1 seed and the other play-in survivor visiting the 2 seed. All matches through the conference finals will be hosted by the higher seed. The USL Cup will be the season's only match that involves teams from different conferences; it will be hosted by the conference champion with the better regular-season record.[165]

Media coverage

The USL has been partnered with ESPN since the 2016 season. The first iteration of the deal brought 20 matches to ESPN3 and the championship match to one of its linear networks, while all remaining matches were broadcast directly by the league on its YouTube channel.[166]

Beginning with the launch of ESPN+ on April 12, 2018, all USL matches moved to the over-the-top service, with 18 games of the week and the championship continuing to air on one of ESPN's linear channels.[167] The 2019 final will also air on ESPN Deportes. The deal with ESPN expired after the 2019 season, but was subsequently renewed for three additional seasons. Although the ESPN+ match streams are not blacked out in-market, individual clubs are also allowed to syndicate the USL-produced broadcast to local television stations.[168]

The English-language commentary team for the USL Championship on ESPN has included Mike Watts and Devon Kerr since 2018. Watts and Kerr also host a weekly program, "USL All-Access" on Sirius XM FC. Broadcasts on ESPN Deportes have been led by Jesús Eduardo Acosta and José Armando Rodriguez.[169]

In August 2020, the USL announced their first international broadcast partner with Caribbean broadcaster Flow Sports.[170]

In August 2021, the USL announced a new broadcast agreement with OneFootball in Italy.[171]

Region Broadcaster
United States ESPN
Caribbean Flow Sports
Italy OneFootball

Champions

Teams that no longer participate in the USL Championship are in italics.

Team USLC
Final 		Year(s) won Regular
season
title 		Year(s) won USL
seasons
Orlando City 2 2011, 2013 3 2011, 2012, 2014 4
Louisville City FC 2 2017, 2018 8
Rochester Rhinos 1 2015 1 2015 7
New York Red Bulls II 1 2016 1 2016 7
Real Monarchs 1 2019 1 2017 7
San Antonio FC 1 2022 1 2022 7
Charleston Battery 1 2012 12
Sacramento Republic FC 1 2014 9
Orange County SC 1 2021 12
Richmond Kickers 1 2013 8
FC Cincinnati 1 2018 3
Phoenix Rising FC 1 2019 9
Reno 1868 FC 1 2020 4
Tampa Bay Rowdies 1 2021 6

USL Championship Final results

Season Champions Score Runners–up Venue Attendance MVP
2011 Orlando City 2–2 (p) Harrisburg City Islanders Citrus Bowl 11,220 Sean Kelley (ORL)
2012 Charleston Battery 1–0 Wilmington Hammerheads Blackbaud Stadium 4,963 Jose Cuevas (CHB)
2013 Orlando City 7–4 Charlotte Eagles Citrus Bowl 20,886 Dom Dwyer (ORL)
2014 Sacramento Republic 2–0 Harrisburg City Islanders Bonney Field 8,000 Rodrigo López (SAC)
2015 Rochester Rhinos 2–1 (a.e.t.) LA Galaxy II Sahlen's Stadium 5,247 Asani Samuels (ROC)
2016 New York Red Bulls II 5–1 Swope Park Rangers Red Bull Arena 5,547 Brandon Allen (NYRB)
2017 Louisville City FC 1–0 Swope Park Rangers Louisville Slugger Field 14,456 Paolo DelPiccolo (LOU)
2018 Louisville City FC 1–0 Phoenix Rising FC Lynn Stadium 7,025 Luke Spencer (LOU)
2019 Real Monarchs 3–1 Louisville City FC Lynn Stadium 7,025 Konrad Plewa (SLC)
2020 No champion due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Orange County SC 3–1 Tampa Bay Rowdies Al Lang Stadium 7,521 Ronaldo Damus (OCO)
2022 San Antonio FC 3–1 Louisville City FC Toyota Field 8,534 Santiago Patiño (SAN)

USL club honors

Updated to the end of the 2022 USL playoffs; sorted by major honors (championships).

Team Seasons USL playoffs USL regular season Total honors Major honors /
championships
Winner Runner-up Winner Runner-up
Orlando City SC 4 2 — 3 1 6 5
Louisville City FC 8 2 1 — 3 6 2
Rochester Rhinos 7 1 — 1 1 3 2
New York Red Bulls II 8 1 — 1 — 2 2
Real Monarchs 7 1 — 1 — 2 2
San Antonio FC 7 1 — 1 — 2 2
Phoenix Rising FC 9 — 2[a] 1 — 3 1
Tampa Bay Rowdies 6 — 2[a] 1 — 3 1
Sacramento Republic 9 1 — — 1 2 1
Orange County SC 12 1 — — — 1 1
Charleston Battery 12 1 — — — 1 1
FC Cincinnati 3 — — 1 — 1 1
Reno 1868 FC 4 – – 1 – 1 1
Richmond Kickers 8 — — 1 — 1 1
Penn FC 8 — 2 — — 2 0
Wilmington Hammerheads 6 — 1 — 1 2 0
Sporting Kansas City II 6 — 2 — — 2 0
LA Galaxy II 8 — 1 — — 1 0
Charlotte Eagles 4 — 1 — — 1 0
  1. ^ a b Includes the canceled 2020 finals.

Player records

As of February 7, 2022[172]
Most USL clean sheets
Rank Player CS
1   Evan Newton 57
2   Brandon Miller 43
3   Odisnel Cooper 40
4   Matt Pickens 37
  Tomas Gomez 37
5   Cody Laurendi 36
6   Carl Woszczynski 34
7   Alex Tambakis 33
8   Miguel Gallardo 32
  Andrew Dykstra 32

Attendance

Season Teams League avg. Playoff avg. Highest teams Lowest teams Ref
2011 12 2,274 5,555 5,330 (Orlando City)
4,927 (Rochester)		 410 (Los Angeles Blues)
542 (Dayton)		 [173]
2012 11 2,777 4,252 6,606 (Orlando City)
6,265 (Rochester)		 666 (Los Angeles Blues)
722 (Dayton)		 [174]
2013 13 2,611 6,989 8,056 (Orlando City)
5,898 (Rochester)		 378 (VSI Tampa Bay)
718 (Los Angeles Blues)		 [175]
2014 14 3,114 5,397 11,293 (Sacramento)
5,329 (Rochester)		 533 (Dayton)
597 (LA Galaxy II)		 [176]
2015 24 3,369 5,463 11,313 (Sacramento)
6,765 (Louisville City)		 313 (FC Montreal)
479 (Toronto FC ll)		 [177]
2016 29 3,439 5,281 17,296 (FC Cincinnati)
11,514 (Sacramento)		 243 (FC Montreal)
589 (New York Red Bulls II)		 [178]
2017 30 4,302 5,339 21,198 (FC Cincinnati)
11,569 (Sacramento)		 632 (New York Red Bulls II)
869 (Vancouver Whitecaps 2)
2018 33 4,923 7,786 25,717 (FC Cincinnati)
11,311 (Sacramento)		 810 (Toronto FC II)
812 (New York Red Bulls II)		 [179]
2019 36 4,478 5,389 12,693 (New Mexico United)
10,734 (Indy Eleven)		 478 (Bethlehem Steel FC)
505 (Swope Park Rangers)
2020 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
2021 31 4,138 6,645 12,115 (Louisville City)
10,418 (New Mexico United)		 310 (Loudoun United)
369 (New York Red Bulls II)		 [180][181]
2022 27 5,061 7,841 14,673 (Louisville City FC)
14,519 (New Mexico United)		 122 (New York Red Bulls II)
182 (New York Red Bulls II)		 [182]

FC Cincinnati played before a record crowd of 20,497 at Nippert Stadium on April 16, 2016, in a rivalry match against neighboring Louisville City FC.[183] This broke the USL Pro's previous record for attendance at a regular-season match of 20,231 set by Sacramento Republic in its home debut on April 26, 2014, at Hughes Stadium.[184] Cincinnati broke the record again on May 14, 2016, with a new all-time high of 23,375.[185] Cincinnati broke the single game attendance record again on October 2, 2016, in their first ever playoff match against the Charleston Battery, losing 2–1 in the quarterfinals of the 2016 USL playoffs. The attendance of 30,187 also set the USL playoff record.[186] Cincinnati broke the all time regular season record again on August 5, 2017, at Nippert Stadium, drawing 25,308 versus Orlando City B. They broke their own record again about six weeks later drawing 30,417 to a 4–2 win over the New York Red Bulls II.[187] Cincinnati broke the record once more in their final home regular season game as a USL team on September 29, 2018, drawing 31,478 versus Indy Eleven[188]

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January 26, 2023
championship, redirects, here, other, uses, disambiguation, uslc, professional, soccer, league, united, states, that, began, inaugural, season, 2011, sanctioned, united, states, soccer, federation, soccer, division, league, since, 2017, placing, under, major, . USL redirects here For other uses see USL disambiguation The USL Championship USLC is a professional men s soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011 The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation U S Soccer as a Division II league since 2017 placing it under Major League Soccer Division I in the hierarchy 1 The USL is headquartered in Tampa Florida 2 USL ChampionshipOrganizing bodyUnited Soccer LeagueFoundedSeptember 8 2010 2010 09 08 First season2011CountryUnited StatesConfederationCONCACAF North American Football Union ConferencesEastern ConferenceWestern ConferenceNumber of teams24Level on pyramid2Domestic cup s U S Open CupCurrent champion s San Antonio FC 2022 Current regularseason titleSan Antonio FC 2022 Most championshipsOrlando CityLouisville City FC 2 titles each Most regularseason titlesOrlando City 3 titles TV partnersESPN YouTubeTUDNOneFootballWebsiteuslchampionship wbr comCurrent 2023 USL Championship seasonThe league is owned and operated by United Soccer League and was formed as result of the merger of their USL First USL 1 and Second Divisions USL 2 following the 2010 season which saw neither the USL 1 nor the North American Soccer League NASL receive Division II sanctioning from the USSF resulting in the temporary USSF Division 2 Pro League United Soccer Leagues stated that the merger would strengthen the league s position within the American professional soccer landscape through stability commercial growth and the professional development of soccer in four main regions throughout the United States and Canada 3 Five USL Championship teams are affiliated to MLS teams Until 2020 a majority of MLS teams had an affiliate in either the USL Championship or third level USL League One USL1 With the creation of MLS Next Pro the only MLS affiliation that remains for the 2023 season is that of Loudoun United FC with D C United Contents 1 History 1 1 Founding 2010 1 2 Play begins 2011 2012 1 3 Beginnings of MLS partnership 2013 2014 1 4 Expansion of MLS partnership and first rebranding 2015 2016 1 5 Division II sanctioning and second rebranding 2017 2019 1 6 Recent history 2020 present 2 Teams 2 1 Expansion teams 2 2 On hiatus 2 3 Former teams 2 4 Timeline 3 Competition format 4 Media coverage 5 Champions 5 1 USL Championship Final results 6 USL club honors 6 1 Player records 7 Attendance 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksHistory EditFounding 2010 Edit On September 8 2010 the United Soccer Leagues formally announced the creation of USL Pro in a press release 3 Prior to the official announcement of the new league on August 11 2010 the Dayton Dutch Lions FC revealed they would be joining the USL Pro Championship Division former USL 2 at a press conference revealing the name of the new league before its official announcement 4 With this disclosure the Dutch Lions were the first confirmed team in USL Pro for its inaugural 2011 season Alongside the announcement of the new league the Richmond Kickers revealed they would be moving to USL Pro for 2011 5 With the departure of the Portland Timbers to MLS in 2011 and the defection of the Puerto Rico Islanders to the NASL 6 from USL 1 the Austin Aztex were the only remaining USL 1 team not yet a part of USL Pro On September 22 2010 the Caribbean Division of USL Pro was announced with teams from Puerto Rico and Antigua and Barbuda signing on to compete in the league 7 With the addition of Puerto Rico United to the league and Caribbean Division league representatives expressed their intent to see expansion in the region continue with an eventual 8 team Caribbean Conference 8 With the inclusion of a team from Los Angeles this division eventually became the International Division On September 22 2010 USL announced that Sevilla FC Puerto Rico and River Plate Puerto Rico would be joining USL Pro in 2011 alongside Antigua Barracuda FC as part of the building blocks of a Caribbean division 7 On September 28 2010 USL announced that one of their flagship clubs and reigning 2010 USL 2 Champions the Charleston Battery would be joining USL Pro for its launch in 2011 9 On September 30 2010 nearly two months following the team s own announcement of a USL Pro Championship Division move the USL formally announced Dayton Dutch Lions FC would join USL Pro 10 On October 4 and 7 2010 the USL revealed two USL 2 clubs the Charlotte Eagles and the Harrisburg City Islanders later known as Penn FC would be making the jump to USL Pro for 2011 11 12 The Pittsburgh Riverhounds were added as the 9th official team on October 22 2010 13 October 25 2010 saw the addition of the Rochester Rhinos 14 who had previously committed to the NASL along with expansion team Orlando City SC formerly the Austin Aztex FC of USL 1 after new ownership secured and moved the team from Texas to Florida 15 On November 9 2010 former USL 2 side Wilmington Hammerheads officially joined the league as the 12th team 16 followed on November 17 2010 by F C New York 17 The expected number of teams to launch league play in 2011 was announced as 18 20 alongside the announcement of the Wilmington Hammerheads joining the league 16 The Los Angeles Blues associated with the successful women s Pali Blues organization were added on December 7 2010 with a message of future Western Conference growth into 2012 18 The Caribbean Division of USL Pro grew to four teams on December 9 2010 with the addition of Puerto Rico United to the league 8 marking the last of the 15 teams that would compete in USL Pro in its inaugural 2011 season On September 14 2010 United Soccer Leagues President Tim Holt expressed the desired structure for the league to launch with 14 18 teams across four specific geographic areas in 2011 expansion to 22 26 teams by 2013 and 28 32 teams by 2015 19 Following USL Pro s first annual general meeting the league confirmed it would debut with 16 teams playing a 24 game regular season schedule in 2011 with planned growth for 20 24 teams to start the 2012 season 20 Progression of expansion Season Teams2011 122012 112013 132014 142015 242016 292017 302018 332019 362020 352021 312022 272023 24Play begins 2011 2012 Edit Main articles 2011 USL Pro season and 2012 USL Pro season USL Pro debuted in 2011 starting with 15 teams playing a 24 game regular season schedule American and National Division teams played a home and away series against all opponents from the two divisions totaling 18 games 2 additional regional rivalry matches with each team making an additional trip to either Los Angeles or the Caribbean to play two games while hosting International Division competition for two games International Division teams played each team in their division four times twice home twice away totaling 16 games while traveling to face American or National Division opponents in four games and hosting those opponents for four games 20 21 22 The original playoff format saw eight teams compete in a one game quarterfinal Both the American and National Divisions saw their top three teams advance for an inter divisional playoff while the top two teams in the International Division played off against each other to reach the semi finals The four remaining teams were re seeded for a single semi final match again with the higher seed hosting leading up to a single match for the USL Cup In all playoff matches the highest seeded team hosted 23 The first league game was played on April 2 2011 The Richmond Kickers defeated Orlando City SC 2 0 at Richmond s City Stadium Stanley Nyazamba scored the first goal in the 35th minute on a penalty kick 24 On May 10 2011 early in the league s inaugural season the league announced that it was dropping the three Puerto Rican clubs from the USL Pro schedule 25 The PRSL clubs were dropped due to economic and ownership issues 25 The two remaining International Division teams Antigua Barracuda FC and Los Angeles Blues were re aligned into the American and National Divisions Due to the removal of the International Division the revised playoff format featured the top four teams in each of the two divisions The two division playoff winners met in the USL Pro Championship at the home venue of the team with the better record Following the 2011 season USL Pro announced with the release of the 2012 season schedule that F C New York would not be returning to play with the former National and American Divisions being dissolved to form a single eleven team league table 26 Beginnings of MLS partnership 2013 2014 Edit Main articles 2013 USL Pro season and 2014 USL Pro season Two expansion teams joined for the 2013 season Phoenix FC 27 28 and the VSI Tampa Bay FC 29 On January 23 2013 United Soccer Leagues and MLS announced a multi year agreement to integrate MLS Reserve League play with USL Pro teams first through team affiliations and interleague play but eventually fully merging MLS Reserves into the USL Pro structure The stated goals 30 of this partnership are to improve North American player development strengthen league competition build long term ties between the leagues and expand the audience for both the leagues and developing players While the 2013 season would feature partnered competitions between USL Pro and MLS Reserve teams four Major League Soccer clubs opted to affiliate with an existing USL Pro team agreeing to loan at least four MLS players to their affiliate Sporting Kansas City with Orlando City the Philadelphia Union with the Harrisburg City Islanders D C United with the Richmond Kickers and the New England Revolution with the Rochester Rhinos Each MLS club will eventually be expected to either affiliate with a USL Pro team or operate an independent reserve team in the league 31 32 The Houston Dynamo announced that they would be partnering with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in 2014 33 However this partnership between the Riverhounds and Dynamo was dissolved after just one year 34 Following the conclusion of the 2013 season VSI Tampa Bay folded after only one season along with founding league member Antigua 35 In December 2012 Sacramento announced it would begin play in 2014 as an expansion team 36 and in July 2014 USL announced that Oklahoma City would also join USL in 2014 37 Orlando City announced that it would leave USL after the 2014 season to join MLS as an expansion team for the 2015 season 38 39 40 The Los Angeles Blues were rebranded as Orange County Blues FC on February 5 2014 41 The Phoenix FC franchise was revoked and replaced with Arizona United SC on March 13 2014 42 In what would become a major trend on January 29 2014 the LA Galaxy announced the creation of LA Galaxy II a reserve team within the club s existing development structure The Galaxy purchased a USL Pro expansion franchise 43 and became the first MLS club to enter its reserve team into the USL Pro Expansion of MLS partnership and first rebranding 2015 2016 Edit Main articles 2015 USL season and 2016 USL season USL Pro nearly doubled the number of teams in the league for 2015 in large part due to MLS franchises following the path taken by the LA Galaxy II Seven MLS clubs announced the purchase of a USL Pro franchise for their reserve team These MLS franchises joined four independent expansion teams that were previously announced for Colorado Springs St Louis Tulsa and Austin Additionally Orlando City sold its franchise rights to Louisville interests which unveiled Louisville City FC on June 3 2014 as an affiliate of the new MLS side 44 The United Soccer Leagues announced that the Charlotte Eagles would drop to its Premier Development League PDL now known as USL League Two while selling their franchise rights to another Charlotte group which formed Charlotte Independence for play beginning in 2015 45 Finally on December 11 2014 the Dayton Dutch Lions self relegated to play in the PDL starting in 2015 46 During 2014 and early 2015 the various MLS clubs in conjunction with the USL announced seven new franchises that would be owned or controlled by MLS team ownership and would all begin play in 2015 On September 10 2014 Real Salt Lake revealed the name of their previously announced USL Pro affiliate team would be Real Monarchs and confirmed that the team would begin play in 2015 47 48 The team played at Rio Tinto Stadium until the 5 000 seat Zions Bank Stadium was built in Herriman Utah 49 Both the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC created their own USL Pro squads Portland Timbers 2 and Seattle Sounders FC 2 on October 14 2014 50 The Montreal Impact announced that it would field a USL Pro team in September 2014 On November 18 2014 FC Montreal officially joined the league 51 52 53 On November 20 2014 Toronto FC announced that it would also field a team subsequently named Toronto FC II for the 2015 season 54 Whitecaps FC 2 joined USL Pro the next day 55 After discussing plans for a USL Pro team in 2015 56 then postponing those plans in September 57 the New York Red Bulls announced that their USL Pro team New York Red Bulls II would begin play in 2015 58 59 MLS affiliations were announced for the remaining MLS teams that did not have an affiliation in 2014 and did not elect to purchase a USL Pro franchise On September 18 2014 the Colorado Rapids announced an affiliation partnership with the Charlotte Independence 60 On January 16 2015 New York City FC announced that it would have an affiliate relationship with the Wilmington Hammerheads 61 and the Chicago Fire announced their affiliation with St Louis 62 On February 9 2015 FC Dallas announced it would add Arizona United SC as its USL Pro affiliate 63 64 As a result all 20 MLS teams for the 2015 season were either fielding their own team in the USL Pro or were affiliated with an independent USL Pro club The league also announced in 2015 that the league would be divided into two conferences Teams would play a 28 game schedule with 22 games against all the teams in their conference and the teams would be further assigned to four club subdivisions for the other six games with an eye towards geographic rivalries between clubs 65 USL logo used from 2015 until 2018 On February 10 2015 United Soccer Leagues announced a branding change for the league It would now be called the United Soccer League or USL for short They introduced a new logo and branding and stated their intention to apply for Division II status within the United States Soccer Federation hierarchy 66 During the 2015 season USL announced several expansion teams for the 2016 season The 25th franchise was awarded to Lone Star LLC and the team would be named Rio Grande Valley FC 67 In a first for the USL the team has a hybrid affiliation with the Houston Dynamo who are responsible for the tactical part of the club while the ownership group Lone Star is responsible for operations and management 68 69 FC Cincinnati was added as the 26th franchise 70 71 and Bethlehem Steel FC in the Lehigh Valley area and owned by the Philadelphia Union became the 27th 72 73 Orlando City B owned by Orlando City SC as the 29th 74 the Swope Park Rangers owned by Sporting Kansas City as the 30th 75 and San Antonio FC as the 31st 76 The Austin Aztex announced that they would go on hiatus for the 2016 USL season on October 2 2015 Floods damaging House Park midway through the 2015 season forced the team to relocate to a high school facility The team was intended to return in 2017 pending construction of a new soccer specific stadium 77 However stadium and ownership issues continued to plague the franchise and they did not return 78 Division II sanctioning and second rebranding 2017 2019 Edit Main articles 2017 USL season 2018 USL season and 2019 USL Championship season Expansion continued for the 2017 season with Reno 1868 FC which had been announced during the 2015 season as the 28th franchise starting play 79 On October 25 2016 the USL added two teams from the North American Soccer League NASL the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Ottawa Fury FC This was the first time a club moved from the NASL to the USL 80 The Montreal Impact also announced that it would fold its USL team FC Montreal in favor of affiliating with Ottawa Fury FC 81 On August 31 2016 Kyle Eng sold his majority share of Arizona United SC to an investment group led by Berke Bakay and was rebranded as Phoenix Rising FC 82 83 84 Ivory Coast Soccer Legend Didier Drogba later purchased a share of the team and played the final two seasons of his career there 85 86 87 88 On January 6 2017 the U S Soccer board of directors voted to grant provisional Division II status to the USL for the 2017 season 1 placing the league on the same tier as the North American Soccer League The NASL was also downgraded from Division II sanctioning to a provisional status due to its membership decreasing below the 12 team minimum Following the 2017 season the USL gained two more NASL teams Indy Eleven 89 and North Carolina FC 90 For the 2018 season the NASL s provisional sanctioning was not renewed by U S Soccer while the USL was granted full sanctioning under Division II on a year to year basis 91 The NASL sued U S Soccer asking a court to order U S Soccer to grant NASL Division II status but the request was denied by the trial court and denied again by the appeals court 92 The USL s expansion efforts continued in the 2018 season with the additions of Nashville SC 93 94 Las Vegas Lights FC 95 96 97 Fresno FC affiliated with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 98 and Atlanta United 2 owned by Atlanta United FC 99 100 The league also lost Orlando City B and the Rochester Rhinos which each announced a hiatus 101 102 while the Whitecaps FC 2 were folded after its parent team in Vancouver decided to no longer run its own development team and affiliated with the new Fresno expansion Four teams left the USL top flight after the 2018 season The ownership group of FC Cincinnati was awarded an MLS franchise that started play under the FC Cincinnati name in 2019 103 Penn FC 104 the Richmond Kickers 105 and Toronto FC II voluntarily dropped to USL League One a new third level league that United Soccer Leagues launched in 2019 106 The Kickers and Toronto FC II began League One play in 2019 Penn FC suspended professional operations for 2019 and will resume play in League One in 2020 In addition the announced hiatuses for both the Rhinos and Orlando City B became permanent departures The Rhinos originally announced they would extend their hiatus through 2019 before resuming play in League One in 2020 107 but ended up not resuming play until 2022 by which time the club had changed its name to Rochester New York FC and joined the new third level MLS Next Pro 108 Orlando City B resumed play in 2019 in League One 109 The league also approved several other expansion locations in Austin 110 Birmingham 111 Memphis 112 113 Chicago 114 115 Oakland East Bay Hartford 116 Albuquerque 117 El Paso 118 Loudoun County Virginia 119 and San Diego 120 All of these teams began play in 2019 except for San Diego which began play in the 2020 season Chicago and East Bay were both announced to launch by 2021 but were indefinitely put on hold when they had issues in securing stadium plans 121 Recent history 2020 present Edit Main articles 2020 USL Championship season and 2021 USL Championship season Following the end of the 2019 season three teams left the USL Championship Nashville SC was awarded a Major League Soccer franchise 122 Fresno FC announced that they would not be returning to Fresno 123 and Ottawa Fury FC announced that they would be suspending operations after not receiving sanctioning to remain in USL by CONCACAF and U S Soccer 124 An expansion team was announced for the New York City borough of Queens to be named Queensboro FC 125 On December 11 the Ottawa Fury announced the sale of its franchise rights to the ownership group of Miami FC with Miami set to participate in the 2020 USL Championship season This marked the entrance of another former NASL team into the league with Miami having previously spent time in NPSL and the National Independent Soccer Association NISA after the NASL folded Saint Louis FC folded at the end of the 2020 season The city is set to receive an MLS franchise with St Louis City SC set to start play in 2023 A spokesperson for SLFC told Sports Illustrated in August of that year The ownership decided that with the financial impact of COVID 19 and MLS on the horizon it didn t make sense to continue operations 126 Also at the end of the 2020 season two MLS clubs the Philadelphia Union and Portland Timbers withdrew their reserve sides Philadelphia Union II and Portland Timbers 2 from the United Soccer League system 127 The proposed East Bay club s bid had faltered due to stadium issues and its USL franchise rights were purchased by Oakland Roots SC which had previously played in the NISA with plans to debut in the USLC for the 2021 season 128 129 On November 6 2020 Reno 1868 FC announced it was ceasing operations as a result of the financial and operational impacts of COVID 19 130 On January 10 2021 North Carolina FC club chairman Stephen Malik announced that the club would make a strategic move to USL League One 131 On February 1 2021 Monterey Bay FC joined the USL Championship Monterey Bay FC is a continuation of the USL Championship s Fresno FC franchise Fresno FC the original club owned by Ray Beshoff ceased operations after the 2019 season because he was unable to secure construction of a soccer specific stadium Beshoff however retained the franchise rights and managed to land the franchise to play their home matches at Cardinale Stadium on the campus of California State University Monterey Bay in Seaside California On November 13 2021 it was announced that Detroit City would join the USL Championship for the 2022 USL Championship season becoming the third NISA team to join the league after Miami FC and Oakland Roots SC 132 On December 2 2021 Charlotte Independence decided to drop down to the third tier USL League One for 2022 with the goal of better serving its youth players as well as the fact that a new expansion franchise in the city Charlotte FC was joining Major League Soccer that season with whom several Independence players had signed for 133 134 On December 3 2021 Oklahoma City Energy FC announced that it will temporarily suspend soccer operations and will not compete in the 2022 USL Championship season The decision comes after Energy FC s home field at Taft Stadium which is owned and operated by the Oklahoma City Public Schools will undergo major renovations that directly overlap with the 2022 USL Championship season and will resume play for the 2023 USL Championship season in its temporary home at Taft Stadium 135 On December 6 2021 Major League Soccer announced MLS Next Pro a Division III league that will begin play in 2022 All MLS clubs with reserve teams in USL Championship or USL League One will be moving to MLS Next Pro by 2023 136 On December 10 2021 the USL Championship has approved a new ownership group for USL Championship club Austin Bold FC The new ownership group consists of Donnie Nelson Neil Leibman and Bobby Epstein The team will not participate in the 2022 USL Championship season as it actively seeks relocation to another city in Texas 137 On January 27 2022 the USL officially awarded USL Pro Iowa an expansion team to be based in Des Moines Iowa that would join the league in the 2024 season The team s majority owner is Kyle Krause who has been the majority owner of USL League 2 side Des Moines Menace since 1998 138 On July 14 2022 the USL announced a group that intended to bring USL Championship and Super League teams to New Orleans Louisiana with a goal for the Championship side to kick off by 2025 139 On August 12 2022 ground was broken in Pawtucket Rhode Island on a stadium intended for a USL Championship expansion side that will begin play in 2024 when the stadium is completed 140 On August 30 2022 the USL announced that a group of investors had formed to bring USL Championship and USL Super League expansion teams to Jacksonville Florida with the goal for the Championship side to kick off in 2025 141 On October 19 2022 the USL awarded an expansion team to USL Milwaukee set to begin play in 2025 with plans to build an 8 000 seat stadium in Milwaukee Wisconsin 142 Teams Edit Birmingham Charleston Colorado Springs Detroit El Paso Fort Worth Hartford Indy Las Vegas Loudoun Louisville Memphis Miami Monterey Bay New Mexico Oakland Oklahoma City Orange County Phoenix Pittsburgh Rio Grande Valley Sacramento San Antonio San Diego Tampa Bay Tulsa Queensboro Iowa Milwaukee Rhode Islandclass notpageimage Locations of teams in the USL Championship Western Conference Eastern Conference On hiatus Future team The following teams will play in the 2023 USL Championship season 143 Team City Stadium Capacity Founded Joined Head coachEastern ConferenceBirmingham Legion FC Birmingham Alabama Protective Stadium i 47 100 2017 2019 Tom SoehnCharleston Battery Mount Pleasant South Carolina Patriots Point Soccer Complex ii 3 900 1993 2011 Ben PirmannDetroit City FC Hamtramck Michigan Keyworth Stadium i 7 933 2012 2022 Trevor JamesHartford Athletic Hartford Connecticut Trinity Health Stadium ii 5 500 2018 2019 Tab RamosIndy Eleven Indianapolis Indiana Carroll Stadium i 10 524 2013 2018 Mark LowryLoudoun United FC Leesburg Virginia Segra Field ii 5 000 2018 2019 Ryan MartinLouisville City FC Louisville Kentucky Lynn Family Stadium ii 11 700 2014 2015 Danny CruzMemphis 901 FC Memphis Tennessee AutoZone Park iii 10 000 2018 2019 Stephen GlassMiami FC University Park Florida Riccardo Silva Stadium i 20 000 2015 2020 Anthony PulisPittsburgh Riverhounds SC Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Highmark Stadium ii 5 000 1998 2011 Bob LilleyTampa Bay Rowdies St Petersburg Florida Al Lang Stadium iii 7 227 2008 2017 Neill CollinsFC Tulsa Tulsa Oklahoma Oneok Field iii 7 833 2013 2015 Blair GavinWestern ConferenceColorado Springs Switchbacks FC Colorado Springs Colorado Weidner Field ii 8 000 2013 2015 Stephen HoganEl Paso Locomotive FC El Paso Texas Southwest University Park iii 9 500 2018 2019 Brian ClarhautLas Vegas Lights FC Las Vegas Nevada Cashman Field ii 9 334 2017 2018 Isidro SanchezMonterey Bay FC Seaside California Cardinale Stadium ii 6 000 2021 2022 Frank YallopNew Mexico United Albuquerque New Mexico Rio Grande Credit Union Field iii 13 500 2018 2019 Zach PrinceOakland Roots SC Oakland California Laney College Stadium i 5 500 2018 2021 Noah DelgadoOrange County SC Irvine California Championship Soccer Stadium ii 5 000 2010 2011 Richard ChaplowPhoenix Rising FC Phoenix Arizona Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium ii 144 10 000 2014 Juan GuerraRio Grande Valley FC Edinburg Texas H E B Park ii 9 400 2015 2016 Wilmer CabreraSacramento Republic FC Sacramento California Heart Health Park ii 11 569 2012 2014 Mark BriggsSan Antonio FC San Antonio Texas Toyota Field ii 8 296 2016 Alen MarcinaSan Diego Loyal SC San Diego California Torero Stadium i 6 000 2019 2020 Nate MillerExpansion teams Edit Team City Stadium Capacity Founded Joining Head coachPlanned expansion teamsQueensboro FC 145 Queens New York New stadium at York College ii 7 500 2019 TBA 146 Rhode Island FC Pawtucket Rhode Island Tidewater Landing Stadium ii 7 500 2019 2024 147 USL Pro Iowa 148 149 Des Moines Iowa Pro Iowa Stadium ii 6 100 2022 2025 150 USL Milwaukee Milwaukee Wisconsin Iron District Stadium ii 8 000 2022 2025 151 Notes a b c d e f Shared facility not a soccer specific stadium a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Soccer specific stadium a b c d e Baseball park On hiatus Edit Club City Stadium Capacity Joined NotesOKC Energy FC Oklahoma City Oklahoma Taft Stadium 7 500 2014 Plans to return no later than the 2026 season 152 Fort Worth Fort Worth Texas 10 000 2017 Plans to return for the 2024 season pending the completion of a new stadium 153 Former teams Edit Club City Stadium Capacity Joined Final season MLS affiliation FateAntigua Barracuda FC St John s Antigua Stanford Cricket Ground 5 000 2011 2013 None FoldedAtlanta United 2 Kennesaw Georgia Fifth Third Bank Stadium 8 318 2018 2022 Atlanta United Moved to MLS Next ProAustin Bold FC Austin Texas Circuit of the Americas 5 000 2017 2021 None Relocated to Fort Worth 154 Austin Aztex Austin Texas House Park 6 500 2015 Columbus Crew SC FoldedCharlotte Eagles Charlotte North Carolina Dickson Field 5 006 2011 2014 None Moved to Premier Development League i Charlotte Independence Charlotte North Carolina Memorial Stadium 10 500 2014 2021 None Moved to USL League One 155 FC Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio Nippert Stadium 33 800 2015 2018 None Moved to Major League SoccerDayton Dutch Lions West Carrollton Ohio DOC Stadium 3 000 2011 2014 Columbus Crew SC Moved to Premier Development League i FC Montreal Montreal Quebec Complexe sportif Claude Robillard 3 500 2015 2016 Montreal Impact Folded by MLS parent clubF C New York Queens New York Belson Stadium 2 168 2011 None Moved to National Premier Soccer LeagueFresno FC Fresno California Chukchansi Park 12 500 2017 2019 None Relocated to Monterey County California became Monterey Bay FCLA Galaxy II Carson California Dignity Health Sports Park 10 000 2014 2022 LA Galaxy Moved to MLS Next ProNashville SC Nashville Tennessee First Tennessee Park 10 000 2016 2019 None Moved to Major League SoccerNew York Red Bulls II Montclair New Jersey MSU Soccer Park 5 000 2015 2022 New York Red Bulls Moved to MLS Next ProNorth Carolina FC Cary North Carolina Sahlen s Stadium 10 000 2018 2020 None Moved to USL League One 156 Orlando City B Orlando Florida Orlando City Stadium 3 500 2016 2017 Orlando City SC Moved to USL League One 157 Orlando City SC Bay Lake Florida ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex 5 500 2011 2014 Sporting Kansas City Moved to Major League Soccer USL rights transferred to LouisvilleOttawa Fury FC Ottawa Ontario TD Place Stadium 24 000 2017 2019 Montreal Impact Folded 124 USL rights transferred to Miami 158 Penn FC Harrisburg Pennsylvania FNB Field 6 187 2011 2018 None FoldedPhiladelphia Union II Chester Pennsylvania Subaru Park 18 500 2015 2020 Philadelphia Union Moved to MLS Next ProPhoenix FC Tempe Arizona Sun Devil Soccer Stadium 3 400 2013 None Folded replaced by Arizona United SC ii Portland Timbers 2 Hillsboro Oregon Hillsboro Stadium 7 600 2015 2020 Portland Timbers Moved to MLS Next ProPuerto Rico United iii Aguada Puerto Rico Aguada Stadium 4 000 2011 None Moved to Liga Nacional PR Real Monarchs Herriman Utah Zions Bank Stadium iv 5 000 2015 2021 Real Salt Lake Moved to MLS Next ProReno 1868 FC Reno Nevada Greater Nevada Field v 9 013 2017 2020 San Jose Earthquakes FoldedRiver Plate Puerto Rico iii Fajardo Puerto Rico Roberto Clemente Stadium 12 500 2011 None Moved to Puerto Rico Soccer LeagueRichmond Kickers Richmond Virginia City Stadium 22 000 2011 2018 D C United Moved to USL League OneRochester Rhinos Rochester New York Marina Auto Stadium 13 768 2011 2017 New England Revolution Moved to MLS Next Pro 159 Saint Louis FC Fenton Missouri West Community Stadium iv 5 500 2014 2020 None FoldedSevilla Puerto Rico iii Juncos Puerto Rico Josue Elevadito Gonzalez Stadium 2 500 2011 None Moved to Liga Nacional PR Sporting Kansas City II Kansas City Kansas Children s Mercy Park iv 18 467 2016 2021 Sporting Kansas City Moved to MLS Next ProTacoma Defiance Tacoma Washington Cheney Stadium v 6 500 2015 2021 Seattle Sounders FC Moved to MLS Next ProToronto FC II Toronto Ontario Lamport Stadium 9 600 2014 2018 Toronto FC Moved to USL League OneVancouver Whitecaps FC 2 Vancouver British Columbia Thunderbird Stadium 3 500 2015 2017 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Moved to MLS Next ProVSI Tampa Bay FC Plant City Florida Plant City Stadium 6 700 2013 2013 None FoldedWilmington Hammerheads FC Wilmington North Carolina Legion Stadium 6 000 2011 2016 Toronto FC amp New York City FC Moved to PDL i a b c Known as USL League Two USL2 since the 2019 season Renamed as Phoenix Rising FC in 2016 a b c Puerto Rico United River Plate Puerto Rico and Sevilla Puerto Rico tried to participate in the USL s first season but had financial difficulties almost immediately and the league had to cancel all games after May and make significant changes to the remaining schedule a b c Soccer specific stadium a b Baseball park Timeline Edit Puerto Rico clubs Puerto Rico United River Plate Puerto Rico and Sevilla Puerto Rico began play in the league but in May 2011 United Soccer Leagues announced that the teams would not finish the season due to financial difficulties 160 Competition format EditUSL Pro s scheduling format changed for the 2015 season to accommodate the expansion that took place during the 2014 2015 off season and the league s resulting need to divide teams into conferences which eliminated the single table 161 162 All teams played 28 regular season matches stretching from March to September This included a 22 game double round robin schedule that pitted each team against all its conference opponents at home and on the road The remaining six fixtures were played against regional rivals which lead to some inter conference regular season matches The top six finishers in each conference went through to the October playoffs which continued as a series of single game knockout rounds After three rounds of intra conference play the two conference champions met in the championship match to be hosted by the team with the better regular season record 163 For 2016 season the season was extended to 30 games 164 Starting with the 2019 season teams will play regular season games only within their conference Each team will play a home and home schedule within its conference resulting in a 34 game schedule The top 10 teams from each conference will qualify for the playoffs which will continue to be held with separate brackets for each conference and conducted entirely as one off knockout matches The opening round which the league calls the play in round sees the bottom four teams in action with the 7 seed hosting the 10 seed and 8 hosting 9 The survivors join the top six sides from their respective conferences with the lowest remaining seed visiting the 1 seed and the other play in survivor visiting the 2 seed All matches through the conference finals will be hosted by the higher seed The USL Cup will be the season s only match that involves teams from different conferences it will be hosted by the conference champion with the better regular season record 165 Media coverage EditThe USL has been partnered with ESPN since the 2016 season The first iteration of the deal brought 20 matches to ESPN3 and the championship match to one of its linear networks while all remaining matches were broadcast directly by the league on its YouTube channel 166 Beginning with the launch of ESPN on April 12 2018 all USL matches moved to the over the top service with 18 games of the week and the championship continuing to air on one of ESPN s linear channels 167 The 2019 final will also air on ESPN Deportes The deal with ESPN expired after the 2019 season but was subsequently renewed for three additional seasons Although the ESPN match streams are not blacked out in market individual clubs are also allowed to syndicate the USL produced broadcast to local television stations 168 The English language commentary team for the USL Championship on ESPN has included Mike Watts and Devon Kerr since 2018 Watts and Kerr also host a weekly program USL All Access on Sirius XM FC Broadcasts on ESPN Deportes have been led by Jesus Eduardo Acosta and Jose Armando Rodriguez 169 In August 2020 the USL announced their first international broadcast partner with Caribbean broadcaster Flow Sports 170 In August 2021 the USL announced a new broadcast agreement with OneFootball in Italy 171 Region BroadcasterUnited States ESPNCaribbean Flow SportsItaly OneFootballChampions EditTeams that no longer participate in the USL Championship are in italics Team USLC Final Year s won Regular season title Year s won USLseasonsOrlando City 2 2011 2013 3 2011 2012 2014 4Louisville City FC 2 2017 2018 8Rochester Rhinos 1 2015 1 2015 7New York Red Bulls II 1 2016 1 2016 7Real Monarchs 1 2019 1 2017 7San Antonio FC 1 2022 1 2022 7Charleston Battery 1 2012 12Sacramento Republic FC 1 2014 9Orange County SC 1 2021 12Richmond Kickers 1 2013 8FC Cincinnati 1 2018 3Phoenix Rising FC 1 2019 9Reno 1868 FC 1 2020 4Tampa Bay Rowdies 1 2021 6USL Championship Final results Edit Season Champions Score Runners up Venue Attendance MVP2011 Orlando City 2 2 p Harrisburg City Islanders Citrus Bowl 11 220 Sean Kelley ORL 2012 Charleston Battery 1 0 Wilmington Hammerheads Blackbaud Stadium 4 963 Jose Cuevas CHB 2013 Orlando City 7 4 Charlotte Eagles Citrus Bowl 20 886 Dom Dwyer ORL 2014 Sacramento Republic 2 0 Harrisburg City Islanders Bonney Field 8 000 Rodrigo Lopez SAC 2015 Rochester Rhinos 2 1 a e t LA Galaxy II Sahlen s Stadium 5 247 Asani Samuels ROC 2016 New York Red Bulls II 5 1 Swope Park Rangers Red Bull Arena 5 547 Brandon Allen NYRB 2017 Louisville City FC 1 0 Swope Park Rangers Louisville Slugger Field 14 456 Paolo DelPiccolo LOU 2018 Louisville City FC 1 0 Phoenix Rising FC Lynn Stadium 7 025 Luke Spencer LOU 2019 Real Monarchs 3 1 Louisville City FC Lynn Stadium 7 025 Konrad Plewa SLC 2020 No champion due to COVID 19 pandemic2021 Orange County SC 3 1 Tampa Bay Rowdies Al Lang Stadium 7 521 Ronaldo Damus OCO 2022 San Antonio FC 3 1 Louisville City FC Toyota Field 8 534 Santiago Patino SAN USL club honors EditUpdated to the end of the 2022 USL playoffs sorted by major honors championships Team Seasons USL playoffs USL regular season Total honors Major honors championshipsWinner Runner up Winner Runner upOrlando City SC 4 2 3 1 6 5Louisville City FC 8 2 1 3 6 2Rochester Rhinos 7 1 1 1 3 2New York Red Bulls II 8 1 1 2 2Real Monarchs 7 1 1 2 2San Antonio FC 7 1 1 2 2Phoenix Rising FC 9 2 a 1 3 1Tampa Bay Rowdies 6 2 a 1 3 1Sacramento Republic 9 1 1 2 1Orange County SC 12 1 1 1Charleston Battery 12 1 1 1FC Cincinnati 3 1 1 1Reno 1868 FC 4 1 1 1Richmond Kickers 8 1 1 1Penn FC 8 2 2 0Wilmington Hammerheads 6 1 1 2 0Sporting Kansas City II 6 2 2 0LA Galaxy II 8 1 1 0Charlotte Eagles 4 1 1 0 a b Includes the canceled 2020 finals Player records Edit As of February 7 2022 172 Most USL goals Rank Player Goals1 Dane Kelly 1042 Corey Hertzog 733 Jorge Herrera 724 Cameron Lancaster 715 Chandler Hoffman 666 Hadji Barry 637 Neco Brett 628 Kyle Greig 619 Cameron Iwasa 5910 George Davis IV 5710 Junior Flemmings Most USL appearances Rank Player Apps1 George Davis IV 2422 Taylor Mueller 2412 Jorge Herrera 2314 Dane Kelly 2285 Josh Suggs 2236 Kyle Greig 2227 Luke Vercollone 2008 Christian Duke 1999 Kareem Dacres 19710 Pablo DePiccolo 196 Most USL assists Rank Player Asts1 Kenardo Forbes 452 Danny Barrera 443 Solomon Asante 414 Maikel Chang 385 Jorge Herrera 356 Antoine Hoppenot 33 Rodrigo Lopez 337 Christiano Francis 32 Bryan Ownby 328 Enzo Martinez 30 Most USL clean sheets Rank Player CS1 Evan Newton 572 Brandon Miller 433 Odisnel Cooper 404 Matt Pickens 37 Tomas Gomez 375 Cody Laurendi 366 Carl Woszczynski 347 Alex Tambakis 338 Miguel Gallardo 32 Andrew Dykstra 32Attendance EditSeason Teams League avg Playoff avg Highest teams Lowest teams Ref2011 12 2 274 5 555 5 330 Orlando City 4 927 Rochester 410 Los Angeles Blues 542 Dayton 173 2012 11 2 777 4 252 6 606 Orlando City 6 265 Rochester 666 Los Angeles Blues 722 Dayton 174 2013 13 2 611 6 989 8 056 Orlando City 5 898 Rochester 378 VSI Tampa Bay 718 Los Angeles Blues 175 2014 14 3 114 5 397 11 293 Sacramento 5 329 Rochester 533 Dayton 597 LA Galaxy II 176 2015 24 3 369 5 463 11 313 Sacramento 6 765 Louisville City 313 FC Montreal 479 Toronto FC ll 177 2016 29 3 439 5 281 17 296 FC Cincinnati 11 514 Sacramento 243 FC Montreal 589 New York Red Bulls II 178 2017 30 4 302 5 339 21 198 FC Cincinnati 11 569 Sacramento 632 New York Red Bulls II 869 Vancouver Whitecaps 2 2018 33 4 923 7 786 25 717 FC Cincinnati 11 311 Sacramento 810 Toronto FC II 812 New York Red Bulls II 179 2019 36 4 478 5 389 12 693 New Mexico United 10 734 Indy Eleven 478 Bethlehem Steel FC 505 Swope Park Rangers 2020 N A N A N A N A N A2021 31 4 138 6 645 12 115 Louisville City 10 418 New Mexico United 310 Loudoun United 369 New York Red Bulls II 180 181 2022 27 5 061 7 841 14 673 Louisville City FC 14 519 New Mexico United 122 New York Red Bulls II 182 New York Red Bulls II 182 FC Cincinnati played before a record crowd of 20 497 at Nippert Stadium on April 16 2016 in a rivalry match against neighboring Louisville City FC 183 This broke the USL Pro s previous record for attendance at a regular season match of 20 231 set by Sacramento Republic in its home debut on April 26 2014 at Hughes Stadium 184 Cincinnati broke the record again on May 14 2016 with a new all time high of 23 375 185 Cincinnati broke the single game attendance record again on October 2 2016 in their first ever playoff match against the Charleston Battery losing 2 1 in the quarterfinals of the 2016 USL playoffs The attendance of 30 187 also set the USL playoff record 186 Cincinnati broke the all time regular season record again on August 5 2017 at Nippert Stadium drawing 25 308 versus Orlando City B They broke their own record again about six weeks later drawing 30 417 to a 4 2 win over the New York Red Bulls II 187 Cincinnati broke the record once more in their final home regular season game as a USL team on September 29 2018 drawing 31 478 versus Indy Eleven 188 See also EditPortals Association football Sports Canada Soccer in the United States Soccer in Canada Professional sports leagues in the United StatesReferences Edit a b U S Soccer Board of Directors Grants Provisional Division II Status to NASL and USL U S Soccer January 6 2017 Retrieved January 7 2017 About uslsoccer com Retrieved November 16 2017 a b USL Restructures Professional Division uslsoccer com September 8 2010 Archived from the original on October 11 2010 Retrieved September 8 2010 DDL FC will play USL next season dutchlionsfc com August 11 2010 Retrieved September 10 2010 Kickers Join USL Pro richmondkickers com September 8 2010 Archived from the original on September 12 2010 Retrieved September 14 2010 Puerto Rico Islanders Join NASL carolinarailhawks com September 9 2010 Retrieved September 15 2010 a b Sevilla River Plate Join USL Pro uslsoccer com September 23 2010 Archived from the original on November 5 2010 Retrieved September 24 2010 a b Puerto Rico United Joins USL Pro uslsoccer com December 9 2010 Archived from the original on July 16 2011 Retrieved December 9 2010 Battery To Play in USL Pro uslsoccer com September 28 2010 Archived from the original on October 1 2010 Retrieved September 28 2010 Dutch Lions Join USL Pro uslsoccer com September 30 2010 Archived from the original on June 10 2011 Retrieved September 30 2010 Charlotte Joins USL Pro uslsoccer com October 4 2010 Retrieved October 8 2010 City Islanders Join USL Pro uslsoccer com October 7 2010 Archived from the original on October 9 2010 Retrieved October 8 2010 Riverhounds Join USL Pro uslsoccer com October 22 2010 Archived from the original on October 9 2012 Retrieved October 25 2010 Rochester Rhinos Back in USL uslsoccer com October 25 2010 Archived from the original on October 27 2010 Retrieved October 28 2010 Orlando City Joins USL Pro uslsoccer com October 25 2010 Archived from the original on October 27 2010 Retrieved October 28 2010 a b Hammerheads Return for 2011 uslsoccer com November 9 2010 Retrieved November 12 2010 FC New York set for USL Pro uslsoccer com November 17 2010 Retrieved November 18 2010 LA Blues Set to Play in USL Pro uslsoccer com December 7 2010 Archived from the original on December 10 2010 Retrieved December 7 2010 USL Pro League seeks to embrace regional model potomacsoccerwire com September 14 2010 Retrieved September 14 2010 a b USL Pro Concludes Successful AGM uslsoccer com November 23 2010 Archived from the original on November 27 2010 Retrieved November 24 2010 USL Pro Schedule Released uslsoccer com January 14 2011 Retrieved January 20 2011 Shaping the USL Pro Schedule uslsoccer com January 17 2011 Retrieved January 20 2011 USL Pro Postseason Format Unveiled uslsoccer com January 24 2011 retrieved January 27 2011 USL Pro Week 1 Observations scsoccerblog blogspot com SC Soccer Blog April 3 2011 Retrieved November 4 2022 a b USL Reforms Agreement with PRSL uslsoccer com May 10 2011 Archived from the original on May 14 2011 Retrieved May 11 2011 USL PRO 2012 Schedule Released uslsoccer com January 11 2012 Archived from the original on January 15 2012 Retrieved January 22 2012 Phoenix to Join USL PRO in 2013 United Soccer Leagues USL July 2 2012 Archived from the original on July 23 2012 Retrieved July 2 2012 Phoenix Announces Name and Logo United Soccer Leagues USL September 7 2012 Archived from the original on October 18 2012 Retrieved April 17 2013 VisionPro Academy Headed to Tampa United Soccer Leagues USL November 16 2011 Archived from the original on May 27 2012 Retrieved August 14 2012 Doyle Matthew January 23 2013 MLS USL Pro reach deal on restructured Reserve League MLSsoccer com MLS USL Pro reach deal on restructured Reserve League mlssoccer com January 23 2013 Retrieved January 27 2013 USL PRO amp MLS Announce Partnership uslpro uslsoccer com January 23 2013 Archived from the original on January 26 2013 Retrieved February 7 2013 Lovell Darrell USL PRO side Pittsburgh Riverhounds a great place to send our players to develop for Houston Dynamo mlsssoccer com Major League Soccer Retrieved November 26 2013 Meyer Craig Riverhounds hire new president head coach Pittsburgh Post Gazette Retrieved April 3 2015 USL PRO to see teams fold MLS to field squads new team partnership ODFCnews com Retrieved May 2 2014 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Sacramento lands minor league soccer franchise Sacramento Bee December 3 2012 Archived from the original on December 4 2012 Retrieved December 4 2012 Oklahoma City to Join USL PRO in 2014 USLSoccer com July 2 2013 Archived from the original on July 5 2013 Retrieved July 2 2013 MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER AWARDS EXPANSION TEAM TO ORLANDO orlandocitysoccer com Orlando City Soccer Club Retrieved November 20 2013 Schmitz Brian November 19 2013 MLS officially awards Orlando soccer franchise Orlando Sentinel Retrieved November 20 2013 Wiebe Andrew November 19 2013 Orlando City SC fans owners see years of hard work bear fruit but promise there s plenty more to come mlssoccer com Major League Soccer Retrieved November 20 2013 Orange County Blues Set For New Era United Soccer Leagues USL February 5 2014 Retrieved February 6 2014 Ownership Change Rebrand in Phoenix United Soccer Leagues USL March 13 2014 Archived from the original on March 13 2014 Retrieved March 13 2014 LA Galaxy announce USL PRO team LA Galaxy II LA Galaxy Linter Jonathan June 3 2014 Louisville pro soccer club to be unveiled Wednesday The Courier Journal Retrieved June 3 2014 USL PRO Welcomes Independence USL Pro Men s Soccer Dayton Dutch Lions FC To Compete in PDL in 2015 Dayton Dutch Lions December 11 2014 Retrieved December 11 2014 Real Salt Lake announce that new USL PRO team will be called Real Monarchs Major League Soccer MLS September 10 2014 Retrieved September 10 2014 Real Salt Lake Announces USL PRO Team United Soccer Leagues November 3 2014 Archived from the original on March 25 2015 Retrieved November 5 2014 Lee Jasen March 3 2015 Real Monarchs reveal new stadium proposal in West Valley ksl com KSL Broadcasting Portland amp Seattle Launch USL PRO Teams United Soccer Leagues USL October 14 2014 Archived from the original on October 21 2014 Retrieved October 14 2014 Montreal Impact to field USL PRO team to ease transition to MLS for young players MLSSoccer com September 4 2014 Retrieved November 4 2014 A new USL Pro team Montreal Impact September 4 2014 Retrieved November 5 2014 Montreal Impact to Field USL PRO Team United Soccer Leagues USL November 18 2014 Archived from the original on November 22 2014 Retrieved November 18 2014 Toronto FC announces USL PRO team Toronto FC November 20 2014 Retrieved November 20 2014 Whitecaps FC launch USL PRO team provide update on National Soccer Development Centre at UBC Vancouver Whitecaps November 21 2014 Retrieved November 21 2014 New York Red Bulls ready to launch USL PRO side in 2015 We see it as a big big advantage MLSsoccer com Mike Petke regrets but understands New York Red Bulls decision not to field USL PRO team in 2015 September 16 2014 MLSSoccer com Red Bulls will field USL Pro team in 2015 may play in New York City January 8 2015 Empire of Soccer Retrieved January 19 2015 Toronto FC Toronto FC NY Red Bulls unveil USL Pro franchises Sports Illustrated Retrieved March 21 2015 Colorado Rapids Pablo Mastroeni ecstatic about USL PRO partnership with Charlotte Independence mlssoccer com Retrieved September 18 2014 NYCFC Announce Affiliation with Wilmington Hammerheads January 16 2015 NYCFC com Chicago Fire announce affiliation with USL PRO side in St Louis January 16 2015 MLSSoccer com Arizona United Soccer Club Affiliates With Major League Soccer s FC Dallas Arizona United SC February 9 2015 Archived from the original on February 9 2015 Retrieved February 9 2015 FC Dallas announces USL PRO affiliation with Arizona United SC FC Dallas February 9 2015 Retrieved February 9 2015 Expanded USL PRO announces new league alignment competition format for 2015 season January 21 2015 MLSSoccer com USL Rising USLSoccer com Archived from the original on February 19 2015 Retrieved March 21 2015 USL Awards Expansion Club to Rio Grande Valley Press Release United Soccer League July 15 2015 archived from the original on July 16 2015 retrieved July 15 2015 Houston Dynamo reach affiliate agreement to start USL club It s an important and necessary step MLSoccer com July 15 2015 RGVFC awarded the USL s newest franchise Houston Dyanamo July 15 2015 FC Cincinnati Introduction Media Event August 12 2015 Archived from the original on October 30 2021 via YouTube Hollingsworth Chad USL to Expand to Cincinnati in 2016 Scratching the Pitch Retrieved May 12 2015 Philadelphia Union planning to create own USL team for 2016 It s been a missing rung in the ladder MLS July 14 2015 Philadelphia Union Announce 2016 USL Expansion Team philadelphiaunion com August 18 2015 USL Welcomes Back Orlando City SC for 2016 United Soccer League October 15 2015 Archived from the original on October 16 2015 Retrieved October 15 2015 USL expands to Kansas City in 2016 with debut of Swope Park Rangers Retrieved October 22 2015 Spurs Sports amp Entertainment Closes in on USL Club uslsoccer com Archived from the original on December 23 2015 Retrieved December 22 2015 Austin Aztex Will Not Participate in 2016 Season United Soccer League USL October 2 2015 Archived from the original on October 4 2015 Retrieved October 2 2015 USL promoted but Austin pro soccer grounded for another year Austin American Statesman January 7 2017 Retrieved May 27 2017 USL Announces 2017 Expansion Club in Reno uslsoccer com Archived from the original on September 20 2015 Retrieved September 16 2015 USL Expands with Additions of Tampa Bay Rowdies Ottawa Fury FC United Soccer League USL October 25 2016 Retrieved October 25 2016 The Montreal Impact associates with Ottawa Fury FC in the USL Montreal Impact December 9 2016 Retrieved December 9 2016 Leading Phoenix Based Businessmen Acquire Arizona United Soccer Club Arizona United SC August 31 2016 Archived from the original on September 3 2016 Retrieved August 31 2016 Arizona United SC reveals new name and logo plus stadium plans for 2017 season Alejandro Barahona Arizona Republic November 28 2016 Retrieved November 28 2016 Arizona United SC Unveils New Name and Exciting Improvements in Anticipation of 2017 Season Phoenix Rising FC November 28 2016 Retrieved November 28 2016 Didier Drogba eyeing MLS expansion joins Phoenix Rising FC Arizona Republic April 12 2017 Retrieved April 12 2017 Chelsea and Ivory Coast Legend Didier Drogba Joins Phoenix Rising Football Club Phoenix Rising FC April 12 2017 Retrieved April 12 2017 Drogba signs with USL s Phoenix Rising FC United Soccer League USL April 12 2017 Retrieved April 12 2017 Didier Drogba Ex Chelsea striker joins Phoenix Rising as player and co owner BBC Sport April 12 2017 Retrieved April 12 2017 Tricia Whitaker January 10 2018 Indy Eleven announces it will join USL for 2018 season WXIN Morris Neil November 16 2017 North Carolina FC announces exit from NASL club to join USL WRAL Sports Fan Retrieved November 16 2017 US Soccer grants USL 2nd division status Chicago Tribune January 17 2018 Carlisle Jeff February 23 2018 Court denies NASL s appeal for injunction ESPN Retrieved February 23 2018 USL Expanding to Nashville Music City USA USL Soccer May 19 2016 Organ Mike September 12 2017 Nashville SC Everything you need to know The Tennessean Nashville Retrieved September 13 2017 Stadium Approval Paves Way for USL to Las Vegas Retrieved July 20 2017 Las Vegas gets pro soccer fans to pick team name Jesse Granger Las Vegas Sun August 11 2017 Retrieved August 14 2017 NAME THE CLUB VOTE FINAL RESULTS Las Vegas Lights FC August 29 2017 Retrieved August 29 2017 Fresno Football Club to Join USL in 2018 Retrieved July 26 2017 Atlanta United add local second tier USL team to begin play in 2018 ESPN FC Associated Press November 14 2017 Retrieved November 15 2017 Atlanta United officially announces USL Affiliate Atlanta United 2 Atlanta United Football Club January 9 2018 Retrieved January 9 2018 Owners need 1 3 million by Nov 30 or the Rhinos are extinct for 2018 season Jeff DiVeronica Rochester Democrat and Chronicle November 15 2017 Retrieved December 24 2017 Rhinos to take one year hiatus host several USL matches Jeff DiVeronica Rochester Democrat and Chronicle November 30 2017 Retrieved December 24 2017 FC Cincinnati to join MLS as expansion team next season ESPN May 29 2018 Retrieved May 29 2018 Penn FC to Join USL League One in 2020 Press release United Soccer Leagues October 8 2018 Retrieved October 15 2018 Kickers Named a USL Division III Founding Member Press release United Soccer Leagues September 11 2018 Retrieved September 12 2018 Toronto FC II Joins USL Division III as Founding Member Press release United Soccer Leagues July 2 2018 Retrieved July 6 2018 Rochester Approved for USL Division III Press release Rochester Rhinos August 22 2018 Retrieved August 22 2018 Jamie Vardy re brands US football club Rochester New York FC ahead of professional return skysports com Sky UK September 1 2021 Retrieved September 30 2021 Orlando City B Becomes USL Division III Founding Member Press release United Soccer Leagues September 6 2018 Retrieved September 16 2018 USL Announces Return to Austin in 2019 USL August 9 2017 Retrieved June 6 2018 USL Officially Awards Franchise to Birmingham Retrieved August 8 2017 Edwards Confirms Memphis Set for USL in 2019 United Soccer League USL November 11 2017 Retrieved November 11 2017 Memphis Joins the USL for 2019 Season United Soccer League January 8 2018 Retrieved January 9 2018 Sterling Bay Executives to Bring USL to Chicago USL November 21 2017 United Soccer League expansion team coming to North Side site proposed for Amazon s HQ2 Chicago Tribune November 21 2017 Hartford Launches Name the Team Contest USL May 4 2018 Retrieved May 4 2018 United Soccer League Announces New Mexico Club USL Retrieved June 6 2018 Professional international United Soccer League coming to El Paso February 28 2018 Loudoun United FC Joins the USL for 2019 United Soccer League USL July 18 2018 Retrieved July 18 2018 Straus Brian June 19 2019 Landon Donovan Warren Smith bring USL to San Diego Sports Illustrated Retrieved June 19 2019 Caron Emily January 8 2019 Proposed Plans for USL Soccer Stadium in Downtown Chicago Fall Through Retrieved November 12 2019 Rosano Nick December 20 2017 Nashville awarded MLS expansion club Retrieved November 12 2019 Hicks Stephen Oliveira Jason October 29 2019 Fresno FC announces it s done in Fresno ceasing operations Fresno California KFSN TV Retrieved November 12 2019 a b Major Darren November 8 2019 Fury owners blame politics for decision to suspend operations CBC News Retrieved November 8 2019 Queensboro FC To Join USL Championship In 2021 November 12 2019 Retrieved November 12 2019 Straus Brian August 25 2020 USL s Saint Louis FC to Fold With St Louis MLS Expansion Club on the Way Sports Illustrated Retrieved August 31 2020 Three MLS Teams Withdraw from USL Competition Press release United Soccer League October 16 2020 Retrieved November 4 2020 Oakland Roots and their former MLS players bound for USL Championship in 2021 MLSsoccer com September 15 2020 Retrieved September 16 2020 Straus Brian Oakland Roots to Make Leap From NISA to USL Championship Sports Illustrated Retrieved September 29 2020 Bass Kevin November 6 2020 Reno 1868 FC to Cease Operations Reno 1868 FC Retrieved November 6 2020 Communications North Carolina FC January 10 2021 North Carolina FC Makes Strategic Move to USL League One North Carolina FC Retrieved January 10 2021 Detroit City to join USL Championship for 2022 season USL Championship Andrejev Alex December 2 2021 As Charlotte prepares for MLS Independence moves to lower USL division The Charlotte Observer Charlotte Independence to Compete in USL League One Starting in 2022 USL League One December 2 2022 Energy FC To Suspend Play In 2022 Resume In 2023 OKC Energy FC December 3 2021 Retrieved December 3 2021 Bonagura Kyle June 21 2021 Major League Soccer to launch development league in 2022 ESPN Retrieved June 21 2021 Texas Based Ownership Group Purchases Austin Bold FC USLChampionship com Retrieved December 12 2021 USLChampionship com Staff January 27 2022 United Soccer League Welcomes Pro Iowa to USL Championship USL Championship Retrieved October 21 2022 USLChampionship com Staff July 14 2022 Local group aims to bring USL club to New Orleans USL Championship Retrieved October 21 2022 USLChampionship com Staff August 12 2022 Stadium groundbreaking moves Rhode Island toward 2024 debut in USL Championship USL Championship Retrieved October 21 2022 USLChampionship com Staff August 30 2022 United Soccer League announces expansion plans for Jacksonville USL Championship Retrieved October 21 2022 USLChampionship com Staff October 19 2022 USL Championship Awards Franchise to Milwaukee USL Championship Retrieved October 21 2022 USL Championship announces 2023 alignment season format uslchampionship com December 20 2022 Phoenix Rising FC stadium to be moved to east side of Phoenix Soccer Stadium Digest November 16 2022 Rahman Fatima August 20 2021 Queensboro FC the team aiming to represent an area with 130 languages theguardian com Retrieved August 31 2021 https www uslchampionship com news article show 1252301 Stadium groundbreaking moves Rhode Island toward 2024 debut in USL Championship USL August 12 2022 Retrieved October 25 2022 United Soccer League Welcomes Pro Iowa to USL Championship USLChampionship com Staff January 27 2022 Retrieved January 27 2022 Jett Tyler January 27 2022 USL Championship awards long sought pro soccer franchise to Des Moines Krause Group Des Moines Register Retrieved January 27 2022 Pro Iowa Stadium Global Plaza completion and first kick confirmed for 2025 Pro Iowa June 6 2022 Retrieved September 17 2022 Milwaukee s Iron District stadium to be home to USL Championship soccer club TMJ4 October 19 2022 Retrieved October 19 2022 Club Statement From Energy FC OKC Energy FC November 18 2022 Retrieved November 18 2022 REPORT Austin Bold FC to relocate to Fort Worth citing Austin FC s success October 26 2021 Retrieved October 26 2021 Partian Claire October 26 2021 REPORT Austin Bold FC to relocate to Fort Worth citing Austin FC s success austonia com Retrieved January 21 2022 Charlotte Independence to Compete in USL League One Starting in 2022 USLLeagueOne com Staff December 2 2021 Retrieved December 2 2021 North Carolina FC to Join USL League One USLLeagueOne com Staff January 11 2021 Retrieved January 11 2021 Staff USL DIII September 6 2018 Orlando City B Becomes USL Division III Founding Member Retrieved October 1 2018 The Miami FC Joins the USL Championship miamifc com December 11 2019 Jamie Vardy Leicester City striker becomes co owner of American football club Rochester Rhinos Sky Sports June 15 2021 Retrieved August 26 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link USL reforms Agreement with PRSL United Soccer Leagues May 10 2011 Archived from the original on May 14 2011 Retrieved May 10 2011 Hollingsworth Chad December 15 2014 USL PRO announces conference alignment structure for 2015 RecklessChallenge com Retrieved January 24 2015 USL Pro 2015 Standings USLSoccer com Retrieved January 24 2015 Expanded USL PRO Unveils 2015 Format USLSoccer com January 21 2015 Archived from the original on January 22 2015 Retrieved January 24 2015 2016 USL Schedule To Grow Daily Five United Soccer Leagues August 22 2016 archived from the original on March 22 2016 retrieved May 23 2018 2019 USL Championship Schedule Unveiled Press release United Soccer League December 19 2018 Retrieved December 21 2018 USL Announces Partnership with ESPN USL April 22 2016 Retrieved April 24 2016 USLSoccer com Staff April 6 2018 USL ESPN Expand Broadcast Agreement Through 2019 Retrieved April 17 2018 Rimpson Robert USL announces a new broadcast deal with ESPN The Courier Journal USL Announces Broadcast Teams for USL Championship Final on ESPN USL Championship USLChampionship com November 19 2021 Retrieved February 10 2022 USLSoccer com Staff August 18 2020 United Soccer League Nets Agreement with First International Based Broadcast Partner Flow Sports Secured by SPORTFIVE USL Championship USLSoccer com Staff August 7 2021 USL Announces New Broadcast Agreement with OneFootball USL Championship Record Book uslchampionship com Retrieved July 23 2021 current 2011 attendance USL Discussions usldiscussions com Retrieved May 2 2014 2012 USL Pro Attendance Doherty Soccer Taking Attendance 9 13 2013 Final USL Pro Numbers kenn com 2014 USL Pro Season Attendance Log Doherty Soccer Archived from the original on July 22 2014 Retrieved August 6 2014 USL 2015 Stat Leaders United Soccer League uslsoccer com USL Total Attendance Soars by 33 Percent in 2016 uslsoccer com September 28 2016 Retrieved October 14 2016 2018 USL Attendance Pendleton Mike phat7deuce November 1 2021 USL Attendance 2021 FINAL Switched back to the leaderboard template for this final week Tweet Retrieved February 21 2022 via Twitter Scores uslchampionship com Retrieved February 21 2022 2022 USL Championship Attendance Soccer Stadium Digest October 16 2022 Retrieved October 25 2022 Staff James Leggate WCPO April 17 2016 FC Cincinnati crowd sets league attendance record WCPO Retrieved April 17 2016 Republic FC loses home opener before sellout crowd at Hughes Stadium Archived April 27 2014 at the Wayback Machine Sacramento Bee April 27 2014 Brennan Patrick Another record crowd turns out to watch FC Cincy win Cincinnati com Retrieved May 14 2016 Kimura Fumi October 2 2016 Post Season Ends in Loss To Battery FCC Sets USL Playoff Record Retrieved October 7 2016 staff FCC September 16 2017 FCC Tames Red Bulls II Retrieved May 27 2018 Murray Nicholas September 29 2018 Gameday Report September 29 Week 29 Retrieved October 1 2018 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to USL Championship Official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title USL Championship amp oldid 1135606345, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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