Background

Founding and first seasons (2010–2012)

The USL Championship traces its origins to September 2010, when the USL announced the merger of its First and Second Division into the USL Pro, a new league with D3 status granted by U.S. Soccer.^[1][2] The first announced teams were the five remaining Second Division clubs – the Charleston Battery, Charlotte Eagles, Harrisburg City Islanders, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, and Richmond Kickers;^{[3][4][5][6][7]} alongside were the Austin Aztex, the lone surviving First Division club, who joined as Orlando City SC after relocating to Orlando, Florida,^[8][9] and a reactivated Wilmington Hammerheads, who last played in the Second Division.^[10]

USL President Tim Holt initially hoped to launch USL Pro with 14-20 across four conferences.^[11][12] To that end, the league added the Dayton Dutch Lions, then a Premier Development League (PDL) team, and the Rochester Rhinos, who abandoned plans to defect from the USL to the NASL.^[13] The league also recruited the Puerto Rico Soccer League's (PRSL) Puerto Rico United, River Plate Puerto Rico, and Sevilla FC Puerto Rico; and the Antigua Barracuda and Los Angeles Blues to form an "International" division for the inaugural 2011 season, while the nine existing USL clubs and expansion team, F.C. New York^[14] were divided into the "American" and "National" divisions.^[15][16]

The first match, a Richmond Kickers home game, took place at City Stadium (pictured) in April 2011.

The league's first match took place on April 2, 2011, at City Stadium in Richmond, Virginia, where the Kickers defeated Orlando City and Stanley Nyazamba scored the league's first goal.^[17][18] Financial issues plagued the three PRSL clubs, leading to their expulsion five weeks into the season^[19][20] and the abolishment of the International division. F.C New York, also beset by financial issues, departed for the National Premier Soccer League at the end of the season.^[21][22] As a result, the American and National divisions were replaced by a single eleven-team table for the 2012 season,^[23] during which the Battery won the title.^[24][25]

MLS partnership and expansion (2013–2016)

Beginning in the 2013 season, affiliations with Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs began as part of a partnership that aimed to improve "player development, competition and the overall business" of American soccer, according to MLS executive Todd Durbin.^{[26][27][28][29]} The LA Galaxy pioneered the model in 2014 by founding a standalone reserve team^[30][31] rather than affiliating with a USL club, and seven more MLS clubs followed suit in 2015 amid the demise of the MLS Reserve League.^[32][33] Sacramento Republic FC illustrated the league's growing commercial potential, winning the league and nearly doubling the average attendance record in their 2014 debut.

As the Championship grew to 24 teams, the USL dropped "Pro" from its name,^[34] and introduced the "Eastern" and "Western" conferences to the league. It also applied for Division 2 status in 2015.^[35] Three more MLS reserve teams entered in the 2016 season^[36][37][38] alongside San Antonio FC,^[39][40] MLS expansion bidders FC Cincinnati,^[41] and Rio Grande Valley FC Toros – a "hybrid" club with independent ownership, but managed by the MLS's Houston Dynamo FC.^[42] Cincinnati broke the all-time USL record for single-match attendance three times in its inaugural season, with the highest being 24,376,^[43][44] while New York Red Bulls II became the first MLS reserve team to win a USL title.^[45]

D2 status, NASL demise, and restructure (2017–2019)

The USL's rise to Division 2 status was accelerated by the collapse of the rival North American Soccer League. Seeking to stem financial losses incurred while playing in the NASL, the Ottawa Fury and Tampa Bay Rowdies defected to the USL ahead of the 2017 season,^[46][47] dropping the NASL membership below the twelve required for D2 status. U.S. Soccer responded by awarding provisional D2 status to both the NASL and USL,^[48] but for the 2018 season, the USL gained full D2 status, while the NASL was stripped of theirs.^[49] A preliminary injunction against the decision was denied, leading to the NASL's collapse and its clubs scattering, ^[50][51][52] two of whom – Indy Eleven and North Carolina FC^[53][54] – joined the USL.

Arizona United SC rebranded as Phoenix Rising FC, following its sale to an ownership group that included Premier League Hall of Famer Didier Drogba, who also signed for the club.^[55][56][57] Louisville City won back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018, the latter by defeating the Rising in Drogba's final professional game.^[58][59][60] Cincinnati's final season set all-time USL records for single-match attendance (31,478), average attendance (25,717), and total attendance (437,197).^[61][62][63]

In 2019, the USL was split into the USL Championship (top) and USL League One (bottom).

The USL returned to a two-division structure in the 2019 season. It rebranded its second division league as the USL Championship and introduced a new third division league, called USL League One,^[64] beneath it. Several clubs moved down to the third-division league in 2019, including the Richmond Kickers and the Rochester Rhinos,^[65] while a new wave of expansion clubs joined the Championship, among them New Mexico United who set the attendance record that season. Nashville SC, having used the USL as a launchpad for a successful MLS bid, became the 7th Championship club to depart for the MLS in 2020.^[66]

COVID-19 and the MLS exit (2020–2022)

The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant disruption to the league. Reno 1868 FC ceased operations in November 2020 citing the financial and operational impacts of COVID-19,^[67][68] while Saint Louis FC folded at the end of the same season, with ownership citing both COVID-19 and the impending arrival of MLS expansion side St. Louis City SC as a factor. Despite the disruption of COVID-19, the league continued to grow, including the additions of Miami FC, Oakland Roots SC, and Detroit City FC, three former NISA clubs across three successive seasons.

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 in 2020.^[69] The MLS-USL partnership that started in 2014 came to a formal end the following year, when on December 6, 2021, Major League Soccer announced MLS Next Pro, a Division III league that would begin play in 2022. All MLS clubs with reserve teams in USL Championship or USL League One would be moving their affiliated teams to MLS Next Pro by 2023, except for Loudoun United FC (although under different ownership).^[70]

Potential CBA strike and recent history (2023–present)

The league continued to feel the effects of MLS expansion in the years following the partnership's end. San Diego Loyal SC shut down at the end of the 2023 season, citing an inability to find a "viable near- and long-term stadium solution" in a market the MLS had targeted for expansion, with San Diego FC beginning play in 2025.^[71] The closure was emblematic of a broader pattern in which MLS expansion had periodically reshaped the Championship's membership throughout its history.

Looking ahead, the most significant development of the recent era has been the USL's announcement in February 2025 of its intent to establish a new Division I league, USL Premier. The new league would supersede the Championship as the top of the USL's men's league structure,^[72] with play targeted to begin in 2028.^[73][74] The Championship would sit at the center of the USL's three tier professional pyramid, with a system of promotion and relegation connecting it to both USL Premier above and USL League One below.^[75][76][77] Several Championship clubs have already begun positioning themselves for the new structure, with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in August 2025,^[78][79] followed by Louisville City FC in September,^[80] the first to formally apply for USL Premier membership.

Brooklyn FC and Sporting Jax both added men's sides for the 2026 season, while North Carolina FC owner Steve Malik put the team on a temporary hiatus while trying to find a new stadium that would meet D1 requirements to restart the club in that league. The beginning of the 2026 was plagued with the looming threat of a potential delay or mid-season stoppage of the season, as tensions heated up between the player's association and the USL owners over the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement. Despite negotiations between the players association and the USL front office beginning in early August of 2024,^[81] efforts to sign a new CBA before the previous agreement expired at the end of 2025 failed, and the reality of a lockout and a potential cancellation of the 2026 USL Championship season became a possibility.^[82] Efforts by both sides to jostle for higher influence over the other commenced during the leadup and after the expiration of the previous CBA, with players of both FC Tulsa and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds wearing protest shirts during the 2025 USL Championship final.^[83]

As a new season approached with little progress made during negotiations, the players association authorized a potential players' strike in early February 2026.^[84] With the threat of a players' strike looming, the USL front office stirred controversy and faced accusations of union busting when just days before the start of the 2026 season, the USL front office sent emails to all players that provided information on how to quit the USL Players Association and cross picket lines.^[85] Although a strike was never called, protests were held during each league match by the players, where players would each refuse to play at the start of the game, and later, start of the second half.^[86] An agreement was finally reached in early May 2026, and the protests by the players ended.^[87]

Expansion teams

Overview of USL Championship planned teams

Team	City	Stadium	Capacity	Founded	Joining	Head coach
Atlético Dallas[148][149]	Dallas, Texas	Cotton Bowl[i][150]	90,000	2024	2027[151]	Peter Luccin[152]
Santa Barbara Sky FC[153]	Santa Barbara, California	Harder Stadium[i][154]	17,000	2022	2027[155][156]
Reno Pro Soccer[157]	Reno, Nevada	Reno Soccer Stadium [158]	6,000	2025	2028[159]
Ozark United FC[160][161]	Rogers, Arkansas	Ozark United Stadium[iii][162]	5,000	2023	2028[163]
USL Pro Iowa[164][165]	Des Moines, Iowa	Pro Iowa Stadium[iii][166]	6,300	2022	TBD[167]
Buffalo Pro Soccer[168]	Buffalo, New York	TBD[169]	TBD	2024	TBD

Notes

Former teams

Timeline

From beginning of USL Pro to reserve team exit

‡ 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.^[202]

After reserve team exit

USL Championship Final results

Player records

As of January 27, 2024^[213]

Most USL goals Rank Player Goals 1 Dane Kelly 104 2 Neco Brett 86 3 Corey Hertzog 73 4 Jorge Herrera 72 5 Cameron Lancaster 71 6 Chandler Hoffman 66 7 Hadji Barry 63 8 Kyle Greig 61 9 Cameron Iwasa 59 10 George Davis IV 57 10 Junior Flemmings

Most USL appearances Rank Player Apps 1 George Davis IV 242 2 Taylor Mueller 241 2 Jorge Herrera 231 4 Dane Kelly 228 5 Josh Suggs 223 6 Kyle Greig 222 7 Neco Brett 203 8 Luke Vercollone 200 9 Christian Duke 199 10 Kadeem Dacres 197

Most USL assists Rank Player Asts 1 Kenardo Forbes 45 2 Danny Barrera 44 3 Solomon Asante 41 4 Maikel Chang 38 5 Jorge Herrera 35 6 Antoine Hoppenot 33 Rodrigo Lopez 33 7 Christiano Francis 32 Bryan Ownby 32 8 Enzo Martinez 30

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