USL League One

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Not to be confused with USL Division One or USL First Division (2005–2010).

USL League One
Organizing bodyUnited Soccer League
FoundedApril 2, 2017; 8 years ago (2017-04-02)
First season2019
CountryUnited States
ConfederationCONCACAF
(North American Football Union)
Number of clubs14
Level on pyramid3
Domestic cupU.S. Open Cup
League cupUSL Cup
Current champion(s)Union Omaha (2024)
Current Players' ShieldUnion Omaha (2024)
Most championshipsUnion Omaha (2 titles)
Most Players' ShieldsUnion Omaha (3 titles)
Top scorerEmiliano Terzaghi (58)
Broadcaster(s)
Websitewww.uslleagueone.com Edit this at Wikidata
Current: 2025 season

USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division 3 league is operated by the United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division 2 USL Championship and other leagues. As of 2025, the league has 14 teams who play 30 regular season games, followed by playoffs. All teams also participate in the USL Cup, adding four games, followed by knockout rounds.

History

[edit]

Early years (2017–2020)

[edit]
Main article: 2019 USL League One season

The USL Championship was granted second-division sanctioning by the United States Soccer Federation in January 2017, leaving the third tier of American soccer unoccupied. From 1996 to 2009, the United Soccer League operated leagues at the lower divisions under various names, including the USL Second Division in the third tier.[1] On April 2, 2017, the USL announced that it would launch a new third-division league in 2019, with a minimum of eight clubs and relaxed requirements compared to the second-division USL.[2][3] The new league had the temporary name USL Division III (USL D3).[2] The league announced that they would target cities with a population of 150,000 to one million, mostly in cities currently without a professional team.[4]

The Greenville Triumph SC (pictured) was one of the ten founding members of the USL League One.

In the following months, the league began searching for cities and markets in which to locate new member teams. A tour of prospective cities in the southeastern United States was conducted by the league's vice president from April to May 2017,[5] followed by a visit to North Carolina and a similar tour of the Midwest in late May.[6][7] After the closing of the southeastern tour, the league announced a possible plan for Tormenta FC, a Premier Development League team from Georgia, to join the league.[8]

The unveiling of the first founding member, South Georgia Tormenta FC, took place on January 25, 2018.[9] This was followed by FC Tucson on February 6,[10][11] Greenville Triumph SC on March 13,[12][13] and Madison, Wisconsin on May 17.[14] Toronto FC II of the USL was announced on July 2,[15] and Chattanooga, Tennessee was announced on August 1.[16] Three USL Championship teams, Penn FC, the Rochester Rhinos and the Richmond Kickers, also announced plans to move to League One by 2020 due to financial difficulties.[17][18][19] On October 2, 2018, the tenth and final founding member was revealed to be the reserve team of FC Dallas. Four days later, the club unveiled its branding as North Texas SC.

The league filed for Division III status with the USSF on August 14, 2018. Ten founding teams were listed in the application.[20][21] On December 14, 2018, USSF voted to provisionally sanction League One as a Division 3 league for 2019.[22][non-primary source needed][better source needed] The league currently shares Division III status with MLS Next Pro and the National Independent Soccer Association.[23]

The first League One game was played on March 29, 2019, when Tormenta FC defeated Greenville Triumph SC 1–0 before a crowd of 3,519 at Eagle Field in Erk Russell Park. Alex Morrell scored the first goal in the 72nd minute.[24][25] At the end of the season, Lansing Ignite FC folded.[26]

Departure of MLS reserve teams and first wave of expansion (2020–2022)

[edit]
Main articles: 2020 USL League One season, 2021 USL League One season, and 2022 USL League One season

For the 2020 season, Union Omaha joined the league.[27] Additionally, the New England Revolution and Inter Miami CF placed reserve teams in the league, bringing the total number of teams to 12.[28]

On June 21, 2021, Major League Soccer announced the creation of a new professional soccer league, MLS Next Pro, which began play in 2022 and would host all of MLS's reserve teams along with some independent teams.[29] Fort Lauderdale CF, New England Revolution II, North Texas SC and Toronto FC II all joined MLS Next Pro after the 2021 League One season.[30] Former League One side Orlando City B joined MLS Next Pro for the inaugural 2022 season following a hiatus that began after the club completed the 2020 League One season.[30] Rochester New York FC, formerly known as Rochester Rhinos, announced on December 5, 2021, that the club would be joining MLS Next Pro as its first independent club.[31] Rochester had announced in 2018 their intentions to join League One for the 2020 season, though stadium delays and other financial issues kept the club on hiatus for four years.[32][33] On October 5, 2021, the USL announced it had awarded Lexington Pro Soccer an expansion team for the 2023 season. It would be League One's first club based in Kentucky.[34] The club's identity was revealed as Lexington Sporting Club on March 22, 2022.[35]

The Spokane Velocity (pictured) was one of the many expansion clubs that joined USL League One during its post-MLS reserve team departure expansion period.

Central Valley Fuego FC, Charlotte Independence and Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC began play in 2022.[36][37][38] On June 3, 2022, USL announced that they had granted a group based out of Wilmington, North Carolina the exclusive rights to pursue a League One expansion team for the area to join in 2024. Wilmington had been the home of long-time USL club Wilmington Hammerheads FC, which played in various USL leagues from 1996 until 2017.[39] On July 12, 2022, USL announced that a newly formed club, Santa Barbara Sky FC, would be joining League One for the 2024 season,[40] though their debut would later be delayed until 2025,[41] then cancelled entirely, instead joining USL Championship beginning in 2026.[42] Following the conclusion of the 2022 regular season, FC Tucson announced a self-relegation back to USL League Two.[43] Shortly after FC Tucson announced their self-relegation, One Knoxville SC announced they would turn professional and join League One for 2023, following a successful debut season that saw them reach the USL League Two conference finals.[44] On October 7, 2022, the league announced an expansion team in Spokane, Washington, named Spokane Velocity.[45] On December 8, 2022, it was announced that USL League Two club Lane United FC acquired exclusive rights to pursue a League One franchise in Lane County, Oregon.[46] This club will begin play in 2026 as Sporting Cascades FC.[47]

Second wave of expansion (2023–present)

[edit]
Main articles: 2023 USL League One season, 2024 USL League One season, and 2025 USL League One season

Throughout autumn 2023, the league announced three more expansion teams: one in Portland, Maine,[48] named Portland Hearts of Pine,[49] one in Sherman, Texas, named Texoma FC,[50] and one in Lancaster, California,[51] named AV Alta FC.[52] The league announced two more expansion teams in early 2024, first in Naples, Florida, later unveiled as FC Naples,[53] and Mount Vernon, New York, the latter named Westchester SC.[54]

In August 2024, the USL announced that Lexington SC would be moving from League One to the Championship for the 2025 season.[55]

In October 2024, the league granted expansion teams to Corpus Christi, Texas, and Boise, Idaho, the latter being named Athletic Club Boise.[56][57][58] Both are expected to join for the 2026 season, with the Corpus Christi team retaining the Corpus Christi FC identity it had used in League Two.

On November 14, 2024, the USL announced that it had terminated Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC's franchise agreement and that Central Valley Fuego and the league "had come to a mutual decision to part ways."[59] Both of these teams would eventually move to The League for Clubs.[60][61]

In mid-February 2025, the league granted an expansion team to Paterson, New Jersey to begin play for the 2026 season at historic Hinchliffe Stadium.[62] The team's name was revealed as the New York Cosmos in July 2025, adopting the identity of the legendary New York team that competed in the original North American Soccer League (NASL) and fielded the likes of Pelé and Giorgio Chinaglia.[63] The Cosmos name had previously been revived in 2010 for the relaunch of the NASL, but that club played only four professional matches after the second NASL failed in 2017, and had played none since 2020 after briefly joining the National Independent Soccer Association.[63]

Also in February 2025, two League Two teams, Sarasota Paradise and Fort Wayne FC, declared their intention to go fully professional and join League One in 2026.[64][65]

In April 2025, Fort Lauderdale United FC, a women's team competing in the USL Super League, announced that it would form a men's team to compete in USL League One for 2026.[66]

On October 13, 2025, Port St. Lucie SC was announced as the newest USL League One franchise, based in Port St. Lucie, Florida and set to begin play in 2027.[67]

Following their inaugural season in League One, the ownership group for Texoma FC announced that the Texoma franchise would be moving to USL League Two for at least the 2026 season with the intent of moving back to League One in the future.[68] Texoma's ownership group subsequently started a new USL League One team, Rodeo SC, in Celina, Texas, with an intention to compete in the 2027 season.[69]

Teams

[edit]
See also: List of United Soccer League clubs
Map
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900km
559miles
Rodeo SC
Rodeo SC
Westchester SC
Westchester SC
Union Omaha
Union Omaha
Tormenta FC
Tormenta FC
Sporting Cascades FC
Sporting Cascades FC
Spokane Velocity
Spokane Velocity
Sarasota Paradise
Sarasota Paradise
Richmond Kickers
Richmond Kickers
                         Port St. Lucie
Port St. Lucie SC
Port St. Lucie SC
Portland Hearts of Pine
Portland Hearts of Pine
Knoxville                    
One Knoxville SC
One Knoxville SC
New York Cosmos
New York Cosmos
                   Greenville
Greenville Triumph SC
Greenville Triumph SC
Forward Madison FC
Forward Madison FC
Fort Wayne              
Fort Wayne FC
Fort Wayne FC
Fort Lauderdale United FC
Fort Lauderdale United FC
FC Naples
FC Naples
Corpus Christi FC
Corpus Christi FC
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
Charlotte Independence
Charlotte Independence
AV Alta FC
AV Alta FC
Athletic Club Boise
Athletic Club Boise
Locations of ● current and ● future USL League One teams.

As of its 2025 season, fourteen teams compete in USL League One, including eight in the south and two each in the midwest, northeast, and west. The league operates under a franchise model, where the USL grants a club "franchise rights" to field a team into the league.[70][71][72] The minimum salary for a player in the league is $2,200 per month, with no flex contracts like those in the USL Championship being offered.[73][74]

Of the charter members of its inaugural 2019 season, five continue to play in the league: the Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Forward Madison FC, Greenville Triumph SC, Richmond Kickers, and Tormenta FC.[75] The Charlotte Independence and Kickers previously played in the USL Championship,[76][77] while One Knoxville SC and Tormenta moved from USL League Two.[78][79] The rest of the league's membership are expansion clubs that commenced play in USL League One.

Four League Two clubs (Corpus Christi FC, Fort Lauderdale United FC, Fort Wayne FC, and Sarasota Paradise) and three expansion clubs (Athletic Club Boise, New York Cosmos, and Sporting Cascades FC) have been granted entry into League One for the 2026 season.

The USL is currently in discussions with the municipal government of Winter Garden, Florida for a potential future expansion club.[80][81] The municipal government of Everett, Washington is exploring a possible expansion club to co-inhabit a planned multi-purpose stadium with the Everett AquaSox baseball club.[82][83]

Current clubs

[edit]
Team City Stadium Capacity Founded Joined Head coach
Current teams
AV Alta FC Lancaster, California Lancaster Municipal Stadium[i] 5,300 2023 2025 United States Brian Kleiban
Charlotte Independence Charlotte, North Carolina American Legion Memorial Stadium[i] 10,500 2014 2022 United States Mike Jeffries
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC East Ridge, Tennessee CHI Memorial Stadium[i] 2,500 2018 2019 England Scott Mackenzie
Forward Madison FC Madison, Wisconsin Breese Stevens Field[i] 5,000 2018 2019 United States Matt Glaeser
Greenville Triumph SC Mauldin, South Carolina Bridgeway Station Stadium[i][84] 6,300 2018 2019 Bermuda Rick Wright
FC Naples Naples, Florida Paradise Coast Sports Complex Stadium[i] 5,000 2024 2025 United States Matt Poland
One Knoxville SC Knoxville, Tennessee Covenant Health Park[ii] 6,355 2021 2023 United States Ian Fuller
Portland Hearts of Pine Portland, Maine Fitzpatrick Stadium[iii] 6,000 2023 2025 United States Bobby Murphy
Richmond Kickers Richmond, Virginia City Stadium[i] 6,000 1993 2019 United States Darren Sawatzky
South Georgia Tormenta FC Statesboro, Georgia Tormenta Stadium[i] 5,300 2015 2019 Republic of Ireland Mark McKeever[85]
Spokane Velocity FC Spokane, Washington ONE Spokane Stadium[iii] 5,100 2021 2024 England Leigh Veidman
Union Omaha Omaha, Nebraska Morrison Stadium[iii] 9,023 2019 2020 Colombia Vincenzo Candela
Westchester SC Mount Vernon, New York The Stadium at Memorial Field[iii] 3,900 2024 2025 Vacant
Notes
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Soccer-specific stadium
  2. ^ Baseball park
  3. ^ a b c d Shared facility

Future clubs

[edit]
Team City Stadium Capacity Founded Joining Head coach
Planned expansion teams
Athletic Club Boise[57] Garden City, Idaho The Stadium at Expo Idaho[i][86] 6,000 2024 2026 United States Nate Miller[87]
Corpus Christi FC[56] Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi Stadium[i][88] 5,000 2017 2026 Libya Éamon Zayed[89]
Fort Lauderdale United FC[66] Fort Lauderdale, Florida Beyond Bancard Field[i][90] 7,000 2025 2026 TBD
Fort Wayne FC[65] Fort Wayne, Indiana New Fort Wayne Stadium[i][91] 8,400 2019 2026 United States Mike Avery[92]
New York Cosmos[63] Paterson, New Jersey Hinchliffe Stadium[ii][93] 10,000 2025 2026 Italy Davide Corti[94]
Sarasota Paradise[64] Lakewood Ranch, Florida Premier Sports Campus[i][95] 3,000 2022 2026 Finland Mika Elovaara[96]
Sporting Cascades FC[47] Eugene, Oregon Civic Park[i][97] 3,500 2024 2026 TBD
Port St. Lucie SC[67] Port St. Lucie, Florida Walton & One Stadium[i][98] 6,000 2025 2027 TBD
Rodeo SC[69] Celina, Texas Bobcat Stadium 6,500 2025 2027 TBD
Notes
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Soccer-specific stadium
  2. ^ Baseball park

Former teams

[edit]
Club City Stadium Capacity Joined Final season Fate Ref.
Central Valley Fuego FC Fresno, California Fresno State Soccer Stadium[i] 1,000 2022 2024 Moved to The League for Clubs [59][99]
Fort Lauderdale CF Fort Lauderdale, Florida DRV PNK Stadium[i] 18,000 2020 2021 Moved to MLS Next Pro [30]
Lansing Ignite FC Lansing, Michigan Cooley Law School Stadium[ii] 7,527 2019 2019 Folded [26]
Lexington SC Lexington, Kentucky Lexington SC Stadium[i] 7,500 2023 2024 Moved to USL Championship [100]
New England Revolution II Foxborough, Massachusetts Gillette Stadium[iii] 20,000 2020 2021 Moved to MLS Next Pro [30]
North Carolina FC Cary, North Carolina WakeMed Soccer Park[i] 10,000 2021 2023 Moved to USL Championship [101]
North Texas SC Arlington, Texas Choctaw Stadium[iii] 48,114 2019 2021 Moved to MLS Next Pro [30]
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC Windsor, Colorado 4Rivers Equipment Stadium[i] 2,500 2022 2024 Moved to The League for Clubs [59][102]
Orlando City B Kissimmee, Florida Osceola County Stadium[i] 5,400 2019 2020 Moved to MLS Next Pro [30]
Texoma FC Sherman, Texas Historic Bearcat Stadium[i] 6,500 2025 2025 Moved to USL League Two [103]
Toronto FC II Toronto, Ontario BMO Training Ground[i] 1,000 2019 2021 Moved to MLS Next Pro [30]
FC Tucson Tucson, Arizona Kino North Stadium[i] 3,200 2019 2022 Moved to USL League Two [104]
Notes
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Soccer-specific stadium
  2. ^ Baseball park
  3. ^ a b Shared facility

Timeline

[edit]
Port St. Lucie SCSporting Cascades FCSarasota ParadiseNew York Cosmos (2026)Fort Wayne FCFort Lauderdale United FCCorpus Christi FCAthletic Club BoiseWestchester SCTexoma FCPortland Hearts of PineFC NaplesAV Alta FCSpokane VelocityOne Knoxville SCLexington SCNorthern Colorado Hailstorm FCCharlotte IndependenceCentral Valley Fuego FCNorth Carolina FCUnion OmahaNew England Revolution IIFort Lauderdale CFFC TucsonToronto FC IITormenta FCRichmond KickersOrlando City BNorth Texas SCLansing Ignite FCGreenville Triumph SCForward Madison FCChattanooga Red Wolves SC

Champions

[edit]

Teams that no longer participate in USL League One are in italics.

Season Teams Playoff champions Players' Shield[a]
2019 10 North Texas SC North Texas SC
2020 11 Greenville Triumph SC[b] Greenville Triumph SC
2021 12 Union Omaha Union Omaha
2022 11 South Georgia Tormenta FC Richmond Kickers
2023 12 North Carolina FC Union Omaha
2024 12 Union Omaha Union Omaha
2025 14 One Knoxville SC
  1. ^ Known as "Regular season champions" from 2019 to 2022
  2. ^ The 2020 Final was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Greenville was awarded the championship based on points per game.

USL League One Finals

[edit]
Season Champions Score Runners–up Venue Attendance MVP
2019 North Texas SC 1–0[105] Greenville Triumph SC Toyota Stadium 3,245 Arturo Rodríguez (NTX)
2020 Greenville Triumph SC Cancelled[106] Union Omaha Legacy Early College Field N/A N/A
2021 Union Omaha 3–0[107] Greenville Triumph SC Werner Park 5,221 Damià Viader (OMA)
2022 South Georgia Tormenta FC 2–1[108] Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Optim Sports Medicine Field 3,045 Kazaiah Sterling (TRM)
2023 North Carolina FC 1–1 (5–4 PK)[109] Charlotte Independence WakeMed Soccer Park 4,487 Raheem Somersall (NCA)
2024 Union Omaha 3–0[110] Spokane Velocity FC Werner Park 5,849 Joe Gallardo (OMA)

Attendance

[edit]
Season Teams League avg. Playoff avg. Highest teams Lowest teams Ref
2019 10 1,911 3,217 4,292 (Madison)
3,468 (Richmond)		 168 (Toronto)
203 (Orlando)		 [111]
2020 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
2021 12 1,721 3,098 3,287 (Omaha)
2,761 (Madison)		 151 (New England)
849 (North Texas)		 [112]
2022 11 2,203 2,865 4,759 (Madison)
3,551 (Richmond)		 516 (Northern Colorado)
1,041 (South Georgia)		 [113]
2023 12 2,363 2,604 4,786 (Richmond)
4,310 (Madison) 		735 (Central Valley)
1,322 (South Georgia) 		[114]
2024 12 2,329 3,262 4,672 (Richmond)
4,242 (Madison) 		728 (Central Valley)
1,077 (Charlotte) 		[115]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
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