Overview
The second tier of American professional soccer — around 24 clubs, with promotion and relegation planned from 2028.
The USL Championship is the second division of professional soccer in the United States, sanctioned by the federation at Division II. Around two dozen independent clubs play a 34-game season for the USL Cup, decided by a conference playoff.
The wider United Soccer League also operates USL League One at Division III, USL League Two in the amateur ranks and the USL Super League for women. In 2023 the organisation's owners voted to introduce promotion and relegation between its divisions — the first such system in American professional team sport — with a target of 2028.
2026 Standings
Regular season by conference. Table order as published in the feed (points, then the competition's tiebreakers). 25 teams. Captured 6 October 2026 from the ESPN public standings feed.
Eastern Conference
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 27 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 46 | 25 | +21 | 52 |
| 2 | Detroit City FC | 27 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 33 | 20 | +13 | 47 |
| 3 | Charleston Battery | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 52 | 31 | +21 | 46 |
| 4 | Hartford Athletic | 26 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 29 | 26 | +3 | 39 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 27 | 11 | 5 | 11 | 28 | 27 | +1 | 38 |
| 6 | Rhode Island FC | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 39 | 29 | +10 | 38 |
| 7 | Louisville City FC | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 43 | 42 | +1 | 37 |
| 8 | Miami FC | 28 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 38 | 45 | -7 | 36 |
| 9 | Indy Eleven | 27 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 34 |
| 10 | Loudoun United FC | 26 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 32 | 44 | -12 | 24 |
| 11 | Birmingham Legion FC | 26 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 36 | 43 | -7 | 23 |
| 12 | Brooklyn FC | 27 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 27 | 55 | -28 | 18 |
| 13 | Sporting JAX | 27 | 3 | 5 | 19 | 32 | 73 | -41 | 14 |
Western Conference
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 27 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 46 | 35 | +11 | 47 |
| 2 | New Mexico United | 27 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 41 | 32 | +9 | 46 |
| 3 | Sacramento Republic FC | 27 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 37 | 25 | +12 | 44 |
| 4 | Lexington | 27 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 49 | 33 | +16 | 43 |
| 5 | FC Tulsa | 27 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 32 | 25 | +7 | 42 |
| 6 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 27 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 40 | 37 | +3 | 40 |
| 7 | Orange County SC | 27 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 36 | 42 | -6 | 39 |
| 8 | San Antonio FC | 27 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 38 |
| 9 | Las Vegas Lights FC | 27 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 35 | 38 | -3 | 36 |
| 10 | Oakland Roots | 27 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 33 | 35 | -2 | 34 |
| 11 | Phoenix Rising FC | 27 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 36 | 40 | -4 | 33 |
| 12 | Monterey Bay | 27 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 29 | 47 | -18 | 21 |
Season Format
Recent Champions
Most recent first. Seasons still in progress are marked.
History
The USL Championship was founded in 2010 as USL Pro, consolidating the surviving clubs of two earlier second-division leagues. It was sanctioned at Division II from 2017 and has grown into the largest professional soccer league in North America by club count.
Its clubs are independently owned and rooted in mid-sized cities — Louisville, Sacramento, San Antonio, Indy, Charleston — and several outdraw MLS sides. The promotion and relegation vote in 2023, and the launch of a Division I men's league planned for 2028, together represent the most significant structural challenge to the American closed-league model.
Governance
The United Soccer League is a privately held company whose divisions are sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation.