USL League One
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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 men's Division 2 USL Championship, women's Division 1 league USL Super League, and other leagues. As of 2026,[update] the league has 17 active teams that are scheduled to play 32 regular-season games, followed by playoffs. All teams also participate in the USL Cup, adding four games, followed by knockout rounds.
History
Early years (2017–2020)
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. 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. The new league had the temporary name USL Division III (USL D3). 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.
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, followed by a visit to North Carolina and a similar tour of the Midwest in late May. 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.
The unveiling of the first founding member, South Georgia Tormenta FC, took place on January 25, 2018. This was followed by FC Tucson on February 6, Greenville Triumph SC on March 13, and Madison, Wisconsin on May 17. Toronto FC II of the USL was announced on July 2, and Chattanooga, Tennessee was announced on August 1. 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. 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. On December 14, 2018, USSF voted to provisionally sanction League One as a Division 3 league for 2019.[non-primary source needed][better source needed] The league currently shares Division III status with MLS Next Pro and the National Independent Soccer Association.
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. At the end of the season, Lansing Ignite FC folded.
Departure of MLS reserve teams and first wave of expansion (2020–2022)
For the 2020 season, Union Omaha joined the league. Additionally, the New England Revolution and Inter Miami CF placed reserve teams in the league, bringing the total number of teams to 12.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The club's identity was revealed as Lexington Sporting Club on March 22, 2022.
Central Valley Fuego FC, Charlotte Independence and Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC began play in 2022. 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. On July 12, 2022, USL announced that a newly formed club, Santa Barbara Sky FC, would be joining League One for the 2024 season, though their debut would later be delayed until 2025, then cancelled entirely, instead joining USL Championship beginning in 2026. Following the conclusion of the 2022 regular season, FC Tucson announced a self-relegation back to USL League Two. 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. On October 7, 2022, the league announced an expansion team in Spokane, Washington, named Spokane Velocity. 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. This club will begin play in 2027 as Sporting Cascades FC.
Second wave of expansion (2023–present)
Throughout autumn 2023, the league announced three more expansion teams: one in Portland, Maine, named Portland Hearts of Pine, one in Sherman, Texas, named Texoma FC, and one in Lancaster, California, named AV Alta FC. The league announced two more expansion teams in early 2024, first in Naples, Florida, later unveiled as FC Naples, and Mount Vernon, New York, named Westchester SC.
In August 2024, the USL announced that Lexington SC would be moving from League One to the Championship for the 2025 season.
In October 2024, the league granted expansion teams to Corpus Christi, Texas, and Boise, Idaho, the latter being named Athletic Club Boise. 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." Both of these teams would eventually move to The League for Clubs.
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. 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. 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.
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.
In April 2025, Fort Lauderdale United FC, a women's team competing in the USL Super League, initially announced that it would form a men's team to compete in USL League One for the 2026 season. In December 2025, the club announced that it would push its League One team's launch date to 2027.
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.
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. Texoma's ownership group subsequently started a new USL League One team, Rodeo SC in Celina, Texas, 27 miles south of Sherman, with an intention to compete in the 2027 season.
Twelve days before the start of the 2026 season, on February 23, 2026, the league announced that Tormenta FC would be going on hiatus and would not compete in the 2026 season.
Teams
For its 2026 season, seventeen teams will compete in USL League One, including nine in the south and three 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. 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.
Of the charter members of its inaugural 2019 season, four continue to play in the league: the Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Forward Madison FC, Greenville Triumph SC, and Richmond Kickers. The Charlotte Independence and Kickers previously played in the USL Championship, while Corpus Christi FC, Fort Wayne FC, One Knoxville SC, Sarasota Paradise, and Tormenta moved from USL League Two. The rest of the league's membership are expansion clubs that commenced play in USL League One. A League Two club (Fort Lauderdale United FC) and three expansion clubs (Port St. Lucie SC, Rodeo SC, and Sporting Cascades FC) have been granted entry into League One for the 2027 season.
The USL is currently in discussions with municipal governments for potential League One or Championship expansion clubs based in Brevard County, Florida, Brownsville, Texas, Firestone, Colorado, Fresno, California, Green Bay, Wisconsin, Medford, Oregon, Modesto, California, Pensacola, Florida, Pico Rivera, California, Riverside, California, Santa Rosa, California, Springfield, Missouri, and Winter Garden, Florida. 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.
Current clubs
Notes
Future clubs
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Joining | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planned expansion teams | ||||||
| Fort Lauderdale United FC | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Beyond Bancard Field | 7,000 | 2025 | 2027 | TBD |
| Port St. Lucie SC | Port St. Lucie, Florida | Walton & One Stadium | 6,000 | 2025 | 2027 | TBD |
| Rodeo SC | Celina, Texas | Bobcat Stadium | 6,500 | 2025 | 2027 | TBD |
| Sporting Cascades FC | Eugene, Oregon | Civic Park | 3,500 | 2024 | 2027 | TBD |
Notes
Clubs on hiatus
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Joined | Last played | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Georgia Tormenta FC | Statesboro, Georgia | Tormenta Stadium | 5,300 | 2019 | 2025 | Return TBD |
Notes
Former teams
Notes
Timeline
Champions
Teams that no longer participate in USL League One are in italics.
| Season | Teams | Playoff champions | Players' Shield |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 10 | North Texas SC | North Texas SC |
| 2020 | 11 | Greenville Triumph SC | 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 | One Knoxville SC |
| 2026 | 18 | TBD | TBD |
USL League One Finals
| Season | Champions | Score | Runners–up | Venue | Attendance | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | North Texas SC | 1–0 | Greenville Triumph SC | Toyota Stadium | 3,245 | Arturo Rodríguez (NTX) |
| 2020 | Greenville Triumph SC | Cancelled | Union Omaha | Legacy Early College Field | N/A | N/A |
| 2021 | Union Omaha | 3–0 | Greenville Triumph SC | Werner Park | 5,221 | Damià Viader (OMA) |
| 2022 | South Georgia Tormenta FC | 2–1 | Chattanooga Red Wolves SC | Optim Sports Medicine Field | 3,045 | Kazaiah Sterling (TRM) |
| 2023 | North Carolina FC | 1–1 (5–4 PK) | Charlotte Independence | WakeMed Soccer Park | 4,487 | Raheem Somersall (NCA) |
| 2024 | Union Omaha | 3–0 | Spokane Velocity FC | Werner Park | 5,849 | Joe Gallardo (OMA) |
| 2025 | One Knoxville SC | 2–0 | Spokane Velocity FC | Covenant Health Park | 7,500 | Nico Rosamilia (KNX) |
Attendance
| 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) | |
| 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) | |
| 2022 | 11 | 2,203 | 2,865 | 4,759 (Madison) 3,551 (Richmond) | 516 (Northern Colorado) 1,041 (South Georgia) | |
| 2023 | 12 | 2,363 | 2,604 | 4,786 (Richmond) 4,310 (Madison) | 735 (Central Valley) 1,322 (South Georgia) | |
| 2024 | 12 | 2,329 | 3,262 | 4,672 (Richmond) 4,242 (Madison) | 728 (Central Valley) 1,077 (Charlotte) | |
| 2025 | 14 | 2,785 | 3,968 | 5,808 (Portland) 4,369 (Richmond) | 719 (South Georgia) 773 (Charlotte) |
See also
- Soccer in the United States
- Professional sports leagues in the United States
- USL Championship
- USL League Two
- USL W League
- USL Second Division
- National Independent Soccer Association