What is the USL? OKC United soccer league to undergo changes
· Yahoo Sports
It's official: the new Oklahoma City professional soccer club will be called OKC United.
The name was revealed during Mayor David Holt's State of the City address on Wednesday, alongside the team colors and crest. Starting in the 2028 season, OKC United will compete in the United Soccer League, the same as its predecessor, OKC Energy FC, competed until 2022.
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The USL is not a minor league or lower division for Major League Soccer, instead, it is an independent business, usually focusing on smaller or mid-sized markets like El Paso, Lexington and Jacksonville. Oklahoma already has a representative in the USL, FC Tulsa.
The league also counts with some major city teams that also have a representative in the MLS, like Miami and Louisville, but the teams operate independently.
OKC United's maiden season will coincide with the USL's first season using the relegation system, already used in most major leagues around the world. The three tiers will include USL Premier, USL Championship and USL League One. The Oklahoma City team will start in the second division, USL Championship, and will have to fight for promotion by finishing the season in one of the top spots.
It is unknown whether FC Tulsa will be promoted to USL Premier or stay in the Championship heading into 2028.
The team will play at MAPS 4 Multipurpose Stadium, now under construction downtown. The stadium's capacity will be around 10,000, and is to be built with flexibility to also host United Football League games, a new league also coming to OKC in 2028.
What teams compete in the USL?
Currently, 25 teams compete in the USL, divided into the Eastern and the Western Conference.
- Eastern: Tampa Bay Rowdies, Charleston Battery, Detroit City FC, Louisville City FC, Indy Eleven, Miami FC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, Hartford Athletic, Rhode Island FC, Birmingham Legion FC, Brooklyn, Loundoun United FC, Sporting JAX
- Western: Orange County SC, San Antonio FC, New Mexico United, Oakland Roots SC, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, El Paso Locomotive FC, FC Tulsa, Sacramento Republic FC, Lexington SC, Phoenix Rising FC, Las Vegas Lights FC, Monterey Bay FC
What is the USL format?
The USL features a spring-to-fall 34-week regular season followed by a fixed-bracket postseason.
Each club in the Eastern Conference play 24 or 25 games against in-conference opposition, and five or six games against Western Conference opposition to complete a 30-game regular season schedule. In the Western Conference, clubs play 24 games against in-conference opposition, and six games against Eastern Conference opposition.
The top eight teams in each conference qualify for the USL Championship Playoffs.
This format is subject to change as the league introduces its three-tier system in 2028.
Is there a women's soccer counterpart for USL?
The USL has an eight-team women's soccer counterpart called the USL Super League Women. The eight teams are Brooklyn FC, Carolina Ascent FC, DC Power FC, Dallas Trinity FC, Fort Lauderdale United FC, Lexington SC, Sporting JAX and Tampa Bay Sun FC.
Like the USL is independent from the MLS, the USL Super League Women is independent from the National Women's Soccer League, the highest level of the United States soccer league system.
Oklahoma City has not announced a women's soccer counterpart to OKC United.
How to watch USL, stream
USL Championship and League One are mostly broadcast on ESPN+, with select games aired on CBS Television Network, CBS Sports Network, and ESPN2.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What is the USL? OKC United soccer league to undergo changes