The United Soccer League (USL) is poised to disrupt American soccer’s status quo. More significant, in 2028 it will add promotion-relegation for the first time in a major U.S. professional sports league. Currently, the USL has two established men’s divisions—Championship and League One. The overall goal is to create a more vibrant soccer ecosystem by incentivizing success, while keeping teams alive. This new initiative comes at an especially opportune time. The United States is preparing to host the 2026 World Cup, which will be the catalyst for millions of new fans to discover and embrace the sport.
The USL’s expansion plans include the addition of at least 16 new teams, aiming to stretch its reach across the existing professional men’s leagues. Major League Soccer (MLS) now sits at the top tier of U.S. soccer. At the same time, the USL is establishing its own identity through an emphasis on meritocracy and connection to the community, particularly resonating with younger fans. With over 340 million people, the U.S. is extremely underserved by the 30 MLS franchises. The USL is thrilled by this immense potential to expand the beautiful game and connect with these fans.
A New Era of Competition
In this model, teams can move up or down within divisions based on their performance on the field during the season. Lee O’Neill, President of USL League One, highlighted the significance of this change:
“Those stories of the Wrexhams and the Birminghams have educated the US audience about promotion and relegation.” – Lee O’Neill
O’Neill pointed out that American fans have cultivated an instinctual affinity to this model, having been steeped in the experience of international soccer.
“They’ve watched their teams on TV from afar go through that journey and there’s a natural affiliation to the model.” – Lee O’Neill
This system is totally at odds with a performance-based system. Most importantly, it doesn’t punish teams for failing to achieve set targets but rather rewards them for their success. With this change, O’Neill said, USL finds itself in a position of stark contrast against other leagues.
“For fans to connect that with the USL, that puts us in a different position to anyone else.” – Lee O’Neill
Expansion and Accessibility
The USL is getting ready to head into big time expansion! With plans to increase to at least 16 new regional teams, they are solidifying their foothold in American soccer. This change has been implemented to appeal to the increase in popularity of the sport in particular with younger audiences. A recent survey found that nearly two-thirds of Generation Z across the U.S. intend to participate in the incoming World Cup. All of this creates a once in a generation opportunity for smaller leagues such as the USL to engage with this burgeoning fanbase.
Along with this blank slate comes an opportunity to learn from other soccer leagues around the world. O’Neill acknowledges that while the USL does not yet have the historical weight of its counterparts, it has the potential to innovate and evolve.
“We speak to leagues around the world and one of the things they get very jealous about is that it’s a bit like we’ve got a blank canvas and we’re starting from scratch.” – Lee O’Neill
Developing a more sustainable soccer ecosystem is the cornerstone of USL’s purpose. The league recognizes that promoting soccer culture requires more than just introducing new teams or structures. It necessitates fostering better business practices across its franchises.
“On one hand we don’t have the history, but we do have the opportunity because it’s different so we can learn from a lot of other leagues what’s worked and what hasn’t worked.” – Lee O’Neill
Building a Sustainable Future
O’Neill mentioned that early recognition of certain challenges has been beneficial:
Much more than providing a guiding force, the path toward ownership group solidarity has been another point of emphasis for O’Neill. He acknowledged that getting these various constituencies on the same page has been difficult, but it’s been necessary for moving forward.
“We’ve got work to do in this area, but recognising those areas early is really helping some of our teams be better in their businesses.” – Lee O’Neill
The soccer landscape in America is changing incredibly fast. O’Neill says the approach will create a generational change in how folks enjoy the sport and introduce it to their kids and grandkids.
“It was a challenge over a number of years to get the ownership groups on the same page.” – Lee O’Neill
As the soccer landscape continues to evolve in America, O’Neill predicts a generational shift in how soccer is perceived and passed down.
“Naturally, I expect a change in the next 20 or 30 years of the game being passed down generationally, rather than passed up.” – Lee O’Neill
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