The USL announced Thursday that it will launch a male soccer league of division one that could rival the MLS and is pointing at a 2027 start for the new league. In its announcement, the USL cited the growth of football in the United States as a main reason to create the new league. The organization aims to capitalize on the exaggeration created by the 2026 World Cup, which will be organized by the United States, Mexico and Canada, as well as the accumulation of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“By joining people through football and bringing one to more cities to division, we are not only growing the sport, we are creating lasting opportunities while building a more sustainable and vibrant football ecosystem in the United States,” said the CEO of the USL, Alec Papadakis, in a statement.
With the new league, the USL will operate three different male football leagues, including the second level USL championship and the one of the third level USL, which are already operating and organized 26 combined teams. The structure also lends itself to the idea of the relegation of the promotion, a basic element of European football that has never been tested in the United States and is something that USL leaders have expressed a lot of interest.
Although the incoming League of the USL will technically will have the same place in the American football pyramid as the MLS, it is not clear how the new league will compete with MLS. However, there is an almost guarantee of overlap between the two leagues, and certain points of tension that would be approaching.
Here is an explanatory about the evolutionary structure of club football in the United States.
What teams will be in the new USL League?
It is currently too early in the process, although it is very possible that the teams in the other League of the USL make the jump to the first level league. The owners of teams in the USL championship and the League one were notified of the USL’s decision to launch a new league on Wednesday night, according to Atlético.
What are the standards to form a League of the One Division?
American football requires that the male soccer leagues of division one have a minimum of 12 teams located in the east, central and pacific hourly areas. In addition, 75% of these teams must play in metropolitan areas with populations of at least one million people.
The teams in a league of men in division One must also have stadiums with a minimum capacity of 15,000, as well as the owners who can prove the financial viability for five years. Each team must have full -time personnel, while the League must also have full -time operations and a transmission partner. The USL currently has a transmission agreement with CBS Sports that extends until the end of the 2027 championship and League One seasons.
The USL Championship currently has three teams that meet the population and stadium requirements: Birmingham Legion, Miami FC and Oakland Roots, while three other expansion teams in Dallas, Palm Beach, Florida, and Buffalo, NY could join that group If they land in the correct stadium consumption.
USL’s story with MLS
The USL has historically operated at a lower level than the MLS, serving as a kind of food league for players, coaches and even eventual MLS equipment. Seven MLS expansion teams competed for the first time at the USL: the Seattle Sounders, the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Portland Timbers, CF Montreal, Orlando City, FC Cincinnati and Nashville SC.
The geographical overlap between MLS and the incoming league is obviously unknown at this time, but it could be inevitable: Dallas, for example, is already home to the FC Dallas of the MLS. The new USL League could be positioned as a more affordable alternative to the MLs for possible investors, since the expansion rates are triggered in the Men’s League of the existing one of the country. San Diego FC will enter the MLS as the 30th team this year, and the club owned by the club paid $ 500 million to enter the League.
The USL leaders argue that there is room for growth outside the presence of 30 MLS teams, which describes the general footprint of the country as similar to the entire continent of Europe.
“If football in the country is really going to grow, it will grow out of 30 or 32 markets,” said USL president Paul McDonaough, The Athletic.
Nor is it clear how competition for talent between the MLS and the new USL League will materialize. The MLS salaries are wide taking into account the types of players in the league, but the average salary of the league was just under $ 600,000 in 2024. How competitive wages could enter American football is something to have in Account, since MLS operates within a salary limit and the USL does not. The MLS teams will work with a salary limit of $ 5,950,000 by 2025, but a series of league rules allow clubs to exceed the limit.
It must also be argued that more first level teams will promote the development of soccer players in the United States, and many believe that there are still not enough talent pipes in a nation of more than 330 million people.
Are there precedents for two leagues of division one?
Until last year, there are two women’s football leagues of the One Division: the NWSL and the newly formed Usl Super League. There is an overlap in the metropolitan areas of New York and Washington, DC, but the financial differences between the two leagues mean that there is not much competition for the players at this time.
The two leagues enjoy a friendly relationship, at least from the sports side. NWSL clubs have formed associations with the Usl Super League clubs, with Orlando Pride Haley Carter sports, he tells CBS Sports that he sees the Usl Super League as an important opportunity to explore promising talent.
The head of the US National Women Leadership groups of both leagues are also cordial.
“We have seen some NWSL players, former NWSL players who did not find a place in our lists are signed in the USL,” said NWSL Jessica Berman Commissioner on the day of the League media in January. “That is great. The more opportunities there is for the game to grow in our country and globally, it is better for our sport, so we have a great working relationship and we collaborate where we can make sure that the game is healthy in us “
