The Speed of Growth: The USL’s Shift Into The Fast Lane

A week before all eyes were fixated on the Al Bayt Stadium for the opening game of the FIFA World Cup, the last champion of the 2022 domestic season in North America was crowned at the USL Championship Final.

The hoisting of this silverware marked the end of one era, and the beginning of an exciting new one of significant growth as the USL strives to accelerate the success of its clubs and its business ahead of the 2026 World Cup to be held in North America.

From the moment the final whistle calls time at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the eyes of the world, at least in part, will shift curiously back to the United States, which along with Mexico and Canada, will host the expanded 48-team tournament in the summer of 2026.

Part of the requirement for staging the first World Cup in the US in 1994 was the launch of a national professional league which led to the birth of the 10 teams that kicked off Major League Soccer (MLS) two years later.

Now, the men’s professional structure looks considerably different with MLS in 2022 featuring 28 teams. Alongside that there are 27 clubs competing in the USL Championship, officially sanctioned as Division II, plus a further 11 making up USL League One, which is sanctioned as Division III. This four-year-old competition is joined in the third division by the National Independent Soccer Association and MLS NEXT Pro (launched this year).

Thirty-six years after the Southwest Indoor Soccer League – the initial incarnation of what is now the United Soccer League – was established, the constantly evolving landscape is settling down and taking shape, with USL anticipating an important period of growth in both the men’s and women’s game in the years ahead.

“The 2026 World Cup coming to our shores represents our North Star for the next phase of our strategic road map,” explained Manchester-born USL president Jake Edwards, who is concluding his eighth season at the helm of the largest and fastest-growing professional football organisation in North America.

“We have benefited from the opportunity to recalibrate our focus, and there is now a concerted effort to think more globally about the USL and achieve a greater alignment with the global structure of the game.

“It is an exciting phase allowing us to raise our profile internationally. We have embarked on new partnerships with leagues and confederations around the world, like our recently announced one with the Caribbean Football Union. We are looking at some interesting collaborations with the top leagues in Europe, too.

“These relationships, along with competition and structural changes, will further align us with the global game in time for the next World Cup and support our objective to establish the USL as one of the top three leagues in the Concacaf region.

“We are proud of how our clubs came together during difficult times over these past few years. It wasn’t just Covid-19; there were cultural and societal challenges that impacted all of us in 2020 and 2021, and we have come out of that stronger as a league and a collection of clubs. Ownership groups across the country doubled down and committed to investing in players and infrastructure to put us in a strong position for the years ahead.”

With the cumulative attendance passing two million this year and average match attendances up 25 per cent in the USL Championship and 56 per cent in USL League One, the response from communities across the country has vindicated that backing. The belief is that, now, emerging from the pandemic, and societal-related challenges, there remains scope for substantial growth in the coming years.

“The pandemic gave the whole world of football an appreciation of how important clubs are to their supporters and how essential supporters are to their clubs. We learned a lot of lessons that testify to that. While we had record viewership of our broadcasts during a time when fans couldn’t get into their grounds but wanted to support their clubs, there were so many instances of clubs, owners and players going out of their way to make sure people were safe, well and supported within their community. Those shared experiences at that very difficult time are being repaid.

“Deeper bonds between fans and their clubs were formed and we have seen supporters coming back in greater numbers this season. It is tremendous to see teams like Louisville City FC and New Mexico United now averaging more than 10,000, and our new clubs like Detroit City FC, Monterey Bay FC and Oakland Roots are providing unique and fantastic atmospheres for fans and players.

“In League One, which we launched in 2019, we have a fantastic group of clubs who have become lynchpins in their communities. The fans love that camaraderie and the quality on the field, particularly in those markets who haven’t had a club and that opportunity before.”

The upcoming introduction of a Division II women’s competition, the USL Super League, which will operate on the more traditional autumn-to-summer schedule, will put the USL in a unique position of running both men’s and women’s professional leagues, as well as pre-professional and youth, while also being active across the whole calendar year.

“We have got an entire infrastructure underpinning the move into women’s soccer. That includes the USL Academy for girls and the launching of the W League this year. The W League is a pre-professional competition, and our inaugural season ended with over 6,500 fans at the final. The whole season was a huge success for us – the stage is set for the Super League to come in at the top and for the first time on the women’s side, we will have a fully integrated pyramid from youth to pro.

“The W League had 44 clubs in year one and, as we expand further west, we estimate being at over 65 clubs next year. That growth, along with a strong appetite for League One, is encouraging, and we are pleased with how both competitions have gone so far. We have no fewer than 20 different League One expansion conversations and expect that a large portion of those communities will be join us over the next few years.”

With nascent and expanding leagues bringing more extensive fixture schedules that provide increased opportunities to sell tickets, merchandise, and sponsorship, coupled with a strong broadcast partnerships – you can watch all the games on YouTube in the UK – the increased exposure for players will ensure transfer fees become a more important revenue stream over time.

“The competition level gets tougher every year and by showcasing that around the world through our media distribution channels, we know clubs and leagues are becoming more aware of the talent we have.

“Over the last few seasons, we have seen significant returns on our investment in establishing infrastructure at our clubs to make sure those pathways are clearly defined for players and that clubs understand how to navigate transferring players around the world and what it takes to do that.

“That work has been led by Mark Cartwright, who has been a great addition to our team as Sporting Director. Mark has vast experience in the Premier League and with the FA, and his department has done a lot to educate clubs in this space. Not only are we seeing talented players moving through our academies to sign their first professional contract, but progressing out of USL League One and into the USL Championship, and recently, repeatedly smashing the league’s transfer record, both internationally and domestically.

“The quality of players we can attract into our league, developing players through the youth pathway and building our sporting department to manage those amazing opportunities represent some of the biggest challenges we now face.

“We are 10 years into the modern era of the USL; it is still a start-up, but we are in growth mode, and we are maturing as well. We are thinking about things we weren’t dealing with five years ago, so the challenge moving forward is the speed at which we are growing and the size of the opportunity ahead.

“There are about three billion dollars invested into stadium development projects across the country. We have got an enormous amount of work to do to build long-term permanent homes for our growing stable of clubs, so managing that has become a significant part of what we do, and we have a full-time staff that deal with real estate and stadium development projects.

“We invest in the right people at the league office to manage the many projects that are happening simultaneously, and everything is geared towards servicing the fans and the clubs and ensuring this continues to grow at an amazing trajectory.”

Image: Imago Images – Icon Sportswire