2020 Usl Championship Media Guide ©2020 United Soccer Leagues, Llc, All Rights Reserved
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2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS USL Championship Alignment ................................................................................................................................ 4 Season Structure ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 Atlanta United 2 ............................................................................................................................................................6 Austin Bold FC .............................................................................................................................................................8 Birmingham Legion FC ............................................................................................................................................ 10 Charleston Battery .................................................................................................................................................... 12 Charlotte Independence .......................................................................................................................................14 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC .................................................................................................................... 16 El Paso Locomotive FC ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Hartford Athletic ....................................................................................................................................................... 20 Indy Eleven .................................................................................................................................................................. 22 LA Galaxy II .................................................................................................................................................................. 24 Las Vegas Lights FC ................................................................................................................................................. 26 Loudoun United FC ................................................................................................................................................. 28 Louisville City FC .......................................................................................................................................................30 Memphis 901 FC ........................................................................................................................................................ 32 Miami FC .......................................................................................................................................................................34 New Mexico United .................................................................................................................................................36 New York Red Bulls II ............................................................................................................................................38 North Carolina FC ....................................................................................................................................................40 OKC Energy FC ......................................................................................................................................................... 42 Orange County SC...................................................................................................................................................44 Philadelphia Union II ...............................................................................................................................................46 Phoenix Rising FC .....................................................................................................................................................48 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC ..................................................................................................................................50 Portland Timbers 2 ................................................................................................................................................... 52 Real Monarchs SLC ..................................................................................................................................................54 Reno 1868 FC ..............................................................................................................................................................56 Rio Grande Valley FC ..............................................................................................................................................58 Sacramento Republic FC ......................................................................................................................................60 Saint Louis FC ............................................................................................................................................................. 62 San Antonio FC ..........................................................................................................................................................64 San Diego Loyal SC .................................................................................................................................................66 Sporting Kansas City II .......................................................................................................................................... 68 Tacoma Defiance ......................................................................................................................................................70 Tampa Bay Rowdies ................................................................................................................................................. 72 FC Tulsa ......................................................................................................................................................................... 74 USL Executive Staff ........................................................................................................................................................ 77 Championship Rules ..................................................................................................................................................... 78 Special Thanks: U.S. Soccer Federation, Major League Soccer, Canadian Soccer Association 2020 United Soccer Leagues, LLC, All rights reserved. *ALL SCHEDULES ET & SUBJECT TO CHANGE 2020 ALIGNMENT SEASON STRUCTURE The USL Championship’s 10th anniversary season will see the league’s 35 teams divided into two conferences, with the clubs set to embark on a 34-game Regular Season Structure regular-season schedule that will be conducted over 33 weeks and open on the weekend of March 6-8, 2020. The USL Championship’s 2020 regular season schedule features a 595-game slate that opens on March 6, with 16 contests set for the opening weekend. The league’s 35 teams are divided into two conferences – Eastern and Western – with each team playing 34 regular-season games. Teams will play two games (one There is one new arrival in each conference, with Miami FC joining the Eastern Conference and San Diego Loyal SC joining the Western Conference. home, one away) against every opponent in their respective conference. In the 17-team Eastern Conference, the remaining two games of the schedule will be completed with contests against regional rivals. 2020 USL Championship Playoffs The 2020 USL Championship Playoffs will again include 10 teams from each conference, with the lowest four seeds in each conference opening the postseason in the Play-In Round, scheduled for Wednesday, October 21 with the No. 7 seed hosting the No. 10 seed and the No. 8 seed hosting the No. 9 seed for a place 2020 CONFERENCE ALIGNMENT in the Conference Quarterfinals. Following the Play-In Round, the two teams to advance will be placed into the main bracket for the Conference Quarterfinals, with the lower remaining seed WESTERN CONFERENCE EASTERN CONFERENCE facing the conference’s No. 1 seed and the higher remaining seed facing the No. 2 seed. Austin Bold FC Atlanta United 2 The single-elimination format will then continue for the following four weekends in a fixed-bracket format with the higher seed in each matchup serving as Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Birmingham Legion FC host through the Eastern and Western Conference Finals. The 2020 USL Championship Final will be held between November 12-16, 2020 and be hosted by the El Paso Locomotive FC Charleston Battery conference champion with the better regular-season record. LA Galaxy II Charlotte Independence Las Vegas Lights FC Hartford Athletic New Mexico United Indy Eleven OKC Energy FC Loudoun United FC Orange County SC Louisville City FC Phoenix Rising FC Memphis 901 FC 2020 PLAYOFF STRUCTURE Portland Timbers 2 Miami FC Real Monarchs SLC New York Red Bulls II Reno 1868 FC North Carolina FC 1 Rio Grande Valley FC Philadelphia Union II Sacramento Republic FC Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC San Antonio FC Saint Louis FC PLAY-IN PLAY-IN San Diego Loyal SC Sporting Kansas City II ROUND ROUND Tacoma Defiance Tampa Bay Rowdies FC Tulsa WESTERN CONFERENCE EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAY-IN PLAY-IN ROUND ROUND KEY DATES