TAMPA, Fla. – The USL Championship and the USL Players Association announced today that they have reached a formal agreement on a return to play for the 2020 season. The two sides are now actively preparing for a July 11 restart to the 2020 Championship season and will resume negotiations on a historic first Collective Bargaining Agreement in the coming weeks.
Press Release
USL Championship Unveils Revised 2020 Regular Season Schedule
TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League announced today the revised schedule for the 2020 USL Championship season. The league’s clubs are set to play 263 games over 13 weeks to decide which 16 teams will advance to the 2020 USL Championship Playoffs, which will open in the second weekend of October.
Three teams will face their season-opening contests in the first two weeks, with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s season-opener on Sunday, July 12 on the road against Louisville City FC on ESPN2 being followed by Birmingham Legion FC’s 2020 debut on Wednesday, July 15 as it plays host to regional rival Memphis 901 FC at BBVA Field. Hartford Athletic will then be the final team to open its regular season as it plays host to Loudoun United FC on Monday, July 20 at Dillon Stadium.
- Click Here for the Complete Revised 2020 USL Championship Schedule
- Click Here for the Opening 2020 USL Championship on ESPN2 Schedule
Big divisional games will feature throughout July, with the opening game of the Kings’ Cup rivalry between Louisville City FC and Saint Louis FC commencing its four-game series on Saturday, July 18. The South Texas Derby will kick off a day prior, with Rio Grande Valley FC set to host San Antonio FC at H-E-B Park on Friday, July 17, while El Paso Locomotive FC will meet New Mexico United at Southwest University Park on Saturday, July 25.
Indy Eleven will then make its first trip to Lynn Family Stadium on August 8 as the rivals that contested the 2019 Eastern Conference Final square off in the first Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest (LIPAFC). That meeting highlights a big slate of games that day, with New Mexico United and Phoenix Rising FC set to renew what became a fierce rivalry during the 2019 season on the same night in a fascinating intergroup contest at Isotopes Park.
The same night also sees games between Southern Derby rivals the Charlotte Independence and Charleston Battery at the Sportsplex at Matthews, a clash between OKC Energy FC and San Antonio FC at Taft Stadium, a rematch from the opening weekend of the regular season between Las Vegas Lights FC and San Diego Loyal SC at Cashman Field, and an intriguing intergroup matchup that sees Saint Louis FC host FC Tulsa at West Community Stadium.
August also includes other notable intergroup matchups. The Silver State Cup will return to Las Vegas Lights FC’s Cashman Field on August 1 as Reno 1868 FC visits for the lone regular-season meeting between the clubs this season, while Indy Eleven will play host to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 15. North Carolina FC will then play host to the Charleston Battery at WakeMed Soccer Park on August 19, and the month is capped off with a meeting between Reno 1868 FC and Phoenix Rising FC on August 29.
The race for the 2020 USL Championship Playoffs will heat up in September, with notable group games including a clash on Saturday, Sept. 5 between New Mexico United and El Paso Locomotive FC set for Isotopes Park. Other key potential games during the month including San Diego Loyal SC’s home contest with Orange County SC on September 13, and the visit of Hartford Athletic to face Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on September 26. The Black Gold Derby could then be decided on September 30 as FC Tulsa plays host to OKC Energy FC at ONEOK Field, the second of two meetings between the clubs at that venue in the month.
The regular season concludes in the opening weekend of October and features high-profile group games that could decide playoff fates across multiple groups. The action opens on Friday night as Austin Bold FC plays host to San Antonio FC in Group D, and then continues with contests between Saint Louis FC and Indy Eleven at West Community Stadium in Group E, Memphis 901 FC and Birmingham Legion FC and AutoZone Park in Group G, and the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Charleston Battery at Al Lang Stadium in Group H. The final Sunday of the regular season also brings a rematch of the 2019 Western Conference Final as Real Monarchs SLC hosts El Paso Locomotive FC for a game that could prove key in Group C.
Every game of the 2020 USL Championship season will air on the ESPN family of networks, with broadcasts on ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ bringing all the excitement of the first league in the United States to return to play in home markets directly to homes across the United States.
USL Championship Announces Opening Weekend Schedule
TAMPA, Fla. – The USL Championship announced today the opening weekend of games that will kick off the league’s resumption of the 2020 season. Nine games are scheduled between July 11-13, with five of those contests to be aired live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. The remaining games will all be available on ESPN+.
The action will get underway with six games on Saturday, as defending USL Championship title-holder Real Monarchs SLC plays host to first-year side San Diego Loyal SC and Head Coach Landon Donovan at Zions Bank Stadium on ESPN Deportes at 4 p.m. ET. Later in the night, 2019 Championship Regular Season Title-winner Phoenix Rising FC will welcome the LA Galaxy II to Casino Arizona Field on ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET.
Saturday’s action will also include a showdown between Indy Eleven and Saint Louis FC at Lucas Oil Stadium where both teams will be looking to pick up where they left off after emphatic wins to start the campaign. Also in the Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Rowdies will host Atlanta United 2 at Al Lang Stadium, while out West, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC will host New Mexico United at Weidner Field and Texas rivals El Paso Locomotive FC will welcome Rio Grande Valley FC to Southwest University Park.
Sunday evening will bring the spotlight to Louisville City FC’s Lynn Family Stadium, with the $65 million venue set to host its inaugural game live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes as LouCity faces a 2019 playoff rematch against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
Monday night then brings two games from the Wednesday Conference, with Black Gold Derby rivals OKC Energy FC and FC Tulsa set to square off at Taft Stadium in a game that will air live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET. Sacramento Republic FC and the Tacoma Defiance then provide the nightcap on ESPN Deportes, with kickoff at Papa Murphy’s Park slated for 10 p.m. ET.
A complete schedule for the resumption of the 2020 USL Championship season will be released in the coming days.
2020 USL Championship Opening Weekend
Saturday, July 11
Real Monarchs SLC vs. San Diego Loyal SC, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN Deportes)
Indy Eleven vs. Saint Louis FC, 7 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Atlanta United 2, 7:30 p.m. ET
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. New Mexico United, 8 p.m. ET
El Paso Locomotive FC vs. Rio Grande Valley FC, 9:30 p.m. ET
Phoenix Rising FC vs. LA Galaxy II, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN Deportes)
Sunday, July 12
Louisville City FC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN2 / ESPN Deportes)
Monday, July 13
OKC Energy FC vs. FC Tulsa, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Sacramento Republic FC vs. Tacoma Defiance, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN Deportes)
United Soccer League Nets Agreement with First International-Based Broadcast Partner Flow Sports Secured by SPORTFIVE
TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League has reached its first-ever international television agreement with Flow Sports, which will see the USL Championship broadcast to approximately 600,000 homes across 22 countries in the Caribbean. The agreement was secured by global sports business agency SPORTFIVE, which entered into a partnership with the USL earlier this year to market the international broadcasting rights for the USL Championship and USL League One.
With the announcement, Flow Sports adds live USL linear broadcasts to its already impressive portfolio of premier global soccer rights, which include the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, Concacaf tournaments, Coppa Italia, and the FIFA Concacaf Zone 2022 World Cup Qualifiers.
“The USL is excited to partner with Flow to better serve our Caribbean fans and I expect this will be the first of many international territories to get a fresh look at USL’s brand of soccer,” said USL Executive Vice President Court Jeske. “With a large amount of Championship players representing countries in that region, we’re thrilled to offer fans an opportunity to gain regular access to our leagues.”
“We’re proud to have helped secure an agreement for the USL with its first international-based television partner in Flow Sports,” said Dennis Spencer, SPORTFIVE Senior Vice President, Media. “There is great passion in the Caribbean for soccer, which makes this relationship to bring USL action to Flow Sports viewers a terrific fit.”
“We are very excited to bring the USL to our soccer fans across the region. Many of our Caribbean players from youth, senior and professional teams have progressed through and are a valued part of the USL. It’s great to be able to showcase the talent from our communities preforming in the USL on Flow Sports,” said Britta Reinhardt, VP, Chief Commercial Officer, B2C at Cable & Wireless.
More details on live broadcasts will be announced as available.
SPORTFIVE has an experienced media sales team and robust global network that allows it to effectively package and sell media rights around the world. The agency is also the leading marketer of soccer rights globally and has relationships with more than 90 European football clubs and two FIFA associations, including the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation.
United Soccer League, SiriusXM Announce Broadcast Agreement
TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League announced today a new agreement with SiriusXM which will see the leading audio entertainment company in the U.S. become the exclusive satellite radio home of the USL Championship and League One.
As part of the new agreement, which will run through the 2021 season, SiriusXM FC, SiriusXM’s exclusive 24/7 soccer channel, will air a USL Game of the Week to its audience across the United States and Canada. This week’s USL Games of the Week on SiriusXM are Austin Bold FC at FC Tulsa (Wednesday, 8:00 pm ET), Phoenix Rising FC at Las Vegas Lights FC (Saturday, 10:30 pm ET) and Loudoun United FC at Hartford Athletic (Sunday, 7:00 pm ET).
”We are excited to carry the USL Game of the Week on our dedicated soccer channel, SiriusXM FC,” said Steve Cohen, SiriusXM’s SVP of Sports Programming. “The USL is an intense, passionate and growing league with terrific fan-bases in communities across the country, and we look forward to providing fans of the beautiful game with more live soccer and original talk programming as part of our new agreement with the USL.”
SiriusXM FC will be the exclusive radio home of the USL Championship Final and League One Final for the next two seasons.
“Our new agreement with SiriusXM continues to advance the visibility of our league and our clubs in the American sporting landscape,” said USL Executive Vice President Court Jeske. “The level of competition on the field in the Championship is at an all-time high, and we’re excited to bring all of the thrills both the Championship and League One have to offer to listeners across North America for the next two years.”
The first USL Game of the Week on SiriusXM was the July 12 clash between Louisville City FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which also marked the official opening of LouCity’s new $65 million Lynn Family Stadium. Also broadcasted live nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, the game between LouCity and the Hounds – who met in a thrilling playoff showdown last October – became the first tricast in the Championship’s history.
In addition to live game broadcasts, additional programming featuring the Championship and League One is also being planned to air on SiriusXM FC. More details will be announced as available.
SiriusXM FC (channel 157) is available to subscribers on SiriusXM radios, on the SiriusXM app and web player, and on various connected devices. For a schedule of future games on SiriusXM FC visit www.SiriusXM.com/soccerschedule.
All USL Players and Staff to Undergo Mandatory Training Through Partnership with Institute for Sport and Social Justice
TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League announced on Thursday a partnership with The Institute for Sport and Social Justice which will see The Institute provide league-wide training and education for all staff and players.
Additionally, the USL announced it would be working together with the USL Players Association and both the Championship and League One Board of Governors in order to institute increased sanctions for players and coaches found to have used foul and abusive language.
For more than three decades, The Institute has been delivering cutting-edge training services to collegiate and professional sport organizations and has specialized in responding to the needs of groups such as the USL. In that time, The Institute has demonstrated organizational capacity to execute large training agreements. Its trainers have extensive experience working to address myriad social issues, including diversity and inclusion, in sport.
The Institute holds current partnerships with the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer and NASCAR, as well as ESPN. Comprised of a diverse group of former athletes who have an insider’s understanding of sport culture, The Institute’s trainers bring with them extensive experience to provide the most impactful strategies to address social issues.
Through highly interactive facilitated lectures – which are also available virtually – participants are engaged in a meaningful discussion with practical outcomes. Additionally, the trainings open dialogue regarding participant leadership on diversity and inclusion issues such as: power and privilege, the workplace impact of unconscious bias, the power of language and symbolism, intersectionality, allyship, among others.
USL, USL Black Players Alliance Announces Partnerships with Activote, Civic Alliance
TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League and USL Black Players Alliance announced today the creation of partnerships with Activote and the Civic Alliance aimed toward increasing voter awareness and participation in upcoming national, state and local elections.
The Civic Alliance is a non-partisan business coalition which aims to strengthen America’s democracy by supporting safe, healthy and trusted election. The group includes more than 225 companies – including the National Football League, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer among many others – that employ more than 3.5 million people and a reach of 100s of millions of consumers annually. Founded by the CAA Foundation and Democracy Works, the Civic Alliance’s goal is for voter turnout to surpass 80 percent of eligible voters by 2028.
Activote serves as an online app that has been shown to increase voter participation by 40 percent, providing details on elections, candidate details and electoral races that are easily accessible and up to date with accurate information. The app – which does not share personal information – helps voters decide which candidates’ views align most closely to theirs and provides a reminder for each election to allow people to make their plan on how to vote.
The partnerships between United Soccer League and USL Black Players Alliance with the two organizations follows the previous announcement that the USL would recognize Election Day as a company holiday for its employees.
USL Championship Final to Air on ESPN and ESPN Deportes
TAMPA, Fla. – The USL Championship today announced the 2020 USL Championship Final is set to take place Sunday, November 1 and will be the first game in league history to air on ESPN. For a second consecutive year, the game will also be simulcast on ESPN Deportes. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
“This is a historic way to finish our 10th anniversary season,” said USL Executive Vice President Court Jeske. “This has been a deeply challenging, but ultimately successful year for our league and we look forward to another exciting Championship Final. We are thrilled to showcase the league’s greatest teams across the country on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.”
The 2020 Championship Playoffs will begin the weekend of October 9-11, featuring a single-elimination, 16-team bracket. Under the revised season format, four group winners in each conference will earn hosting rights for the Eastern and Western Conference Quarterfinals. Following the opening round, hosting rights will be determined by regular season record. All playoff matches will stream live on ESPN+, the the industry-leading sports streaming service.
Information on additional games to air on ESPN networks will be announced in the coming weeks. For complete information on the full 2020 USL Championship Playoffs structure and schedule, visit uslchampionship.com.
2020 USL Championship Playoffs Dates
Conference Quarterfinals – October 9-11 (ESPN+)
Conference Semifinals – October 16-18 (ESPN+)
Conference Finals – October 23-25 (ESPN+)
USL Championship Final – Sunday, November 1 (ESPN & ESPN Deportes)
USL HQ Announces Partnership with PUMA
TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League announced today a new partnership with global sports company PUMA, which will bring its innovative and unique style to the USL league office in a new three-year agreement.
Additionally, PUMA will become the national partner for the new USL Academy League, which will launch next spring with more than 50 clubs across 25 states in the U.S. and provide elite youth talent from across the USL landscape an additional opportunity to compete at a high level.
“We are honored to share this opportunity with PUMA,” said USL Chief Executive Officer Alec Papadakis. “With the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon we are entering one of the most exciting phases in the history of North American soccer and are thrilled to align with a brand like PUMA who shares our vision for what the future of our sport in the country could look like.”
Since the launch of the PUMA King in 1966 – the first iconic boot in soccer’s modern history – PUMA has earned its place among the world’s leading soccer brands. It currently holds partnerships with the Premier League’s Manchester City and Newcastle United, the Bundesliga’s Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach, Serie A’s AC Milan and Ligue 1’s Olympique de Marseille.
This past year, PUMA partnered with the Championship’s New Mexico United as it re-entered the United States professional market, providing the second-year club with jersey and apparel designs that matched United’s play on the field as it reached the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2020 USL Championship Playoffs. In addition to New Mexico United, PUMA has also finalized a deal to become the official apparel partner of Oakland Roots Sports Club, which will be making its USL Championship debut in 2021.
Through this partnership with USL, PUMA also will be able to create unique on-site activations at the USL Championship’s major events, including the USL Championship Final and the USL Mid-Year Meetings and Winter Summit.