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San Antonio FC
USL Unveils New Structure: One Central Brand, Three Leagues, Evolving for the Future
TAMPA, Fla. – On a historic day for the evolution of soccer in North America, the United Soccer League has unveiled a new structure and brand identity for each of its top three leagues ahead of the 2019 season.
“Today’s announcement comes at the dawn of an exciting new era for our sport,” said USL CEO Alec Papadakis. “The USL has spent the past eight years transforming our league to meet the evolving needs of our team owners, players, coaches, fans and partners. We have established our place in the U.S. soccer landscape while blazing the trail for professional soccer’s future by introducing a new third division, completing the nation’s professional soccer structure.
“We are bringing three leagues under one central brand that will uniquely represent the USL’s vision for the future and give rise to local passion in new cities currently without professional soccer. The new brand and logos are inspiring and convey a new direction. They are innovative and modern and tell a story but more importantly, refuse to let others define us. The USL will now be modeled after a tried and respected international structure. One central brand, three leagues: USL Championship – the pinnacle of competition; USL League One– the foundation of professional soccer; and, USL League Two – the Path to Pro.
“We are repositioning the competition under MLS with a new strategy, new names and logos,” concluded Papadakis. “As we look to the future, the USL is ready to put its fingerprints on U.S. Soccer’s drive toward becoming the best in the world, and its pursuit of winning a FIFA Men’s World Cup.”
The new structure and branding will go into effect in advance of the 2019 season, at which point the USL will also unveil a modernized league website in order to showcase new, engaging digital content and help to better tell the organization’s story as it continues to push the limits of what is possible for professional soccer in North America.
The USL’s new corporate logo symbolizes the growth of professional soccer in North America, incorporating 13 stripes to represent the U.S. flag. The blue letters pay homage to the league’s past while the new, modern logo and the white sphere represents a soccer ball in motion – propelling our sport forward into the future.
The pinnacle of competition – the USL Championship features a new gold design and represents the ultimate goal for players, coaches, fans and communities, all of whom aspire for excellence both on and off the field.
The USL Championship is one of the most successful professional soccer leagues in the world, reaching a population of more than 84 million across more than 35 markets in 2019, and fueling the growth of the game across North America. At its core, the Championship is community. It’s the commitment of passionate and financially secure owners and talented players to embrace their hometowns, to create opportunity and to grow together through the beautiful game.
The foundation of professional soccer – USL League One makes its mark with a vibrant, colorful identity, as it gears up for its debut in the 2019 season with league leadership and ownership that will forge a unique identity – driven by determination, unity and inspiration.
League One brings discovery – delivering professional soccer to communities without a team, offering the first chance for new fans to dance and sing for 90 minutes, to fall more in love with the game every single week. League One also provides the opportunity and the first step in the professional ranks for players and coaches yearning to climb and pursue their dreams.
The #Path2Pro – the PDL will become USL League Two – the elite pre-professional tier in North American soccer and the established developmental platform for U-23 and collegiate players, fans and communities.
Maintaining its heritage with a bold, red logo, League Two will continue to forge the game’s future, delivering the first taste of premier competition in an authentic national soccer environment with a hyper-local focus. It is the gateway to stardom for those who prove they belong and have the desire to advance into the professional ranks, providing more than 70 percent of players selected in the MLS SuperDraft over the past eight years.
The United Soccer League (USL) is the largest professional soccer organization in North America, possessing nearly a decade of experience in bringing the world’s game to communities across the United States and Canada. Overseeing the USL Championship, USL League One, and USL League Two, the organization is built on a proven and recognized model in international football and counts more than 100 clubs in its membership.
Based in Tampa, Fla., the USL has grown over the past decade into a model organization with strong corporate partnerships, stable organizational leadership, and a dedicated staff that provide outstanding support to member clubs and outside partners. Sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation and Canadian Soccer Association, the USL is #UnitedForSoccer, moving the game forward in the United States and Canada.
San Antonio FC Signs Academy Standout Torres
SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio FC made USL Championship history on Thursday as it signed SAFC Pro Academy midfielder Leo Torres to a professional contract, making Torres the youngest player to sign a professional deal in the league’s history aged just 15 years, 23 days old.
Torres is just under a month younger than the previous record-holder, current LA Galaxy Homegrown signing Efrain Alvarez, who was 15 years, 1 month and 14 days old when he signed for the Championship’s LA Galaxy II in 2017.
“We’re very proud to have Leo as the first full-time academy player to sign with the first team,” SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for him to take the next steps as we look to integrate him into the squad while he keeps evolving, working hard, and showing good character.”
“I’m excited and honored to play for this club,” Torres said. “I would like to thank all of my academy coaches, the first team staff and the entire organization for this opportunity. I’m thrilled to be the first academy player to sign with the first team, and I look forward to continuing to progress while representing my city.”
Torres will continue to play with the SAFC Pro Academy U-15 team through the end of the 2018-19 Development Academy season this summer, after which he will begin to integrate with the first team. The San Antonio native has recorded 18 goals in 36 games for the academy since the program joined the DA prior to the 2017-18 season.
Torres originally joined the SAFC Pro Academy ahead of its 2016 inaugural year and was part of the initial squad that the program fielded (birth year 2004). Throughout his time with the SAFC Pro Academy, Torres has been called up to U.S. Youth National Team camp on two occasions, most recently receiving a callup to the U-15 camp in Carson, Calif. in late January. Torres is one of three players from San Antonio to be called up along with academy teammates Rocky Perez and Jaime Terrazas.
“We’re thrilled for Leo,” SAFC Pro Academy Director Nick Evans said. “This is a reflection of his hard work as well as the defined pathway that we have in place here for youth players throughout the club. We’re committed to our process and identity, and we’re proud to have local players representing this club and city.”
The SAFC Pro Academy is a fully-funded program dedicated to identifying and training players in the greater San Antonio area to provide them with a pathway to the SAFC first team, national teams, and/or collegiate soccer. The Academy currently fields four age group teams that compete in the Development Academy, the highest tier of youth soccer in the United States.
USL Championship Unveils 2019 “Be Champions” Campaign
TAMPA, Fla. – The USL Championship announced Monday the unveiling of its “Be Champions” campaign for the 2019 season.
Developed in-house by the USL Digital team, and fresh on the heels of last September’s organization-wide rebrand, “Be Champions” will provide an easily recognizable visual identity for Championship content, as well as a platform for written and video exploration of how clubs are building champions, on and off the field throughout their respective communities.
“With the rebrand in place, and with the level of competition higher than ever before, 2019 represents a really special time in the history of this league,” said USL Senior Manager of Social Media, Kelsi Steele. “Our clubs and our league as a whole are breaking through to even greater heights, aspiring to become champions on the field, in the front office and in our communities. This campaign is a direct reflection of that success and ambition.”
As the visual identity of the USL Championship transitions into a new era, so do the efforts across the league’s 36 communities. The implementation of “Be Champions” brings with it a new era of storytelling, focusing on bringing stories to life, both visually and editorially, like never before.
“There are so many important stories to tell around the Championship.” said Steele. “Whether it’s on-field successes, or the tremendous community relations work being done across the league, we view this campaign as an opportunity to amplify our clubs like never before. 2019 will be the biggest season in league history – we’re absolutely thrilled to get going.”
The 2019 USL Championship season will kick off on Friday, March 8 with 17 games scheduled for the opening weekend of the regular season. The 2019 USL Cup Playoffs will then open in October as the postseason qualifiers from the Eastern and Western Conferences compete for this year’s USL Cup.
Sellout Crowds Smash Championship’s Week 1 Attendance Record
TAMPA, Fla. – There has never been an opening weekend like it.
Powered by sellout crowds at the four USL Championship expansion clubs hosting their inaugural matches over Saturday and Sunday’s action, the league welcomed a record 91,425 fans across 17 games – kicking off the biggest season in the Championship’s history with a bang.
Leading the way was New Mexico United, which set a USL Championship Week 1 record with a sellout crowd of 12,896 as fans flocked to Isotopes Park to welcome the club. Albuquerque native Devon Sandoval – who last June was unveiled as the club’s first signing – claimed the honor of being the first goalscorer in NMU’s history as the hosts earned their first point in a 1-1 draw against Fresno FC.
Sellout crowds were also on hand for the debuts for Memphis 901 FC and El Paso Locomotive FC on Saturday night. With USL President Jake Edwards present, 901 FC brought a crowd of 8,062 fans to AutoZone Park for its inaugural contest against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, while Locomotive FC had a crowd of 8,324 at Southwest University Park as it squared off with OKC Energy FC.
“This is the most exciting start to a Championship season we’ve ever seen,” said Edwards. “From the fireworks in San Antonio to the tremendous support being shown for our expansion clubs, we couldn’t have imagined a more promising start to the 2019 campaign.”
Birmingham Legion FC welcomed a standing-room-only crowd of 5,807 to round out the weekend’s action against Bethlehem Steel FC to push the Championship beyond the 90,000-mark, and in the process set a new record attendance at BBVA Compass Field.
One of the marquee games of the opening weekend also saw a sellout on hand as San Antonio FC hosted defending Western Conference champion Phoenix Rising FC before a crowd of 8,058 at Toyota Field. The fans got the entertainment they were expecting, too, with the two top contenders playing to a thrilling 3-3 draw in the weekend’s highest-scoring game.
Sacramento Republic FC continued to draw five figures to Papa Murphy’s Park as well, with 10,086 fans on hand for its season-opener against Real Monarchs SLC, while Las Vegas Lights FC drew a crowd of 8,017 fans for the opening game of its second season in the Championship as it hosted league newcomer Austin Bold FC in Cashman Field’s first official game as a soccer-specific stadium.
Overall, the Championship saw a 29-percent rise in its opening weekend attendance from a season ago, and a 55 percent rise over 2017’s mark. The league’s independent clubs averaged crowds of 6,400 fans, and the overall average for the week sat at 5,305 fans, both the highest for the opening weekend of the season in the league’s history.
U.S. Soccer, ESPN+ Reach Multi-Year Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Agreement
CHICAGO – U.S. Soccer announced on Friday it had reached an exclusive, multi-year media rights agreement with ESPN+ for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer’s national championship for clubs and the longest-running domestic cup competition in the United States. All U.S. Open Cup matches from the First Round through the Final will air exclusively on ESPN+, the direct-to-consumer sports streaming service, beginning this year and running through the 109th edition of the tournament in 2022. The deal, negotiated by SUM on behalf of U.S. Soccer, includes rights in all languages.
The 2019 U.S. Open Cup on ESPN+ kicks off May 7-8 with the First Round, featuring 38 amateur teams, including those from USL League Two, and Division III professional teams from USL League One spanning the United States. Twenty-five Division II professional teams from the USL Championship enter in the Second Round on May 14-15, while the Third Round, scheduled for May 29, provides a final hurdle before lower division sides get their shot to square off against the 21 U.S.-based Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs on a national stage. Those Division I MLS teams join the competition in the Fourth Round on June 12.
“The U.S. Open Cup is America’s version of what is truly unique about soccer around the world – knockout-format club tournaments that invite the ‘Davids’ and the ‘Goliaths’ from all levels of the sport to compete against one another to determine the nation’s top team,” said Burke Magnus, Executive Vice President, Programming and Scheduling, ESPN. “This exciting property joins a robust collection of soccer’s best domestic cup competitions on ESPN+.”
“We are extremely pleased by the commitment from ESPN+ to broadcast every game of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the next several years,” said U.S. Soccer CEO Dan Flynn. “This landmark agreement demonstrates U.S. Soccer’s commitment to making soccer the preeminent sport in the United States and is the result of growing audience demand for soccer in the U.S. It will provide a national platform for more fans to follow the game in their communities throughout the country.”
“For over 100 years, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has been the one tournament that engages the entire American soccer community,” said Gary Stevenson, Deputy Commissioner and President of MLS Business Ventures. “We are confident that this partnership between U.S. Soccer and ESPN will drive the tournament to new levels and create more opportunities for fans to engage with this compelling content.”
This year’s competition will be the 106th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the world’s third-longest-running open soccer tournament. First played in the 1913-14 season, the competition is open to professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The winning team qualifies for the Concacaf Champions League and wins $300,000 in prize money.
The team that advances furthest in the tournament from each lower division is also awarded prize money.
The Houston Dynamo are the defending champions, continuing a streak of dominance by MLS teams in the competition. While recent years have seen lower-division sides come close to a winning run, the last non-MLS team to win the U.S. Open Cup since the league began in 1996 was the A-League’s Rochester Rhinos in 1999.
San Antonio’s Torres Called Up by United States
CHICAGO – San Antonio FC midfielder Leo Torres was among the selections announced on Tuesday to the United States U-15 National Team that will compete in the 2019 Torneo delle Nazioni in Gradisca, Italy, with the side set to kick off its campaign this Sunday in the 16-team event.
Torres became the youngest signing in USL Championship history this past February, and this past weekend was named in the gameday squad as a substitute for SAFC’s contest against Real Monarchs SLC.
Joining Torres in the squad is forward Austin Brummett, who this past Saturday made his professional debut in the Championship for Tacoma Defiance against Phoenix Rising FC. In the process Brummett became the youngest player in the Championship’s history aged 15 years, two months and six days old on his debut.
The United States will face India on April 28, Slovenia on April 29 and regional rival Mexico on April 30 in the tournament’s group stage. Steve Klein, Academy Director at U.S. Soccer Development Academy club PA Classics will serve as the U-15s’ head coach for the camp. The tournament will serve as preparation for this summer’s Concacaf U-15 Championship.
USL Announces Participating Clubs for Inaugural USL Academy Cup
TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League is proud to announce the 33 USL clubs that will compete in the USL Academy Cup, a new event beginning this year featuring the country’s elite youth players from the U-13 and U-17 age groups. This announcement comes off the back of the unveiling of the league’s vision for an Academy system and begins with the Academy Cup serving as a forerunner to the first-ever USL Academy League, built to provide a clear youth-to-pro path in each USL community.
“This year’s cup competition is the first big step towards building a league model for all of our academies,” said USL CEO Alec Papadakis. “As is indicated by both the number and quality of teams participating, there is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for what we’re looking to accomplish. We see this as an integral part of our organization, and the foundation of this league for years to come.”
The cup competition will see academy teams from all three levels of the USL represented, with clubs from the Championship, League One, and League Two all competing against one another. These events will be designed to better identify and accelerate the development of elite youth players with the potential to reach the professional ranks.
“These challenging competitions will provide valuable developmental opportunities for our youth players and we’re thrilled to help grow this initiative with other strong USL Academies,” said John Bradford, Boys Development Academy Director and Assistant Coach with North Carolina FC. “As a league, the USL continues to push player development and now has a full pathway for players from the youth to professional environments with the USL Academy Cup, League Two, League One, and the Championship.”
The makeup of the competition will include 22 teams representing the USL Championship, with three League One clubs and eight League Two clubs rounding out a growing footprint that already reaches 21 states across the country.
“The USL Academy Cup is a testament to the great work being done by leaders in youth development across the country and shows a strong belief in supporting environments that will push our top youth players to grow and evolve,” said Liam O’Connell, USL Sr. Director of Youth Development. “We are incredibly proud to launch this competition this year and to see our clubs continue to take on an even bigger role in driving the growth of our game for many years to come.”
As a part of USL’s growth, the Academy Cup will lead into the Academy League, a player-focused, club-driven league designed to serve as the gold standard of youth development. Aligning with the USL’s vision, clubs will participate at the highest level of competition in their respective age ranges with a goal to improve club and coaching development as well as provide the optimal environment for player growth.
For information on conference alignment, competition structure, and the latest on the USL Academy initiatives, visit uslsoccer.com/academy.
USL Academy Standouts Grab Spotlight in Open Cup Debuts
DES MOINES, Iowa – It was one thing for Saint Louis FC Head Coach Anthony Pulis to hand USL Academy signing Patrick Schulte his professional debut in the club’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup clash on Wednesday night against USL League Two power the Des Moines Menace.
It was quite another for the game to effectively rest on the 18-year-old’s shoulders as a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes of regulation and extra time saw the game head to a penalty shootout.
But Schulte paid off the faith Pulis showed in him.
The standout academy shot-stopper saved three of the four penalty kicks he faces from Menace shooters as STLFC booked its place in the Third Round of the tournament with a 3-1 win from the spot.
Schulte’s performance provided the exclamation point on two nights of action that saw four USL Championship clubs hand first team debuts to players coming through their academy programs. In addition to Schulte’s heroics, STLFC also saw Nichi Vlastos make his debut for the side as he started and went the full 120 minutes in midfield. Like Schulte, Vlastos more than made his mark, completing 28 of 33 passes in a composed display.
The spotlight also shone on San Antonio FC’s which used all three of its substitutions to introduce players who’ve starred for the SAFC Pro Academy into its 2-0 victory against Laredo Heat SC on Tuesday night at Toyota Field. Academy signing Jose Gallegos and Carson Price both came on before the hour-mark in front of their home fans, but the biggest reception might have been reserved for United States U-15 international Leo Torres’ debut 14 minutes from full time. Having become the youngest signing in Championship history this past February, Torres produced a head-turning moment in his cameo appearance.
“You always look to give guys opportunities when it’s appropriate because they need to get a taste of it to move forward,” said SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell on handing the trio debuts. “Tonight was a wonderful opportunity to do so.”
Elsewhere on Tuesday night, the Tampa Bay Rowdies handed debuts to two of their young standouts as Robbie Soronellas came on at the start of the second half and Jack Casey midway through the second stanza of a 4-1 win against League Two’s The Villages SC. Casey in particular had a bright debut, completing all 12 of his passes, while Soronellas recorded four tackles and two interceptions as he operated down the left flank.
“I said when I got this job that we had to get the professional pathway in place as best we possibly could,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. “Those two lads have stuck out to us in terms of their ability and their attitude and they’ve earned that opportunity. In any European country, that would have been through the academy at the club. Here it’s a little different, but they got it just the same and we’re looking forward to them training with us this summer and getting more opportunities.”
Louisville City FC also saw its first USL Academy signing in club history take his first bow for the side as 16-year-old Elijah Wynder came on as a substitute for the final few minutes of the club’s 3-0 win against League Two’s Reading United AC
“It’s incredibly exciting to see our clubs really buy into the philosophy & processes behind developing USL Academies, and even more rewarding to see young American players get opportunities at the professional level at such young ages,” said USL Sr. Director of Youth Development, Liam O’Connell. “We commend these forward-thinking clubs & their technical staff for helping the players get to this point & for putting that trust in them when the opportunities are presented.”
With the first edition of the USL Academy Cup set to launch later this year, the past two nights of action gave fans a taste of the talent that can be currently found in the development programs within USL Championship clubs, as well as a sign of things to come from future USL Academy products.