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.
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United Soccer League Expands Agreement with Stats Perform
TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League announced today it had expanded its agreement with Stats Perform, the revolutionary leader in sports AI and data. Through the agreement, Stats Perform will become the long-term official betting data rights-holder for the United Soccer League (USL)’s two professional domestic leagues, USL Championship and USL League One, for distribution to licensed sportsbooks and daily fantasy operators.
The deal with the USL closely follows the announcement in January that Stats Perform had secured the exclusive official data rights to Major League Soccer (MLS) and U.S. Men and Women national team games.
The agreement extends an earlier partnership with the USL for Stats Perform to be the official data distributor of USL competitions to media and broadcasters. As a result of the deal, the official data used to grade and settle bets will be consistent with the data on other official channels and broadcasts, which has been identified as critical to deliver trusted bettor and operator experiences.
“The USL is excited to partner with Stats Perform as we continue to explore the landscape of sports betting,” said USL SVP of Digital & Emerging Technology and Strategy Lizzie Seedhouse. “Though a seemingly ever-changing landscape, the USL’s priority remains quality and integrity of its data, two qualities that Stats Perform carries as a proven leader in this space.”
Official, ultrafast game, team and player data for over 1,000 USL football matches per season will be made available to licensed sportsbooks and odds feed partners through Stats Perform’s RunningBall incident feed and opta player data services. Coverage includes USL Championship Soccer and USL League 1 Soccer, as well as the potential for additional competitions.
“Soccer is the undisputed biggest betting sport in the world, which means hundreds of licensed sportsbooks and millions of bettors trust us to power their entertainment by collecting data with the utmost professionalism and integrity,” said Stats Perform Chief Rights Officer, Alex Rice. “Our data collection team is the best in the world at what they do and we’re delighted to have been selected by the USL to deliver the best possible betting experiences across their competitions.”
The USL official data rights join other competitions in Stats Perform’s official betting data portfolio available to licensed operators such as Spanish La Liga soccer, French Ligue 1 soccer, German Bundesliga soccer, and numerous other soccer leagues together with official cricket data, official basketball data and more.
Stats Perform’s sports data is part of a premium betting content portfolio that also includes live sports video streaming rights distributed to licensed sportsbooks throughout Europe and other global jurisdictions to create exceptional betting experiences online, on mobile and in land-based sportsbooks, while maintaining the highest integrity standards.
USL’s Stewart: Lynn Family Stadium’s Opening ‘Hugely Significant’
It may arrive three months later than scheduled, but USL Championship Director of Communications Scott Stewart believes the official opening of Louisville City FC’s new Lynn Family Stadium when the USL Championship resumes play in the 2020 season in July is still set to provide a landmark moment for both the club, and for the league.
“What Lynn Family Stadium represents to the Championship as a whole, but also the American soccer scene in general is hugely significant,” Stewart told the Fair Weather Podcast last week. “We’re talking about a stadium that technically has more capacity than the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth. Now we’re building stadiums in the second division in this country that can hold near the amount of people that a Premier League stadium can hold – that’s huge.”
LouCity was scheduled to host its home opener on April 11 against Birmingham Legion FC in a game to be nationally televised on ESPNews. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that game was among the hundreds postponed during the suspension of the season that began in March.
Now, however, the league is set to return as the first in the United States to play at its home venues, and LouCity will have the chance to welcome fans to its grand opening. For Stewart, whose career saw him lead LouCity’s Communications department prior to joining the Championship ahead of the 2019 season, the work that has been accomplished by the club’s staff has been admirable.
“I think Louisville did a great job stipulating they’re looking at models for 25, 33 percent capacity,” said Stewart. “I think it was great that Governor Andy Beshear decided that 50 percent was an appropriate number, but it’s on the club, and it’s a credit to the club to do their due diligence to say, ‘hey, 50 percent might be the governmental standard, but we also need to make sure we feel comfortable, that we’re listening to our fans so our fans are comfortable coming back.’”
The opening of LouCity’s new stadium isn’t the only thing Stewart is looking forward to upon Championship’s planned return on July 11. In addition, there are the big potential storylines created by the eight regionalized groups that make up the league’s revised structure as it returns to play. There’s also the chance to see the talent shine on the field once again, with the Championship’s on-field product as good as it has ever been in terms of talent.
But the opening of Lynn Family Stadium may be the biggest indicator of where the Championship is heading over the course of the next five years, with other clubs aiming to join LouCity in their own permanent, soccer-specific venues.
“It is going to be a shining light and a bright, bright example for what we hope the Championship continues to pursue,” said Stewart. “We have great proposals in Indianapolis and New Mexico, we have stadiums with ground broken in Charlotte as well as Colorado Springs, so we’re well on the way there.
“I think what you’ve seen our President Jake Edwards touch on with Sports Illustrated but other outlets as well is that as we approach the 2026 World Cup in North America, we want to be building and implementing as many soccer-specific stadiums as possible because we know that’s going to be the true growth metric of soccer here and it’s only evidenced by what Louisville has done.”
The United Soccer League and Sportradar Extend Partnership for Integrity Services and AV Content Ahead of 2020 Season
TAMPA, Fla. and NEW YORK, N.Y. (June 29, 2020) – Sportradar, the global provider of sports data, content and integrity services, and the United Soccer League (USL) today announced a strategic partnership extension for Integrity Services and AV content. The USL recently announced that the 2020 USL Championship season will return on July 11 and that the USL League One season will kick off on July 18 after play was suspended in both leagues due to the spread of COVID-19.
Under the terms of the deal, Sportradar will continue monitoring and analyzing global and domestic betting activity on USL competitions via its industry-leading Fraud Detection System, educating USL teams and players on the risks of match manipulation, and supporting USL with the implementation of robust sports betting and integrity policies and procedures. Additionally, Sportradar gains the international rights to disseminate AV content from the USL Championship and League One matches to licensed sportsbook operators.
“In licensing our international rights through Sportradar for sports betting purposes, we can maximize our leagues’ global exposure in the sports betting space,” said USL SVP of Digital, Emerging Technology and Strategy Lizzie Seedhouse. “Through the extension of our partnership, we also protect the integrity of our competition by identifying suspicious betting activity and educating our 1,600 USL players, club and league front office staffs, technical staffs and referees on match fraud; two of the most important priorities for us as we navigate the sports betting scene.”
“We are pleased about deepening our partnership with the USL by acquiring the international rights for AV content,” said Steve Byrd, Head of Global Strategic Partnerships, Sportradar. “With the USL being one of the first U.S. sports leagues to return to live action, the AV component provides a great opportunity to increase fan engagement and expand the reach of the league on a global scale.”
Sportradar’s integrity education support will include live and pre-recorded webinars, delivered in multiple languages, for players, club and league front office staff, technical staff, and referees about the nature and risks of match-fixing and sports manipulation. As part of its Integrity Services, Sportradar will also continue supporting the USL with investigative and due diligence matters through its Intelligence & Investigations Services team.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to extend our partnership with the USL for Integrity Services, and we look forward to the league resuming shortly,” said Andy Cunningham, Head of Integrity Services and League Relations, North America, at Sportradar. “USL has been a strong partner that consistently prioritizes the integrity of its league. By continuing to work with Sportradar, the USL is ensuring that there’s widespread education across the league about the dangers of match-fixing, while maintaining the necessary resources to identify and escalate issues should they arise.”
USL Championship Announces Eastern Conference Groups
TAMPA, Fla. – The USL Championship announced on Friday the four groups made up of teams from the Eastern Conference that will battle for a place in the 2020 USL Championship Playoffs when the league returns to play on Saturday, July 11.
Group E: Indy Eleven, Louisville City FC, Saint Louis FC, Sporting Kansas City II
Group F: Hartford Athletic, Loudoun United FC, New York Red Bulls II, Philadelphia Union II, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Group G: Birmingham Legion FC, Charlotte Independence, Memphis 901 FC, North Carolina FC
Group H: Atlanta United 2, Charleston Battery, Miami FC, Tampa Bay Rowdies
As detailed in the Championship’s announcement of the updated season structure, each team in Group E, Group G and Group H will play its fellow group members four times during the regular season. Meanwhile, each team in Group F will play its fellow group members three times. The remaining games will be played against teams that fall within a similar geographic region.
Group Previews
Group E
The Kings’ Cup and Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest come to the fore with Louisville City FC set to take on its two biggest rivals in Indy Eleven and Saint Louis FC in what should be a fierce fight for the two playoff places. But don’t overlook Sporting Kansas City II, which has a strong collection of young talent that could make things interesting as it looks to make its fourth trip to the postseason in five years after missing out last campaign.
CLICK HERE FOR GROUP E TEAM-BY-TEAM ANALYSIS
Group F
We’ve yet to see either Hartford Athletic or Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in action this season, but with the Hounds having finished top of the Eastern Conference a year ago they would appear to be the team to beat among these five teams. The Athletic, meanwhile, believe the work put in by new Head Coach Radhi Jaïdi is going to give it a recipe for success, but with perennial playoff contender the New York Red Bulls II also included – and two teams in Loudoun United FC and the Philadelphia Union II aiming high as well – this group could provide some high-level entertainment.
CLICK HERE FOR GROUP F TEAM-BY-TEAM ANALYSIS
Group G
Two intriguing rivalries – one between the Charlotte Independence and North Carolina FC, the other between Birmingham Legion FC and Memphis 901 FC – make for what looks like on paper a group that’s going to be hard to pick a winner from before the action begins. The Independence are the lone side with points to their name as the season resumes, with Legion FC having yet to see action, and they’ll be hopeful of not only gaining the upper hand on their in-state rivals, but reaching the postseason for the first time since 2017.
CLICK HERE FOR GROUP G TEAM-BY-TEAM ANALYSIS
Group H
The Miami FC and Tampa Bay Rowdies were already scheduled to see plenty of each other this season, but the now-four scheduled meetings between the two teams are feeling like must-see games, and they could prove key to which team advances to the postseason. With the Charleston Battery aiming to keep its record of being the lone side to reach the USL Championship Playoffs in every season of the league’s history, and Atlanta United 2 bringing some top young talent as well, there’s a lot to look forward to here.
Championship Return to Play Preview – Group G
The group assignments for Groups E through H ahead of the USL Championship’s resumption of the 2020 season are being made on Friday, giving us a chance to take a first look at each of the teams as they get ready to return to action.
Next up we look at Group G, which brings two good rivalries together for what on paper looks like an intriguing group, with both the Charlotte Independence and North Carolina FC, and Birmingham Legion FC and Memphis 901 FC set to get very familiar with each other over the next three months.
Championship Return to Play Preview – Group H
The group assignments for Groups E through H ahead of the USL Championship’s resumption of the 2020 season are being made on Friday, giving us a chance to take a first look at each of the teams as they get ready to return to action.
Finally, we look at Group H, which sees Sunshine State rivals the Miami FC and Tampa Bay Rowdies placed alongside Atlanta United 2 and a Charleston Battery side that is looking to maintain the longest playoff streak in the Championship.
Championship Return to Play Preview – Group F
The group assignments for Groups E through H ahead of the USL Championship’s resumption of the 2020 season are being made on Friday, giving us a chance to take a first look at each of the teams as they get ready to return to action.
Next up we look at Group F, which includes both last year’s first-place finisher in the Eastern Conference in Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and perennial playoff contender the New York Red Bulls II, but also three teams looking to break through in Hartford Athletic, Loudoun United FC and the Philadelphia Union II.
SD Loyal Reveals Stadium Plan at Sports Arena Site
SAN DIEGO – San Diego Loyal SC unveiled plans for a new soccer-specific stadium that could host as many as 15,000 fans on Monday as part of a process initiated by the City of San Diego to redevelop the Sports Arena site in the Midway-Pacific Highway neighborhood.
This proposed stadium for SD Loyal would serve as the club’s temporary home for up to a decade as it continues to build its fanbase. The club also announced it would serve as a partner on the Midway Sport and Entertainment District (MSED) team, which is bringing a community-centric vision for a vibrant mixed-use space to revitalize an aging area of San Diego. In addition to the new soccer stadium, the approximately $1 billion project would also feature a music venue, housing, retail, restaurants and would be anchored by a new 12-acre public park.
The modular stadium is included in Phase 1 of the MSED plan, with plans to break ground in 2022. Once completed, the venue would become the welcoming home for SD Loyal while the team works with the community to secure a permanent location in San Diego.
“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the Midway Sports and Entertainment District project and are proud to be asked to participate in such an innovative concept,” said SD Loyal President Warren Smith. “We want our club to continue to be a pillar in the community by creating passion for active sports and healthy living. We’re looking forward to the positive impact a project like this will have on the San Diego community by making it an even better place to live, work and play.”
Development on the project, designed by long-time San Diegans, would occur in three phases and is set to be completed by 2029 at no cost to San Diego taxpayers. The project would modernize the existing 48-acre Sports Arena site and serve as an economic catalyst for the entire Midway-Pacific Highway community, an area that spans nearly 900 acres and has been in need of redevelopment for decades. MSED would help transform the area into a new hub for housing and jobs, all within walking distance to the Old Town Transit Center.
“Our club cares for the growth of our San Diego community and the new district project provides a great opportunity to transform an underutilized area into a place that celebrates our passion for fun and fitness,” said Smith. “Our hope is that integrating with such a mixed-use space will help grow the fan base for not only the SD Loyal team but for soccer in general. San Diego is one of the largest soccer areas, and we want to reinvigorate fan passion for the sport.”
MSED celebrates San Diego’s leadership in the health and wellness industry, which already generates $6.8 billion in economic impact and supports 58,000 jobs throughout our region. MSED looks forward to working with the active sports technology industry in our region to make this project a place where they can show their technologies and allow the people of San Diego to use them.
The City of San Diego is currently hosting a virtual Open House from Friday, July 10 to Monday, July 20, and is encouraging input from the local community into the proposed projects. Fans and the community should visit sportsarenainput.org to view each design concept and then click on the survey portal to answer a few questions about which proposal they like and why.
The MSED team and its collaborators will hold a press conference soon to discuss the plan. The team includes the San Diego Loyal Soccer Club, Toll Brothers, David Malmuth Development, Cruzan, BRIDGE Housing, London Moeder Advisors, AVRP Skyport, Circulate San Diego, Challenged Athletes Foundation, and others.