December 21 – The USL Championship, the 24-team second professional tier in US soccer, has unveiled its competition structure for the 2023 season.
The league will split into two conferences –Eastern Conference and Western Conference – with 12 teams in each.
For the first time since the league moved to a two-conference format in 2015, every team will play each other in the regular season.
The season will be played March 11 to October 14, with a 34-game league programme with teams playing home and away in their conference, with the remaining 12 games of the season being played against teams from the opposing conference – six games at home and six away.
“The successful expansion of interconference play during the 2022 campaign showed the appetite both our clubs and their supporters have for a full, national schedule,” said USL President Jake Edwards.
“We are extremely happy to expand on that success, while also keeping the home-and-home series that make the great rivalries across the league.”
The end of season play-offs will see the top eight teams in each conference qualifying for the 2023 USL Championship Playoffs. The play-offs will be a 16-team knockout format with th 2023 USL Championship Final to be played between November 9 and Novovember 13, 2023.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Birmingham Legion FC
Charleston Battery
Detroit City FC
Hartford Athletic
Indy Eleven
Loudoun United FC
Louisville City FC
Memphis 901 FC
The Miami FC
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Tampa Bay Rowdies
FC Tulsa
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
El Paso Locomotive FC
Las Vegas Lights FC
Monterey Bay F.C.
New Mexico United
Oakland Roots SC
Orange County SC
Phoenix Rising FC
Rio Grande Valley FC
Sacramento Republic FC
San Antonio FC
San Diego Loyal SC
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