November 10 – The growth of the men’s professional club game in the US has not peaked. The USL’s third tier League One announced new franchise Brooklyn Football Club will begin play in the 2025 season.
League One, which had 11 teams in its just completed 2023 season, will add Spokane Velocity FC for the 2024 season, and five more teams for the 2025 season.
Santa Barbara and Lancaster will expand the league in California, along with new clubs in Portland, Maine, and a yet to be named team along the Texas/Oklahoma border. Brooklyn FC will take the league to 17 members.
Brooklyn FC will be the USL’s first team in the New York market as it builds a national footprint in major markets, a crucial sellng point for its commercial partners.
The club is owned by the North Sixth Group, a family business that also has stakes in Ascoli Calcio, in Italy’s Serie B, as well as Campobasso FC, in Serie D. Brooklyn FC is founder Matt Rizzetta’s third strategic football investment in as many years.
Unveiling the club’s colours and crest, Rizetta said: “No city captures the essence of the multiculturalism, inclusivity and passion of the world’s most beautiful game and is poised to represent US soccer on a global stage like Brooklyn.
“We believe Brooklyn Football Club will be transformational for U.S. soccer, and we couldn’t be more excited to be offering a world-class soccer experience to the hundreds of millions of people who love Brooklyn around the world.”
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