2021 USL Championship playoffs explained

See main article: 2021 USL Championship season.

USL Championship playoffs
Year:2021
Country:United States
Num Teams:16
Defending Champions:Real Monarchs (2019)
Champions:Orange County SC
(1st title)
Runner-Up:Tampa Bay Rowdies
Matches:14
Goals:40
Top Goal Scorer: Ronaldo Damus
(4 goals)
Prevseason:2020
Nextseason:2022

The 2021 USL Championship playoffs (branded as the 2021 USL Championship Playoffs presented by TwinSpires for sponsorship reasons) was the post-season championship of the 2021 USL Championship. It was the eleventh edition of the USL Championship playoffs. The playoffs began on November 5, and concluded with the USL Championship Final on November 28.

Tampa Bay Rowdies won the regular season with 71 standings points.[1] They were beaten in the Final by Orange County SC, which won its first league title.

Real Monarchs, having won the title in 2019, were the title holders, since the 2020 Final was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the Rowdies and the title was not awarded. However, they were eliminated in the regular season as they finished bottom of the Mountain Division table.

Qualified teams

Atlantic Division

Central Division

Mountain Division

Pacific Division

Format

The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. They began to play on the first weekend on November, featuring a single-elimination, 16-team bracket. Under the revised season format, four division winners in each conference earned hosting rights for the Eastern and Western conference quarterfinals. Following the opening round, hosting rights were determined by regular season record (ranks, then points, then number of wins). All playoff matches were streamed live on ESPN+ except the Championship final on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and Sirius XM FC.[2] [3]

Division tables

Atlantic DivisionCentral DivisionMountain DivisionPacific Division

Bracket

Schedule

Conference Quarterfinals

Conference Semifinals

Conference Finals

USL Championship Final

Championship Game MVP: Ronaldo Damus (Orange County SC)

Top goalscorers

RankPlayer ClubGoals
1 Ronaldo DamusOrange County SC4
2 Leo FernandesTampa Bay Rowdies3
Lucky MkosanaTampa Bay Rowdies
Santiago PatiñoSan Antonio FC
5 Elvis AmohRio Grande Valley FC Toros2
Solomon AsantePhoenix Rising FC
Steevan Dos SantosTampa Bay Rowdies
Nathan FogaçaSan Antonio FC
917 players1

Awards

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Matchday Report: Rowdies Defeat Lights FC, Clinch Homefield Advantage in Postseason . USL Championship. USLChampionship.com . October 31, 2021.
  2. Web site: USL Championship Confirms 2021 Playoff Structure. USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. April 20, 2021. April 21, 2021.
  3. Web site: USL Championship Final to air live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and SiriusXM FC. USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. October 28, 2021. October 28, 2021.
  4. Web site: USL Championship Goal of the Playoffs Nominees Presented by Select. USLChampionship.com Staff. November 29, 2021. December 2, 2021.
  5. Web site: USL Championship Fans' Choice Save of the Playoffs Nominees. USLChampionship.com Staff. November 30, 2021. December 3, 2020.

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