| USL Second Division | |
| Pixels: | 150 |
| Country: | United States |
| Confed: | US Soccer |
| Founded: | 1995 |
| Folded: | 2010 |
| Teams: | 6–10 |
| Levels: | 3 |
| Domest Cup: | U.S. Open Cup |
| Champions: | Charleston Battery |
| Most Successful Club: | Charleston Battery Charlotte Eagles Long Island Rough Riders Richmond Kickers Utah Blitzz (2 titles each) |
The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer (top tier) and the USL First Division (second tier), and one step up from the USL Premier Development League and other leagues in the fourth tier.
In 1995 the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL), the de facto second tier of American soccer at the time, the league changed its name to the United States International Soccer League, and split into two leagues, one professional and one amateur. The professional league, initially called the USISL Pro League, was a FIFA-sanctioned Division 3 league, while the amateur league, (the 'Premier League'), was given Division 4 status and would later go on to become the USL Premier Development League. The first champions of the new USISL Pro League were the Long Island Rough Riders, who beat Minnesota Thunder 2–1 in the championship game.[1]
In 1996, the USISL established a new USISL Select League. The strongest USISL Pro League teams joined this new league, which was given Division 2 status alongside the existing A-League, while the remainder of the teams (plus expansion teams) remained at Division 3 level. Charleston Battery became the league's second champions in this year, beating the Charlotte Eagles in a penalty shootout in the 1996 USISL Pro League championship game.[2]
In 1997 the league changed its name to the USISL D-3 Pro League to further distinguish itself from the A-League, and then in 1999 the umbrella USISL changed its name to the United Soccer Leagues (USL), and as such the Pro League officially became known as the USL D3 Pro League. In 2003 the name was changed again to the USL Pro Select League, but during the season had to be changed to the USL Pro Soccer League for to legal reasons. In 2005 the league took its final name as the USL Second Division.
The USL Second Division dissolved following the 2010 season to make way for USL Pro, which combined the existing USL First and Second divisions and began play in 2011.[3] [4]
A total of 102 clubs have competed in USL-2.
See main article: List of USL-2 clubs.
Below is a list of clubs in the USL Second Division between 2005 and 2010 along with their current league affiliation (if any)
PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:Full from:01/01/2005 till:12/31/2010 text:Charlotte Eagles (2005–2010) bar:1 color:USLPro from:01/01/2011 till:12/31/2014 text:USL Pro (2011–2014) bar:1 color:PDL from:01/01/2015 till:end text:USL PDL (2015–present)
bar:2 color:Full from:01/01/2005 till:12/31/2007 text:Cincinnati Kings (2005–2007) bar:2 color:PDL from:01/01/2007 till:12/31/2012 shift:(20,-5) text:USL PDL (2008–2012)
bar:3 color:Full from:01/01/2005 till:12/31/2010 text:Harrisburg City Islanders (2005–2010) bar:3 color:USLPro from:01/01/2011 till:end text:USL Pro (2011–present)
bar:4 color:Full from:01/01/2005 till:12/31/2006 text:Long Island Rough Riders (2005–2006) bar:4 color:PDL from:01/01/2007 till:end shift:(60,-5) text:USL PDL (2007–present)
bar:5 color:Full from:01/01/2005 till:12/31/2007 text:New Hampshire Phantoms (2005–2007) bar:5 color:PDL from:01/01/2008 till:end text:USL PDL (2008–present)
bar:6 color:Full from:01/01/2005 till:12/31/2005 text:Northern Virginia Royals (2005) bar:6 color:PDL from:01/01/2006 till:end shift:(90,-5) text:USL PDL (2006–present)
bar:7 color:Full from:01/01/2005 till:12/31/2006 text:Pittsburgh Riverhounds (2005–2006) bar:7 color:Hiatus from:01/01/2007 till:12/31/2007 text: bar:7 color:Full from:01/01/2008 till:12/31/2010 text: bar:7 color:USLPro from:01/01/2011 till:end text:USL Pro (2011–present)
bar:8 color:Full from:01/01/2005 till:12/31/2009 text:Western Mass Pioneers (2005–2009) bar:8 color:PDL from:01/01/2010 till:end text:USL PDL (2010–present)
bar:9 color:Full from:01/01/2005 till:12/31/2009 text:Wilmington Hammerheads (2005–2006) bar:9 color:Hiatus from:01/01/2010 till:12/31/2010 text: bar:9 color:USLPro from:01/01/2011 till:12/31/2016 text:USL Pro (2011–2016) bar:9 color:PDL from:01/01/2017 till:end text:USL PDL (2017–present)
bar:10 color:Full from:01/01/2006 till:12/31/2010 text:Richmond Kickers (2006–2010) bar:10 color:USLPro from:01/01/2011 till:end text:USL Pro (2011–present)
bar:11 color:Full from:01/01/2007 till:12/31/2009 text:Bermuda Hogges (2007–2009) bar:11 color:PDL from:01/01/2010 till:12/31/2011 text:USL PDL (2010–2011)
bar:12 color:Full from:01/01/2007 till:12/31/2008 text:Cleveland City Stars (2007–2008) bar:12 color:USL1 from:01/01/2009 till:12/31/2009 shift:(20,-5) text:USL Division 1 (2009)
bar:13 color:Full from:01/01/2007 till:12/31/2009 text:Crystal Palace Baltimore (2007–2009) bar:13 color:USSFD2 from:01/01/2010 till:12/31/2010 text:USSF D2(2010)
bar:14 color:Full from:01/01/2007 till:12/31/2010 text:Real Maryland Monarchs (2008–2010) bar:14 color:PDL from:01/01/2011 till:12/31/2012 text:USL PDL (2011–2012)
bar:15 color:Full from:01/01/2010 till:12/31/2010 text:Charleston Battery(2010) bar:15 color:USLPro from:01/01/2011 till:end shift:(60,-5) text:USL Pro (2011–present)
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/2005ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightline unit:month increment:6 start:01/01/2005
TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center) text:
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| Season | Champion | Score | Runner-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USISL Pro League | ||||
| 1995 | Long Island Rough Riders | 2–1 | Minnesota Thunder | |
| 1996 | Charleston Battery | 3–2 (SO) | Charlotte Eagles | |
| USISL D-3 Pro League | ||||
| 1997 | 4–1 | Charlotte Eagles | ||
| 1998 | 3–2 (OT) | New Hampshire Phantoms | ||
| USL D3 Pro League | ||||
| 1999 | Western Mass Pioneers | 2–1 | South Jersey Barons | |
| 2000 | Charlotte Eagles | 5–0 | New Jersey Stallions | |
| 2001 | Utah Blitzz | 1–0 | Greenville Lions | |
| 2002 | Long Island Rough Riders | 2–1 | Wilmington Hammerheads | |
| USL Pro Select League (USL Pro Soccer League) | ||||
| 2003 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 2–1 (2OT) | Westchester Flames | |
| 2004 | Utah Blitzz | 2–2 | Charlotte Eagles | |
| USL Second Division | ||||
| 2005 | Charlotte Eagles | 2–2 | Western Mass Pioneers | |
| 2006 | 2–1 | Charlotte Eagles | ||
| 2007 | 1–1 | Richmond Kickers | ||
| 2008 | 2–1 | Charlotte Eagles | ||
| 2009 | 3–1 | Charlotte Eagles | ||
| 2010 | 2–1 | Richmond Kickers | ||
| Club | Winner | Seasons won |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Rough Riders | 2 | 1995, 2002 |
| Charleston Battery | 2 | 1996, 2010 |
| Charlotte Eagles | 2 | 2000, 2005 |
| Utah Blitzz | 2 | 2001, 2004 |
| Richmond Kickers | 2 | 2006, 2009 |
| Albuquerque Geckos | 1 | 1997 |
| Chicago Stingers | 1 | 1998 |
| Western Mass Pioneers | 1 | 1999 |
| Wilmington Hammerheads | 1 | 2003 |
| Harrisburg City Islanders | 1 | 2007 |
| Cleveland City Stars | 1 | 2008 |