| Country2: | United States |
| Sport2: | Soccer |
| Pr: | No |
| Federation: | United States Soccer Federation |
| Confederation: | CONCACAF |
| Second: | USL Championship (men) |
The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are not linked by the system of promotion and relegation typical in soccer elsewhere. Instead, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF or U.S. Soccer) defines professional leagues in three levels, called divisions, with all other leagues sanctioned by the USSF not having an official designated level or division.
For practical and historical reasons, some teams from Bermuda, Canada, and Puerto Rico (considered a separate country by FIFA) can also compete in these leagues. However, these teams are not eligible for the U.S. Open Cup and cannot represent the United States in the CONCACAF Champions Cup because they are not affiliated with U.S. Soccer.
No professional league in any of the major pro sports leagues in the U.S. or Canada uses a system of promotion and relegation.[1] The country's governing body for the sport, the United States Soccer Federation (also known as the USSF or U.S. Soccer), oversees the league system and is responsible for sanctioning professional leagues. The leagues themselves are responsible for admitting and administering individual teams. Amateur soccer in the United States is regulated by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA), the only amateur soccer organization sanctioned by the USSF. Automatic promotion and relegation between its leagues, as exists in many other national league systems, was considered by United Soccer League, but was never implemented; although voluntary promotion and relegation has occurred.[2] Some amateur leagues sanctioned by the USASA also use promotion and relegation systems within multiple levels of their leagues. However, there has never been a merit-based promotion system offered to the USASA's "national" leagues, the NPSL and League Two.
College soccer in the United States is sanctioned by bodies outside the direct control of the USSF, the most important of which is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). See NCAA Division I women's soccer programs, NCAA Division I men's soccer programs, and NCAA Division II men's soccer programs for a list of college soccer programs in the United States.
The standards for Division I, II and III leagues are set by the USSF.[3]
| Men | Women | Indoor | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of teams | 12 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | |||
| Year 3: 14 | Year 3: 10 Year 6: 12 | Year 4: 10 | Year 3: 8 | Year 3: 8 | ||||
| Req. participation | All eligible CONCACAF competitions | Open Cup | All eligible CONCACAF competitions | Open Cup | ||||
| Geographic coverage | Eastern, Central, and Pacific time zones | Two time zones | Two time zones | |||||
| Year 6: Eastern, Central, and Pacific time zones | Year 6: Eastern, Central, and Pacific time zones | |||||||
| Market population | >75% with >1mil | >75% with >750k | >75% with >750k | >50% with >500k | ||||
| Stadium capacity | 15,000 | 5,000 | 1,000 | 5,000 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| Lease lead | 180 days | 120 days | 120 days | |||||
| Bond | $1 mil | $750 k | $250 k | $100 k | $50 k | $20 k | $20 k | |
| Time guarantee | 5 years | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | ||||
| Primary owner worth | $40 mil | $20 mil | $10 mil | $15 mil | $7.5 mil | $5 mil | $3 mil | |
Ownership requirements
Market requirements
Financial viability
Media
Team organization
League operations
In addition to the required positions filled by full-time staff, the league office must have full-time staff performing the functions of a chief operations officer, a chief financial officer and a director of marketing/public relations on a year-round basis
Ownership requirements
Markets and stadia
Ownership requirements
Markets and stadia
| League | Abbreviation | Teams | First season | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Major League Soccer | MLS | 29 | 1996 | |
| II | USL Championship | USLC | 24 | 2011 | |
| align=center rowspan="3" | III | MLS Next Pro | MLSNP | 29 | 2022 |
| National Independent Soccer Association | NISA | 9 | 2019–20 | ||
| USL League One | USL1 | 12 | 2019 |
Since 1996, Major League Soccer (MLS) has been the only sanctioned USSF Division I men's outdoor soccer league in the United States. MLS has grown from 10 teams in 1996 to 29 teams, with a 30th team set to play in 2025.
The USL Championship (USLC) is the only sanctioned Division II men's outdoor soccer league as of 2021. Formed in 2010 as a result of the merger of the former USL First Division and USL Second Division, the USL Championship was sanctioned as Division III league from 2011 to 2016 before becoming provisionally sanctioned as a Division II league for 2017,[5] and receiving full Division II sanctioning in 2018.[6]
The USL Championship expanded almost three-fold since its first season in 2011 to include 35 teams in the 2020 season, with the league divided into two conferences, Eastern and Western. After that season, held amid the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, five teams left the league.
The previously Division II North American Soccer League (NASL) was formed in 2009, but did not debut until 2011 following the controversial 2010 season that saw neither the USL First Division nor the NASL receive Division II sanctioning from the USSF, resulting in the temporary USSF Division 2 Pro League. NASL was sanctioned as a Division II league from 2011 to 2016; when it fielded 8 teams for the 2017 season, U.S. Soccer only granted the league provisional sanctioning as it fell under the 12-team requirement.[7] The USSF rejected the NASL's application to maintain provisional Division II status for the 2018 season as the NASL did not present a plan[8] on how it would meet the Division II criteria.[9] In response, the NASL filed "a federal antitrust suit against the U.S. Soccer Federation"[10] in an attempt to force USSF to drop all Division designations. Due to the continuing litigation against U.S. Soccer, the NASL then had to postpone its season to August 2018 and lost four more teams in the process.
In March 2017, United Soccer League announced following the sanctioning of the USL Championship as a Division II league it would start a new tier in its professional structure.[11] [12] USL League One received sanctioning in December 2018 and conducted its first season in 2019 with 10 teams. The league expanded to include 12 teams for its second season in 2020 and further expansion had been planned prior to the 2021 season, but was delayed until 2022 or later by COVID-19.
A second Division III league, National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) debuted in August 2019 with eight teams. The league initially played a fall-to-spring season spanning two calendar years but switched to the standard U.S. schedule in 2022.
In September 2015, it was reported that the USSF was proposing the addition of eligibility requirements for sanctioned Division I soccer leagues, including that they must have at least 16 teams, stadiums with a capacity of at least 15,000, and at least 75% of the teams must be in cities that have a population of at least 2 million.[13]
In 2018, the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a nationwide amateur league announced the intention to set up a professional division, NPSL Pro. As part of the announcement, NPSL initiated a single season competition, the NPSL Founders Cup, involving 11 teams that will form the new professional league in 2020. As of 2022 this has not materialized and NPSL remains an amateur league.[14]
Below is a list of the number of teams[15] sanctioned by the USSF in the so-called "modern era" under the division sanctioning scheme described above.
| Year | Total pro teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | Non-sanctioned | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLS | APSL | USISL PL | – | |||
| 1994 | 7 | – | 7 | - | ||
| 1995 | 61 | – | 6 | 55 | ||
| MLS | APSL/USISL SL | USISL PL | – | |||
| 1996 | 65 | 10 | 28 | 27 | ||
| MLS | A-League | USISL D3PL | – | |||
| 1997 | 73 | 10 | 24 | 39 | ||
| 1998 | 79 | 12 | 28 | 39 | ||
| 1999 | 68 | 12 | 30 | 26 | ||
| 2000 | 59 | 12 | 25 | 22 | ||
| 2001 | 50 | 12 | 21 | 17 | ||
| 2002 | 46 | 10 | 18 | 18 | ||
| Colspan=2 | MLS | A-League | Pro League | – | ||
| 2003 | 42 | 10 | 19 | 13 | ||
| 2004 | 38 | 10 | 16 | 12 | ||
| Colspan=2 | MLS | USL-1 | USL-2 | MLS Reserve | ||
| 2005 | 33 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 12 | |
| 2006 | 33 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 12 | |
| 2007 | 35 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 13 | |
| 2008 | 35 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 14 | |
| 2009 | 35 | 15 | 11 | 9 | ||
| Colspan=2 | MLS | USSF D2 Pro | USL-2 | – | ||
| 2010 | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | ||
| Colspan=2 | MLS | NASL | USL | MLS Reserve | ||
| 2011 | 38 | 18 | 8 | 12 | 18 | |
| 2012 | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 19 | |
| 2013 | 40 | 19 | 8 | 13 | 15 | |
| 2014 | 43 | 19 | 10 | 14 | 8 | |
| 2015 | 55 | 20 | 11 | 24 | ||
| 2016 | 61 | 20 | 12 | 29 | ||
| Colspan=2 | MLS | NASL/USL | – | – | ||
| 2017 | 60 | 22 | 38 | none | ||
| MLS | USL | – | – | |||
| 2018 | 56 | 23 | 33 | none | ||
| MLS | USLC | USL1/NISA | – | |||
| 2019 | 77 | 24 | 36 | 17 | ||
| 2020 | 81 | 26 | 35 | 20 | ||
| 2021 | 79 | 27 | 31 | 21 | ||
| MLS | USLC | USL1/MLSNP/NISA | – | |||
| 2022 | 95 | 28 | 27 | 40 | ||
| 2023 | 101 | 29 | 24 | 48 | ||
| 2024 | 103 | 29 | 24 | 50 | ||
The USSF does not officially recognize distinctions beyond the three professional divisions above. Currently, three other national leagues are sanctioned by the US Soccer Federation and one of those, the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), is part of USASA which is a national association member of the USSF and the only member of the Adult Council. USL League Two (USL 2) is a national league run by the USL. Both are recognized in practical terms as playing at a higher level and both since 2020 are considered national leagues earning automatic berths to the US Open Cup first round based on their previous season's league results rather than going through local qualifying.[16] The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) is also recognized by the USSF as a National Affiliate, but does not gain automatic entry to the Open Cup through the National League track, instead going through local qualifiers. Additionally, clubs in USL2, UPSL and NPSL pay some of their players and are more accurately described as semi-professional leagues.
USL League Two takes place during the summer months, and has age restrictions.[17] Thus, the player pool is drawn mainly from NCAA college soccer players seeking to continue playing high level soccer during their summer break, while still maintaining their college eligibility.[18] The National Premier Soccer League is similar to USL2 and also attracts top amateur talent from around the United States. However, unlike USL2, the NPSL does not have any age limits or restrictions, thus incorporating both college players and former professional players.. The United Premier Soccer League takes place year round with two seasons, one in spring and one in fall. Unlike USL2 and NPSL, the UPSL does not rely on college players and is the national league with the most diverse participation.
The table below shows the current structure of the system. For each division, its official name, sponsorship name, number of clubs and conferences/divisions are given. The United States Soccer Federation regulates the standards for a league or division to be recognized as professional, while also determining the level of division for each league.[19]
| Division | Professional leagues sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Major League Soccer 29 clubs – 2 conferences | ||
| II | USL Championship 24 clubs – 2 conferences | ||
| III | MLS Next Pro 29 clubs – 2 conferences | National Independent Soccer Association 9 clubs | USL League One 12 clubs |
| Amateur leagues | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Geographic scope | USASA Sanctioned | Non-USASA Sanctioned | |
| National Leagues | National Premier Soccer League 92 clubs – 4 regions with 14 conferences | USL League Two 128 clubs – 4 conferences with 18 divisions | |
| NISA Nation 21 clubs – 4 regions | United Premier Soccer League Premier Division (Tier 1) – 4 conferences with 25 divisions | ||
| The League for Clubs 5 clubs | |||
| Regional and Local Leagues | USASA Regional Elite Amateur and State Premier Leagues Various Multi-State and State Premier Leagues – 4 regions | United Premier Soccer League Division 1 (Tier 2) – 4 conferences with 17 divisions | |
| USASA State Leagues Various, many with multiple tiers – 54 state associations | |||
The Women's United Soccer Association started playing in 2001, but suspended operations in 2003. It was replaced in 2009 with Women's Professional Soccer. WPS closed after the 2011 season due to a dispute with owners, and the WPSL Elite League was the de facto top tier of women's soccer in 2012. In November 2012 the National Women's Soccer League, sponsored by the United States Soccer Federation, the Canadian Soccer Association and the Mexican Football Federation was announced.[20] The league started play in April 2013. Mexico withdrew from sponsorship of the NWSL once it established its own women's league in 2017.
For many years, there were two leagues that acted as an unofficial lower division. The United Soccer Leagues ran the W-League from 1995 to 2015.[21] [22] The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) was founded in 1998.[23] Almost immediately following the demise of the W-League, United Women's Soccer was founded with orphan W-League teams and WPSL breakaways.[24] UWS then formed a U23 reserve league, UWS2, in early 2020.[25]
After the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, USL began exploring the idea of creating a professional league to directly compete with NWSL.[26] This effort was scaled back to running an amateur revival of the W-League, which would operate beneath the DII Women's Independent Soccer League (WISL) (operated by NISA) and a planned DIII league run by UWS.[27] The amateur USL W League was officially revived in June 2021, called by USL as "pre-professional",[28] and three months later, plans for a new USL Super League were announced, initially at Division II status in direct competition to WISL, both of which aimed to launch in 2023.[29] [30] USL later announced it would instead pursue Division I sanctioning for the USL Super League, launching with eight teams in 2024 and an additional five teams in 2025.[31]
While there was never official distinction between the national amateur leagues, it was commonly assumed that the W-League was a higher quality than WPSL. Two W-League teams had effectively promoted into the first division – the Buffalo Flash becoming the Western New York Flash in 2011 and D.C. United Women becoming the Washington Spirit in 2013 – while no WPSL teams have ever done so. UWS, as W-League's spiritual successor, has strengthened this image of being the higher-quality amateur league by attracting four teams that had been associated with WPSL Elite.
| Division | Professional leagues by the United States Soccer Federation | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| I | National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) 14 clubs | USL Super League (USLS) 8 clubs | |
| II | |||
| III | WPSL Pro (sanctioning pending) 10 clubs (planned, 2025)[32] | ||
| Amateur leagues not directly sanctioned by USSF | |||
| Affiliated through United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA)[33] [34] | Affiliation TBA | ||
| United Women's Soccer (UWS) 40 clubs – 3 conferences | Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) 142 clubs – 4 regions with 16 conferences | USL W League (USLW) 81 clubs – 4 conferences with 12 divisions | |
| United Women's Soccer 2 (UWS2) 19 clubs – 2 conferences | |||
| United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) 55 state associations in 4 regions See List of USASA affiliated leagues for complete list Region I Region II Region III Region IV | |||
Indoor soccer in North America is governed by the Confederación Panamericana de Minifutbol (CPM), a member of the World Minifootball Federation (WMF).
| Leagues/divisions | ||
| Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) 13 clubs | ||
| Major Arena Soccer League 2 (M2) 13 clubs | ||
| Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL) 17 men's clubs 15 women's clubs | Major Arena Soccer League 3 (M3) 7 men's clubs |