| Western Conference | |
| Sport: | Soccer |
| Founded: | January 21, 2015 |
| Teams: | 12 |
| Champion: | Colorado Springs Switchbacks (2024) (1st title) |
| Most Champs: | (3 titles) |
The Western Conference is one of two conferences in USL Championship soccer.[1]
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Changes from 2014: USL Pro expanded and was rebranded as simply USL; the round robin table was split into two conferences: Eastern and Western.
Changes from 2015: Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, the Swope Park Rangers and San Antonio FC were added as expansion franchises;[2] Saint Louis FC moved in from the Eastern Conference; the Austin Aztex went on hiatus
Changes from 2016: Arizona United SC was renamed Phoenix Rising FC; the Orange County Blues was renamed Orange County SC; the Austin Aztex folded; Reno 1868 FC was added as an expansion franchise; Saint Louis FC moved out to the Eastern Conference[3]
Changes from 2017: Fresno FC and Las Vegas Lights FC were added as expansion franchises; the Vancouver Whitecaps 2 folded; Saint Louis FC moved in from the Western Conference.[4]
Changes from 2018: Austin Bold FC, El Paso Locomotive FC and the New Mexico United were added as expansion franchises.[5] ; Saint Louis FC and the Swope Park Rangers moved out to the Eastern Conference; Seattle Sounders FC 2 rebranded as Tacoma Defiance.
Changes from 2019: San Diego Loyal SC was added as an expansion franchise; the Tulsa Roughnecks were renamed FC Tulsa; Fresno FC was disbanded. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the conference was split into four groups. Two groups of four and two groups of five.[6]
Changes from 2020: The conference was divided into two divisions, Mountain and Pacific; Oakland Roots SC joined in from NISA: the Portland Timbers 2 was withdrawn by the MLS parent club; Reno 1868 FC was disbanded; Oklahoma City Energy and FC Tulsa moved out to the Eastern Conference.[7]
Changes from 2021: The Mountain and Pacific divisions were dropped; Monterey Bay FC was added as an expansion franchise; the Real Monarchs and the Tacoma Defiance were withdrawn by their MLS parent clubs and moved to MLS Next Pro; Austin Bold FC went on hiatus; will move to a yet-to-be-named Texas city for the 2023 season.[8]
Changes from 2022: The LA Galaxy II was withdrawn by their MLS parent club and moved to MLS Next Pro;[9]
Changes from 2023: Rio Grande Valley FC Toros[10] and San Diego Loyal SC[11] folded. FC Tulsa and Memphis 901 FC moved from the Eastern Conference.[12]
| Season | Champions | Score | Runners Up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | LA Galaxy II | 2–1 | OKC Energy FC | |
| 2016 | Swope Park Rangers | 3–0 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 | |
| 2017 | Swope Park Rangers | 0–0 (7–6 PK) | OKC Energy FC | |
| 2018 | Phoenix Rising FC | 2–1 | Orange County SC | |
| 2019 | Real Monarchs SLC | 2–1 (AET) | El Paso Locomotive FC | |
| 2020 | Phoenix Rising FC | 1–1 (4–2 PK) | El Paso Locomotive FC | |
| 2021 | Orange County SC | 1–1 (5–3 PK) | San Antonio FC | |
| 2022 | San Antonio FC | 2–0 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | |
| 2023 | Phoenix Rising FC | 2–1 | Sacramento Republic FC | |
| 2024 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 1–0 | Las Vegas Lights |
| Season | Team | Record | Playoffs result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Orange County Blues | 14–9–5 (+4) | Lost conference semifinals | |
| 2016 | Sacramento Republic FC | 14–10–6 (+16) | Lost conference quarterfinals | |
| 2017 | Real Monarchs SLC | 20–5–7 (+28) | Lost conference quarterfinals | |
| 2018 | Orange County SC | 20–8–6 (+30) | Lost conference final | |
| 2019 | Phoenix Rising FC | 24–4–6 (+53) | Lost conference semifinals | |
| 2020 | Reno 1868 FC | 11–2–3 (+22) | Lost conference semifinals | |
| 2021 | Phoenix Rising FC | 20–5–7 (+33) | Lost conference quarterfinals | |
| 2022 | San Antonio FC | 24–5–5 (+28) | Won USL Championship | |
| 2023 | Sacramento Republic FC | 18–6–10 (+25) | Lost conference final | |
| 2024 | New Mexico United | 18–11–5 (+2) | Lost conference semifinals |