The league is aiming to increase the availability of top-tier men's soccer in the U.S.

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USL intends to launch D1 men's soccer leagueAims to rival MLSAims to launch in 2027-28Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The USL is aiming to launch a new Division 1 men's professional league in 2027-28, the league announced Thursday.

The USL currently fields two professional leagues, the USL Championship and USL League One. Their new D1 league will field 12-14 teams that would operate separately and directly compete with Major League Soccer.

USL President Paul McDonough believes it is the correct next step with expansion, capitalizing on the growth of the game after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“It’s a key moment for soccer in this country, and as we see where this game is going, we want to be a part of it,” McDonough said, speaking with The Athletic. “Taking this big initiative allows for the growth of the game throughout the country."

The move will give the league a full three-tier pyramid, with an aim to institute promotion and relegation into the league; a long-term goal of the USL's.

“We’ve been very public about trying to get there with [pro-rel],” McDonough said. “We’re not there yet, but we’ll continue to push forward with it.”

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McDonough, who has held MLS experience with Orlando City, Atlanta United and Inter Miami, shared that leaders across the USL believe that the U.S. can strongly support an additional D1 men's soccer league, and that limiting the top-tier game to strictly MLS markets won't help grow the game domestically. The current MLS field, which rosters 30 teams, is very similar to that of the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA, but McDonough believes more markets are capable of supporting a new franchise.

“If soccer in the country is truly going to grow, it’s going to grow outside of 30 or 32 markets,” McDonough said.

U.S. Soccer's professional league standards require D1 leagues to have at least 12 teams, located across the Eastern, Central, and Pacific time zones, with at least 75 percent of the teams playing in metropolitan markets of at least 1 million people. All league stadiums must be enclosed with a minimum seating capacity of 15,000, while the league itself must also meet several levels of financial viability, including ownership groups that can demonstrate the financial capability to operate a team for at least five years. A first division league must also have a broadcast contract, full-time team staff for each club, and a full-time league operations staff.

The USL will be the first league to attempt a Division 1 rival franchise against MLS since the NASL in 2016. A jury ruled in early February, in favor of U.S. Soccer and MLS in an antitrust lawsuit filed by the NASL, which is now extinct, where they argued the league and federation conspired against them to receive sanctioning.

McDonough shared that the court decision did not affect their plans, but they waited until its conclusion to share this announcement.

“We probably were ready to go with this sooner, but with everything pending with U.S. Soccer, we just put it on hold until it was resolved,” McDonough said. “But we have to get going, so now’s the time.

Years back, the USL commissioned Twenty First Group to study how the USL could differentiate itself in the domestic market, and three options came from it, with one being promotion and relegation with a move to D1.

USL officials met with U.S. Soccer to go over their plans for a push for a D1 league, according to McDonough, with U.S. Soccer offering their support.

USL owners were informed of the decision Wednesday evening. There is an expectation that multiple teams from the USL Championship into the new D1 league, including markets like Louisville, Sacramento, Indianapolis, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.

Those markets have also been areas where MLS has shown interest. In 2019, Sacramento was announced as an expansion side before the prospective owner, Ron Burkle, pulled out of the agreement. McDonough pointed to Louisville and Albuquerque as markets with top-tier potential.

He added that the USL has a goal to build more soccer-specific stadiums to increase competition within the league, directly pointing out that a market like Louisville has thrived as a result.

“Stadiums change the whole dynamic of the business model, so having the proper stadium and training facilities is really, really important for us,” McDonough said. “And we need more owners with that ambition to drive the game forward.”

The USL and MLS operate differently — USL owners run teams as separate businesses, whereas MLS utilizes a single-entity system for ownership where owners are partners in league business. The USL does not have a salary cap, nor does it have restrictions on academy territories, unlike MLS, which gives MLS franchises control over youth players in their markets.

“We want to try to be as close to the global game as possible,” McDonough said. “We’re not going to go into the [fall-spring] calendar, because right now it doesn’t make sense for us, but every other way, we’re a lot like the rest of the teams around the world in how they govern and are functioning themselves.”

WHAT THE USL SAID

“Today is a defining moment for the USL and the future of soccer in the United States,” said Alec Papadakis, CEO of the United Soccer League. “Creating a Division 1 league is a bold step forward, expanding access to top-tier competition, deepening the connection between our communities, and taking another step in aligning with the structure of the global game. By uniting people through soccer and bringing Division One to more cities, we’re not just growing the sport—we’re creating lasting opportunities while building a more sustainable and vibrant soccer ecosystem in the U.S.

“The USL has long been committed to creating a structure that drives growth, opportunity, and long-term success in American soccer,” Papadakis added. “The USL model empowers clubs with greater autonomy and fosters a dynamic, interconnected system—one that allows them to compete at the highest level while remaining deeply rooted in their communities. Around the world, top-tier clubs thrive in cities of all sizes, and we believe the same is possible here. The demand and infrastructure are in place, and the potential for growth is immense.”

WHAT NEXT FOR THE USL?

The USL will now begin a journey to find new investors for potential D1 markets, with a goal in mind to have fewer restrictions and a cheaper expansion fee than MLS expansion sides — potentially being a more appealing entry point for potential buyers.

The latest MLS expansion franchise, San Diego FC, paid a $500M expansion fee.

The league aims to begin play in the 2027-28 campaign.