The Eastern Conference is one of two conferences in USL Championship soccer.[1]
| League | USL Championship |
|---|---|
| Sport | Soccer |
| Founded | January 21, 2015 |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Most recent champion(s) | Charleston Battery (2023) (1st title) |
| Most titles | Louisville City FC (4 titles) |
Current standings edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisville City FC | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 35 | 11 | +24 | 29 | Playoffs |
| 2 | Charleston Battery | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 27 | 9 | +18 | 28 | |
| 3 | Indy Eleven | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 23 | |
| 4 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 24 | 12 | +12 | 22 | |
| 5 | Birmingham Legion FC | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 15 | −3 | 18 | |
| 6 | Detroit City FC | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 17 | |
| 7 | Loudoun United FC | 13 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 17 | +1 | 17 | |
| 8 | North Carolina FC | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 13 | +2 | 14 | |
| 9 | Hartford Athletic | 11 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 22 | −11 | 13 | |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 14 | −3 | 13 | |
| 11 | Rhode Island FC | 12 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 17 | −6 | 11 | |
| 12 | Miami FC | 13 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 27 | −14 | 7 |
Rules for classification: 1) head-to-head points; 2) head-to-head goal differential; 3) points-per game within conference; 4) total wins; 5) total goal differential; 6) total goals scored; 7) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 8) disciplinary points; 9) coin toss or drawing of lots
Members edit
Current edit
Conference Lineups edit
Clubs timeline edit
Conference Member Club moved to Western Conference Former clubs Club playing in different league
‡Orlando City B & Rochester Rhinos went on hiatus after the 2017 season.[2][3]
2015 (12 teams) edit
- Charleston Battery
- Charlotte Independence
- Harrisburg City Islanders
- Louisville City FC
- FC Montreal
- New York Red Bulls II
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds
- Richmond Kickers
- Rochester Rhinos
- St. Louis FC
- Toronto FC II
- Wilmington Hammerheads
Changes from 2014: USL Pro expanded and was rebranded as simply USL; the round robin table was split into two conferences: Eastern and Western.
2016 (14 teams) edit
- Bethlehem Steel FC
- Charleston Battery
- Charlotte Independence
- FC Cincinnati
- FC Montreal
- Harrisburg City Islanders
- Louisville City FC
- New York Red Bulls II
- Orlando City B
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds
- Richmond Kickers
- Rochester Rhinos
- Toronto FC II
- Wilmington Hammerheads
Changes from 2015: Bethlehem Steel FC, FC Cincinnati and Orlando City B were added as expansion franchises;[4] St. Louis FC moved out to the Western Conference.
2017 (15 teams) edit
- Bethlehem Steel FC
- Charleston Battery
- Charlotte Independence
- FC Cincinnati
- Harrisburg City Islanders
- Louisville City FC
- New York Red Bulls II
- Orlando City B
- Ottawa Fury FC
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds
- Richmond Kickers
- Rochester Rhinos
- Saint Louis FC
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Toronto FC II
Changes from 2016: Ottawa Fury FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies moved in from the North American Soccer League; FC Montreal was disbanded; Saint Louis FC moved back in from the Western Conference;[5] Wilmington Hammerheads FC moved out to the Premier Development League (now USL League Two).
2018 (16 teams) edit
- Atlanta United 2
- Bethlehem Steel FC
- Charleston Battery
- Charlotte Independence
- FC Cincinnati
- Indy Eleven
- Louisville City FC
- Nashville SC
- New York Red Bulls II
- North Carolina FC
- Ottawa Fury FC
- Penn FC
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds
- Richmond Kickers
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Toronto FC II
Changes from 2017: USL was divided into three divisions: Championship, League One and League Two; Atlanta United 2 was added as an expansion franchise; the Indy Eleven and North Carolina FC moved in from the North American Soccer League; the Harrisburg City Islanders were renamed Penn FC; Orlando City B and the Rochester Rhinos went on hiatus; Saint Louis FC moved out back to the Western Conference.[6]
2019 (18 teams) edit
- Atlanta United 2
- Bethlehem Steel FC
- Birmingham Legion FC
- Charleston Battery
- Charlotte Independence
- Hartford Athletic
- Indy Eleven
- Loudoun United FC
- Louisville City FC
- Memphis 901 FC
- Nashville SC
- New York Red Bulls II
- North Carolina FC
- Ottawa Fury FC
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds
- Saint Louis FC
- Swope Park Rangers
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
Changes from 2018: FC Cincinnati disbanded to make way for the MLS franchise;[7] Birmingham Legion FC, Hartford Athletic, Loudoun United FC and Memphis 901 FC were added as expansion franchises; Saint Louis FC and the Swope Park Rangers moved in from the Western Conference; Orlando City B, the Richmond Kickers and Toronto FC II moved out to USL League One; Penn FC and the Rochester Rhinos went on hiatus. They will move to USL League One in 2020.
2020 (17 teams) edit
Group E (4 teams) edit
Group F (5 teams) edit
Group G (4 teams) edit
Group H (4 teams) edit
Changes from 2019: Nashville SC moved out to Major League Soccer; Bethlehem Steel FC was renamed Philadelphia Union II; the Swope Park Rangers were renamed Sporting Kansas City II; Ottawa Fury FC was not sanctioned by U.S. Soccer and had their franchise rights sold to Miami FC; Penn FC was disbanded. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the conference was split into four groups. Three groups of four and one group of five.[8]
2021 (16 teams) edit
Atlantic Division (8 teams) edit
- Charleston Battery
- Charlotte Independence
- Hartford Athletic
- Loudoun United FC
- Miami FC
- New York Red Bulls II
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
Central Division (8 teams) edit
- Atlanta United 2
- Birmingham Legion FC
- Indy Eleven
- Louisville City FC
- Memphis 901 FC
- OKC Energy FC
- Sporting Kansas City II
- FC Tulsa
Changes from 2020: The conference was divided into two divisions, Atlantic and Central; the OKC Energy FC and FC Tulsa moved in from the Western Conference; North Carolina FC moved out to USL League One; Philadelphia Union II was withdrawn by its MLS parent club; Saint Louis FC was disbanded.[9]
2022 (14 teams) edit
- Atlanta United 2
- Birmingham Legion FC
- Charleston Battery
- Detroit City FC
- Hartford Athletic
- Indy Eleven
- Louisville City FC
- Loudoun United FC
- Memphis 901 FC
- Miami FC
- New York Red Bulls II
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
- FC Tulsa
Changes from 2021: The Atlantic and Central divisions were dropped; OKC Energy FC went on hiatus; Charlotte Independence moved to USL League One; Detroit City FC joined from NISA; Sporting Kansas City II was withdrawn by its MLS parent club and moved to MLS Next Pro.[10]
2023 (12 teams) edit
- Birmingham Legion FC
- Charleston Battery
- Detroit City FC
- Hartford Athletic
- Indy Eleven
- Louisville City FC
- Loudoun United FC
- Memphis 901 FC
- Miami FC
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
- FC Tulsa
Changes from 2022: Atlanta United 2 and New York Red Bulls II were withdrawn by its MLS parent club and moved to MLS Next Pro.[11]
2024 (12 teams) edit
- Birmingham Legion FC
- Charleston Battery
- Detroit City FC
- Hartford Athletic
- Indy Eleven
- Louisville City FC
- Loudoun United FC
- Miami FC
- North Carolina FC
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Rhode Island FC
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
Changes from 2023: North Carolina FC returned from USL League One.[12] Rhode Island FC was added as an expansion franchise.[13] Memphis 901 FC and FC Tulsa were moved to the Western Conference.[14]
Eastern Conference Playoff champions by year edit
| Bold | USL Champions |
| Season | Champions | Score | Runners Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Rochester Rhinos | 1–0 | Louisville City FC |
| 2016 | New York Red Bulls II | 1–1 (4–3 PK) | Louisville City FC |
| 2017 | Louisville City FC | 1–1 (4–3 PK) | New York Red Bulls II |
| 2018 | Louisville City FC | 5–1 | New York Red Bulls II |
| 2019 | Louisville City FC | 3–1 (AET) | Indy Eleven |
| 2020[a] | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–1 | Louisville City FC |
| 2021 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3–2 (AET) | Louisville City FC |
| 2022 | Louisville City FC | 1–0 (AET) | Tampa Bay Rowdies |
| 2023 | Charleston Battery | 2–1 | Louisville City FC |
Eastern Conference regular season champions by year edit
| Bold | USL Regular Season Champions |
| Season | Team | Record | Playoffs result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Rochester Rhinos | 17–1–10 (+25) | Won USL Championship |
| 2016 | New York Red Bulls II | 21–3–6 (+40) | Won USL Championship |
| 2017 | Louisville City FC | 18–6–8 (+27) | Won USL Championship |
| 2018 | FC Cincinnati | 23–3–8 (+38) | Lost Conference semifinals |
| 2019 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 19-4-11 (+28) | Lost Conference semifinals |
| 2020 | Louisville City FC | 11-3-2 (+16) | Lost Conference Final |
| 2021 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 23–7–2 (+32) | Lost Championship final |
| 2022 | Louisville City FC | 22–6–6 (+37) | Lost Championship final |
| 2023 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 19–5–10 (+21) | Lost Conference quarterfinals |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Expanded USL Unveils 2015 Format". United Soccer League (USL). January 21, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ Tsujimoto, Ben (November 30, 2017). "Rochester Rhinos to take hiatus from United Soccer League". Buffalo, NY: Buffalo News. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ "Orlando City B Elects to Forgo 2018 USL Division II Season". Orlando City SC. January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "2016 USL Alignment and Format Announced". United Soccer League (USL). January 20, 2016. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ "USL Announces 2017 Conference Alignment". www.uslsoccer.com. United Soccer League (USL). January 9, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ "USL Announces 2018 Conference Alignment". soccerstadiumdigest.com. Soccer Stadium Digest. January 12, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ "USL Championship Unveils 2019 Conference Alignment". United Soccer League (USL). December 13, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ^ Lenard, John (June 26, 2020). "USL Championship announces Eastern Conference groups". 3rddegree.net. 3rd Degree. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ "USL Championship Releases 2021 League Alignment, Republic FC in Pacific Division". www.sacrepublicfc.com. Sacramento Republic FC. March 2, 2021. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ Krysinsky, John (December 21, 2021). "USL Championship releases 2022 schedule format and conference realignment". pittsburghsoccernow.com. Pittsburgh, PA: PGH Soccer Now. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ "USL sets Championship's 2023 conference alignment, season format". www.loucity.com. Louisville, KY: Louisville City FC. December 20, 2022. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ "North Carolina FC to rejoin USL Championship in 2024". North Carolina FC. August 7, 2023.
- ^ "Rhode Island Unveils 7,500-Seat Soccer-Specific Stadium Anchored by USL Championship Club". USL Championship. December 2, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ "USL Championship Unveils 2024 Regular Season Schedule". USL Championship. USL Championship Staff. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Carlisle, Jeff (2020-10-31). "USL final between Tampa Bay and Phoenix canceled after COVID-19 positives". www.espn.com. ESPN. Archived from the original on 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
The USL Championship final between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Phoenix Rising has been canceled after multiple Tampa Bay players tested positive for COVID-19, the league announced on Saturday.