On Monday, the United Soccer League (USL) released the 2017 competition structure, which will feature a 30-week regular season with 32 matches per club and a 16-team postseason playoff tournament.
Following the annual USL Board of Governors mid-year meetings—which Sacramento Republic FC representatives attended last Thursday in San Jose in conjunction with the 2016 MLS All-Star Game—the league voted to expand the schedule based off the recommendation of the USL’s Off-Field Competition Committee.
The 2017 season will begin the weekend of March 24-26, 2017 and will feature a 32-match schedule that will be played in a span of no more than 30 weeks. The change is an expansion on the 2016 season, which consisted of 30 matches played in 27 weeks.
“After evaluating a number of proposals the League and its Competition Committee agreed on several changes that we felt would deliver value to our clubs through the extra home match,” said USL President Jake Edwards.
During the 2017 season, the new schedule will allow Republic FC to play each of its conference opponents at least twice—one home and one away match—with the remaining matches rounded out from regional rivalries.
With a 30-week regular season, the USL will be able to build a national footprint, while maintaining a balanced schedule. Additionally, the new schedule will give each club one additional home match.
“Lengthening the season gives us greater flexibility to create a more balanced schedule with less midweek matches,” said Edwards. “We will continue to build our national footprint with a focus on regional rivalries and a roadmap to a three-conference alignment in the very near future.”
The newly expanded schedule also ensures that no team plays an opponent more than three times during the 2017 regular season. For comparison, Republic FC’s 2016 schedule features four matches against both Orange County Blues FC and LA Galaxy II.
The 2017 postseason format will remain identical to the 2016 postseason, with the top eight clubs in each conference qualifying for the 16-team postseason.
For more information about the USL, including the annual USL Board of Governors mid-year meetings, visit USLSoccer.com.
On Monday, the United Soccer League (USL) released the 2017 competition structure, which will feature a 30-week regular season with 32 matches per club and a 16-team postseason playoff tournament.
Following the annual USL Board of Governors mid-year meetings—which Sacramento Republic FC representatives attended last Thursday in San Jose in conjunction with the 2016 MLS All-Star Game—the league voted to expand the schedule based off the recommendation of the USL’s Off-Field Competition Committee.
The 2017 season will begin the weekend of March 24-26, 2017 and will feature a 32-match schedule that will be played in a span of no more than 30 weeks. The change is an expansion on the 2016 season, which consisted of 30 matches played in 27 weeks.
“After evaluating a number of proposals the League and its Competition Committee agreed on several changes that we felt would deliver value to our clubs through the extra home match,” said USL President Jake Edwards.
During the 2017 season, the new schedule will allow Republic FC to play each of its conference opponents at least twice—one home and one away match—with the remaining matches rounded out from regional rivalries.
With a 30-week regular season, the USL will be able to build a national footprint, while maintaining a balanced schedule. Additionally, the new schedule will give each club one additional home match.
“Lengthening the season gives us greater flexibility to create a more balanced schedule with less midweek matches,” said Edwards. “We will continue to build our national footprint with a focus on regional rivalries and a roadmap to a three-conference alignment in the very near future.”
The newly expanded schedule also ensures that no team plays an opponent more than three times during the 2017 regular season. For comparison, Republic FC’s 2016 schedule features four matches against both Orange County Blues FC and LA Galaxy II.
The 2017 postseason format will remain identical to the 2016 postseason, with the top eight clubs in each conference qualifying for the 16-team postseason.
For more information about the USL, including the annual USL Board of Governors mid-year meetings, visit USLSoccer.com.
