Back الرابطة المتحدة لكرة القدم Arabic United Soccer League II Catalan United Soccer League German United Soccer Leagues Greek United Soccer Leagues French United Soccer League (lega) Italian ユナイテッドサッカーリーグ Japanese 유나이티드 사커 리그 Korean United Soccer Leagues Dutch United Soccer League Polish
 | |
| Founded | 1986 |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Divisions | |
| Number of clubs |
|
| Level on pyramid | 1–4 |
| Domestic cup(s) | U.S. Open Cup (men's) |
| League cup(s) | USL Cup (men's) |
| TV partners | |
| Website | uslsoccer.com |
The United Soccer League (USL) is a governing body that organizes a number of professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W League for women, and the USL Academy and USL Youth for youth players. It also organizes the USL Cup, a league cup competition for its professional men's clubs.
The USL began in 1986 as a men's indoor soccer minor league, before branching out into outdoor soccer in 1989. After rebranding as the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL), it commenced a women's outdoor league (the W-League) and split its men's outdoor league into two pro and one amateur league over the course of 1995–96. Its top pro flight would merge with the American Professional Soccer League to become the A-League in 1997 – a decision influenced by the advent of Major League Soccer (MLS). Its indoor league folded in 1998. The USISL adopted its current name, the USL, in 1999.
In 2011, a number of USL clubs broke away to form the North American Soccer League, necessitating the merger of its two pro leagues into one. The USL also took ownership of the Major Indoor Soccer League, though it and the W-League would fold by 2015. Despite these setbacks, the USL experienced growth in the late 2010s, leading to a split of the professional leagues back into two in 2019. It also revived the W League and established a pro women's league over the course of 2022–24. A third men's pro league, tenatively named USL Division One, is currently being planned for a 2027–28 debut.
The Rochester Rhinos men's team and Pali Blues women's team are the most successful clubs in the USL, having won four championships each in its top flights. Two USL clubs, the Rochester Rhinos and the Richmond Kickers, have won the men's U.S. Open Cup. Seven men's clubs that played in the USL – the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps, Montreal Impact, Orlando City SC, FC Cincinnati, and Nashville SC – are now MLS franchises.