Another USL Championship has come to a conclusion, and with it, heightened energy around the league. It seems that with every year the league gets bigger and bigger. It’s not just more teams, more fans and more visibility. Rather, there’s a prevailing sense that this thing – once regarded merely as a second tier of American soccer – is now a greatly improved product.
Those involved, such as Oliver Wyss, USL head of global football development, suggest that the league is now MLS adjacent, and exists in its own sporting universe. Not everyone would subscribe to that theory, but In truth, this is more about a growing league that keeps getting better. And after a gripping 3-0 win for Colorado Springs Switchbacks over upstarts Rhode Island FC in front of a packed stadium last Saturday, one thing remains clear: there’s so much potential here.
GOAL US takes a look at the 2024 USL Championship season after a campaign that was as eye-raising as it was gripping.