Virtually nobody knew what the emergency meeting was about. There was going to be an announcement from USL League President Paul McDonough. But it was a Wednesday night. These things aren’t normal.
“Guys were taking bets as to what the announcement would be, or what the call was about,” McDonough told GOAL, reflecting on the hastily called meeting among USL club owners earlier this month.
The information shared was nothing any of them expected: The USL was planning to restructure the way professional soccer is played in the United States. The organization, viewed by many as the little brother to MLS, revealed to its owners that within the next few years – likely 2028, McDonough told GOAL – the USL intends to launch a Division 1 soccer league in the United States, on the same level as MLS.
And McDonough told them he planned to go public with the news within 24 hours.
That was Feb. 12. The USL’s plan was first reported on Feb. 13. Since then, USL clubs been forced to figure out whether they want to play in the highest division of American soccer, or, effectively, run in place.