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United Premier Soccer League

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United Premier Soccer League
File:UPSL new logo.png
Founded2011
CountryUnited States
ConfederationCONCACAF
US Soccer
Conferences7
Number of teams300+
Level on pyramid4
Promotion toDivision I (Internal)
Relegation toDivision II (Internal)
Domestic cup(s)Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Current championsMaryland Bobcats FC
(2019 Fall)
Most championshipsCalifornia United FC II
OC Crew
(2 titles each)
WebsiteUPSLsoccer
Current: 2020 United Premier Soccer League season

The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) is an American professional development soccer league that was founded in Santa Ana in Southern California, with teams in regionalized conferences throughout the United States. The league was founded in 2011 by Santa Ana Winds FC club owner Leonel López as a regional league for teams in Greater Los Angeles, but expanded to include teams from 32 states as of the 2019 UPSL season.

Two seasons are played each year, with regional play culminating in a playoff system that crowns a single national champion each season. The league features internal promotion and relegation with up to three levels in some regions; only clubs in the top tier Division I are eligible to compete for the national championship.

The league is a United States Adult Soccer Association National League, within the larger United States soccer league system.[1][2]

History

The UPSL was formed in 2011 with 10 teams, and has grown to include over 300 member clubs across the nation. Each UPSL team is independently owned and operated. The league consists of two seasons each calendar year, with the Spring season beginning in March and ending with national playoffs in July, and a Fall season with play beginning in September with national playoffs in December.[3]

UPSL announced it would begin promotion/relegation system beginning in 2017.[4][5] Teams will compete in two divisions: Pro Premier and Championship.

In November 2016 the UPSL announced the addition of a Colorado conference set to begin in 2017.[6][7]

In August 2017, the league announced that all eleven clubs of the Premier League of America would be joining the USPL as a new Midwest Conference. The conference will initiate friendlies during the 2017 Fall Season and begin league play in 2018.


U.S. Open Cup

Former member club PSA Elite is known for reaching the fourth round of the 2014 and the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup by knocking out higher-level professional teams. Three UPSL teams, La Máquina FC, L.A. Wolves FC, and San Nicolas FC qualified for the 2016 U.S. Open Cup.[8] La Máquina FC advanced to the fourth round (knocking out Portland Timbers U23, Sacramento Gold, and LA Wolves FC) before falling to LA Galaxy.[9] The UPSL's participants in the 2016 US Open Cup altogether defeated teams from the PDL (Timbers U-23), NPSL (Sacramento Gold), and USL (Orange County Blues FC).

League structure

The UPSL operates in a geographical conference structure with localized Divisions within each Conference. The number of Divisions within each Conference varies based on various geographical factors including distance and population. More dense Conferences are divided into a promotion/relegation structure with Division I and Division II.[10]

Conference Division(s) Tier 1 Tier 2
Central Heart Division I
North Division I Division II
Red River Division I
South Division I Division II
Midwest Central Division I
East Division I
West Division I
Mountain Colorado Division I
Utah - Idaho Division I
Northeast American Division I
Beltway Division I
Long Island (New) Division I
Patriot Division I
Western New York (New) Division I
Southeast Florida - Central Division I
Florida - Palm Beach Division I Division II
Florida - South Division I Division II
Georgia Division I
Gulf Coast (New) Division I
Mid-Atlantic North I
Mid-Atlantic South Division I
Mid-South Division I
Southwest Arizona Division I
Nevada (New) Division I
New Mexico - West Texas Division I
Western SoCal North Division I Division II
SoCal South Division I Division II
Wild West Division I

Current teams

Map of teams

class=notpageimage|
Locations of UPSL Pro Premier clubs for 2018

List of teams

Champions

Season Champion Runner-up Result
2011–12 OC Crew SC Santa Ana Winds FC 4–2
2012–13 Santa Ana Winds FC Tustin Legends FC
2013–14 OC Crew SC Tustin Legends FC 5–3
2014–15 La Máquina FC Glory United 4–1
2015 San Nicolas FC L.A. Wolves FC 2–0
2016 Spring Strikers FC South Coast San Pedro Monsters 3–1[11]
2016 Fall FC Anahuac Inter Arizona FC 0–0 (5–4p)
2017 Spring L.A. Wolves FC California Victory FC 2–1
2017 Fall OC Invicta FC Santa Ana Winds FC 3–2
2018 Spring Milwaukee Bavarian SC Sporting AZ FC 3–2
2018 Fall California United FC II Inocentes FC 1–1 (4–2p)
2019 Spring Tropics SC Utah Murcielagos 2–2 (4–3p)
2019 Fall Maryland Bobcats FC Santa Ana Winds FC 3–1 (OT)

References

  1. ^ "United States Adult Soccer Association National Affiliates". USASA.com. USASA.
  2. ^ "About the National Independent Soccer Association". NISAOfficial.com. National Independent Soccer Association.
  3. ^ "Interview with Yan Skwara, UPSL Commissioner". Goal Nation. March 3, 2015.
  4. ^ "An American amateur fifth-tier league is about to introduce a pro/rel system". Top Drawer Soccer. November 1, 2016.
  5. ^ "United Premier Soccer League Brings Promotion And Relegation to the USA". Midfield Press. November 3, 2016.
  6. ^ "UPSL Expands To Colorado". Goal Nation. November 17, 2016.
  7. ^ "UPSL expands to Colorado, vows to bring pro/rel to American soccer". Burgundy Wave. November 19, 2016.
  8. ^ "Three SoCal Teams Involved in U.S. Open Cup Second Round Action Wednesday". Soccer Nation. May 18, 2016.
  9. ^ "HIGHLIGHTS: LA Galaxy vs. La Maquina". LA Galaxy. June 15, 2016.
  10. ^ "About the UPSL | United Premier Soccer League". www.upslsoccer.com. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  11. ^ "Strikers FC Score 3-1 Victory Over San Pedro Monsters to Capture 2016 UPSL Championship". PR Log. June 28, 2016.

[1]

  1. ^ https://www.upsl.com/news/2019/04/02/united-premier-soccer-league-announces-southern-california-expansion-with-san-diego-internacional-fc
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