Eastern Conference (USL Championship)
League | USL Championship |
---|---|
Sport | Soccer |
Founded | January 21, 2015 |
No. of teams | 12 |
Most recent champion(s) | Charleston Battery (2023) (1st title) |
Most titles | Louisville City FC (4 titles) |
The Eastern Conference is one of two conferences in USL Championship soccer.[1]
Current standings
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Louisville City FC | 25 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 67 | 34 | +33 | 56 | Playoffs |
2 | Charleston Battery | 27 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 58 | 25 | +33 | 53 | |
3 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 25 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 43 | 27 | +16 | 43 | |
4 | Detroit City FC | 26 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 32 | 28 | +4 | 38 | |
5 | Rhode Island FC | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 37 | |
6 | Indy Eleven | 25 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 36 | 40 | −4 | 36 | |
7 | Birmingham Legion FC | 26 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 29 | 37 | −8 | 35 | |
8 | Loudoun United FC | 25 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 36 | 29 | +7 | 34 | |
9 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 27 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 27 | 25 | +2 | 32 | |
10 | North Carolina FC | 25 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 35 | 32 | +3 | 30 | |
11 | Hartford Athletic | 25 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 24 | 41 | −17 | 29 | |
12 | Miami FC | 26 | 3 | 21 | 2 | 25 | 62 | −37 | 11 |
Rules for classification: 1) head-to-head points; 2) head-to-head goal differential; 3) points-per game within conference; 4) total wins; 5) total goal differential; 6) total goals scored; 7) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 8) disciplinary points; 9) coin toss or drawing of lots
Members
[edit]Current
[edit]Conference Lineups
[edit]Clubs timeline
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/mfnjx4em1g32x9gju7pgv4406gxllr9.png)
Conference Member Club moved to Western Conference Former clubs Club playing in different league
‡Orlando City B & Rochester Rhinos went on hiatus after the 2017 season.[2][3]
2015 (12 teams)
[edit]- Charleston Battery
- Charlotte Independence
- Harrisburg City Islanders
- Louisville City FC
- FC Montreal
- New York Red Bulls II
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds
- Richmond Kickers
- Rochester Rhinos
- St. Louis FC
- Toronto FC II
- Wilmington Hammerheads
Changes from 2014: USL Pro expanded and was rebranded as simply USL; the round robin table was split into two conferences: Eastern and Western.
2016 (14 teams)
[edit]- Bethlehem Steel FC
- Charleston Battery
- Charlotte Independence
- FC Cincinnati
- FC Montreal
- Harrisburg City Islanders
- Louisville City FC
- New York Red Bulls II
- Orlando City B
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds
- Richmond Kickers
- Rochester Rhinos
- Toronto FC II
- Wilmington Hammerheads
Changes from 2015: Bethlehem Steel FC, FC Cincinnati and Orlando City B were added as expansion franchises;[4] St. Louis FC moved out to the Western Conference.
2017 (15 teams)
[edit]- Bethlehem Steel FC
- Charleston Battery
- Charlotte Independence
- FC Cincinnati
- Harrisburg City Islanders
- Louisville City FC
- New York Red Bulls II
- Orlando City B
- Ottawa Fury FC
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds
- Richmond Kickers
- Rochester Rhinos
- Saint Louis FC
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Toronto FC II
Changes from 2016: Ottawa Fury FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies moved in from the North American Soccer League; FC Montreal was disbanded; Saint Louis FC moved back in from the Western Conference;[5] Wilmington Hammerheads FC moved out to the Premier Development League (now USL League Two).
2018 (16 teams)
[edit]- Atlanta United 2
- Bethlehem Steel FC
- Charleston Battery
- Charlotte Independence
- FC Cincinnati
- Indy Eleven
- Louisville City FC
- Nashville SC
- New York Red Bulls II
- North Carolina FC
- Ottawa Fury FC
- Penn FC
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds
- Richmond Kickers
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Toronto FC II
Changes from 2017: USL was divided into three divisions: Championship, League One and League Two; Atlanta United 2 was added as an expansion franchise; the Indy Eleven and North Carolina FC moved in from the North American Soccer League; the Harrisburg City Islanders were renamed Penn FC; Orlando City B and the Rochester Rhinos went on hiatus; Saint Louis FC moved out back to the Western Conference.[6]
2019 (18 teams)
[edit]- Atlanta United 2
- Bethlehem Steel FC
- Birmingham Legion FC
- Charleston Battery
- Charlotte Independence
- Hartford Athletic
- Indy Eleven
- Loudoun United FC
- Louisville City FC
- Memphis 901 FC
- Nashville SC
- New York Red Bulls II
- North Carolina FC
- Ottawa Fury FC
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds
- Saint Louis FC
- Swope Park Rangers
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
Changes from 2018: FC Cincinnati disbanded to make way for the MLS franchise;[7] Birmingham Legion FC, Hartford Athletic, Loudoun United FC and Memphis 901 FC were added as expansion franchises; Saint Louis FC and the Swope Park Rangers moved in from the Western Conference; Orlando City B, the Richmond Kickers and Toronto FC II moved out to USL League One; Penn FC and the Rochester Rhinos went on hiatus. They will move to USL League One in 2020.
2020 (17 teams)
[edit]Group E (4 teams)
[edit]Group F (5 teams)
[edit]- Hartford Athletic
- Loudoun United FC
- New York Red Bulls II
- Philadelphia Union II
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Group G (4 teams)
[edit]Group H (4 teams)
[edit]Changes from 2019: Nashville SC moved out to Major League Soccer; Bethlehem Steel FC was renamed Philadelphia Union II; the Swope Park Rangers were renamed Sporting Kansas City II; Ottawa Fury FC was not sanctioned by U.S. Soccer and had their franchise rights sold to Miami FC; Penn FC was disbanded. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the conference was split into four groups. Three groups of four and one group of five.[8]
2021 (16 teams)
[edit]Atlantic Division (8 teams)
[edit]- Charleston Battery
- Charlotte Independence
- Hartford Athletic
- Loudoun United FC
- Miami FC
- New York Red Bulls II
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
Central Division (8 teams)
[edit]- Atlanta United 2
- Birmingham Legion FC
- Indy Eleven
- Louisville City FC
- Memphis 901 FC
- OKC Energy FC
- Sporting Kansas City II
- FC Tulsa
Changes from 2020: The conference was divided into two divisions, Atlantic and Central; the OKC Energy FC and FC Tulsa moved in from the Western Conference; North Carolina FC moved out to USL League One; Philadelphia Union II was withdrawn by its MLS parent club; Saint Louis FC was disbanded.[9]
2022 (14 teams)
[edit]- Atlanta United 2
- Birmingham Legion FC
- Charleston Battery
- Detroit City FC
- Hartford Athletic
- Indy Eleven
- Louisville City FC
- Loudoun United FC
- Memphis 901 FC
- Miami FC
- New York Red Bulls II
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
- FC Tulsa
Changes from 2021: The Atlantic and Central divisions were dropped; OKC Energy FC went on hiatus; Charlotte Independence moved to USL League One; Detroit City FC joined from NISA; Sporting Kansas City II was withdrawn by its MLS parent club and moved to MLS Next Pro.[10]
2023 (12 teams)
[edit]- Birmingham Legion FC
- Charleston Battery
- Detroit City FC
- Hartford Athletic
- Indy Eleven
- Louisville City FC
- Loudoun United FC
- Memphis 901 FC
- Miami FC
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
- FC Tulsa
Changes from 2022: Atlanta United 2 and New York Red Bulls II were withdrawn by its MLS parent club and moved to MLS Next Pro.[11]
2024 (12 teams)
[edit]- Birmingham Legion FC
- Charleston Battery
- Detroit City FC
- Hartford Athletic
- Indy Eleven
- Louisville City FC
- Loudoun United FC
- Miami FC
- North Carolina FC
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Rhode Island FC
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
Changes from 2023: North Carolina FC returned from USL League One.[12] Rhode Island FC was added as an expansion franchise.[13] Memphis 901 FC and FC Tulsa were moved to the Western Conference.[14]
Eastern Conference Playoff champions by year
[edit]Bold | USL Champions |
Season | Champions | Score | Runners Up |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Rochester Rhinos | 1–0 | Louisville City FC |
2016 | New York Red Bulls II | 1–1 (4–3 PK) | Louisville City FC |
2017 | Louisville City FC | 1–1 (4–3 PK) | New York Red Bulls II |
2018 | Louisville City FC | 5–1 | New York Red Bulls II |
2019 | Louisville City FC | 3–1 (AET) | Indy Eleven |
2020[a] | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–1 | Louisville City FC |
2021 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3–2 (AET) | Louisville City FC |
2022 | Louisville City FC | 1–0 (AET) | Tampa Bay Rowdies |
2023 | Charleston Battery | 2–1 | Louisville City FC |
Eastern Conference regular season champions by year
[edit]Bold | USL Regular Season Champions |
Season | Team | Record | Playoffs result |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Rochester Rhinos | 17–1–10 (+25) | Won USL Championship |
2016 | New York Red Bulls II | 21–3–6 (+40) | Won USL Championship |
2017 | Louisville City FC | 18–6–8 (+27) | Won USL Championship |
2018 | FC Cincinnati | 23–3–8 (+38) | Lost Conference semifinals |
2019 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 19-4-11 (+28) | Lost Conference semifinals |
2020 | Louisville City FC | 11-3-2 (+16) | Lost Conference Final |
2021 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 23–7–2 (+32) | Lost Championship final |
2022 | Louisville City FC | 22–6–6 (+37) | Lost Championship final |
2023 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 19–5–10 (+21) | Lost Conference quarterfinals |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Expanded USL Unveils 2015 Format". United Soccer League (USL). January 21, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ Tsujimoto, Ben (November 30, 2017). "Rochester Rhinos to take hiatus from United Soccer League". Buffalo, NY: Buffalo News. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ "Orlando City B Elects to Forgo 2018 USL Division II Season". Orlando City SC. January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "2016 USL Alignment and Format Announced". United Soccer League (USL). January 20, 2016. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ "USL Announces 2017 Conference Alignment". www.uslsoccer.com. United Soccer League (USL). January 9, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ "USL Announces 2018 Conference Alignment". soccerstadiumdigest.com. Soccer Stadium Digest. January 12, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ "USL Championship Unveils 2019 Conference Alignment". United Soccer League (USL). December 13, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ^ Lenard, John (June 26, 2020). "USL Championship announces Eastern Conference groups". 3rddegree.net. 3rd Degree. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ "USL Championship Releases 2021 League Alignment, Republic FC in Pacific Division". www.sacrepublicfc.com. Sacramento Republic FC. March 2, 2021. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ Krysinsky, John (December 21, 2021). "USL Championship releases 2022 schedule format and conference realignment". pittsburghsoccernow.com. Pittsburgh, PA: PGH Soccer Now. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ "USL sets Championship's 2023 conference alignment, season format". www.loucity.com. Louisville, KY: Louisville City FC. December 20, 2022. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ "North Carolina FC to rejoin USL Championship in 2024". North Carolina FC. August 7, 2023.
- ^ "Rhode Island Unveils 7,500-Seat Soccer-Specific Stadium Anchored by USL Championship Club". USL Championship. December 2, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ "USL Championship Unveils 2024 Regular Season Schedule". USL Championship. USL Championship Staff. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Carlisle, Jeff (2020-10-31). "USL final between Tampa Bay and Phoenix canceled after COVID-19 positives". www.espn.com. ESPN. Archived from the original on 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
The USL Championship final between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Phoenix Rising has been canceled after multiple Tampa Bay players tested positive for COVID-19, the league announced on Saturday.