What is USL Super League? Current Teams and New Teams for Next Year
by James Kevin Stott
Update:
- What is the USL Super League?
- When Does the USL Super League Start?
- Current USL Super League Teams
- Brooklyn FC
- Carolina Ascent FC
- Dallas Trinity FC
- DC Power FC
- Fort Lauderdale United FC
- Lexington SC
- Spokane Zephyr FC
- Tampa Bay Sun FC
- Future USL Super League Markets
- Will the USL Super League be on TV or a Streaming Service?
- Who is the USL Super League’s Biggest Competition?
- How to Get Tickets to the USL Super League
Thumbnail: USL_Super_League_logo.png by frontrowsoccer.com (Public Domain)
What is the USL Super League?
Originally set to start play a year ago in August 2023, the USL Super League (USLS) will begin this August and play 115 matches from fall to summer in its inaugural season. Teams in the USL Super League will not use a college draft to get players.
Unlike other soccer leagues in America, like MLS, the USL Championship, and the NWSL, which play from spring to fall, the USL Super League will be contested from late summer (August) until spring (June). It hopes to fill a niche and create value in the soccer calendar, and it has aligned itself with the “women’s international soccer calendar.”
Owned and operated by the United States Soccer League, the USL Super League will also provide a paying opportunity for female soccer players who are not good enough to play in the NWSL but who still want to improve their games in a big league.
In 2021, the USL announced the formation of the USL Super League—which aimed to have 12 teams in its inaugural season—as well as the USL W League, which began play in 2022. Amanda Vandervort is the League President of the USL Super League.
Previously aiming to be a second-division league, the USL Super League is launching as a first-division league and plans to add at least five teams (and markets) in the future.
When Does the USL Super League Start?
The USL Super League is set to open up play on Saturday, August 17 with a meeting between the Carolina Ascent NC and DC Power FC at American Legion_Memorial Stadium (Pro Sports-Quality Artificial Turf) in Charlotte, North Carolina its first match ever.
Later that day, the Spokane Zephyr FC will host Fort Lauderdale United FC at ONE Spokane Stadium (artificial turf) in Spokane, Washington.
On Sunday, August 18, 2 more USL Super League clubs will play their first match ever when the Tampa Bay Sun FCwelcome Dallas Trinity FC to Riverfront Stadium in Tampa, Florida, so 6 of the league’s eight teams will play that opening weekend.
Here is the complete 2024/25 USL Super League schedule.
Current USL Super League Teams
Brooklyn FC
The USL Super League team from the Big Apple, Brooklyn FC, will play in the nation’s biggest market, New York City. Its home games will be played at Maimonides Park (Grass) in Brooklyn, where the stadium capacity is a quaint 7,000.
Brooklyn FC is still looking for a head coach. The first inaugural match for MF Jessica Garziano, D Leah Scarpelli, and the team will be at home against Carolina Ascent FC on Saturday, August 31, at Maimonides Park.
Puerto Rican national team GK Sydney Martinez was the first player ever signed by the club on May 17, 2024.
BKFC also has a third division Men’s team in the works, which is scheduled to begin play in USL League One in 2025 and will play in the same stadium.
Carolina Ascent FC
The club that will face Brooklyn FC in its inaugural match, Carolina Ascent FC, will have already played two games before that aforementioned August 31 game, so without a named head coach six weeks out and having not played a game yet, the girls from Brooklyn may suffer.
Carolina Ascent FC has a head coach, Philip Poole, and its home games will be played at American Legion_Memorial Stadium (Pro Sports-Quality Artificial Turf) in Charlotte, North Carolina, a 10,500-seat stadium.
Meagan McClelland will be the starting GK for Carolina Ascent FC, and this is a team that may compete for the first-ever USL Super League championship with attacking players like Jaydah Bedoya, who plays for Ecuador on the international level and scored eight goals in college for Connecticut (2020-2022).
Dallas Trinity FC
Dallas Trinity FC, coached by Pauline MacDonald, will play in the biggest stadium in the USL Super League, the historic 90,000-seat Cotton Bowl Stadium (Grass) in Dallas, Texas.
Dallas Trinity FC will play its inaugural game on Saturday, August 18, against Tampa Bay Sun FC at Riverfront Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The club will make its home debut at Cotton Bowl Stadium on September 7, hosting DC Power FC.
English F Lucy Shepherd, GK Sam Estrada, Finnish MF Jenny Daniellsson, Swedish D Maja Henrisksson, and F Enzi Broussard are some of the players who make up the versatile and Euro-influenced Dallas Trinity FC roster,
BRINGING IT HOME! 👏 Welcome to DTFC, @enzibroussard! #DTFC #NewBoots pic.twitter.com/X0NqoTKBdI
— Dallas Trinity FC (@dallastrinityfc) July 10, 2024
DC Power FC
DC Power FC will be coached by former DC United players and Frenchman Frédéric Brillant. This team will play at the 20,000-seat soccer-specific Audi Field (Bermuda grass) and share a market and a stadium with DC United of MLS.
This club may have one of the most promising and filled-out rosters heading into the inaugural season of the USL Super League, with two GKs, four Defenders, five Midfielders, and four Forwards at Brilliant’s disposal.
One interesting thing about this team is that standout WNBA rookie Angel Reese, a Maryland native and WNBA All-Star representative from the Chicago Sky, is a part owner of DC Power FC.
Fort Lauderdale United FC
Tyrone Mears is the head coach of Fort Lauderdale United FC, which will play in the 5,000-seat Training Facility of Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida.
Fort Lauderdale United FC will travel some 2,999 miles from the Sunshine State to the Evergreen State to face the Spokane Zephyr FC at ONE Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Washington, in their inaugural match and the second match in league history on Saturday, August 17.
Fort Lauderdale United FC's home opener at the Training Facility at NSU Soccer Stadium will be way down the schedule on Sunday, September 29, when Dallas Trinity FC comes calling. This means that this club will start the USL Super League season with four straight road games.
Former Texas A&M GK Cosette Morché, D Cameron Brooks, MF Felicia Knox, MF Darya Rajaee, and F Anna Henderson are among the many young players who make up the first roster ever for Fort Lauderdale United FC.
Lexington SC
There haven’t been many professional sports teams from Lexington, Kentucky, but Lexington, SC, will try to put women’s professional soccer on the map in the Bluegrass State. This team will play at Lexington SC Stadium (Grass) with Michael Dickey as head coach.
With Lexington SC Stadium (7,500 capacity) still under construction, this team won’t play a home game until Sunday, September 8, when the Tampa Bay Sun FC comes to town. Lexington SC's inaugural match will be on Sunday, August 25, when they head to American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, NC, to face Carolina Ascent NC.
Lexington SC also has a Men’s team (The Boys in Green), while this Women’s team is nicknamed The Girls in Green. They have an all-American roster so far and three GKs. So, this team may have a good foundation and should get some decent crowds in Lexington, where Kentucky’s college basketball team has dominated the scene for 121 years.
Spokane Zephyr FC
Travel may be a big issue for Spokane Zephyr FC, with the closest team being 1,868 miles away in Dallas and most of the league calling the East Coast home. This club will play in the second-smallest stadium (5,100 capacity), ONE Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Washington.
Spokane Zephyr FC will play in the second game in USL Super League history when they welcome the Fort Lauderdale United FC to Spokane. Jo Johsnon is the head coach of this club which recently signed MF Katie Murray, a product of the University of Illinois who most recently played in the NWSL for the Washington Spirit (2022).
This club's first match is on the league’s opening day, Saturday, August 17, against Fort Lauderdale United FC at ONE Spokane Stadium. This is the only game this team will play in August.
Spokane Zephyr FC’s first four matches will all be at home, with their first road game coming on Sunday, September 29, against DC Power FC at Audi Field in Washington, DC.
Tampa Bay Sun FC
Tampa Bay FC will be coached by Canadian Denise Schilte-Brown and play its home games at Riverfront Stadium in Tampa, the smallest stadium (5,000 capacity) in the USL Super League.
The club will play its inaugural match on Sunday, August 18, when it hosts Dallas Trinity FC. The team will play its first game on the road on Sunday, September 8, against Lexington SC at the new Lexington Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.
Some players on the internationally deep Tampa Bay FC roster include F Ashley Clark, F Hannah Keane, F Natasha Flint, MF Jordy Listro, and GK Lauren Kellett. Besides 13 Americans, this team has players from Canada, Mexico, England, Ghana, Denmark, and Japan.
Future USL Super League Markets
USL Arkansas (USL Arkansas Stadium)
USL Palm Beach (TBA)
Indianapolis, Indiana (Eleven Park)
Sporting Club Jacksonville (TBA)
Madison, Wisconsin (Breese Stevens Field)
East Ridge, Tennessee (CHI Memorial Stadium)
Tucson, Arizona (TBA)
Oakland Soul SC (TBA)
Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium)
Will the USL Super League be on TV or a Streaming Service?
All 115 Regular Season and Playoff games in the USL Super League will air in the United States on the popular Peacock streaming service, an NBCUniversal platform that streams over 1,000 games live or on-demand annually.
Who is the USL Super League’s Biggest Competition?
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is the other Division One league, and this league is somewhat established and features some big-name women’s soccer stars like Bia Zaneratto (Kansas City Current), Angelina(Orlando Pride), Ashley Sanchez (North Carolina Courage), and Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current).
The NWSL was founded 11 years ago and has 14 teams. Sportsbooks offer NWSL betting odds, and the league has some top TV partners in CBS Sports, ESPN/ABC, Prime Video, and Scripps Sports. A team from Boston (NWSL Boston) is scheduled to join the league in 2025.
The largest contract in the NWSL belongs to USWNT Striker Mallory Swanson, who recently signed a record-breaking $2 million deal. So, will the USL Super League simply end up being considered a feeder league for the NWSL?
Time will tell, but it’s hard to see the US having two Division One leagues being financially successful, even if the USL Super League has positioned itself as a “fall to summer” league, much like what the UFL has done in men’s professional football, holding its season in the spring when the NFL isn’t playing.
How to Get Tickets to the USL Super League
Tickets for the USL Super League can be purchased at the league’s website or through the eight teams’ websites.
You can also get USL Super League tickets on the secondary market and at places like TicketX, where first-time ticket buyers can score major savings using this promo code, which provides buyers with a 10% discount.
About TicketX
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