USL League Two (USL2), formerly thePremier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professionalsoccer league sponsored byUnited Soccer Leagues in theUnited States andCanada, forming part of theUnited States soccer league system. The league will feature 144 teams for the 2025 season, split into nineteen regional divisions across four conferences. USL League Two is headquartered inTampa, Florida.[1]
TheSeacoast United Phantoms are the current champions, having defeatedPeoria City 3–2 in extra time to win the 2024 USL League Two Championship final on August 3, 2024.[2]
USL League Two is divided into 4 conferences (Eastern, Central, Southern, and Western), comprising 19 divisions. The league season runs from May through July, with the playoffs decided through July and August. All teams play a regular season schedule of 12-14 games, up to seven home and seven away, within their division, depending on the size of the division.
The USL2 playoffs see division winners and each conference's best second-place finishers advance to the conference quarter finals. All matches in the playoffs are played in single match elimination format, with each conference winner hosting a four-team conference championship weekend. The four conference champions advance to national semi-finals and the league Championship, both played at the home of the higher seed.
In 1995 theUnited States Interregional Soccer League (USISL) changed its name to the United States International Soccer League, and split into two leagues, one professional (the 'Professional League', which ultimately became theUSL Second Division) and one amateur (thePremier League). The purpose for the split was to expand into and improve thesoccer capabilities of manyurban areas throughout the United States and Canada, while offering currentcollege soccer players the opportunity to continue playing during the summer months without losing their college eligibility. The inaugural season of the new USISL Premier League featured 27 teams, and theRichmond Kickers won the first title, beating theCocoa Expos 3–1 in the championship game.[3]Gabe Jones of theAustin Lone Stars was the league's top scorer and MVP.
The United States International Soccer League changed its name again in 1996, to the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues, and before the season, there was substantial movement of teams between the Pro League, the Premier League and the newly createdSelect League (which would later merge with theA-League, and eventually become theUSL First Division). The Premier League grew to 34 teams in its second year, with theCentral Coast Roadrunners fromSan Luis Obispo, California, beating theSan Francisco Bay Seals in the championship game to take the title.[4]Pasi Kinturi of theNashville Metros was the league's top scorer and MVP.
Brian Ching was the PDL Rookie of the Year in 1998
In 1999 the umbrella USISL changed its name to theUnited Soccer Leagues, and the Premier Development Soccer League dropped the 'soccer' part of its name and became known as theUSL Premier Development League, or PDL. The league took in several teams from the D3 Pro league, expanding to 42 teams in six divisions. Expansion franchiseChicago Sockers ultimately won the league, beatingSpokane Shadow 3–1 for the title in a tight championship game.Fabio Eidenwein of theSioux City Breeze was named League MVP and was the top scorer, with 20 goals.[7]
The league grew from 41 to 44 teams in 2001 through the usual mix of relegation from D3Pro, teams folding and new franchises being added. In the semi-finals, theWestchester Flames defeatedSioux Falls Spitfire 5–1 andCalgary Storm defeatedDes Moines Menace 2–1; in the final, Westchester defeated Calgary 3–1 to take their first league title.[9] Des Moines andChicago Fire Reserves dominated the 2002 regular season, but both teams stuttered in the playoffs; the PDL final saw theCape Cod Crusaders defeating theBoulder Rapids Reserve 2–1 to bring the title to the Northeast for the second year in a row. 2002 also saw the debut of the soon-to-be PDL legend,Tomas Boltnar ofDes Moines Menace, who secured an unprecedented triple-crown of PDL MVP, Top Scorer and Rookie of the Year.[10]
The mid-2000s was a period of steady growth and consolidation for the PDL. A TV agreement withFox Soccer Channel saw the PDL Championship game being broadcast live on national television in North America for the first time, and professional teams began investing in the league by adding U-23 development sides as an addition to their senior rosters. Cape Cod repeated as PDL champs in 2003, beating theChicago Fire Reserves in the final[11] (and despite the presence ofJürgen Klinsmann playing forOrange County Blue Star), while 2004 saw the title head to Florida for the first time as theCentral Florida Kraze overcame perennial bridesmaidsBoulder Rapids Reserve.[12]
Des Moines Menace took the PDL Championship trophy back to Iowa in 2005 after beating theEl Paso Patriots 6–5 on penalty kicks, following a 0–0 draw in the PDL Championship game.[13][14] 2006 saw the beginning of two seasons of dominance for two teams: theMichigan Bucks and theLaredo Heat. Both teams made the PDL Final in 2006 and 2007, with the Bucks emerging victorious in '06 with a 2–1 win thanks to goals byKenny Uzoigwe andTy Shipalane,[15][16] only for Laredo to get their revenge the following year with an epic penalty kicks win after a 0–0 tie in regulation time.
Laredo became the first team to make three consecutive PDL championship games in 2008, but fell at the final hurdle toThunder Bay Chill, who became the first ever Canadian side to win the PDL following their 4–1 penalty shootout victory.[17] The PDL had grown to 68 teams by 2009, and to reflect their growing reputation, introduced a new scheme calledPDL-Pro, whereby certain teams would be allowed to act as professional clubs, paying players, while still adhering to NCAA collegiate eligibility rules, and the USL's own age restriction policy.Ventura County Fusion returned the PDL title to Southern California for the first time in over a decade with a stoppage-time victory overChicago Fire Premier, and in doing so became the lowest-seeded team to claim the national title.[18]
The 2010s began with a record, as thePortland Timbers U23s ended the season as national champions, beatingThunder Bay Chill 4–1 in the 2010 PDL Championship game.[19] The Timbers also had the best regular season record, winning all their 16 games, scoring 53 goals and conceding just six along the way. In doing so the Timbers became the first team to post a perfect PDL regular season record since theJackson Chargers in 1998,[20] the first regular season champion to win the playoffs since theCentral Coast Roadrunners in 1996, and the first team in PDL history to go through an entire PDL regular season and playoff campaign without posting a loss or a tie. Portland Timbers U23s strikerBrent Richards was named LeagueMVP and Rookie of the Year for his stellar campaign with the national champions. Players from Canadian sideThunder Bay Chill led the majority of the statistical categories, with strikerBrandon Swartzendruber leading the league with 15 goals, while his teammateGustavo Oliveira led the league with 13 assists. Portland Timbers U23s goalkeeperJake Gleeson enjoyed the best goalkeeping statistics, allowing just five goals in 15 games and earning with a 0.360 GAA average.[21]
Western Conference teams dominated the league in 2011 for the third year in a row, with theKitsap Pumas ending the season as national champions, beatingLaredo Heat 1–0 in the 2011 PDL Championship game. Kitsap, who lost just one game and conceded just ten goals all season, were the second team from the Northwest Division to win the national title in a row, while Laredo were contesting their fourth championship game in six years. Kitsap also were the first PDL-Pro team to win the championship, a milestone for the league. Kitsap's Western Conference rivalsFresno Fuego had the best regular-season record, posting an unbeaten 13–0–3 record. Fresno midfielderMilton Blanco was named LeagueMVP, after leading the league in points (38) and assists (14) and helping his team to the Southwest Division title. TwoMichigan Bucks players –Stewart Givens andMitch Hildebrandt – were given end-of-season awards as Defender of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year respectively, while their coach Gary Parsons was named Coach of the Year.Jake Keegan of theWestchester Flames was named Rookie of the Year after tallying 16 goals in 16 games to take the league goal-scoring crown. Keegan accounted for 64 percent of Westchester's goals in 2011 and also finished third in the league in points with 34.[22]
The 2012 PDL season would see a resurgence of the Eastern Conference, as theMichigan Bucks would claim the regular season title, with Canadian rivalsForest City London winning their first ever PDL Championship in an East coast contest, defeatingCarolina Dynamo 2–1.[23] Canadian clubs would also have another strong season in 2013, with four of eight Canadian clubs finishing in the final eight and two, theVictoria Highlanders andThunder Bay Chill, advancing to the semi-finals.[24] After a final four finish in 2012, The Chill would repeat their strong season, winning the 2013 regular season title but falling to theAustin Aztex in the Championship final 3–1 in front of a crowd of 4,253 fans, the largest attendance for a final since 2007.[25][26]
In 2014, theMichigan Bucks would claim their second PDL Championship, defeating theKitsap Pumas 1–0 on August 3, 2014, following a strong regular season campaign with a record of 9–2–3.[27]
With USL Pro re-branding as theUnited Soccer League in February 2015,[28] the PDL dropped the "USL" descriptor from their name, simply operating as the "Premier Development League".
The 2015 season would see league newcomers,New York Red Bulls U-23, put forth a very strong showing, finishing first in the Mid Atlantic Division and making it all the way to the Championship Final, before falling to the lower-seededK-W United FC, who emerged from the very competitive Great Lakes Division, fending off perennial contenders and rivalsForest City London and the defending championsMichigan Bucks on their path to the final. United would come away winners 4–3 over the Red Bulls on August 3, 2015, atStarfire Stadium inTukwila, Washington, to claim their first-ever championship and the third for a Canadian club.[29][30]
In May 2018, the league did not permit Calgary Foothills FC to signStephanie Labbé, a goalkeeper for theCanadian women's team, even though the team had offered her a position. The decision was made due to her gender.[31][32] Lubbe filed a lawsuit against the league.[33]
In 2018, it was announced that the PDL would be renamed as USL League Two in advance of the2019 season.[34]
The league was forced to cancel the 2020 season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[35] The league returned for the 2021 season, although the Southwest division elected not to play due to concerns over COVID-19.[36] The 2022 season saw the Southwest division return and thus was the first full season for the league since 2019.[37] There were two new divisions added for the 2023 season, the Nor Cal and South Florida divisions, which were formed with expansions and former clubs from the Southwest and Southeast divisions respectively.[38]
The Northwest Division underwent a major expansion for the 2024 season by adding three new teams from the state of Washington.[39]
As USL League Two seasons take place during the summer months, the player pool is drawn mainly from elitecollege soccer players seeking to continue playing high-level soccer during their summer break, which they can do while still maintaining their college eligibility, as USL2 is not considered a professional league.[40]
Formerly, teams such asLaredo Heat,New Orleans Jesters,Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23,Kitsap Pumas and theHollywood United Hitmen had embraced partial professionalism through the PDL-Pro program, whereby teams could choose to employ players who were paid for their performances,[41] but who still met the age eligibility criteria. This did not contravene NCAA rules, which state that college players cannot playalongside professionals, but may playagainst them. What this also meant, however, is that PDL-Pro teams could not have any active NCAA players on their rosters, but could employNAIA andcommunity college players, ex-NCAA players who have already graduated, or other local players who do not play college soccer at all.
Currently, all USL2 teams field amateur U-23 squads. Additionally, USL2 squads often also include standout high school and junior club players, as well as former professionals seeking to continue competing at a high level, often having been forced to retire from top flight competition due to age or injury. League rules dictate that a maximum of eight players on each team's 26-man roster can be over 23 years old, while at least three players on each team's roster must be 18 or younger.
Increasingly, League Two is seen as a 'shop window' for professional clubs looking to discover and identify aspiring professional players who may enter theMLS SuperDraft in future years. Many of the players currently playing inMajor League Soccer and elsewhere began their careers in the league.
^Northern Virginia FC was previously known as Northern Virginia Royals, D.C. United U-23, and Evergreen FC
^North Carolina FC U23 has previously been known as Raleigh CASL Elite, Carolina RailHawks U23s, and Cary Clarets while in the PDL
^SC United Bantams was known as Palmetto United Bantams until the end of the 2014 season
^West Virginia United was previously known as West Virginia Chaos and West Virginia Alliance
^Flint City Bucks were known as the Mid-Michigan Bucks from 1996 to 2003 and the Michigan Bucks from 2004 to 2019
^Formed by the merger of Chicago City SC and Chicago Dutch Lions FC; City SC was founded in 2013 and began USL2 play in 2022, while the Dutch Lions were founded in 2020 and began USL play in 2022
^Brave SC was known as The Villages SC from 2016 to 2023
Eastern Conference: Northeast Division Mid Atlantic Division Metropolitan Division Chesapeake Division South Atlantic Division Central Conference: Great Forest Division Valley Division Great Lakes Division Heartland Division Great Plains Division Southern Conference: South Central Division Southeast Division South Florida Division Mid South Division Lone Star Division Western Conference: Mountain Division Northwest Division NorCal Division Southwest Division
^Demosphere International, Inc. (August 12, 2006)."United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Uslsoccer.com. Archived fromthe original on March 13, 2012. RetrievedFebruary 28, 2012.
Northeast Division
Mid Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
Chesapeake Division
South Atlantic Division
Great Forest Division
Valley Division
Great Lakes Division
Heartland Division
Great Plains Division
South Central Division
Southeast Division
South Florida Division
Mid South Division
Lone Star Division
Mountain Division
Northwest Division
NorCal Division
Southwest Division
Gabe Jones
Pasi Kinturi
Lester Felicia
Rodrigo Costa
Fernando Salazar
Tomas Boltnar
Frederico Moojen
Dzenan Catic
Anthony Grant
Ryosuke Kinoshita
Deri Corfe
Nicolás Molina
