United Soccer Leagues (USL)

USL-2 sanctioned for 16th pro season

League receives official sanctioning at USSF AGM

USL News Release

Friday, February 5, 2010

NEW ORLEANS, LA – United Soccer Leagues’ original professional league, the USL Second Division, received official sanctioning Friday of the United States Soccer Federation Board of Directors at its Annual General Meeting in New Orleans, marking the league’s 16th season of operation as the Federation’s only Division III Men’s Professional Outdoor League and longest-running professional soccer league in North America.

Stars Daka and Burke key to USL-2's success on and off field (Mike McKellop) “The 2010 USL Second Division season will no doubt be one of the most exciting campaigns in USL history due to the caliber of every club involved,” said USL President Tim Holt. “As one of only three USSF organization members sanctioned to operate a professional soccer league for the 2010 season (along with Major League Soccer and Women’s Professional Soccer), this upcoming USL-2 season will mark the beginning of a new, exciting era for a league’s teams, which have been dedicated to growing the game by developing players and providing fans in their communities. USL is fully committed to the aggressive expansion of USL-2 in advance of the 2011 season in a manner which will include the addition of a Western Conference.”

“We look forward to another great season in the USL Second Division,” said Holt. “We believe that this league’s model is economically viable for team owners due to the regional travel and focus on containing costs without sacrificing quality. We are confident that USL-2 will more than double in size for 2011 as we have been delighted by the recent rise in expansion interest for this league.”

The USL Second Division organically grew out of an ever-expanding USL that in 1994 had reached 72 teams with half of the membership operating as professional teams. The league officially launched with US Soccer’s sanctioning the following year.

Over 15 years later the landscape of the sport has completely changed, and the new-look USL Second Division forges into 2010 with a dynamic lineup that consists of six outstanding clubs represented by the Old Guard, the Pennsylvania Duo and the burgeoning Real Maryland Monarchs.

Three clubs thoroughly familiar with USL’s early years in the professional game are the USL Second Division’s Charleston Battery, Charlotte Eagles and Richmond Kickers. The three clubs, all founded in 1993, represent 51 years of history between them that includes seven league or cup titles in 18 championship game appearances.

In addition to being among the most successful clubs on the pitch, the trio have also been pioneers in varying fashion.

The Charlotte Eagles were the first professional club in the modern era of the sport that operate under a faith-based philosophy in which the team uses the game to simultaneously spread the mission of Missionary Athletes International, a global organization that also works with the Southern California Seahorses. In addition to their unique mission, the Eagles were also among the first professional clubs to launch a W-League team, a side heading into its 11th campaign.

In April of 1999, the Battery's Blackbaud Stadium became the first privately-funded soccer-specific stadium in the United States. Styled after the classic English soccer experience, the stadium seats 5,100 and offers fans an unmatched environment with superb sight-lines, concessions, a children's interactive soccer theme park, and even a plush English-styled pub, The Three Lions. Additionally, the complex includes sky boxes, a plaza for corporate entertaining, and state-of-the-art media capabilities, making it one of the premier professional soccer venues in the U.S. and a prototype for all future soccer-specific stadiums yet to come.

The Battery’s pioneering effort that led to the stadium extended into new environmental efforts in 2008 by installing 60 solar panels - one of the largest private installations in the region - that will offset approximately 12 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Richmond, a leader in developing future Major League Soccer talent through its professional team, also became a leader in youth player development as an early model of the USL pyramid. A longtime member of the Super Y-League, the Kickers have seen tremendous success in developing players for both the men’s and the women’s game over the last half of the decade that has led to the construction of a new practice facility.

Regional rivalries are an important part of the sport. In Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Harrisburg City Islanders will clash for the sixth season. Although Pittsburgh is the older, more storied club having been founded in 1999, the 2004-born City Islanders possess the one thing the Riverhounds desire, a league championship.

Amongst a league of established veteran clubs are the Real Maryland Monarchs, a franchise that made amazing strides in its second season last year on and off the field after missteps in its rookie campaign. The club more than doubled its win total and were just five points away from a postseason field comprised of perennial powers.

The league will feature the six clubs playing one another twice home and twice away for a total of 60 games during the 2010 regular season. The action begins on opening night – Saturday, April 17. The top three teams advance to the postseason with the regular season champion hosting the league championship. The second and third seeds will meet the weekend of August 21 to determine the other finalist for the championship game the following weekend.