USL Championship Expansion: sizing up the 11 markets

Which of USL Championship's expansion projects are the likeliest to thrive?

Note: Last updated August 19th.

2024 has been busy for the USL Championship on the expansion front.

Brooklyn and Lexington are set to join the league next season. Buffalo, Roswell, and Palm Beach have been confirmed as Championship cities of the future - and you know we got the classic “Justin Papadakis holds a soccer ball” photoshoots to prove it. With those markets in tow, the league now has 10 active expansion projects and one revival on deck.

Which efforts are best positioned to get off the ground, and which add the most value to the USL? Let’s dig in.

(Side note: check out this piece from the brilliant Alex Ashton for your League One scoops.)

2025 Expansion

Brooklyn

Initially launched as a USL League One team, Brooklyn FC changed lanes and announced their intention to join the USL Championship this March. Representing one of the most soccer-crazy, populous, and media-concentrated cities in the world, the club represents an intriguing opportunity for the USL’s growth.

Brooklyn FC is set to begin play in 2025 and has announced Maimonides Park at Coney Island as its inaugural venue. A 7,000-seat baseball stadium, Maimonides Park has served as the home of the New York Cosmos and baseball’s Brooklyn Cyclones. The commute is just around an hour one-way from Lower Manhattan or Downtown Brooklyn via subway; the location is as good as any in the context of New York City’s impossible real estate situation.

Whether the club can draw eyeballs and make inroads with local soccer fans is the big question. During the Cosmos’ 2017 season at the same stadium, they drew an average attendance exceeding 4,700. However, Brooklyn FC will kick off with none of their historic brand equity and with the looming specter of NYCFC’s stadium project in Queens, which is on track for a 2027 opening.

North Sixth Group, a successful press agency that diversified into further investments in 2021, will own the team, and company chairman Matt Rizzetta will likewise chair the USL initiative. The North Sixth organization invested into Serie B’s Ascoli in 2021 and isn’t a stranger to the game.

The club will benefit from synergy on the men’s and women’s side, as the Brooklyn group will be a founding member of the USL Super League this fall. If the women’s team can successfully market themselves as the only first-division club in the city (as opposed to the NWSL’s Gotham FC in New Jersey), it could serve as a boon for the Championship brother side.

August Update: Brooklyn FC’s Super League side kicks off in August with a full roster, high hopes, and a concerningly delayed coaching announcement. There’s no word on personnel hires for the men’s team, but this effort is fully on-track.

Should that delay in terms of Championship hiring be a concern? Possibly. Rhode Island hired Khano Smith almost an entire year before they kicked off; Monterey inked Frank Yallop 10 months before their debut. As a “boots on the ground” New Yorker with plenty of Brooklynite friends, I’m also a bit skeptical of the local marketing or lack thereof. There’s a bit of synergy across the strands - to have a coach before you’re playing is to also have an ambassador in the community.

Again, I’m still bullish, but NYC is a hard market to get right.

Lexington

Lexington Sporting club has officially announced that it’s joining the USL Championship for 2025. Founded in 2023 as a member of USL League One and located a mere 80 miles away from Louisville City, Lexington exercised a clause in their agreement with the league to move up upon completion of a stadium project. Previously situated on the campus of Georgetown College to the north of Lexington proper, the club will play their future games to the southeast of downtown - much closer to the University of Kentucky, and crucially able to sell alcohol.

In some ways, Lexington is an unexpected market for the Championship. It will become the league’s second-smallest metro area, just ahead of Monterey, and the fifth-smallest television market. The club has struggled for attendance, averaging just 1,200 fans this season. On the field, Lexington SC has rarely achieved competence.

Expect Union Omaha to eventually follow the “stadium clause” path that Lexington is currently treading. Their 7,000-seat effort has made solid progress and could make the club a 2026 or 2027 contender.

2026 Expansion

Jacksonville

Announced in late 2022 and christened Sporting Club Jacksonville at the end of 2023, the USL’s Jacksonville initiative was initially aiming for a 2025 start, though sources indicate 2026 is likelier now. The club’s majority owner is Richard Caplin, a locally-based hedge fund investor and entrepreneur, although the ownership group is headlined by Tim Tebow and Jacksonville Jaguar great Fred Taylor.

Strategically, Jacksonville provides another natural rival for Miami FC, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and the rest of the Southeastern contingent. It also plants seeds in a top-50 television market and represents upside within a once soccer-hungry city.

To get the nasty bit out of the way: yes, the Jacksonville Armada are planning a comeback in MLS NEXT Pro. The Armada kicked off to an average attendance of 7,900 in their inaugural 2015 season but dropped into the 3,000s by the time the NASL collapsed; since then, they played one year in the NPSL. Owner Robert Palmer has flirted with the USL in the past to no avail, and he hopes to have a stadium ready for 2025.

Sporting Jax hasn’t yet announced a venue, but their kick-off in the USL Super League is swiftly approaching as well. They’ve already hired respected manager Becky Burleigh, the long-time coach of the Florida Gators and former interim head of the Orlando Pride, to help consult on the women’s side. Naturally, Palmer and co. have expressed interest in bringing the NWSL to Jacksonville, which is in the “blowing smoke” category at this stage.

Assuming a stadium can be sorted out - 121 Financial Stadium, a baseball venue, and Hodges Stadium, a football arena, are viable picks - Sporting Jax could have a crucial first-mover advantage over the revived Armada (and their giant inflatable kraken) across the board. They’re reportedly scouting sites of their own to boot. Still, marketing will be key, and the ownership star power and clean branding of Sporting Jax may be a boon.

August Update: More club sources indicate that 2026 is the aim, though even that could be called into question depending on the stadium progress.

Des Moines

Launched club with 2025 aspirations that were ultimately delayed to 2026 at least, USL Pro Iowa is the next evolution of the existing Des Moines Menace. Owner Rob Krause, the longest-tenured owner at any level in the United Soccer League thanks to his role with the Menace, is the CEO of famed Midwestern rest stop chain Kum & Go and took over Parma in Serie B in 2020.

The Iowa group seemed to be on the way to a successful launch, but their stadium project ran into snags and ballooning costs. Initially priced at $60 million, the cost increased to just under $100 million and is now, by some estimates, projected closer to $150 million. Only about a sixth of which would be covered by state and county subsidies. The stadium project was initially slated for 2024 completion.

Des Moines itself is a useful addition in terms of sheer geography, representing a needed presence in the Upper Midwest and the central time zone. It would be a natural complement to markets like Detroit and Indy. However, Des Moines is both the second-smallest metro area and television market announced by the USL.

Krause and co. are still deeply invested in the game, as evidenced in their Open Cup un-retirement shenanigans with players like Sacha Kljestan and AJ DeLaGarza. 2025 is likely an overly ambitious goal, but USL Pro Iowa still feels likelier than not to eventually hit the pitch.

August Update: The Krause group has formally begun to pursue the legal approvals needed to access $23 million in state funding. Further progress on approval of the specific stadium site and for $7 million extra in county funding is still outstanding.

New Orleans

New Orleans has long been a putative jewel in the crown of lower-division soccer leagues, and it was announced as a USL Championship city in 2022 under the steerage of experienced soccer businessman and New Orleanian Jamie Guin as well as ”Johnny Appleseed of the USL” Warren Smith. A co-founder and club president for both the Sacramento Republic and San Diego Loyal, Smith immediately leant an air of credibility to the New Orleans project.

Louisiana’s largest city and a favored Southern tourist destination, New Orleans is in line with other expansion sites in terms of size and is a borderline top-50 television market. Its cultural cachet goes further, and it doesn’t hurt that the city has passionately supported both NFL and NBA franchises. A New Orleans-based group had signed up for the NASL in 2018, as per that league’s anti-trust filing (see section 184), but it never got off the ground.

Despite the potential, the New Orleans initiative has gone mum in recent months. The hopes for a stadium project in the River District have been dimmed because of recalcitrance from the owner of the land the club was targeting; he basically said “no, soccer is boring,” which is a very smart and valid business take. Additionally, an announced USL Super League effort hasn’t made it to that league’s club list.

Meanwhile, Smith has divided his attention (and pocketbook) across the USL landscape in another Southern market.

August Update: Nothing going.

Rogers (Northwest Arkansas)

Majority owned by Warren Smith alongside Arkansas-based businessman and former soccer player Chris Martinovic, the USL Northwest Arkansas project has plans for a $20 million stadium seating 5,000 aiming for 2026 completion. The club will represent the urban cluster of Fayetteville, Bentonville, and Rogers while playing their matches in the latter.

Northwest Arkansas would, by far, be the smallest market in the USL Championship with a metro population under a million and a television market that barely cracks the top 100. The upside is a lack of competition. That part of the country is deeply underrepresented when it comes to professional sports, much less professional soccer.

Per the piece linked above from Talk Business - the Northwest Arkansas region’s local business publication - the first steps towards a club brand should be expected in the first few months of 2024. Additionally, Smith and Martinovic are expected to add minority owners to their group.

Though the club has announced intentions to start a professional women’s team, Arkansas is not represented in the USL Super League’s inaugural field nor in the list of second-wave expansion markets. Despite that, the initiative has remained active and vocal, and 2026 feels attainable if things continue to go well.

August Update: The Arkansas effort has announced Charly - familiar from collaborations with San Diego Loyal, Memphis 901, and others - as their future kit provider. The club’s U-20 team will also hit the pitch this fall, carving a path similar to Brooklyn in terms of pre-expansion youth build-out.

The expansion map of the USL Championship’s 35 potential clubs.

Buffalo

After a previous false start, a new USL expansion effort was confirmed for Buffalo, New York on March 28th, spearheaded by the aforementioned Peter Marlette, Jr. Slated for 2026 entrance into the USL Championship, the club will pursue its own stadium project and plans to eventually found a USL Super League team.

Marlette is a veteran of USL League Two’s FC Buffalo, and that club’s warm statement recognizing the entrance of an ostensible competitor is a strong sign for community outreach. Indeed, Marlette’s track record of on-field success while at Union Omaha reads the same way in terms of operations. Still, he’s evidently not the money man here, and launching a club without word of a high-net-worth majority backer is atypical.

Western New York is no stranger to USL soccer. Buffalo is about an hour’s drive away from Rochester, which hosted the Rochester Rhinos from 1996 to 2017 if we’re ignoring the abortive MLS NEXT Pro revival. Notably, the Rhinos drew more than 10,000 fans per match in the early aughts; Buffalo is a bigger city and is famous for its raucous sports fandom.

August Update: No other expansion effort has stayed as vocal as Buffalo in terms of public updates. The club has held multiple town halls in the area, and they report that stadium progress is ahead of schedule for 2026.

Milwaukee

Launched with a 2025 start in mind but already delayed to 2026, Milwaukee marks another attempt on the part of the USL to expand in the Midwest. The delays stem from the club’s Iron District stadium project, which will also host Marquette soccer and lacrosse. Notably, Democratic governor Tony Evers was able to save $9 million in funding for the venue in the face of Republican opposition.

Milwaukee is the fourth-biggest city and third-biggest television market on the Championship’s announced slate, and it’s a natural partner for the potential Iowa expansion. Team owner Jim Kacmarcik is from the area, and he made his fortune in metal stamping after graduating from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

The club drew eyeballs last year upon the launch of its team naming competition, which was, frankly, wild as hell. We’re down to a top 10 now with such spectacular possibilities as “Cream City” and “Milwaukee Tall Boys” still on the table.

August Update: Nothing besides my sustained hopes for Cream City.

Further Efforts

Roswell

On March 25th, a new USL initiative was announced in Roswell, Georgia, a wealthy suburb north of Atlanta. Uniquely, the expansion club has positioned a USL Super League team as its first priority and the anchor tenant of a potential stadium project, though a USL Championship side is very much on the cards.

Per the announcement press release, the league and city have entered into a nine-month negotiation period to hammer out the details of the stadium and entertainment district. Specifics about investors and playing timelines were not forthcoming; it’s a similar situation to Buffalo, with no obvious owner associated with the project at the time of the announcement.

Roswell itself has a population just over 90,000, but it’s part of the hulking Atlanta metro, and it would take 45 minutes in traffic to get from there to Mercedes Benz-Stadium to watch Atlanta United play. Of course, Atlanta United boasts an average attendance above 47,000 in MLS, and that could be a death knell for the Championship team. Notably, the Atlanta Silverbacks of the NASL averaged an attendance of 4,000 in their final season at a site halfway between Roswell and downtown Atlanta, though that was before MLS came to the Peach State.

The women’s club is a surer bet. There’s been interest on the part of Arthur Blank in founding an NWSL team, but that rumor has never been hotter a low simmer. By comparison, Super League club could boast equal first-division credentials, a cozier stadium experience, and first-mover brand equity.

August Update: None.

Palm Beach

After four appearances on Ellen Degeneres’ show, a guest spot on Oprah, and legendary careers in both modeling and polo, Nacho Figueras became the owner of the USL’s Championship and Super League initiatives in Palm Beach, a city in the broader Miami metro. No date has been announced for a men’s team, and the women’s side will launch no sooner than 2025.

Figueras followed me on Twitter when the club launched, which is a very clear and undeniable sign that he’s locked in. He’s also responsible for this sick family photoshoot:

Standing on horses!

In a more serious sense, Palm Beach is about a 90-minute drive from Miami FC’s venue to the south. It’s delineated as a separate television market from Miami but still ranks in the top 40 by size. Stadium news (i.e., is the club building or sharing?) ought to be forthcoming, but details are light overall.

August Update: Mr. Figueras has three forms of communication if his Twitter account is any indication:

1. Retweeting the worst thing that Elon Musk has ever cooked up.

2. Retweeting praise of Javier Millei.

3. Being a Coldplay merch fiend.

May we live in interesting times. Palm Beach is going to be a weird (and fun?) one if and when they come to fruition.

Oklahoma City

The OKC Energy have been on hiatus since 2021, citing an inability to adhere to stadium standards. There’s a stadium plan in place, and the City of Oklahoma City (not repetitive at all) recently approved the club’s ownership of the venue-site-to-be. Plans are in place for a 10,000-seater that would cost about $70 million.

The renderings of the project featured the usual “hey, this is good enough for MLS!” talk, and MLS NEXT Pro has registered an OKC-specific domain, but there isn’t legitimate smoke to the fire of a potential move as of yet. Time will tell if and when the Energy hit the pitch again.

If you want an argument for this club, the logic hasn’t changed since its inception in 2013. Oklahoma City is a natural partner for Tulsa, and it’s somehow the westernmost team on the expansion slate; that matters for the conference alignments. The market is big enough to warrant an NBA franchise, and it’s in the top half of the 10 pending Championship sites by population.

August Update: Oklahoma City has made significant progress this summer. The first step was to confirm Christian Kanady and his firm, Echo, as the new majority owners of the extant OKC Energy. Bob Funk, the club’s former leading man, will retain a minority investment.

Echo is an investment company based in downtown Oklahoma City. The firm’s mineral subsidiary recently announced a $500 million asset sale; overall investment capital exceeds $1 billion in total value. Kanady and co. bring major heft to the table - not to mention the valuable local connections.

On the club side, Court Jeske recently joined the organization as the president of Echo Soccer. Jeske grew up an Oklahoman, and he most recently served as the Chief Commercial Officer of the USL. His prior experience in the foundational years of Nashville SC and his deep local and intra-league ties bode extremely well for the Energy’s future.

Other Notes

• As ever in the lower leagues, there’s a chance of contractions from the Championship this winter. Nothing guaranteed, mind you, but a chance. I’ve heard rumors about two clubs potentially dropping out - one obvious if you look at attendance and local competition, and another that would come as a shocking surprise.

• Indications are that the conversion of the now-deceased Austin Bold into a Dallas-Fort Worth club won’t come to fruition.

• What if the USL split into three and founded a “USL Premier” atop a new pro-rel pyramid? I analyzed what it might look like.