TAMPA, Fla. – Following the United Soccer League Board of Governors mid-year meetings, held last Thursday in San Jose in conjunction with the MLS All-Star Game, USL on Monday released the composition of its 2017 competition structure.
The USL Board of Governors approved a 32-game schedule that will start the weekend of March 24-26 contested over a timespan not to exceed 30 weeks.
Louisville City FC will play its conference opponents at least twice — once home and one away — with regional rivalries rounding out the schedule. LouCity will not play any single opponent more than three times in 2017.
The 2016 USL season consists of 30 games played in 27 weeks.
The 2017 playoff format will mirror 2016 with the top eight teams in each conference qualifying for the postseason.
“After evaluating a number of proposals the League and its Competition Committee agreed on several changes that we felt would deliver value to our clubs through the extra home match,” said USL president Jake Edwards. “Also, lengthening the season gives us greater flexibility to create a more balanced schedule with less midweek matches. We will continue to build our national footprint with a focus on regional rivalries and a road map to a three-conference alignment in the very near future.”
The meetings also afforded the League the opportunity to provide clubs with a number of updates in key areas including USL Productions, USL Digital Network, expansion, commercial activity and technical initiatives.
Through 21 games this season, LouCity sits atop the USL’s Eastern Conference standings with a 12-3-6 record. The club used a 17-game unbeaten streak to climb to the top of the table and position itself to host playoff games at Louisville Slugger Field.
