USL PRO News Release
Thursday, January 24, 2013
TAMPA, Fla. – USL PRO announced its 2013 regular season format and schedule today, with each of its 13 clubs playing a 26-game schedule as the league embarks on a groundbreaking partnership with MLS that features interleague games vs. MLS Reserve teams.
Two new teams have been added to USL PRO in 2013, with the Phoenix FC Wolves and VSI Tampa Bay FC joining the 11 returning teams from 2012. Phoenix FC is set to open the 182-game season on Saturday, March 23 when it travels to face the Los Angeles Blues, and VSI Tampa Bay FC will play its inaugural game a week later on Saturday, March 30 when it travels to meet the Wolves at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. USL PRO will once again feature a single-table format.
2013 USL PRO Table
Antigua Barracuda FC
Charleston Battery
Charlotte Eagles
Dayton Dutch Lions
Harrisburg City Islanders
Los Angeles Blues
Orlando City Lions
Phoenix FC Wolves
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Richmond Kickers
Rochester Rhinos
VSI Tampa Bay FC
Wilmington Hammerheads
The 2013 USL PRO Playoffs will include the top eight finishers in the table, with the quarterfinals (No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, etc.) set for the weekend of August 23-25. The semifinals featuring the four remaining teams will be played the following weekend, with the 2013 USL PRO Championship set for the weekend of September 6-8. All playoff rounds feature a single-game knockout format and teams will not be re-seeded following each round.
The final weekend of the regular season is set for Friday-Sunday August 16-18, with 12 of 13 teams in action as the race for playoff spots winds down.
Thanks to the new partnership with MLS, each of the 13 USL PRO teams will compete in two inter-league games against MLS Reserve League opponents. With the exception of Antigua, which will play both of its games at MLS Reserve teams, USL PRO teams have been paired with a single MLS team to play a home and home series. All inter-league games will count in both the official USL PRO and MLS Reserve League standings.
The interleague schedule gets underway on Sunday, April 7, when the Los Angeles Galaxy Reserves travel across town to face the Los Angeles Blues at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium and the Portland Timbers Reserves travel to face VSI Tampa Bay FC.
Other interleague matchups:
Antigua Barracuda FC vs. FC Dallas & San Jose Earthquakes
Charleston Battery vs. Houston Dynamo
Charlotte Eagles vs. Chicago Fire
Dayton Dutch Lions vs. Columbus Crew
Harrisburg City Islanders vs. Colorado Rapids
Orlando City vs. Seattle Sounders FC
Phoenix FC vs. Real Salt Lake
Pittsburgh Riverhounds vs. Toronto FC
Richmond Kickers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Rochester Rhinos vs. Montreal Impact
Wilmington Hammerheads vs. New York Red Bulls
All USL PRO games, as well as all USL PRO vs. MLS Reserve interleague games played at USL PRO venues from the 2013 season will be available live online through USLnation.com. USLnation.com’s mobile technology also allows fans the ability to follow USL PRO from anywhere.
The strongest, best operated and most experienced North American men’s professional soccer league below MLS, both on and off the field, USL PRO features six teams with more than a decade of operational experience, and more than 100 years of combined operational experience.