The USL could be set to introduce a promotion and relegation system in a first for soccer stateside amid a milestone vote on the prospect.
Officially viewed by the country's football governing body US Soccer as below MLS in its standing, the division currently has 24 teams but no relegation. In the case of FC Cinncinati and Nashville SC, the clubs joined the US' flagship league back in 2018 and 2020, respectively, while a host of MLS clubs fielded second string teams in the USL before the development of MLS Next Pro.
Looking to potentially take the USL into a new era, a plan has been mooted for three professional tiers, with this hypothetical restructuring likely to occur in 2024, according to the Athletic. If the plans were passed by the lower-division’s board of governors, this would make the competition the format the first open league system in US soccer history.
