Watch Out MLS, A New Division One League Is Coming

Watch Out MLS, A New Division One League Is Coming

In a stunning announcement that has shaken the U.S. Soccer pyramid to its core, the United Soccer League (USL) announced its plans to launch a new division one soccer league in 2027-28 on Thursday. The league will compete directly with the MLS and is hoping to capitalize on the interest in soccer generated by the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The USL currently operates two professional leagues: the USL Championship, a second-division league, and the USL League One, a third-division league. It also runs the USL League Two, a high-level semi-professional league that takes place in the summer. The new first-division league will sit atop the current USL league structure.

“Today is a defining moment for the USL and the future of soccer in the United States,” Alec Papadakis, CEO of the United Soccer League, said. “Creating a Division One league is a bold step forward, expanding access to top-tier competition, deepening the connection between our communities and taking another step in aligning with the structure of the global game.

“By uniting people through soccer and bringing Division One to more cities, we’re not just growing the sport—we’re creating lasting opportunities while building a more sustainable and vibrant soccer ecosystem in the U.S.”

While rumors have been floating around for a while that the USL was considering launching a first-division league, the news is still astounding, especially considering the fact that they will be competing directly with the MLS. The MLS has been and will, for the foreseeable future, be seen as the premier professional soccer league in the U.S.

If the new USL league wants to be successful, it must differentiate itself from the MLS. The plan is to do this by adding markets that have been overlooked by or have failed in their expansion efforts to the MLS, such as Sacramento, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Indianapolis.

The new league will also give the USL the opportunity to add promotion and relegation amongst its three professional divisions, a feature that the MLS does not have. As we previously reported here at Vendetta, the USL has long been looking to make promotion and relegation a reality. With this new division one league, the goal will be to connect all three leagues via promotion and relegation in the future.

The new league is likely to begin with 12-14 teams, all of which need to meet U.S. Soccer’s strict standards for first-division clubs. These standards include details such as having stadiums that fit at least 15,000 fans and having ownership groups that can successfully run the team for at least five years, as well as leagues having at least 75% of its clubs residing in metro areas with at least 1 million residents.

There are already rumors about which teams are likely to join the new league. Existing USL Championship sides in markets that were previously mentioned in this article like Sacramento, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Indianapolis are likely to be joined by Louisville City and New Mexico United. It has also been reported that the USL has already agreed to award a club to the city of Pico Rivera in Los Angeles County.

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