The USL Championship announced Thursday, following the league’s Board of Governors meeting, that the 2021 regular season will begin on or about May 1.
Additionally, teams will newly split into four divisions to play a 32-game regular-season slate measuring 27 weeks. The campaign runs through the end of October with playoffs scheduled for November.
In voting for a flexible start date, the Governors have approved for clubs to begin play anywhere between April 24 and May 15.
Further announcements on scheduling, divisional alignment and playoff structure will be made in the coming months, and the league will continue to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the event that alterations to the format need to be made.
Louisville City FC returns nearly every player from a team that finished a condensed, 16-game season in 2020 with the Eastern Conference’s best record. The boys in purple advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for a sixth straight year and in 2021 will be seeking to add a third star above their crest having raised USL Cups in 2017 and 2018.
LouCity players are in the process of returning to market for a Feb. 1 start to the preseason.
