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Sixteen-team Playoff to take place in November

TAMPA, Fla. – The USL Championship announced today its playoff structure for the 2021 season, which will feature 16 teams when the regular season concludes in the last weekend of October.

Following the announcement of the Championship’s divisional alignment in March, the top four teams from each division in the regular season will advance into a regionalized single-elimination bracket. The top two clubs in each of the Atlantic, Central, Mountain and Pacific Divisions will earn hosting rights in the Eastern and Western Conference Quarterfinals, regardless of total points.

Division winners will be matched with the fourth-place team, while second-placed teams will meet third-placed teams from the opposing division in the Conference Quarterfinals, matching up teams from the Atlantic Division and Central Division in the Eastern Conference and the Mountain and Pacific Division in the Western Conference.

Following the Conference Quarterfinals round, home advantage will be determined by total points earned, regardless of division rank, for the remainder of the postseason.

The Championship season will conclude with the USL Championship Final on Sunday, November 28 with kickoff set for 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN or ESPN 2 and ESPN Deportes.

Click here to view the full Championship schedule.

TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League announced today the 37 clubs that will compete in the 2021 Academy Cup, presented by Puma, which will take place at the Hillsborough County Tournament SportsPlex in Tampa, Fla. on May 28-31, 2021. The USL Academy Cup features some of the country’s most elite youth players from the U-13 and U-17 age groups and will build on the success of the first two regional events held prior to the pandemic. Among the 74 teams competing, Miami FC will be represented by the Girls U17 team.

The cup competition will see academy teams from clubs in all three senior divisions of the USL represented, with clubs from the Championship, League One and League Two as well as representation from MLS clubs all competing against one another to represent a growing footprint that reaches 22 states across the country. These events will be designed to better identify and accelerate the development of elite youth players with the potential to reach the professional ranks. In addition, a U-17 Girls Division will be included at this year’s event, after the USL announced a complementary women’s pathway to the overall Academy platform in 2019. This new female-specific age group will serve to further enhance the mission of USL to provide proven pathways for all players, especially with the continued growth of the women’s game at the senior team levels. 

“The USL Academy Cup is a prime example of the great work being done by our clubs and their youth affiliates to develop youth soccer across the country,” said Liam O’Connell, Technical Director of the USL. “We are incredibly excited to see our teams take the pitch this year at the cup and to witness our clubs continue to make an impact in youth soccer and the development of youth players across the American soccer landscape.”

As these 74 youth teams prepare to take the pitch for the 2021 USL Academy Cup national tournament, 60+ USL clubs will also be kicking off the first-ever regular season of the USL Academy League this spring. Among those 60 clubs, Miami FC will be competing in the Florida Division for the inaugural USL Academy League. As announced in 2020, this new pre-professional league will serve as a direct pathway for top teenage talents to enter the ranks of the USL senior teams in the Championship, League One and League Two while also providing clubs a reserve team experience. 

For more information on conference alignment and to stay up to date on the competition structure, schedule release, and more, visit www.usl-academy.com/academy-cup.

The United Soccer League (USL) today announced the creation of the Forever Proud Project, an ongoing, year-round initiative designed to increase inclusivity, education and awareness for the LGBTQ+ community.

TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League (USL) today announced the creation of the Forever Proud Project, an ongoing, year-round initiative designed to increase inclusivity, education and awareness for the LGBTQ+ community. 

The Forever Proud Project aims to create opportunities and promote LGBTQ+ inclusivity across all USL communities. The project, which aims to kick off on May 17 – the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia – will activate especially around key awareness dates, and shine the spotlight on community members, fans and businesses across the USL.

“The Forever Proud project is a good first step in a long-term journey towards creating a more inclusive soccer community,” said USL Senior Vice President Lizzie Seedhouse. “It’s our hope that this project can make a difference and increase visibility, awareness and inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community. We will work hard to ensure that their voices are heard and valued.”

The Forever Proud Project launches with a collection of key partners already established as leaders in LGBTQ+ inclusivity in sport.

• You Can Play Project: Rooted in the mission to ensure the safety and inclusion of all LGBTQ people throughout the sports ecosystem, USL will work alongside the You Can Play Project to provide League Staff and Clubs support through educational resources, advocacy, experiential marketing consultation, and community management support.
• Football v Homophobia: The USL and Football v Homophobia’s partnership will develop cultural comprehension and grassroots programming to help remove discrimination and prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The programming will be utilized throughout the USL Youth ecosystem, impacting 12,000+ young USL athletes across the country.
• HomeField Alliance: As the first LGBTQ affinity group aimed to create a voice and resource for LGBTQ professionals in the business of sport and entertainment, HomeField Alliance and the USL will amplify the group’s purpose and mission throughout the USL ecosystem, with focuses on membership relationships, networking, workshops, and mentoring programming.
• PUMA x The Trevor Project: A strategic partnership between PUMA, The Trevor Project and the USL will deliver educational resources to support the mental health of LGBTQ young people and promote inclusive sports participation, which can help reduce risk of suicide. This initiative will be amplified by custom apparel collaborations and ladder up into PUMA’s social justice platform, #REFORM. Grounded in three core pillars — ending racial, LGBTQ+ and gender discrimination — #REFORM drives and supports social change by partnering with like-minded activists and organizations around the world.

In addition to the aforementioned partnerships, the USL, in collaboration with the USLBPA and the USL Players’ Association, is working with the Institute for Sport and Social Justice to conduct comprehensive sensitivity and unconscious bias training for all USL HQ and club staff, players, and other full-time employees.

In providing more access to educational and informational resources and tools across the USL, the league seeks to impact its athletes, coaches, family members, personnel, and fans as it raises year-round awareness for the LGBTQ+ community.

MIAMI (April 7, 2021) — The Miami FC, in conjunction with the USL Championship, announced on Wednesday the complete ESPN linear schedule for the upcoming 2021 season. Miami FC will be on the national spotlight on June 23 starting at 8p.m. ET at Riccardo Silva Stadium on the campus of Florida International University. Kickoff time is still to be determined and will be announced at a later date.

The United Soccer League unveiled today the most expansive linear television schedule in its history, featuring top clubs from the USL Championship facing off on ESPN networks, plus the first game in USL League One history to air on national television in the 2021 campaign. 

“This is the biggest and brightest platform we’ve ever had for our league,” said USL Executive Vice President Court Jeske. “We are thrilled at the wide selection of games, clubs and landmark moments that will appear on national television this season. It’s a special thing for our league to be able to showcase our clubs and cities across the USL Championship and League One on ESPN’s networks in addition to streaming an incredible schedule on ESPN+.”

In addition to the linear schedule on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, the remainder of the USL Championship and League One regular-season and playoff games will stream live on ESPN+, giving fans a front-row seat for almost 700 games across both leagues.

MIAMI (April 1, 2021) – The Miami FC announced today that its previously scheduled preseason scrimmage against Fort Lauderdale CF has been postponed. The scrimmage was set to take place Wednesday evening at the Inter Miami CF Training Center.

The decision to postpone the scrimmage has been made out of an abundance of caution following one of The Miami FC’s covered persons testing positive for COVID-19. The individual has been immediately isolated at home, is recovering in good spirits under the care of team physicians and infectious disease experts. All league, local and state health and wellness protocols are being followed.

A rescheduled date for the postponed scrimmage will be announced when available.

MIAMI (March 30, 2021) — The USL Championship released the entire 2021 regular season schedule on Tuesday, with Miami FC slated to play 32 matches. Miami FC will kick off the season with back-to-back home games on May 2 and May 9, before going on the road for two straight matches directly after that.

The 2021 schedule features four matches against in-state rivals Tampa Bay Rowdies, with Miami FC hosting them on Wednesday, July 7 and Saturday, July 17. Miami will visit Al Lang Stadium initially on Saturday, May 22 and then toward the last portion of the regular season on Wednesday, October 20. 

Miami FC is slated to play against all Atlantic Division opponents four times (two at home and two away), with four matches against teams not in their division. Miami FC will host RGV Toros (June 6) and Birmingham Legion (June 23), and then travel to face Austin Bold (August 14) and Memphis 901 FC (September 11).

All home matches will be played at Riccardo Silva Stadium on the campus of Florida International University, with kickoff times to be determined. Please note all home matches will be closed to fans to start the season, with the club aiming to allow fans later on during the 2021 campaign.

BRADENTON, Fla. (March 27, 2021) — The Miami FC defeated Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls 2-0 on Saturday afternoon at IMG Academy in Bradenton.

Midfielder “Speedy” Williams and forward Adonijah Reid scored for The Miami FC, earning the club its second preseason friendly win of this preseason. Saturday’s friendly was composed of two 30-minute halves.

Despite not holding much of the possession during the first half, Miami FC was very composed in the back holding Red Bulls to just one big chance. Goalkeeper Connor Sparrow was able to come off his line to avoid Red Bulls opening goal.

Right before the end of the first 30 minutes, Williams would put Miami up 1-0 after a well placed shot from outside the box. The shot looked to be going wide but it sneaked into the bottom left corner of the net.

Miami’s intensity continued to rise in the second half, with Red Bulls looking the for the equalizer. Their push for the game-tying goal caused gaps in their defensive third, which Reid capitalized in the 32nd minute.

The Canadian forward received a through ball from forward Pierre Da Silva and did not waste his chance in front of goal. Reid slipped it past a diving Red Bulls keeper to put the away side up 2-0.

Da Silva would have his chance just under 10 minutes later, but his rifling shot would hit the right post and crawl across the entire goal line before being cleared by a New York defender.

Red Bulls were able to get one late chance to cut the lead in half, but goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre was able to position himself correctly in front of a powerful shot from inside the box.

Saturday’s win keeps Miami FC going in the right direction, with the start of their USL Championship just over a month away.

We could get used to this. 😎

2021 @USLChampionship. 🔜 pic.twitter.com/toOttPd2jK

— Miami FC (@TheMiamiFC) March 28, 2021

MIAMI (March 25, 2021) – The Miami FC announced on Thursday that Andy Thomson has joined the club’s technical staff as Assistant Coach ahead of the 2021 USL Championship season. Most recently he was Technical Director at IMG Academy where he produced the methodology, technical content and periodization model.

“The opportunity to work at this club, alongside Paul Dalglish and the rest of the coaching staff, is fantastic,” commented Thomson. “My job is to do everything I can do to help this team win, which is something the club is used to doing. Miami is a beautiful city, rich in culture and diversity. It will be a privilege to contribute to the Miami community, both inside and outside of fútbol.”

Thomson is an experienced professional coach with a robust and strategic methodology in regard to coaching, team tactics, periodization and scouting. He has coached in three different continents, including here in the USA with USL Championship’s San Antonio FC. 

Recognized as a world expert in periodization, during Thomson’s tenure at SAFC, the club was recognized as consistently able to play with its strongest XI during the course of the season and postseason. This was mostly in part due to his work in periodization with the players. During his time in the US, he also gained international experience at national team level with the US Soccer Federation’s Paralympic National Team. 

After departing San Antonio, Thomson continued to gain experience heading to the Australian A League, where he worked with the Central Coast Mariners as Head of Football Performance. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Thomson’s experience in his home country included time in athletic development with the Scottish Institute of Sport and also with St. Mirren FC, where he coached current Premier League star John McGinn for 4 years.

Miami FC to Face Loudoun United at Riccardo Silva Stadium

MIAMI (March 23, 2021) — The USL Championship released the Home Opener lineup for the upcoming 2021 season this Tuesday, with The Miami FC set to host Loudoun United FC on Sunday, May 2 at Riccardo Silva Stadium.

The Miami FC has decided that the first slate of home matches, including the home opener on May 2, will be played without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The club is looking forward to allowing fans to return to the stands at a later date this season.

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Kickoff time and broadcast options will be made available at a later date.

The Miami FC enters the 2021 season in the Atlantic Division, alongside defending Eastern Conference Title-holder Tampa Bay Rowdies. Miami’s in-state rival will be joined by the Charleston Battery, Charlotte Independence, Hartford Athletic, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, Loudoun United FC and the New York Red Bulls II.

The league will feature 31 teams across four divisions and two conferences in the upcoming season, with the clubs set to embark on a 32-game regular-season schedule that will be conducted over 27 weeks.