Western Conference (USL Championship)
| League | USL Championship |
|---|---|
| Sport | Soccer |
| Founded | January 21, 2015 |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Most recent champion(s) | Colorado Springs Switchbacks (2024) (1st title) |
| Most titles | Phoenix Rising FC (3 titles) |
The Western Conference is one of two conferences in USL Championship soccer.[1]
Current standings
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico United | 34 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 59 | Playoffs |
| 2 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 48 | 40 | +8 | 52 | |
| 3 | Memphis 901 FC | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 52 | 41 | +11 | 51 | |
| 4 | Las Vegas Lights FC | 34 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 49 | 46 | +3 | 50 | |
| 5 | Sacramento Republic FC | 34 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 46 | 34 | +12 | 49 | |
| 6 | Orange County SC | 34 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 38 | 45 | −7 | 46 | |
| 7 | Oakland Roots SC | 34 | 13 | 16 | 5 | 37 | 57 | −20 | 44 | |
| 8 | Phoenix Rising FC | 34 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 33 | 39 | −6 | 42 | |
| 9 | San Antonio FC | 34 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 36 | 49 | −13 | 39 | |
| 10 | FC Tulsa | 34 | 9 | 14 | 11 | 33 | 48 | −15 | 38 | |
| 11 | Monterey Bay FC | 34 | 8 | 16 | 10 | 29 | 44 | −15 | 34 | |
| 12 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 34 | 8 | 18 | 8 | 27 | 46 | −19 | 32 |
Rules for classification: 1) head-to-head points; 2) head-to-head goal differential; 3) points-per game within conference; 4) total wins; 5) total goal differential; 6) total goals scored; 7) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 8) disciplinary points; 9) coin toss or drawing of lots
Members
[edit]Current
[edit]
Conference Lineups
[edit]Clubs timeline
[edit]
Conference Member Club moved to Eastern Conference Club playing in different league Former clubs
2015 (12 teams)
[edit]- Arizona United SC
- Austin Aztex
- Colorado Springs Switchbacks
- LA Galaxy II
- Oklahoma City Energy
- Orange County Blues
- Portland Timbers 2
- Real Monarchs SLC
- Sacramento Republic
- Seattle Sounders 2
- Tulsa Roughnecks
- Vancouver Whitecaps 2
Changes from 2014: USL Pro expanded and was rebranded as simply USL; the round robin table was split into two conferences: Eastern and Western.
2016 (15 teams)
[edit]- Arizona United SC
- Colorado Springs Switchbacks
- LA Galaxy II
- Oklahoma City Energy
- Orange County Blues
- Portland Timbers 2
- Real Monarchs SLC
- Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
- Sacramento Republic
- St. Louis FC
- San Antonio FC
- Seattle Sounders 2
- Swope Park Rangers
- Tulsa Roughnecks
- Vancouver Whitecaps 2
Changes from 2015: Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, the Swope Park Rangers and San Antonio FC were added as expansion franchises;[2] Saint Louis FC moved in from the Eastern Conference; the Austin Aztex went on hiatus
2017 (15 teams)
[edit]- Colorado Springs Switchbacks
- LA Galaxy II
- Oklahoma City Energy
- Orange County SC
- Phoenix Rising FC
- Portland Timbers 2
- Real Monarchs SLC
- Reno 1868 FC
- Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
- Sacramento Republic
- San Antonio FC
- Seattle Sounders 2
- Swope Park Rangers
- Tulsa Roughnecks
- Vancouver Whitecaps 2
Changes from 2016: Arizona United SC was renamed Phoenix Rising FC; the Orange County Blues was renamed Orange County SC; the Austin Aztex folded; Reno 1868 FC was added as an expansion franchise; Saint Louis FC moved out to the Eastern Conference[3]
2018 (17 teams)
[edit]- Colorado Springs Switchbacks
- Fresno FC
- Las Vegas Lights FC
- LA Galaxy II
- Oklahoma City Energy
- Orange County SC
- Phoenix Rising FC
- Portland Timbers 2
- Real Monarchs SLC
- Reno 1868 FC
- Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
- Sacramento Republic
- Saint Louis FC
- San Antonio FC
- Seattle Sounders 2
- Swope Park Rangers
- Tulsa Roughnecks
Changes from 2017: Fresno FC and Las Vegas Lights FC were added as expansion franchises; the Vancouver Whitecaps 2 folded; Saint Louis FC moved in from the Western Conference.[4]
2019 (18 teams)
[edit]- Austin Bold FC
- Colorado Springs Switchbacks
- El Paso Locomotive FC
- Fresno FC
- Las Vegas Lights FC
- LA Galaxy II
- New Mexico United
- Oklahoma City Energy
- Orange County SC
- Phoenix Rising FC
- Portland Timbers 2
- Real Monarchs SLC
- Reno 1868 FC
- Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
- Sacramento Republic
- San Antonio FC
- Tacoma Defiance
- Tulsa Roughnecks
Changes from 2018: Austin Bold FC, El Paso Locomotive FC and the New Mexico United were added as expansion franchises.[5]; Saint Louis FC and the Swope Park Rangers moved out to the Eastern Conference; Seattle Sounders FC 2 rebranded as Tacoma Defiance.
2020 (18 teams)
[edit]Group A (4 teams)
[edit]Group B (5 teams)
[edit]Group C (4 teams)
[edit]Group D (5 teams)
[edit]Changes from 2019: San Diego Loyal SC was added as an expansion franchise; the Tulsa Roughnecks were renamed FC Tulsa; Fresno FC was disbanded. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the conference was split into four groups. Two groups of four and two groups of five.[6]
2021 (15 teams)
[edit]Mountain Division
[edit]- Austin Bold FC
- Colorado Springs Switchbacks
- El Paso Locomotive FC
- New Mexico United
- Real Monarchs SLC
- Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
- San Antonio FC
Pacific Division
[edit]- Las Vegas Lights FC
- LA Galaxy II
- Oakland Roots SC
- Orange County SC
- Phoenix Rising FC
- Sacramento Republic
- San Diego Loyal SC
- Tacoma Defiance
Changes from 2020: The conference was divided into two divisions, Mountain and Pacific; Oakland Roots SC joined in from NISA: the Portland Timbers 2 was withdrawn by the MLS parent club; Reno 1868 FC was disbanded; Oklahoma City Energy and FC Tulsa moved out to the Eastern Conference.[7]
2022 (13 teams)
[edit]- Colorado Springs Switchbacks
- El Paso Locomotive FC
- New Mexico United
- Monterey Bay FC
- Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
- Las Vegas Lights FC
- LA Galaxy II
- Oakland Roots SC
- Orange County SC
- Phoenix Rising FC
- Sacramento Republic FC
- San Antonio FC
- San Diego Loyal SC
Changes from 2021: The Mountain and Pacific divisions were dropped; Monterey Bay FC was added as an expansion franchise; the Real Monarchs and the Tacoma Defiance were withdrawn by their MLS parent clubs and moved to MLS Next Pro; Austin Bold FC went on hiatus; will move to a yet-to-be-named Texas city for the 2023 season.[8]
2023 (12 teams)
[edit]- Colorado Springs Switchbacks
- El Paso Locomotive FC
- New Mexico United
- Monterey Bay FC
- Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
- Las Vegas Lights FC
- Oakland Roots SC
- Orange County SC
- Phoenix Rising FC
- Sacramento Republic FC
- San Antonio FC
- San Diego Loyal SC
Changes from 2022: The LA Galaxy II was withdrawn by their MLS parent club and moved to MLS Next Pro;[9]
2024 (12 teams)
[edit]- Colorado Springs Switchbacks
- El Paso Locomotive FC
- FC Tulsa
- New Mexico United
- Monterey Bay FC
- Las Vegas Lights FC
- Memphis 901 FC
- Oakland Roots SC
- Orange County SC
- Phoenix Rising FC
- Sacramento Republic FC
- San Antonio FC
Changes from 2023: Rio Grande Valley FC Toros[10] and San Diego Loyal SC[11] folded. FC Tulsa and Memphis 901 FC moved from the Eastern Conference.[12]
Western Conference Playoff champions by year
[edit]| Bold | USL Champions |
| Season | Champions | Score | Runners Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | LA Galaxy II | 2–1 | OKC Energy FC |
| 2016 | Swope Park Rangers | 3–0 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 |
| 2017 | Swope Park Rangers | 0–0 (7–6 PK) | OKC Energy FC |
| 2018 | Phoenix Rising FC | 2–1 | Orange County SC |
| 2019 | Real Monarchs SLC | 2–1 (AET) | El Paso Locomotive FC |
| 2020[a] | Phoenix Rising FC | 1–1 (4–2 PK) | El Paso Locomotive FC |
| 2021 | Orange County SC | 1–1 (5–3 PK) | San Antonio FC |
| 2022 | San Antonio FC | 2–0 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks |
| 2023 | Phoenix Rising FC | 2–1 | Sacramento Republic FC |
| 2024 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 1–0 | Las Vegas Lights FC |
- ^ USL Championship game canceled due to COVID-19 outbreak in the Tampa Bay Rowdies camp.[13]
Western Conference regular season champions by year
[edit]| Bold | Players' Shield Champions |
| Season | Team | Record | Playoffs result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Orange County Blues | 14–9–5 (+4) | Lost conference semifinals |
| 2016 | Sacramento Republic FC | 14–10–6 (+16) | Lost conference quarterfinals |
| 2017 | Real Monarchs SLC | 20–5–7 (+28) | Lost conference quarterfinals |
| 2018 | Orange County SC | 20–8–6 (+30) | Lost conference final |
| 2019 | Phoenix Rising FC | 24–4–6 (+53) | Lost conference semifinals |
| 2020 | Reno 1868 FC | 11–2–3 (+22) | Lost conference semifinals |
| 2021 | Phoenix Rising FC | 20–5–7 (+33) | Lost conference quarterfinals |
| 2022 | San Antonio FC | 24–5–5 (+28) | Won USL Championship |
| 2023 | Sacramento Republic FC | 18–6–10 (+25) | Lost conference final |
| 2024 | New Mexico United | 18–11–5 (+2) | Lost conference semifinals |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Expanded USL Unveils 2015 Format". United Soccer League (USL). January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ "2016 USL Alignment and Format Announced". United Soccer League (USL). January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ "USL Announces 2017 Conference Alignment". www.uslsoccer.com. United Soccer League (USL). January 9, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ "USL Announces 2018 Conference Alignment". soccerstadiumdigest.com. Soccer Stadium Digest. January 12, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ "USL Championship Unveils 2019 Conference Alignment". United Soccer League (USL). December 13, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ^ Lenard, John (June 26, 2020). "USL Championship announces Eastern Conference groups". 3rddegree.net. 3rd Degree. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ "USL Championship Releases 2021 League Alignment, Republic FC in Pacific Division". www.sacrepublicfc.com. Sacramento Republic FC. March 2, 2021. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ Krysinsky, John (December 21, 2021). "USL Championship releases 2022 schedule format and conference realignment". pittsburghsoccernow.com. Pittsburgh, PA: PGH Soccer Now. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ "USL sets Championship's 2023 conference alignment, season format". www.loucity.com. Louisville, KY: Louisville City FC. December 20, 2022. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ "OFFICIAL STATEMENT: Rio Grande Valley FC Cease Operations". www.RGVFC.com. Rio Grande Valley FC. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "USL to Transfer San Diego Franchise Rights" (Press release). USL Championship. August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ "USL Championship Unveils 2024 Regular Season Schedule". USL Championship. USL Championship Staff. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Carlisle, Jeff (2020-10-31). "USL final between Tampa Bay and Phoenix canceled after COVID-19 positives". www.espn.com. ESPN. Archived from the original on 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
The USL Championship final between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Phoenix Rising has been canceled after multiple Tampa Bay players tested positive for COVID-19, the league announced on Saturday.
