The USL has announced its conference alignment for the 2018 season, which will feature a 16-team Eastern Conference and a 17-team Western Conference. For the coming season, the USL will feature 33 teams across its two conferences and the league’s regular season is being expanded to 34 games.
The conferences will be split geographically, with 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and 17 teams in the Western Conference. One team, Saint Louis FC, has moved to the Western Conference for the new season, where it will join expansion clubs Las Vegas Lights FC and Fresno FC in the battle for a place in the USL Cup Playoffs this season.
The Eastern Conference will welcome four new teams this season, with ATL UTD 2, Indy Eleven, Nashville SC and North Carolina FC joining the conference. The addition of Indy and Nashville adds to a strong pocket of clubs in the Midwest as they join FC Cincinnati and Louisville City FC, while NCFC and ATL UTD 2 complement the league’s existing clubs on the East Coast, with the Charleston Battery, Charlotte Independence and Richmond Kickers eagerly awaiting the chance to square off with their new rivals.
Orlando City B elected not to participate in the USL at the Division II level in 2018 while it evaluates its future options.
2018 USL Conference Alignment
Eastern Conference
ATL UTD 2
Bethlehem Steel FC
Charleston Battery
Charlotte Independence
FC Cincinnati
Indy Eleven
Louisville City FC
Nashville SC
New York Red Bulls II
North Carolina FC
Ottawa Fury FC
Penn FC
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Richmond Kickers
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Toronto FC II
Western Conference
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Fresno FC
LA Galaxy II
Las Vegas Lights FC
OKC Energy FC
Orange County SC
Phoenix Rising FC
Portland Timbers 2
Real Monarchs SLC
Reno 1868 FC
Rio Grande Valley FC
Sacramento Republic FC
Saint Louis FC
San Antonio FC
Seattle Sounders FC 2
Swope Park Rangers
Tulsa Roughnecks FC
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