Milestones
Formed: 1986
Status: Active
First Game:
Seasons: 33 and counting
Franchises: Seriously, don’t ask
States & Provinces:
Leadership
Trophy Case
Background
Alright. Full disclosure: I used to work in the United Soccer Leagues and even with that credential, I’ve still been wrestling for years with the question of how to elegantly organize the insane web of league names, mergers, re-brandings, divisional accreditations and pro/amateur designations that have characterized the leagues’ 35-odd years of existence. I’ve decided there is no good solution.
I’ve settled on the following rule of thumb and format. I realize not all soccer nerds will find this satisfactory. But I’ve decided to track the franchises by league name which parallels the organization of the rest of the FWiL site. This also means that many clubs appear in multiple league tables below, both because the USL re-brands its league so often and because USL clubs frequently self-relegate or promote themselves across the various leagues based on their financial resources.
I’ve added extra columns to the typical FWiL tables here to indicate how a club entered or exited each league to help make sense of it all.
Finally, there were several leagues that operated independently of the USL during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s that ultimately merged or otherwise fed clubs into USL leagues. I’ve treated the following leagues separately and you can find their pages at the following links:
- American Soccer League (1988-1989)
- American Professional Soccer League/original A-League (1990-1996)
- Canadian Soccer League (1987-1992)
- Western Soccer Alliance/Western Soccer League (1985-1989)
Let me have it in the comments if you don’t like it…
USISL Select League (1996)
| Franchise | Years Active | A-League Champions | Arrived | Departed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Jaguars | 1996 | 1996 | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined USISL A-League |
| Cape Cod Crusaders | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined D3 Pro League |
| Carolina Dynamo | 1996 | None | Were Greensboro Dynamo/Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined USISL A-League |
| Chicago Stingers | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined D3 Pro League |
| Connecticut Wolves | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined USISL A-League |
| Delaware Wizards | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined D3 Pro League |
| El Paso Patriots | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined USISL A-League |
| Hampton Roads Mariners | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined USISL A-League (1998) |
| Long Island Rough Riders | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined USISL A-League |
| Milwaukee Rampage | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined USISL A-League |
| Minnesota Thunder | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined USISL A-League |
| New Mexico Chiles | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Folded |
| New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined USISL A-League |
| New York/New Jersey Stallions | 1996 | None | Expansion Team | Became New Jersey Stallions/Joined D3 Pro League |
| Ohio Xoggz | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Folded |
| Raleigh Flyers | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined USISL A-League |
| Reno Rattlers | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined D3 Pro League |
| Richmond Kickers | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Premier League | Joined USISL A-League |
| Sacramento Scorpions | 1996 | None | Expansion Team | Joined D3 Pro League |
| South Carolina Shamrocks | 1996 | None | Expansion Team | Joined D3 Pro League |
| Tampa Bay Cyclones | 1996 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Became Jacksonville Cyclones/Joined USISL A-League |
USISL/USL A-League Franchises (1997-2004)
| Franchise | Years Active | A-League Champions | Arrived | Departed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque Geckos | 1998 | None | Elevated from D3 Pro League | Moved to Sacramento (Geckos) |
| Atlanta Ruckus | 1997-1998 | None | Admitted from A-League 1997 | Became Atlanta Silverbacks 1999 |
| Atlanta Silverbacks | 1999-2004 | None | Formerly Atlanta Ruckus | Joined USL First Division |
| Bay Area Seals | 2000 | None | Were San Francisco Bay Seals | Folded |
| Boston Bulldogs | 1999-2000 | None | Were Worcester Wildfire | Dropped to D3 Pro League |
| Calgary Mustangs | 2004 | None | ? | Folded |
| Calgary Storm | 2002-2003 | None | Elevated from Premier Development League | Became Team Calgary |
| California Jaguars | 1997-1998 | None | Joined from USISL Select League | Dropped to D3 Pro League |
| Carolina Dynamo | 1997 | None | Joined from USISL Select League | Dropped to D3 Pro League (1999) |
| Charleston Battery | 1997-2004 | 2003 | Joined from USISL Pro League | Joined USL First Division |
| Charlotte Eagles | 2001-2003 | None | Elevated from D3 Pro League | Dropped to USL Pro Soccer League |
| Cincinnati Riverhawks | 1998-2003 | None | Elevated from Premier Development League | Folded |
| Colorado Foxes | 1997 | None | Admitted from A-League 1997 | Moved to San Diego (Flash) |
| Connecticut Wolves | 1997-2001 | None | Joined from USISL Select League | Dropped to D3 Pro League |
| El Paso Patriots | 1997-2003 | None | Joined from USISL Select League | Dropped to Premier Development League |
| Hampton Roads Mariners | 1998-2000 & 2002 | None | Joined from USISL Select League (1996) | Became Virginia Beach Mariners |
| Hershey Wildcats | 1997-2001 | None | Expansion Team | Folded |
| Indiana Blast | 1999-2003 | None | Elevated from D3 Pro League | Dropped to Premier Development League |
| Jacksonville Cyclones | 1997-1999 | None | Joined from USISL Select League | Folded |
| Lehigh Valley Steam | 1999 | None | Expansion Team | Folded |
| Long Island Rough Riders | 1997-2001 | None | Joined from USISL Select League | Dropped to D3 Pro League |
| Maryland Mania | 1999 | None | Expansion Team | Folded |
| Milwaukee Rampage | 1997-2002 | 1997-2002 | Joined from USISL Select League | Folded |
| Milwaukee Wave United | 2003-2004 | None | Expansion Team | Folded |
| Minnesota Thunder | 1997-2004 | 1999 | Joined from USISL Select League | Joined USL First Division |
| Montreal Impact | 1997-2004 | 2004 | Admitted from A-League 1997 | Joined USL First Division |
| Nashville Metros | 1997-1998 & 2001 | None | Joined from USISL Premier League | Dropped to Premier Development League |
| New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers | 1997 | None | Joined from USISL Select League | Became New Orleans Storm |
| New Orleans Storm | 1998-1999 | None | Were New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers | Folded |
| Orange County Waves | 2000 | None | Were Orange County Zodiac | Folded |
| Orange County Zodiac | 1997-1999 | None | Expansion Team | Became Orange County Waves |
| Orlando Sundogs | 1997 | None | Expansion Team | Folded |
| Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 1999-2003 | None | Expansion Team | Dropped to USL Pro Soccer League |
| Portland Timbers | 2001-2004 | None | Expansion Team | Joined USL First Division |
| Puerto Rico Islanders | 2004 | None | Expansion Team | Joined USL First Division |
| Raleigh Capital Express | 1999-2000 | None | Were Raleigh Flyers | Folded |
| Raleigh Flyers | 1997-1998 | None | Joined from USISL Select League | Became Raleigh Capital Express |
| Richmond Kickers | 1997-2004 | None | Joined from USISL Select League | Joined USL First Division |
| Rochester Raging Rhinos | 1997-2004 | 1998-2000-2001 | Admitted from A-League | Joined USL First Division |
| Sacramento Geckos | 1999 | None | Were Albuquerque Geckos | Became Team Sacramento |
| San Diego Flash | 1998-2001 | None | Moved from Colorado (Foxes) | Folded |
| San Francisco Bay Seals | 1998-1999 | None | Elevated from D3 Pro League | Became Bay Area Seals |
| Seattle Sounders | 1997-2004 | None | Admitted from A-League | Joined USL First Division |
| Staten Island Vipers | 1998-1999 | None | Expansion Team | Folded |
| Syracuse Salty Dogs | 2003-2004 | None | Expansion Team | Folded |
| Team Calgary | 2003 | None | Were Calgary Storm | Folded/Became Calgary Mustangs (?) |
| Team Sacramento | 1999 | None | Were Sacramento Geckos | Folded |
| Tennessee Rhythm | 1999-2000 | None | Depends who you ask1USL media guides alternately refer to the Tennessee Rhythm as a new franchise or a continuation of the original Nashville Metros franchise | Became Nashville Metros |
| Toronto Lynx | 1997-2004 | None | Expansion Team | Joined USL First Division |
| U.S. Pro 40 | 1998-2000 | None | Expansion Team | Folded |
| Vancouver 86ers | 1997-2000 | None | Admitted from A-League | Became Vancouver Whitecaps |
| Virginia Beach Mariners | 2003-2004 | None | Were Hampton Beach Mariners | Joined USL First Division |
| Worcester Wildfire | 1997-1998 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Moved to Boston (Bulldogs) |
USL First Division
| Franchise | Years Active | USL First Division Champions | Arrived | Departed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Silverbacks | 2005-2008 | None | Joined from USL A-League | Departed for NASL (2011) |
| Austin Aztex | 2009 | None | Expansion Team | Joined USSF Division 2 Professional League |
| California Victory | 2007 | None | Expansion Team | Folded |
| Carolina Railhawks | 2007-2009 | None | Expansion Team | Joined USSF Division 2 Professional League |
| Charleston Battery | 2005-2009 | None | Joined from USL A-League | Dropped to USL Second Division |
| Cleveland City Stars | 2009 | None | Elevated from USL Second Division | Folded |
| Miami FC | 2006-2009 | None | Expansion Team | Joined USSF Division 2 Professional League |
| Minnesota Thunder | 2005-2009 | None | Joined from USL A-League | Folded |
| Montreal Impact | 2005-2009 | 2009 | Joined from USL A-League | Joined USSF Division 2 Professional League |
| Portland Timbers | 2005-2009 | None | Joined from USL A-League | Joined USSF Division 2 Professional League |
| Puerto Rico Islanders | 2005-2009 | None | Joined from USL A-League | Joined USSF Division 2 Professional League |
| Richmond Kickers | 2005 | None | Joined from USL A-League | Dropped to USL Second Division |
| Rochester Raging Rhinos | 2005-2007 | None | Joined from USL A-League | Became Rochester Rhinos |
| Rochester Rhinos | 2008-2009 | None | Were Rochester Raging Rhinos | Joined USSF Division 2 Professional League |
| Seattle Sounders | 2005-2008 | 2005-2007 | Joined from USL A-League | Replace by MLS Expansion Team |
| Toronto Lynx | 2005-2006 | None | Joined from USL A-League | Dropped to Premier Development League |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 2005-2009 | 2006-2008 | Joined from USL A-League | Joined USSF Division 2 Professional League |
| Virginia Beach Mariners | 2005-2006 | None | Joined from USL A-League | Folded |
USSF Division 2 Professional League (2010)
USISL/USL D3 Pro League Franchises (1997-2002)
| Franchise | Years Active | D3 Pro League Champions | Arrived | Departed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque Geckos | 1997 | 1997 | Expansion Team | Elevated to USISL A-League |
| Boston Bulldogs | 2001 | None | Joined from USL A-League | Folded |
| Chicago Stingers | 1997-1998 | 1998 | Joined from USISL Select League | Became Chicago Shockers/Dropped to Premier Development League |
| Chico Rooks | 1997-2001 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Dropped to Premier Development League |
| Cleveland Caps | 1997-1998 | Expansion Team | Folded | |
| Connecticut Wolves | 2002 | None | Joined from USL A-League | Folded |
| Indiana Blast | 1997-1998 | Expansion Team | Elevated to USISL A-League | |
| Long Island Rough Riders | 2002 | 2002 | Joined from USL A-League | Joined USL Pro Soccer League |
| New Jersey Stallions | 1997-2002 | None | Joined USL Pro Soccer League | |
| Rockford Raptors | ||||
| Sacramento Scorpions | 1997 | None | Joined from USISL Select League | Folded |
| San Fernando Valley Golden Eagles | 1997-1998 | None | Joined from USISL Pro League | Unclear |
| San Francisco Bay Seals | 1997 | None | Joined from USISL Premier League | Elevated to USISL A-League |
| South Carolina Shamrocks | 1997-1999 | None | Joined from USISL Select League | Folded |
| Utah Blitzz | 2000-2002 | 2001 | Expansion Team | Joined USL Pro Soccer League |
USL Pro (2011-2014)
United Soccer League (2015-Present)
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2 Responses
You gotta fill this out, the USL is a treasure trove of teams that have gone to that special sports complex in the sky. From having 3 teams in Puerto Rico which played for two leagues at the same time to a team in Antigua and even a team in Tampa that competed directly against the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2.0 and lost in a year even though they were a branch of major English soccer organization VisionPro Sports Institute.
This league has plenty of stories to tell especially following 2011 and the “USL pro” days
Guillermo,
Ask and ye shall receive!
Drew