Soccer’s booming U.S. minor league plans more expansion

“The expansion clubs who have joined the league this year and in the previous season have done extremely well,” USL president Jake Edwards said during a conference call with reporters.

The news highlights a recent boom in new lower-division professional teams: The USL added 13 this year, while the 11-team second-division North American Soccer League added one.

The USL’s growth has been driven largely by Major League Soccer, which has contributed to expansion through club-operated second squads and provided other clubs with players and expertise.

Eight of the clubs that started play in 2015 are owned and operated by MLS organizations, and that will continue next season: The Pennsylvania and Orlando teams are the property of Major League Soccer clubs, while another will handle the soccer operations of the new Texas club.

Meantime, some USL clubs have been outspoken about their interest in moving up to Major League Soccer notably the team in Sacramento, which in 2015 averaged more than 11,000 home fans a game, by far a league best.

Friday’s USL championship match pits the hometown Rochester Rhinos against the LA Galaxy II, a club owned and operated by the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.