This is a list of soccer clubs in the United States. For clarity, teams based outside the United States that play in USSF-recognized leagues are also listed below, with their home country noted.
Five professional leagues of men's soccer teams [ citation needed ] are sanctioned by the Professional Division of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF or U.S. Soccer). The top-level men's league is Major League Soccer (MLS) and the second level men's league is the USL Championship. The third level men's leagues are USL League One, the National Independent Soccer Association, and MLS Next Pro. At the semi-professional level, the USL League Two and the National Premier Soccer League have teams.
One professional league of women's soccer teams is sanctioned by U.S. Soccer, which is the top-level National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Another top-level professional league, the USL Super League, is set to begin play in the 2024–2025 season. While the NWSL and all professional men's leagues (as of 2023) in the United States play in the summer, the USL Super League will play in the winter, matching the international calendar. [1] At the semi-professional level, the USL W League has teams.
Club | Home city | Stadium | Finishing position last season | Season joined |
---|---|---|---|---|
Albion San Diego | San Diego, California | Canyon Crest Academy Stadium | 4th | 2019–20 |
Chattanooga FC | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Finley Stadium | 2nd | 2020–21 |
Club de Lyon FC | Daytona Beach, Florida | Daytona Stadium | Debut season | 2023 |
Flower City Union | Rochester, New York | Rochester Community Sports Complex Stadium | 8th | 2022 |
Gold Star FC | Detroit, Michigan | Gold Star Stadium | Debut season | 2023 |
Los Angeles Force | Santa Ana, California | Valley High School Stadium | 7th | 2019–20 |
Maryland Bobcats FC | Boyds, Maryland | Maryland SoccerPlex | 5th | 2021 |
Michigan Stars FC | Washington, Michigan | Barnabo Field | 3rd | 2020–21 |
Savannah Clovers FC | Savannah, Georgia | Memorial Stadium | Debut season | 2023 |
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs American soccer at the international, professional, and amateur levels, including: the men's and women's national teams, Major League Soccer, National Women's Soccer League, youth organizations, beach soccer, futsal, Paralympic, and deaf national teams. U.S. Soccer sanctions referees and soccer tournaments for most soccer leagues in the United States. The U.S. Soccer Federation also administers and operates the U.S. Open Cup and the SheBelieves Cup.
The USL First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010.
The Vancouver Whitecaps were a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1986, the team played its final year in the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid in the NASL Conference of the USSF Division 2 Professional League coached by Teitur Thordarson. The team played its home games at Swangard Stadium in nearby Burnaby, British Columbia. The team's colours were blue and white.
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) governs most levels of soccer in the United States, including the national teams, professional leagues, and amateur leagues, being the highest soccer authority in the country. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) governs most colleges; secondary schools are governed by state-level associations, with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) setting the rules at that level. The match regulations are generally the same between the three governing bodies although there are many subtle differences.
Rochester New York FC, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos and later the Rochester Rhinos, was an American soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. In 2023, the club withdrew from the professional level in MLS Next Pro. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-MLS team has won the U.S. Open Cup since MLS started play in 1996.
Leonard Griffin is an American former soccer player, who currently serves as the head coach for the California men's soccer team.
The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are not linked by the system of promotion and relegation typical in soccer elsewhere. Instead, the United States Soccer Federation defines professional leagues in three levels, called divisions, with all other leagues sanctioned by the USSF not having an official designated level or division.
Jamie Watson is a former American soccer player and current match analyst with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
The Seattle metropolitan area is home to several legendary professional and amateur sports teams. This includes eight teams in major leagues, several in minor leagues, and collegiate programs for two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I universities and one NCAA Division II university.
The Canadian soccer league system, also called the Canadian soccer pyramid, is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in Canada. The governing body of soccer in the country is the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), which oversees the system and domestic cups but does not operate any of its component leagues. In addition, some Canadian teams compete in leagues that are based in the United States.
David Horst is a former American soccer player who last played for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer.
Tom Heinemann is an American former professional soccer player who is currently head coach for the United States U15 team.
Women's soccer in the United States has developed quite differently from men's soccer. Until the 1970s, organized women's soccer matches in the U.S. existed only on a limited basis. The U.S. is now regarded as one of the top countries in the world for women's soccer, and FIFA ranked its national team #1 in the world after its back-to-back Women's World Cup victory in 2015 and 2019.
Richie Burke is an English former professional footballer and former manager of Washington Spirit competing in the National Women's Soccer League. He has extensive coaching experience in Scotland and the United States.
The expansion of the National Women's Soccer League began with the league's sophomore season in 2014, when the league expanded to a ninth team in Houston, and is an ongoing process that currently has seen five expansions, three direct or indirect relocations, and one contraction. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was established as the top level of professional women's soccer in the United States in 2013 in the wake of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association and Women's Professional Soccer.
Professional sports leagues in the United States include several major leagues as well as other professional and semi-professional leagues.
USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championship and other leagues. As of 2023, the league has 12 teams who play 32 regular season games, followed by playoffs.
Stephen Malik is a Welsh-American businessman and sports owner who owns and is chairman of North Carolina FC of United Soccer League and North Carolina Courage of National Women's Soccer League. He also founded and was executive chairman of medical technology company Medfusion, and was a member of the United States Soccer Federation board of directors from March 2017 to March 2019 and February 2020 to February 2021.
Atlanta United 2 are the reserve team of the Major League Soccer club Atlanta United FC. The team plays in MLS Next Pro, the official reserve league of MLS. The team was established on November 14, 2017 and began their first professional season in March 2018.