2020 USL Championship season
The 2020 USL Championship season is the tenth season of the USL Championship and fourth under Division II sanctioning. This is the second season in which the league is operating under the name "USL Championship", having used the name "United Soccer League" through 2018. Real Monarchs SLC are the defending USL Cup champions. The 2020 season will see 35 teams participate, in two conferences.
On November 8, 2019, Ottawa Fury FC announced that it had suspended operations. The team had received sanctioning from its country's governing body, Canada Soccer, but was denied by U.S. Soccer and the continental governing body of CONCACAF. Additionally, the 2020 season is the first season without Nashville SC. The club's identity transferred to a Major League Soccer team that started play in 2020.
The season was suspended on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North America.
On June 4, the league announced a return to play on July 11, 2020 Board of Governors voted to return to play for the 2020 season, with a provisional start date set for July 11. While additional information on competition format, scheduling, broadcast and other important details will be made available in the coming weeks, it is important to note that the league's return to play will be conducted in strict alignment with all local and state public health guidelines. USL HQ also remains in regular dialogue with the USL Players Association on all matters concerning player health and wellness protocols and looks forward to continuing those discussions.
Changes from 2019
Expansion clubsRebranded clubs
- Bethlehem Steel FC rebranded as Philadelphia Union II
- Swope Park Rangers rebranded as Sporting Kansas City II
- Tulsa Roughnecks FC rebranded as FC Tulsa
- Ottawa Fury FC franchise rights sold to Miami FC
- Fresno FC
- Nashville SC
Teams
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Head coach | MLS affiliate / ownership |
| Atlanta United 2 | Kennesaw, Georgia | Fifth Third Bank Stadium | 8,318 |  Stephen Glass | Atlanta United FC |
| Austin Bold FC | Austin, Texas | Bold Stadium | 5,000 |  Marcelo Serrano | |
| Birmingham Legion FC | Birmingham, Alabama | BBVA Field | 5,000 |  Tom Soehn | |
| Charleston Battery | Charleston, South Carolina | Patriots Point Soccer Complex | 5,000 | Mike Anhaeuser | |
| Charlotte Independence | Matthews, North Carolina | Sportsplex at Matthews | 5,000 | Mike Jeffries | |
| Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Weidner Field | 5,000 |  Alan Koch | Colorado Rapids |
| El Paso Locomotive FC | El Paso, Texas | Southwest University Park | 9,500 |  Mark Lowry | |
| Hartford Athletic | Hartford, Connecticut | Dillon Stadium | 5,500 |  Radhi Jaïdi | |
| Indy Eleven | Indianapolis, Indiana | Lucas Oil Stadium | 62,421 | Martin Rennie | Chicago Fire |
| LA Galaxy II | Carson, California | Dignity Health Track Stadium | 5,000 | Junior Gonzalez | LA Galaxy |
| Las Vegas Lights FC | Las Vegas, Nevada | Cashman Field | 9,334 |  Frank Yallop | |
| Loudoun United FC | Leesburg, Virginia | Segra Field | 5,000 | Ryan Martin | D.C. United |
| Louisville City FC | Louisville, Kentucky | Lynn Family Stadium | 11,700 | John Hackworth | |
| Memphis 901 FC | Memphis, Tennessee | AutoZone Park | 10,000 | Tim Mulqueen | |
| Miami FC | Miami, Florida | Riccardo Silva Stadium | 20,000 | Nelson Vargas | |
| New Mexico United | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Isotopes Park | 13,500 | Troy Lesesne | |
| New York Red Bulls II | Montclair, New Jersey | MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field | 5,000 | John Wolyniec | New York Red Bulls |
| North Carolina FC | Cary, North Carolina | WakeMed Soccer Park | 10,000 | Dave Sarachan | |
| OKC Energy FC | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Taft Stadium | 7,500 | John Pascarella | |
| Orange County SC | Irvine, California | Champion Stadium | 5,000 | Braeden Cloutier | |
| Philadelphia Union II | Chester, Pennsylvania | Subaru Park | 18,500 |  Sven Gartung | Philadelphia Union |
| Phoenix Rising FC | Tempe, Arizona | Casino Arizona Field | 6,200 | Rick Schantz | |
| Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Highmark Stadium | 5,000 | Bob Lilley | |
| Portland Timbers 2 | Hillsboro, Oregon | Hillsboro Stadium | 7,600 |  Cameron Knowles | Portland Timbers |
| Real Monarchs | Herriman, Utah | Zions Bank Stadium | 5,000 |  Jámison Olave | Real Salt Lake |
| Reno 1868 FC | Reno, Nevada | Greater Nevada Field | 9,013 | Ian Russell | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | Edinburg, Texas | H-E-B Park | 9,400 | Gerson Echeverry | Houston Dynamo |
| Sacramento Republic FC | Sacramento, California | Papa Murphy's Park | 11,569 | Mark Briggs | |
| Saint Louis FC | Fenton, Missouri | 5,500 | Steve Trittschuh | ||
| San Antonio FC | San Antonio, Texas | Toyota Field | 8,296 | Alen Marcina | New York City FC |
| San Diego Loyal SC | San Diego, California | Torero Stadium | 6,000 | Landon Donovan | |
| Sporting Kansas City II | Kansas City, Kansas | Children's Mercy Park | 18,467 | Paulo Nagamura | Sporting Kansas City |
| Tacoma Defiance | Tacoma, Washington | Cheney Stadium | 6,500 |  Chris Little | Seattle Sounders FC |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | St. Petersburg, Florida | Al Lang Stadium | 7,227 | Neill Collins | |
| FC Tulsa | Tulsa, Oklahoma | ONEOK Field | 7,833 |  Michael Nsien |
Competition format
The original divisional alignment was announced on December 19, 2019. The regular season and playoff format was announced on January 9, 2020. The season began on March 6 and was scheduled to conclude on October 17. The 2020 USL Cup Playoffs were expected to begin October 21, and conclude with the final match between November 12–16. The top 10 teams were to make the playoffs in each conference with the same format as in 2019.Group Alignment for Resumption of Play
The coronavirus pandemic caused a radical remaking of the competition for 2020. When the season resumed on July 11, the teams were competing in small groups of four or five teams with a geographic component, with the top two teams in each group qualifying for the postseason.| Group | Teams |
| A | Portland Timbers 2, Reno 1868 FC, Sacramento Republic FC, Tacoma Defiance |
| B | LA Galaxy II, Las Vegas Lights FC, Orange County SC, Phoenix Rising FC, San Diego Loyal SC |
| C | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, El Paso Locomotive FC, New Mexico United, Real Monarchs SLC |
| D | Austin Bold FC, OKC Energy FC, Rio Grande Valley FC, San Antonio FC, FC Tulsa |
| E | Indy Eleven, Louisville City FC, Sporting Kansas City II, Saint Louis FC |
| F | Hartford Athletic, Loudoun United FC, New York Red Bulls II, Philadelphia Union II, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC |
| G | Birmingham Legion FC, Charlotte Independence, Memphis 901 FC, North Carolina FC |
| H | Atlanta United 2, Charleston Battery, Miami FC, Tampa Bay Rowdies |
Managerial changes
Group tables
Group A
Group A covers Northwestern states including Northern California.Group B
Group B covers Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada.Group C
Group C includes the Rocky Mountain states, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas.Group D
Group D represents Texas and Oklahoma.Group E
Group E covers the Midwestern states.Group F
Group F includes the Northeastern states.Group G
Group G includes the northern part of the Southern United States.Group H
Group H includes the southern and southeastern-most states.Conference tables
Western Conference
Eastern Conference
Results table
Average home attendances
Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.| Team | |||||
| Sacramento Republic FC | 1 | 11,569 | 11,569 | 11,569 | 11,569 |
| Memphis 901 FC | 1 | 8,571 | 8,571 | 8,571 | 8,571 |
| San Antonio FC | 1 | 7,020 | 7,020 | 7,020 | 7,020 |
| Phoenix Rising FC | 1 | 6,585 | 6,585 | 6,585 | 6,585 |
| San Diego Loyal SC | 1 | 6,100 | 6,100 | 6,100 | 6,100 |
| OKC Energy FC | 1 | 4,067 | 4,067 | 4,067 | 4,067 |
| Saint Louis FC | 1 | 4,019 | 4,019 | 4,019 | 4,019 |
| North Carolina FC | 1 | 3,515 | 3,515 | 3,515 | 3,515 |
| Orange County SC | 1 | 3,188 | 3,188 | 3,188 | 3,188 |
| Austin Bold FC | 1 | 2,496 | 2,496 | 2,496 | 2,496 |
| Rio Grande Valley FC | 1 | 2,300 | 2,300 | 2,300 | 2,300 |
| Tacoma Defiance | 2 | 2,178 | 2,178 | 0† | 1,089 |
| New York Red Bulls II | 1 | 1,002 | 1,002 | 1,002 | 1,002 |
| Atlanta United 2 | 1 | 851 | 851 | 851 | 851 |
| Sporting Kansas City II | 1 | 691 | 691 | 691 | 691 |
| Philadelphia Union II | 1 | 467 | 467 | 467 | 467 |
| Birmingham Legion FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charleston Battery | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charlotte Independence | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| El Paso Locomotive FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hartford Athletic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indy Eleven | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LA Galaxy II | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Las Vegas Lights FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Loudoun United FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Louisville City FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miami FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New Mexico United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Portland Timbers 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Real Monarchs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reno 1868 FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FC Tulsa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 17 | 64,619 | 11,569 | 0 | 3,801 |
† One Tacoma Defiance home match took place closed-door due to coronavirus pandemic.
Sources:
Statistical leaders
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Nation | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Tyler Pasher | Indy Eleven | 6 | |
| 2 | Solomon Asante | Phoenix Rising FC | 4 | |
| 2 | Rufat Dadashov | Phoenix Rising FC | 4 | |
| 2 | Steevan Dos Santos | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 4 | |
| 2 | Junior Flemmings | Phoenix Rising FC | 4 | |
| 2 | Chris Wehan | New Mexico United | 4 | |
| 7 | Brandon Allen | Memphis 901 FC | 3 | |
| 7 | Tyler Blackwood | Saint Louis FC | 3 | |
| 7 | Jackson Conway | Atlanta United 2 | 3 | |
| 7 | Leo Fernandes | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3 | |
| 7 | Christiano François | Reno 1868 FC | 3 | |
| 7 | Sebastián Guenzatti | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3 | |
| 7 | Cameron Lancaster | Louisville City FC | 3 | |
| 7 | Bruno Lapa | Birmingham Legion FC | 3 |
Source:
Top assists
Source:Clean sheets
Source:Hat-tricks
| Player | Nation | Club | Against | Result | Date |
| Rufat Dadashov | Phoenix Rising FC | Portland Timbers 2 | 6–1 | March 7 |