USL Championship final
{{short description|American Division 2 soccer competition}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{infobox football tournament
| name = USL Championship final
| logo =
| caption = Former USL Cup logo (2016–2018)
| founded = 2010
| organiser = USL Championship
| region = United States (CONCACAF)
| current champions = Phoenix Rising FC
(1st title)
| most successful club = Louisville City and Orlando City
(2 titles each)
| current = 2024 USL Championship Playoffs
| website = {{URL|https://www.uslchampionship.com/playoffs|USLSoccer.com}}
| American = yes
}}
The USL Championship final is the post-season championship match of the USL Championship, the second tier of professional men's soccer in the United States. The winner is crowned champion in the same manner as in other North American sports leagues (i.e. via a playoff following a regular season).
Unlike most soccer league, but much like North American sports leagues, the USL champion does not earn promotion into Major League Soccer, due to the fixed membership structure found in the league.
As of 2024, the USL Championship final is typically held in late-November and features the Eastern Conference champion and Western Conference champion.{{Cite web |last=USLChampionship Staff |date=2023-12-18 |title=USL Championship Unveils 2024 Regular Season Schedule |url=https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/1294677 |access-date=2024-09-14 |website=USL Championship |language=en-us}} The predecessor to the USL Championship final was the A-League Championship and the USL-1 Championship.
Champions
= A-League era (1996–2004) =
= USL-1 era (2005–2009) =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |
| Season
!Winner !Score !Runner-up !Venue !Attendance !Box Score |
|---|
| |2005
|1–1 {{Pso}} |8,011 |
| |2006
|3–0 |9,547 |
| |2007
|4–0 |4,893 |
| |2008
|2–1 |Swangard Stadium{{refn|The league granted Vancouver the right to host the 2008 final, despite them being the lower seeded team.|group=n|name=venue}} |5,822 |
| |2009
|3–2{{refn|Montreal won the two-legged series 6–3 on aggregate.|group=n|name=agg}} 3–1{{refn|group=n|name=agg}} Saputo Stadium |5,886 13,034 {{Cite web |date=2009-10-17 |title=Impact defeat Whitecaps, win USL-1 title |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/usl-final-0/ |access-date=2024-09-14 |website=www.sportsnet.ca |language=en}} |
{{reflist|group=n}}
= USL Championship era (2010–present) =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" | ||||||
| Season
!Champions !Score !Runners–up !Venue !Attendance !MVP !Box Score | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011
|2–2 {{pso}} |align=center|11,220 |Sean Kelley (ORL) | ||||||
| 2012
|1–0 |align=center|4,963 |Jose Cuevas (CHB) | ||||||
| 2013
|7–4 |align=center|20,886 | ||||||
| 2014
|2–0 |align=center|8,000 |Rodrigo López (SAC) | ||||||
| 2015
|2–1 {{aet}} |align=center|5,247 |Asani Samuels (ROC) | ||||||
| 2016
|5–1 |align=center|5,547 | ||||||
| 2017
|1–0 |align=center|14,456 | ||||||
| 2018
|1–0 | align=center | 7,025 | Luke Spencer (LOU) | ||||||
| 2019
|3–1 | align=center | 7,025 | Konrad Plewa (SLC) | ||||||
| 2020
| colspan=6 align=center | No champion due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||
| 2021 | Orange County SC | 3–1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Al Lang Stadium | 7,521 | Ronaldo Damus (OCO) |
| 2022 | San Antonio FC | 3–1 | Louisville City FC | Toyota Field | 8,534 | Santiago Patiño (SAFC) |
| 2023 | Phoenix Rising FC | 1–1 {{Pso}} | Charleston Battery | Patriots Point | 5,094 | Rocco Ríos Novo (PHX) |
| 2024
|Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC |3–0 |8,023 |Juan Tejada (COS) |
Records and statistics
= USL Championship titles =
| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;" |
| Club
!Winner !Runner-up !Years won !Years runner-up |
|---|
| bgcolor=#FFFF99
| 2 | 2 |
| bgcolor=#FFFF99
| 2 | 0 | |
| bgcolor=#FFFF99
| 1 | 1 | 2012 | 2023 |
| bgcolor=#FFFF99
| 1 | 1 | 2023 | 2018 |
| bgcolor=#FFFF99
| 1 | 0 | 2014 | |
| bgcolor=#FFFF99
| 1 | 0 | 2015 | |
| bgcolor=#FFFF99
| 1 | 0 | 2016 | |
| bgcolor=#FFFF99
| 1 | 0 | 2019 | |
| bgcolor=#FFFF99
| 1 | 0 | 2021 | |
| bgcolor=#FFFF99
| 1 | 0 | 2022 | |
| bgcolor=#FFFF99
| Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 1 | 0 | 2024 | |
| Harrisburg City Islanders
| 0 | 2 | |
| Swope Park Rangers
| 0 | 2 | |
| Wilmington Hammerheads FC
| 0 | 1 | | 2012 |
| Charlotte Eagles
| 0 | 1 | | 2013 |
| LA Galaxy II
| 0 | 1 | | 2015 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies
| 0 | 1 | | 2021 |
| Rhode Island FC
|0 |1 | |2024 |
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;font-size:85%;" |
| bgcolor=#FFFF99| Winner
| USL Cup champions |
| Bold
|Players' Shield champions |
| Italics
|No longer plays in the USL Championship |
See also
References
{{reflist}}
{{United Soccer Leagues}}
{{Soccer in the United States}}
{{Soccer in Canada}}