We appreciate everyone´s patience and are happy to announce that USL PRO released its 2014 regular season format and schedule today, with each of its 14 clubs playing a 28-game regular season schedule opening on March 22 and concluding on September 7. As the league enters the second season of its groundbreaking partnership with MLS, every USL PRO squad will once again play a pair of regular season games vs MLS Reserve teams.
Three new teams have joined USL PRO in 2014: the LA Galaxy II, OKC Energy FC and Sacramento Republic FC. Antigua Barracuda FC and VSI Tampa Bay FC will not return in 2014.
Head coach Van Druenen's reaction about the schedule, "Despite some physically and mentally demanding trips, which is a characteristic of this league, I am happy with the 2014 schedule. It's a lot more balanced than in previous years because of the extension of the season and I expect the competition level to be very high with the addition of 3 new strong franchises with one of them being a MLS organization."
The Dayton Dutch Lions FC will kick off the season in New York, at the Red Bull Arena, against the reserves of MLS team New York Red Bulls. Kick off time is set for 6:00pm.
"This is a fun trip to start with, playing against an MLS reserve team and in an MLS stadium is always extra motivating for the players." was head coach van Druenen's reaction to the season opener.
Click here to see the full Dayton Dutch Lions FC schedule
The 2014 USL PRO Playoffs will include the top eight finishers in the table, with the quarterfinals (No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, etc.) set for the weekend of September 12-14. The semifinals featuring the four remaining teams will be played the following weekend, with the 2014 USL PRO Championship set for the weekend of September 26-28. All playoff rounds feature a single-game knockout format and teams will not be re-seeded following each round.
Every USL PRO game in 2014 will stream live for free via YouTube, the largest global video sharing site. Live games and on-demand content will be available on each team’s YouTube channel, with archived games available shortly after each game’s completion. The USL PRO YouTube channel will showcase all of the archived and on-demand content produced by each team, including the USL PRO Goal of the Week as well as USL PRO Weekly, an audio podcast that uncovers the personalities throughout the league. Please visit http://www.uslsoccer.com/connect for links to each USL PRO account.
Click here to see the full 2014 USL PRO Schedule