ABOUT USL LEAGUE TWO:
The proven developmental leader in North American soccer's evolving a tiered structure, USL League Two (formerly the PDL) features 74 franchises in four conferences throughout the United States and Canada, including 18 clubs that are owned and operated by a professional club, or that hold a partnership with a professional club.
League Two has proven to be an important stepping-stone for top professionals now playing throughout the world, with more than 70 percent of all selections in the MLS SuperDraft since 2010 having PDL experience, including 66 selections in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft.
The League Two season consists of 14 regular season matches for each team, seven home and seven away, and provides elite collegiate players the opportunity to taste a higher level of competition while maintaining their eligibility. In addition to league play, League Two teams compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well as various exhibitions.
USL LEAGUE TWO SEASON FORMAT
The USL League Two regular season takes place during the summer from early May to mid-July. Each team plays a 14-matchschedule against their respective divisional opponents, seven at home and seven away. Each division winner, plus the highest-finishing second-place team in the conference, advances to the playoffs in the conference semifinals. In conferences with only two divisions, the top two teams from each division advance to the conference semifinals. The playoffs occur in late July, with each conference champion advancing to the national semifinals and the winners of those matches advancing to the League Two Championship in early August.
LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP
USL League Two clubs also compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, entering in the first round of the competition. The League Two participants in the historic tournament are determined by standards set forth by the U.S. Open Cup Committee, with each division winner (or the highest-placed U.S. club in the event a Canadian-based club wins a division) having priority, and any remaining teams determined by at-large bids as laid out by the committee.
Eighteen clubs from League Two competed in the 2018 edition of the Open Cup. Three League Two clubs, the Ocean City Nor’easters, Mississippi Brilla and FC Golden State Force, advanced to the third round by defeating professional teams, with FC Golden State Force advancing past a pair of USL Championship sides to reach the Fourth Round where it squared off with history Major League Soccer club the LA Galaxy.
USL2 FAQ’s:
What age are the players?
Players are typically college age (18-23yrs old). Some teams also use Academy players (U19). At FC Carolinas we will use college age players and Academy players to form the roster.
How many players are on the roster?
Teams are able to register as many players as they desire but they have a active roster of 26 players and a game day roster of 18 players. At FC Carolinas we plan to carry a roster of 23 to 26 players.
Where will the players be from on the roster?
Players come from all over the world to play in USL2. A majority from colleges. At FC Carolinas we will recruit players from different colleges across the country, locally, and use local Academy players.
*We will be looking for host families for our players and will have more information on that program on our website soon.
Where will training and games be played?
We will be training at our FCC Soccerplex and the majority of home games will be played at Monroe High.
.
How good is the playing level of USL2?
It is three divisions below MLS and serves as the premier development platform for the professional game. Over 70% of draft picks in the annual MLS draft come out of the USL2 system. During the summer it is a great opportunity to see the future of the game in this country compete. At FC Carolinas we want to give that opportunity to local players to compete at the highest level in the country.
When will there be tryouts for the team?
There will be several rounds of tryouts for the team, the first will be in January. All information on tryouts will be on the website.