Hills & Heights
Richmond Kickers to Play in Rebranded USL1 Next Year
There are only two home games left for the Kickers but there are some changes already happening.
The professional soccer pyramid currently stands like this:
- MLS – Major League Soccer is the top professional soccer team in the United States
- USL – United Soccer League is the second division of US Soccer and where the Kickers currently play but are/were moving down.
- USL D3 – This league was just announced this summer. Currently has eight teams including the Kickers as founding members.
- PDL – Premier Development League provided a step stone into professional soccer.
Today the USL announced changes and the new pyramid will look like this in 2019:
- MLS – Still the top soccer dog
- USL Championship – This replaces USL. There will be a Champion of Championship I suppose.
- USL League 1 – This replaces USL D3. So now the third tier of soccer will be recognized with the numeral 1. Perfectly logical.
- USL League 2 – This replaces PDL and to complete the logic circle the fourth tier of American soccer will be recognized with the numeral 2.
What really is USL1 you ask? Well, this is what the re-branding folks will tell you in their media kit.
The foundation of professional soccer – USL League One makes its mark with a vibrant, colorful identity, as it gears up for its debut in the 2019 season with league leadership and ownership that will forge a unique identity – driven by determination, unity and inspiration.
League One brings discovery – delivering professional soccer to communities without a team, offering the first chance for new fans to dance and sing for 90 minutes, to fall more in love with the game every single week. League One also provides the opportunity and the first step in the professional ranks for players and coaches yearning to climb and pursue their dreams.
The Richmond Kickers had announced earlier this month their intentions to move down to the 2nd division of USL (at the time labeled USL D3). So the reality is that this is a change in name only. Currently, USL1 only has eight teams but supposedly that will change before the kickoff of the new season in 2019.
The reason for the Kickers move down is money. The Kickers are owned by the Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club. This arrangement doesn’t lend itself to being able to spend large sums of money on players needed to compete with many of other USL top teams. Expect to see wholesale changes in the Kickers roster this off-season as the Kickers and players adjust to the new lower league.
