The USL’s vote to adopt promotion and relegation has ignited the imaginations of soccer fans all across America. That the USL intends to create a three-tier system between a new first-division league, the USL Championship, and USL League One has the potential to be a monumental reform, and supporters are dreaming about the upside of the new pyramid.
Still, it’s a long road between the vote and pro-rel becoming an actionable reality. The aim is to begin promoting and relegating teams in 2028, but huge decisions and questions will need to be addressed between then and now. How will investment in infrastructure change? What does pro-rel mean to advertisers and broadcasters? How should the reforms be advertised to fans?
In conversation with Backheeled, executives from across the USL recognized those difficulties but also agreed that pro-rel could be a game-changer.
From Matt Rizzetta (the owner of 2026 USL Championship expansion side Brooklyn FC) to Dan Rutstein (the president of Orange County SC) to Bobby Dulle (the president of Phoenix Rising), the sentiment is clear: promotion and relegation can elevate the USL on and off the pitch.
