TAMPA, Fla. – USL League One announced Thursday a revised regular season and playoff structure for the 2020 season has been approved by the league’s board of governors.

The new format for the league’s second season will see each team play 20 games across 15 weeks in the regular season to determine the sides that will meet in the final. The revisions were needed due to the delay of the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The revised schedule will have team face 10 opponents during the regular season, with one opponent omitted from each club’s schedule to help limit air travel. Each team will play its assigned regional rival four times – twice home and twice away – and seven other clubs in a home-and-home series. The final two games of the season will be made up of one home and one away game against two more clubs, creating a 20-game slate.

The regular season will be played over a single-table format, with the schedule set to kick off on Saturday, July 18 and conclude on Saturday, Oct. 24. The top two teams in the final regular season standings will then meet the week of Oct. 31 in the final.

All league activities for the duration of the 2020 season will be coordinated in compliance with local health authorities protocols and those previously published by the USL, which were created in consultation with medical and infectious disease experts along with required government approvals.

League One’s board approved a motion that will allow five substitutes to be used for the remainder of the season. Matchday squads will remain at 18 players, with clubs mandated to provide 23-man provisional squad lists at least 48 hours prior to kickoff, as per league rules.

The number of substitutes represents an increase from the three substitutions rule that had been in place. However, to avoid disruption to the game, each team will only have three opportunities to make all of its allotted five substitutions.

Substitutions also may be made at halftime without counting against a club’s three in-game opportunities. The decision is in line with the temporary law amendment made by the International Football Association Board in May.

Every game of the 2020 League One season will be broadcast on ESPN+. Announcements regarding home openers for each club and the full chedule will be announced soon.

 

Team Regional Rival Omitted Opponent
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC South Georgia Tormenta FC FC Tucson
Fort Lauderdale CF Orlando City B Union Omaha
Forward Madison FC Union Omaha Orlando City B
Greenville Triumph SC Richmond Kickers New England Revolution II
New England Revolution II Toronto FC II Greenville Triumph SC
North Texas SC FC Tucson Richmond Kickers
Union Omaha Forward Madison FC Fort Lauderdale CF
Orlando City B Fort Lauderdale CF Forward Madison FC
Richmond Kickers Greenville Triumph SC North Texas SC
South Georgia Tormenta FC Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Toronto FC II
Toronto FC II New England Revolution II Greenville Triumph SC
FC Tucson North Texas SC Chattanooga Red Wolves SC

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.