Real Monarchs took another step toward clearing up the picture of the club’s inaugural season on Wednesday when USL PRO unveiled its 2015 competition format.
With the league expanding to 24 teams, including eight that are operated by parent MLS clubs, the league split into two, 12-team conferences. Each team will play a 28-game regular season schedule, with the standard home and away series against each conference opponent and six additional matches against teams from the opposite conference.
The top six teams in each conference will then qualify for the postseason.
“Transitioning to a conference-based structure is consistent with our long-term growth strategy and enabled by the rapid expansion of the league,” USL PRO Executive Vice President Jake Edwards said in a news release from USL PRO. “This new format will promote regional rivalries, allowing fans greater opportunity to support their clubs home and away as the league continues to bring its brand of professional soccer to enthusiastic markets throughout the U.S. and Canada. With 12 teams qualifying for the playoffs in 2015, more USL PRO fans will have the opportunity to experience the special atmosphere that is created by the league’s knockout tournament post-season format.”
The full 2015 USL PRO schedule will be announced later this month.
In the playoffs, teams will be seeded No. 1 through No. 6 in each conference, with the top two seeds receiving first-round byes and the No. 3 seed hosting the No. 6 seed and the No. 4 seed hosting the No. 5 seed.
The winner of the No. 3 vs. No. 6 game will then travel to face the No. 2 seed, and the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 game will travel to face the No. 1 seed. The winners will meet in the Eastern & Western Conference Championship games with the remaining two teams advancing to square off in the 2015 USL PRO Championship, hosted by the higher seeded club.
2015 USL PRO Alignment
Eastern Conference
Charleston Battery
Charlotte Independence
FC Montreal
Harrisburg City Islanders
Louisville City FC
*New York Red Bulls
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Richmond Kickers
Rochester Rhinos
Saint Louis FC
Toronto FC II
Wilmington Hammerheads FC
Western Conference
Arizona United SC
Austin Aztex
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
LA Galaxy II
OKC Energy FC
Orange County Blues FC
Portland Timbers 2
Real Monarchs SLC
Sacramento Republic FC
Seattle Sounders FC 2
Tulsa Roughnecks FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
