New soccer league to rival MLS could be coming to D.C. region

• With the creation of USL Division One, the existing USL Championship would become a second division and the USL League One would become a third division.

One big change: Like in Europe, USL leagues will operate with promotion and relegation starting in 2028. Teams that finish top of their division would rise to the next tier, while the bottom teams would drop down a division.

• Still TBD: How many teams that will be promoted and relegated each season, or details like if there will be financial incentives for promotion.

Zoom in: Loudoun United FC — an affiliate of D.C. United — currently play in the USL Championship, at a 5,000-seater stadium in Leesburg.

• Loudoun could apply to join the new top league or work their way up.

Between the lines: Promotion and relegation is common outside the U.S., including in England's Premier League.

• In the Premier League, the bottom three teams are relegated to the Championship. The Championship's top two teams are automatically promoted, and the winner of playoffs between teams finishing third to sixth gets the third promotion spot.
• If you're among the millions of people who watched "Ted Lasso" on Apple TV+, you've already been exposed to the concept.

Zoom out: Major League Soccer is the existing top-tier men's league in the U.S. It also has a third division league, MLS Next Pro, under its umbrella.

• Some fans have criticized MLS for not having promotion and relegation, Forbes reported.
• This isn't the first time USL has launched a rival top-tier league. It launched its women's league, USL Super League, last summer. DC Power FC play home matches at Audi Field.

What they're saying: "Now, just as it is in the global game, more communities in America can aspire to compete at the highest level of soccer," Alec Papadakis, CEO of the United Soccer League, said in a statement. "It's time."