List of soccer clubs in the United States

This is a list of soccer clubs in the United States.

Major League Soccer[change | change source]

Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Future teams
- St. Louis City SC – starts play in 2023
- San Diego MLS Team working name San Diego FC - starts play in 2025

USL Championship[change | change source]

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

On hiatus

OKC Energy FC – plans to resume play in 2023
Fort Worth – last played in 2021 as Austin Bold FC; relocated to Fort Worth and plans to resume play in 2024

Future teams

Queensboro FC – plans to start play in 2023
Buffalo – plans to start play in 2023
Rhode Island FC – plans to start play in 2023
Des Moines – plans to start play in 2024

USL League One[change | change source]

One of three leagues that forms the current third level.

Future teams

Fort Wayne FC – plans to start play in 2023
Lexington SC – plans to start play in 2023
Spokane – plans to start play in 2023

National Independent Soccer Association[change | change source]

AC Syracuse Pulse
Albion San Diego
Bay Cities FC
California United Strikers FC
Chattanooga FC
Flower City Union
Los Angeles Force
Maryland Bobcats
Michigan Stars FC
Valley United FC

MLS Next Pro[change | change source]

Formed in 2021, starting play in 2022, as a dedicated MLS developmental league also at the third level. Of the 21 teams in the first season, only Rochester New York FC is not owned and operated by an MLS team.

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Colorado Rapids 2
Houston Dynamo 2
Minnesota United 2
North Texas SC (FC Dallas)
Portland Timbers 2
Real Monarchs
San Jose Earthquakes II
Sporting Kansas City II
St. Louis City SC 2
Tacoma Defiance (Seattle Sounders FC)
Whitecaps FC 2 (Vancouver)

USL League Two[change | change source]

Central Conference
- Great Lakes Division
  - Chicago Fire Premier – reserve side of the MLS team
  - Chicago Inferno
  - Cincinnati Kings
  - Hamilton Rage (from Hamilton, Ontario)
  - Forest City London (from London, Ontario)
  - Flint City Bucks
  - River City Rovers (from Louisville, Kentucky)
  - Toronto Lynx
- Heartland Division
  - Des Moines Menace
  - Kansas City Brass
  - Real Colorado Foxes (from Highlands Ranch, a suburb of Denver)
  - Springfield Demize
  - St. Louis Lions
  - Thunder Bay Chill
  - WSA Winnipeg
Eastern Conference
- Mid-Atlantic Division
- Northeast Division
- South Atlantic Division
Southern Conference
- Mid-South Division
  - Austin Aztex
  - El Paso Patriots
  - Laredo Heat
  - New Orleans Jesters
  - Texas Dutch Lions
  - West Texas Sockers (from Midland)
- Southeast Division
  - Bradenton Academics
  - FC JAX Destroyers
  - Fort Lauderdale Schulz Academy
  - Mississippi Brilla (from Jackson)
  - Ocala Stampede
  - Orlando City U-23 – reserve side of the USL Pro team Orlando City
  - Panama City Beach Pirates
  - VSI Tampa Flames
Western Conference
- Northwest Division
  - Fraser Valley Mariners (from Abbotsford, British Columbia)
  - Kitsap Pumas (from Bremerton, Washington)
  - North Sound SeaWolves (from Everett, Washington)
  - Portland Timbers U23's – reserve side of the MLS team
  - Seattle Sounders U23's – reserve side of the MLS team
  - Vancouver Whitecaps Residency – reserve side of the MLS team
  - Victoria Highlanders
  - Washington Crossfire (from Seattle, plays home games in nearby Redmond)
- Southwest Division
  - BYU Cougars – owned and operated by Brigham Young University, but not part of the school's NCAA athletic department
  - Fresno Fuego
  - Pali Blues – reserve side of the USL Pro team Los Angeles Blues
  - Los Angeles Misioneros
  - Ogden Outlaws
  - Orange County Blue Star
  - Southern California Seahorses
  - FC Tucson
  - Ventura County Fusion

Structure of women's soccer[change | change source]

The professional division of U.S. Soccer has had three different first-division women's leagues. The first, the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), was founded in 2001, but folded due to large debts after the 2003 season. The second, Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), was effectively a successor to WUSA, although it did not begin until 2009. Like WUSA before it, WPS played three seasons, but also lost large amounts of money; it first decided not to play its planned 2012 season, and then completely folded in May of that year.

After WPS folded, the effective top level of women's soccer in the U.S. was WPSL Elite, a "semi-pro" league that had both professional and amateur teams. WPSL Elite was created by the Women's Premier Soccer League, one of two second-division women's leagues, as an outlet for former WPS teams, as well as WPSL teams that wanted to play professionally. WPSL Elite played in 2012 with eight teams; six were professional, and three once played in WPS. The other second-division league was the W-League, part of the United Soccer Leagues. WPSL Elite was planned as a temporary league before a possible return of WPS.

In late 2012, a totally new top-level league was created, known as the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It was run by U.S. Soccer until 2020, and started play in 2013 with eight teams, four of which had been members of WPS. The league added teams in 2014 and 2016 to become a 10-team league, making it the first professional women's league in the U.S. to have more than eight teams and last more than three seasons. The league dropped to 9 teams in 2017, but returned to 10 in 2021 and further expanded to 12 for 2022.

Women's United Soccer Association[change | change source]

Operated from 2001 to 2003.

Women's Professional Soccer[change | change source]

Operated from 2009 to 2011.

Atlanta Beat (joined WPS in 2010)
Boston Breakers (now in the NWSL)
Chicago Red Stars (dropped to the WPSL after the 2010 season; later in WPSL Elite, and now in the NWSL)
FC Gold Pride (from the San Francisco Bay Area; folded after the 2010 season)
Los Angeles Sol (folded after the 2009 season)
magicJack (formerly the Washington Freedom; played in South Florida)
Philadelphia Independence (joined WPS in 2010)
Saint Louis Athletica (folded during the 2010 season)
Sky Blue FC (from the New York City area; now in the NWSL as NJ/NY Gotham FC)
Washington Freedom (moved to South Florida after the 2010 season and renamed magicJack)
Western New York Flash (an offshoot of the WPSL's Buffalo Flash, and playing home games in Rochester; joined WPS in 2011, later moved to WPSL Elite, still later to the NWSL; now a youth-only operation)

WPSL Elite[change | change source]

ASA Chesapeake Charge (based in the Baltimore area)
Boston Breakers
Chicago Red Stars
FC Indiana (based in the Indianapolis area; plays throughout the state)
New England Mutiny (based in the Springfield, Massachusetts area)
New York Fury (based on Long Island)
Philadelphia Fever
Western New York Flash

National Women's Soccer League[change | change source]

Currently Operating

W-League[change | change source]

Central Conference
- Atlantic Division
- Midwest Division
Eastern Conference
- Northeast Division
- Northern Division
Western Conference

Professional indoor soccer[change | change source]

Indoor soccer is a form of soccer played inside a building, sometimes called an arena, instead of in a stadium on a grass field. There is one league playing indoor soccer in North America, and that is the Major Arena Soccer League. The MASL is part of the USSF. It is also the only league in the United States to have a Mexican team.