The United Soccer League, home to Phoenix Rising and FC Tucson, announced today a sweeping overhaul of its multi-division branding.  Currently, the USL operates across three divisions of the US soccer pyramid:

• USL: USSF sanctioned Division II, consisting of 33 teams across the US and Canada.  The core brand of the league.  Phoenix Rising FC represents Arizona at this level of play.
• USLD3:  USSF sanctioned Division III, announced on April 2 2017.  League will open play in 2019 with at least 8 teams (including FC Tucson)
• PDL: Formerly known as USLPDL, the PDL is an amateur league made up of 74 teams across the US and Canada.  The league holds an amateur status in order to maintain the collegiate eligibility of players looking to develop skills outside of the NCAA/NAIA schedule.  The league boasts that more than 70% of MLS SuperDraft selections have developed in PDL.  FC Tucson currently maintains a PDL team, but will move to USLD3 upon its launch.

Starting in the 2019 season, the league will rebrand to mirror the English system of play.  USL’s division II  league will be known as USL Championship, USLD3 as USL League One, and PDL as USL League Two

“We are repositioning the competition under MLS with a new strategy, new names and logos,” concluded USL CEO Alex Papadakis. “As we look to the future, the USL is ready to put its fingerprints on U.S. Soccer’s drive toward becoming the best in the world, and its pursuit of winning a FIFA Men’s World Cup.”

The rebrand has been in process for quite a while, with league observers noting trademark registrations for the brand nearly a year ago. Nipun Chopra, of SocTakes, confirmed the much anticipated rebrand yesterday, taking some of the steam out of the announcement.

In an interview with Jason Davis of SiriusXM, Rising FC owner Berke Bakay “from a branding perspective, the quality of the product is increasing … that’s all a testament to the success of Alex Papadakis and his team, and their tireless efforts of putting this league as one of the most prominent division two leagues around the world.”  He continued in saying “I think the rebranding around this is coming out of the perception that this is not just a minor league of Major League Soccer, but this is an environment where people are making a significant investment … and playing in a competitive environment.”

USL announced that that the rebrand will go into effect after the end of the 2018 season, and will also include a modernized website that will focus on engaging digital content that will “push the limits of what is possible for professional soccer in North America.”

Updated 1:39 to include quotes from Berke Bakay