TAMPA, Fla. – The bracket for the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Terminix was set on Saturday night, with the road to the 2024 USL Championship Final on the CBS Television Network and UniMas on Saturday, November 23 set to begin this Friday night after a dramatic final day of the regular season.
In the Eastern Conference, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and North Carolina FC clinched the final two berths in the postseason field with victories on Saturday. 2023 USL League One title winner and No. 8 seed North Carolina will now take on the might of Players’ Shield winner and No. 1 seed Louisville City FC on Saturday night, while the No. 7 seed Hounds will face longtime rival and No. 2 seed the Charleston Battery at the opposite end of the Eastern bracket.
Saturday night will also see No. 3 seed Detroit City FC play host to a playoff game for the first time since it joined the league when it hosts the No. 6 seed Tampa Bay Rowdies at Keyworth Stadium, while No. 4 seed Indy Eleven will host first-year club and No. 5 seed Rhode Island FC on Sunday at Michael A. Carroll Stadium.
In the Western Conference, the top four positions went down to the wire as Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC grabbed a late 1-0 win against Sacramento Republic FC in a dramatic season finale. That result lifted the Switchbacks to the No. 2 seed in the West and a date with No. 7 seed Oakland Roots SC next Saturday night at Weidner Field. Elsewhere, Memphis 901 FC earned the No. 3 seed and will host No. 6 seed Orange County SC at AutoZone Park on Saturday afternoon.
The postseason will kick off with the first playoff appearance of No. 4 seed Las Vegas Lights FC as it plays host to No. 5 seed Republic FC on Friday night at Cashman Field. The opening weekend will conclude on Sunday evening as No. 1 seed New Mexico United plays host at Isotopes Park to defending title holder and No. 8 seed Phoenix Rising FC for a rivalry clash at 8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
The 2024 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Terminix will be played on a fixed bracket with no re-seeding after each round. The Conference Semifinals will be held the weekend of November 8-10, while the Conference Finals will be held the weekend of November 15-17 before the USL Championship Final on Saturday, November 23 on the CBS Television Network, UniMas and SiriusXM FC.
2024 USL Championship Playoffs Notes
- Louisville City FC will be making its 10th consecutive postseason appearance, the longest active streak in the league and second only to the Charleston Battery’s 11-season run between 2011-21. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s active streak of seven consecutive postseasons ranks second among the playoff field.
- Rhode Island FC is the first true expansion side to reach the USL Championship Playoffs since 2019, when four of the seven teams in that year’s expansion class reached the playoffs.
- Las Vegas Lights FC and Rhode Island FC are the two first-time participants in the postseason, with the Lights reaching the playoffs for the first time in their seventh season, having kicked off in the USL Championship in 2018.
- North Carolina FC and Oakland Roots SC make their returns to the USL Championship Playoffs this season. North Carolina last appeared in the Championship Playoffs in 2019, but won the League One title a season ago, while Roots return after a one-year absence in 2023.
- Five former USL Championship title winners will be part of the postseason, with Louisville City FC (2017, 2018) aiming to become the first three-time winner in league history. The Charleston Battery (2012), Orange County SC (2021), Sacramento Republic FC (2014), and Phoenix Rising FC (2023) will be aiming to add to their prior postseason victory.
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Saturday, November 2
No. 2 Charleston Battery vs. No. 7 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, 6:30 p.m. ET, Patriots Point
No. 3 Detroit City FC vs. No. 6 Tampa Bay Rowdies, 7 p.m. ET, Keyworth Stadium
No. 1 Louisville City FC vs. No. 8 North Carolina FC, 7:30 p.m. ET, Lynn Family Stadium
Sunday, November 3
No. 4 Indy Eleven vs. No. 5 Rhode Island FC, TBD, Michael A. Carroll Stadium
Western Conference Quarterfinals
Friday, November 1
No. 4 Las Vegas Lights FC vs. No. 5 Sacramento Republic FC, 10:30 p.m. ET, Cashman Field
Saturday, November 2
No. 3 Memphis 901 FC vs. No. 6 Orange County SC, AutoZone Park, 2 p.m. ET
No. 2 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. No. 7 Oakland Roots SC, Weidner Field, 8 p.m. ET
Sunday, November 3
No. 1 New Mexico United vs. No. 8 Phoenix Rising FC, 8 p.m. ET, Isotopes Park (CBS Sports Network)
Tag(s): News Features League Announcements CO Spring Switchbacks Orange County SC Phoenix Rising FC Sacramento Republic FC Charleston Battery Louisville City FC Pittsburgh Riverhounds Tampa Bay Rowdies Las Vegas Lights FC North Carolina FC Indy Eleven Memphis 901 FC New Mexico United Playoffs News Playoffs Oakland Roots SC Detroit City FC Rhode Island FC