The USL Championship will celebrate its 15th season in 2025 with a new arrival, the opening of new venues and the renewal of some of the best rivalries in American soccer highlighting the regular season schedule that was officially announced on Thursday.

Here’s our guide to the games you should be circling now throughout the eight-month regular season when it kicks off in early March as teams vie for a place in the 2025 USL Championship Playoffs next November.

March 8 – Charleston Battery vs. Louisville City FC

As season-openers come, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. Two of the last three Eastern Conference title-winners? Check. Two of the top young coaches in North America? Check. Five returning 2024 USL Championship All-League First Team selections? Check. LouCity and the Battery finished 1-2 in the Eastern Conference last season and are expected to be right up there again this year. There’s no better way to start a campaign than with a win, but to take three points against one of your theoretical season-long rivals ups the stakes dramatically.

March 8 – Sacramento Republic FC vs. New Mexico United

Last season, New Mexico United usurped Sacramento Republic FC to take the top spot in the Western Conference during the regular season. This offseason has seen changes for both clubs, most significantly on the sidelines where Republic FC parted ways with former Head Coach Mark Briggs after five seasons before Eric Quill left New Mexico to become Head Coach at former club FC Dallas. While there will be new faces in the dugouts, there should be plenty of familiar faces on the field with both clubs having retained the core talent that led them to success. A season-opening duel at Heart Health Park could tell us a lot about their 2024 fortunes.

March 22 – Oakland Roots SC vs. San Antonio FC

With the shift in the city’s sporting landscape over the last few years, you can make the case Oakland Roots SC – and its sister club Oakland Soul SC – are The Town’s biggest on-field attractions in 2025. So, it only makes sense they’re going to be playing in the city’s biggest spot, the Oakland Coliseum. The site of countless historic feats across multiple sports is now going to welcome Roots for the new campaign, starting with a showdown with San Antonio FC. Head Coach Gavin Glinton will have his side ready, and it will be intriguing to see what SAFC looks like under new boss Carlos Llamosa. What we’re expecting, though, is the Magic of Oakland to be on full display on the field and in the stands. 

April 5 – Las Vegas Lights FC vs. Orange County SC

This year saw a new dawn for Las Vegas Lights FC, which shocked everyone by not only reaching the postseason for the first time but finishing in the top four in the Western Conference before seeing its remarkable run come to an end in the conference final. With at least 17 players returning for the 2025 season, the potential for upward mobility is clear for owner José Bautista’s crew with the likes of Valentin Noël, Khori Bennett and Raiko Arozarena back in the fold. Their clash at Cashman Field against Orange County SC should be an intriguing one as the visitors look to build on their strong end to the 2024 season under Head Coach Danny Stone, who enters this campaign with the interim tag removed. With a few games under their belts, we should have a good idea as to both these teams’ potential by the time this matchup arrives.

April 19 – Phoenix Rising FC vs. Sacramento Republic FC

It may not be quite right to define Phoenix Rising FC and Sacramento Republic FC as a rivalry – matchups elsewhere certainly take precedence – but in terms of a longstanding history that now stretches a decade, this game typically finds a way to deliver. There have been postseason classics – including Phoenix’s win in the Western Conference Final in 2023 before its first league crown – but overall these teams have been difficult to separate with Rising holding a 9-8-9 edge in regular season and playoff meetings. With new Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah aiming to return Phoenix to serious contention at the top of the Western Conference, this should be a good test of those credentials against Republic FC’s experienced squad.

May 1 – Louisville City FC vs. Lexington SC

Two days before the 151st edition of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, we get the first official USL Championship edition of the other event in the state that could bear that name. Since Lexington SC announced it was going to join the USL Championship earlier this year, this and the return clash just over an hour’s drive away at Lexington’s new 7,500-seat stadium – which, due to Lexington being in the Western Conference, will arrive in the USL Jagermeister Cup group stage – have been among the most keenly anticipated in the 2025 schedule. Led by new Head Coach Terry Boss, Lexington will be hoping to spring a surprise as former LouCity striker Cameron Lancaster returns to his former stomping grounds for a must-see Thursday Night showdown. 

May 3 – Rhode Island FC vs. San Antonio FC

When you consider everything Rhode Island FC achieved in its first season, it might seem odd to bill this game as the one everything in this club’s short history has been leading to. At the same time, it’s not every day you get to open a 10,500-seat stadium located at a spectacular waterfront site. The symbolism of that moment not only for RIFC but for the USL Championship as 2022 title winner San Antonio FC comes to visit for the first game at Tidewater Landing is going to be among the most important days in the league’s history. Like Lynn Family Stadium has become for Louisville City and Weidner Field has for Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, RIFC is aiming to make its permanent home one of the toughest to visit in the league. That work starts here.

May 3 – El Paso Locomotive FC vs. New Mexico United

There are few rivalries that can match the history or intensity of the Derby Del Camino Real. Since each arriving in the USL Championship in 2019, El Paso Locomotive FC and New Mexico United have delivered some remarkable contests. After last season’s sweep of the series, however, United has taken a 6-4-7 lead in their meetings in the Championship’s regular season and playoffs as the two clubs went in different directions in terms of their overall fortunes. This meeting at Southwest University Park will settle the regular season series between the clubs – they also meet at Isotopes Park on March 22 – and you should expect a large contingent of travelling support to make the trip across the Texas border.

June 7 – Louisville City FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies

Over the past eight seasons, Louisville City and the Tampa Bay Rowdies have shown how great a rivalry can get simply by the teams involved being perennial powers in the same conference. From the trilogy of Eastern Conference Finals between 2020-22 and each side claiming a Players’ Shield this decade, it’s also been rare these two sides have ended in a stalemate. The series currently sits at seven wins apiece with a pair of drawn contests and given the level of talent both sides will be putting on the field, this will be a must-see contest once again.

June 21 – New Mexico United vs. San Antonio FC

If there was a bellwether for the 2024 campaigns of New Mexico United and San Antonio FC, the two games the sides played against each other pointed to the direction for both teams. In each game, San Antonio – which had built its reputation on holding leads – went ahead only for New Mexico to rally and take a season sweep. As United looks to maintain its position at the top of the Western Conference standings, this mid-season clash with a San Antonio side taking a new direction could be an indicator of where each club’s season is heading once again.

July 4 – Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. Louisville City FC

An Independence Day clash has become a tradition for Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC since it opened Weidner Field in 2021 and this year’s clash with Louisville City offers the potential for a rollicking contest before the traditional post-game fireworks. LouCity claimed an entertaining 3-2 victory when it last visited Colorado Springs in the 2023 season, but the defending Championship title-holders have been formidable on the Fourth of July, winning three times out of four. The energy in the stands should spill over to the field in this one.

July 5 – Charleston Battery vs. North Carolina FC

Since the Charleston Battery and North Carolina FC met for the first time in 2007, there’s been a lot of history shared between the clubs, even when they’ve not always been competing in the same division. This year’s edition, though, could be a measuring stick for North Carolina’s progress from earning the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference a season ago against a Battery side that has gone from strength to strength under Head Coach Ben Pirmann. The last time these teams met at Patriots Point, it was a harsh lesson for the visitors as they conceded five second-half goals – including an MD Myers hat trick – to fall 5-2. That’s the sort of result that sticks in the back of your mind for the next time you square off.

July 19 – Detroit City FC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

There have officially barely been more than a handful of meetings between Detroit City FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC all-time – the Hounds own a narrow 2-1-4 edge across the regular season and playoffs – but the animus between the two sets of supporters has quickly made the series between the Rust Belt cities one that is worth paying attention to. The sides will play three times across the regular season, including once in Jägermeister Cup group play, that should further the potential rivalry. With the rising strength in the Eastern Conference and the battle for playoff position, this midsummer clash at Keyworth Stadium could be a critical one for both clubs.

August 16 – Sacramento Republic FC vs. Oakland Roots SC

It feels somewhat remarkable that 2025 will mark the fifth season in which Sacramento Republic FC and Oakland Roots SC will square off in the USL Championship – time flies when you’re having fun – but after the two meetings these NorCal rivals delivered in the past campaign the rivalry is as strong as it’s ever been. To start things off, Roots earned its first victory ever at Heart Health Park with a 3-2 thriller that featured a brace by Lindo Mfeka. Republic FC then returned the favor in Oakland with a sun-kissed 5-2 victory that saw Kieran Phillips bag a brace for the visitors. Republic FC vs. Roots has typically delivered drama, and we’re expecting more here.

August 23 – Hartford Athletic vs. Rhode Island FC

Imagine what going through 2024 must have been like for a Hartford Athletic fan. Yes, your side showed the promise that was expected when Head Coach Brendan Burke took the helm – more than doubling your point total from a season before – but there wasn’t a playoff berth waiting at the end. At the same time, your new rival didn’t just claim the season series against you, they went ahead and won the Eastern Conference in their first season. Hmpf. After what we saw in Year 1 between these teams, there’s a tremendous rivalry brewing. Hartford will be keen to strike a blow against Rhode Island on its home turf here.

August 30 – Indy Eleven vs. Louisville City FC

For a decade, the Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest – or LIPAFC for short – has grown into one of the best rivalries in North America. This past season it delivered and then some, bringing the spectacle in the Championship’s first game on network television at Lynn Family Stadium and the drama in both encounters that saw the Louisville Coopers reclaim the trophy. That potential for drama isn’t going to diminish in 2025 as Indy looks to gain ground on the defending Players’ Shield winner in what could also be a key game in the Eastern Conference standings less than two months from the final day of the regular season.

September 13 – Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

When the calendar turns to September, we’re moving into “potential USL Championship Final” territory when it comes to interconference matchups. That sort of stuff is typically very hard to predict, but with the makeup of both the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on the field and on the sideline, it’s easy to peg as having that sort of potential. This past season, the Switchbacks delivered an impressive 4-2 win at Weidner Field. The Rowdies won’t likely have that in the back of their minds by the time this game comes around, but it could be critical for position for both clubs in the final stages of the season.

September 27 – Monterey Bay F.C. vs. Sacramento Republic FC

Three years into its history, Monterey Bay has felt a little bit like the little brother alongside eldest brother Sacramento Republic FC and middle brother Oakland Roots SC. At the same time, MBFC has been able to pull off some notable results against both its NorCal rivals, including its first win at Heart Health Park in 2023. What MBFC hasn’t accomplished yet, however, is a postseason berth, which has prompted the club to offer a 20% refund on season tickets if the team doesn’t get into the playoffs in 2025. By the time Republic FC visits Cardinale Stadium in late September, we may have a good idea as to where that proposition stands.

October 11 – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Indy Eleven

As many points as a team accumulates throughout the campaign, the final three weeks of the regular season always feel crucial to not only the chances at a high seed in the playoffs but in building momentum for the postseason. That makes this clash at Highmark Stadium between Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Indy Eleven one that jumps off the page with three weekends to go. The Hounds’ current seven-season postseason streak is the second-longest in the league behind Louisville City FC, while Indy Eleven is looking for more after its top-four finish a season ago. That could lend itself to a postseason atmosphere under the lights on a crisp fall night in the Steel City.

October 25 – Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Detroit City FC

The final day of the regular season could bring plenty of drama across both conferences and this rematch from the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals from the past postseason jumps out as one that should have plenty of impact on the final standings. With the Rowdies and DCFC each entering their second seasons under Head Coaches Robbie Neilson and Danny Dichio respectively, expectations will be high at each club going into the 2025 campaign. This game could decide playoff seeding, or potentially something even bigger.

October 25 – New Mexico United vs. Rhode Island FC

New Mexico United finished top of the Western Conference in 2024, marking the best campaign in club history as it also advanced to the Quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the second time in its history. Over in the Eastern Conference, that’s the sort of season Rhode Island FC will be taking aim at in its second campaign after its surprise conference title in Year 1. Ten months out, this is one of the late-season games you could circle right now as a potential USL Championship Final preview. We’ll see how things play out for United as they adjust to the departure of Eric Quill as RIFC looks to maintain the performance it showed in the second half of 2024 with the aim of becoming a Players’ Shield contender.