The 2025 USL Championship season kicks off on Saturday – the 15th(!) campaign of the modern era – with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC ready to defend their crown, a new arrival in Lexington SC, and new homes for Oakland Roots SC at the historic Oakland Coliseum and defending Eastern Conference title-holder Rhode Island FC at the Stadium at Tidewater Landing.

There’s a lot to look forward to as the league enters its second year of broadcast agreements with CBSViacom, ESPN and TelevisaUnivision, with numerous games set to air on national airwaves.

The Championship’s clubs’ commitment to regional audiences continues to grow, too, with local television agreements bringing the league to more fans across the country than ever before.

So, what might be in for in the year to come?

Ahead of the action kicking off, here are 8 storylines that we’re going to be following closely over the next nine months.

1. How might the expanded second edition of the USL Jägermeister Cup play out?

If you followed last year’s inaugural edition of the USL Jagermeister Cup at all, you were treated to the sort of fun the tournament promised.

Entertaining soccer was rewarded – Union Omaha might have ended up with the second-best record of the second-placed teams in the group stage, but its 16 goals in eight games carried in into the Semifinals at the expense of One Knoxville SC – and the event was capped by a dramatic penalty shootout victory for Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC in the Final against Forward Madison FC.

As USL Championship clubs enter the fray this year, there’s the potential for even more. At the top of the list is the regional group structure, which will give us games like the Championship’s Rhode Island FC vs. USL League One newcomer Portland Hearts of Pine or a new Florida west-coast rivalry between the Championship’s Tampa Bay Rowdies and League One’s FC Naples.

Arguably the best part of the tournament’s structure, however, is the predominance of weekend games. With the majority of the group stage playing out on the final weekend in April, May, June and July, there should be less reason for clubs to rotate their lineups, giving us plenty of best-on-best action.

How will clubs like defending League One title-holders Union Omaha or first-year breakout side Spokane Velocity FC fare against the likes of New Mexico United or Sacramento Republic FC? We’re about to find out.

2. Can the Western Conference narrow the success gap to the East?

After Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s victory a season ago, the Western Conference representative has claimed each of the past five USL Championship Finals.

When it came to the regular season last year, though, the Eastern Conference was on paper stronger and deeper overall than the West. During the regular season, the East posted a 63-46-35 record against its Western counterparts, racking up a +57 goal differential in the process.

The trend was consistent, too. Only three teams in the East had a losing record in interleague play, while only two teams in the West had a winning record, with two more sitting with equal wins and losses.

There will be a drop in the number of interconference games this season – each team in the East and West will play eight interconference games due to the USL Championship’s addition to the USL Jägermeister Cup – but it will be intriguing to see if the West can put on a stronger showing during the regular season, mirroring how it’s held the upper hand in the Championship Final of late.

3. Which clubs could take a run at the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup?

Since the return of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2022, there’s been a marked uptick in the level of success achieved by clubs in the USL Championship.

There was Sacramento Republic FC’s remarkable run to the Final in 2022, of course, followed by Birmingham Legion and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s advancement to the Quarterfinals the following year and Indy Eleven’s path to the Semifinals a season ago.

With clubs in the Championship now having the capability to build deeper, more talented squads and continuity – the prime example being what’s happened at Louisville City FC over the last couple of years, where the club will return 21 players from its Players’ Shield winner a season ago – the potential is there for someone to make a run.

The challenge will, of course, come from the clubs entered by Major League Soccer. The 16 teams aren’t the top contenders – those have been cordoned off to Leagues Cup, leaving Los Angeles FC unable to defend its title. For those teams, it might be the best potential route to earn a Concacaf Champions Cup berth for next year.

But we’ve seen what sort of chaos the Open Cup can bring over the past three years. It wouldn’t be as big a shock as you’d think to see one of the Championship’s clubs find success.

4. How will Head Coach turnover impact the Western Conference?

Want to know something wild? As we sit here, building up to the USL Championship’s kickoff weekend, there’s only one Head Coach in the Western Conference who still has his job from this point a year ago.

You’ll not be surprised to hear that’s Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s James Chambers, who rode out a challenging start after his promotion from assistant coach to lead the side to its first USL Championship title in his first year leading the squad.

Everywhere else, there have been changes.

Four of this year’s Western bosses are at least holdovers from 2024. El Paso Locomotive FC’s Wilmer Cabrera, Monterey Bay FC’s Jordan Stewart, Oakland Roots SC’s Gavin Glinton and Orange County SC’s Danny Stone all came aboard last year, with both Glinton and Stone having their interim tags removed this offseason by their respective clubs.

But there are seven new appointments that have been made since the Switchbacks lifted the Championship Final trophy last November.

At the top of the list is Sacramento Republic FC’s addition of Neill Collins, bringing the Scottish manager back to the USL Championship after stints at Barnsley FC in England and Raith Rovers in his home country.

Then there’s the New Mexico United-Las Vegas Lights turnaround, which saw United secure the services of Dennis Sanchez following Eric Quill’s departure for FC Dallas, and the Lights appoint Antonio Nocerino in his place.

There are intriguing new arrivals in Phoenix Rising FC’s Pa-Modou Kah and Lexington SC’s Terry Boss, each of whom has achieved success previously as a Head Coach in the pro and college ranks respectively.

And then there are the first-time appointees, with former United States international and MLS assistant coach Carlos Llamosa taking the reins at San Antonio FC, and former Championship title-winner Luke Spencer being promoted at FC Tulsa.

As the plans come together for each club and its leadership, it’s going to be fascinating to see how it all plays out.

5. How will the Stadium at Tidewater Landing impact Rhode Island FC?

Upon its opening in the first week of May, Rhode Island FC’s Stadium at Tidewater Landing will become one of the top facilities in the USL Championship. The permanent 10,500-seat home for the defending Eastern Conference title-holder is set to host its first game on May 3 against San Antonio FC.

There’s little question as to what it will provide for the club – see the upswing in attendance and revenues for clubs elsewhere in the league that have opened soccer-specific facilities in recent years – or for the fans led by Defiance 1636, who will lead the atmosphere at the stadium.

But there could be something even bigger for RIFC competitively as it moves into its long-term home. The fascinating thing about the club’s remarkable 2024 season? It was in the middle of the pack when it came to home performance, going 7-2-8 in the regular season before reeling off three consecutive road victories in the playoffs.

If Rhode Island can maximize its support and (to use the cliché) make its home a fortress, it could be rubbing shoulders with the top teams in the league and contend for a Players’ Shield.

6. Will Oakland Roots SC’s move to the historic Oakland Coliseum spark magic?

Throughout the club’s existence, there has been something a little bit different about Oakland Roots SC.

From the concept of being a purpose-driven club – putting community and ideology at the center of the way it operates, including its participation as a club in Common Goal – to the way it has connected with fans throughout the city and region, and in turn brought in high-profile Oakland celebrities such as Marshawn Lynch and Billie Joe Armstrong into its ownership group, there’s something special about the way the club has gone about its business.

That’s led to this moment, when with the departure of the Oakland A’s from the Coliseum, Roots is set to make the historic venue its own not only this season but beyond as it works toward a permanent stadium solution.

There are big plans ahead, but Roots is going to go about it its own way. Too $hort as the halftime act for the club’s home opener against San Antonio FC on March 22? Yes, please and thank you, and there’s going to be much more besides.

The grassroots approach Oakland Roots has taken to building its identity could provide a big payoff this season as it enters its next era. That will be worth watching as the squad looks to build on last year’s postseason berth.

7. How will Lexington SC fare as it moves into the USL Championship?

The past two years in USL League One haven’t been particularly kind to Lexington SC on the field. The side failed to reach the postseason in either campaign, which given the expectations – particularly a season ago – didn’t match up.

But with the opening of its outstanding new 7,500-seat venue last summer, the club is heading to the USL Championship this spring in search of success. The ownership group and technical staff has built a roster that barely resembles the one it ended the 2024 campaign with and a new Head Coach in Terry Boss.

It’s easy to think that this is the set-up to another year where it doesn’t go to plan, but that would ignore recent history. First, there’s the example of North Carolina FC, which – while arriving as League One winner in 2023 – made key upgrades to its squad and pushed into the postseason in its first year back.

Then there are the examples of rapid turnarounds the Championship has seen in the past two years. Las Vegas Lights FC’s rapid construction starting last February – and tinkering throughout the season – saw all the right pieces fall into place and deliver the best season in club history.

The same could easily happen in Kentucky, with the fact Lexington will compete in the Western Conference playing into that. While the West has some clear favorites, on the whole it’s looking about as unpredictable as you can get going into the opening weekend.

8. How many Head Coaches will pass the 100 wins mark this season?

In the USL Championship era, only three Head Coaches have surpassed 100 victories across the regular season and playoffs. The most recent of those was Mark Briggs, who passed the landmark a season ago at Sacramento Republic FC to join current Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Head Coach Bob Lilley and Charleston Battery legend Mike Anhaeuser.

This year, if their respective seasons go to plan, that number could more than double.

Closest to the century mark is Neill Collins, who takes over from Briggs at Republic FC having earned 94 wins across the regular season and playoffs during his tenure with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. It would certainly be a shock if Collins doesn’t reach the mark with Republic FC looking on paper like one of the West’s favorites again.

Next up is Birmingham Legion FC’s Tom Soehn, who has led the side to 83 wins in the Championship since being appointed ahead of its inaugural season. Legion has won at least 17 games in a campaign twice previously, doing so in 2021 and 2022. A return to that standard would get Soehn to the mark.

Close behind is Louisville City FC’s Danny Cruz, who has overseen 82 victories in the regular season and playoffs since his appointment in April 2021. After the club’s historic 2024 season in which it notched 24 regular season wins, this certainly could be on the cards.

Lastly, there’s Charleston Battery Head Coach Ben Pirmann, who between his stints at the Battery and former club Memphis 901 FC has notched 78 victories. Now, 22 wins is a lot, but with the Battery having reached the Eastern Conference Final in each of the past two seasons, it’s within the realm of possibility for Pirmann to reach the landmark.