Who looks set to join in 2025? Which teams are lagging behind? Are any dead in the water? We explore all the possible 2025 USL League One expansions.

From our research and calculations, there appear to be up to six expansion sides announced or heavily implied to be joining in 2025, and another eight outliers that have (or have had) expansion rights.

For the announced class of 2025, we checked in on the status of each factor that indicates a successful launch of a new side: stadium, ticketing, branding, communication and recruitment. Recruitment is the lowest ranked factor, as this normally begins in the second half of the year before the inaugural season.

We reached out four of the 2025 expansion sides for verification and clarification. We did not reach out to Brooklyn FC, due to possible changes being announced this week, or Texoma FC, who provided an update to a local outlet last week.

Here is the status of all six 2025 expansion sides, in order of readiness, followed by a brief on the other eight.

2025 ULS League One Expansion Sides

These are teams with announced plans to join the league in 2025, and have transitioned from the exploratory phase to the operational phase. Listed in order of likeliness to join in 2025.

USL Naples

The southwest Florida side seems to be the furthest along of any of the announced expansion teams.

Stadium: the team will play in the already completed 5,000 capacity Paradise Coast Sports Complex Stadium, located 15 minutes east of downtown Naples. Status: complete.

Ticketing: USL Naples is collecting season ticket deposits, and have announced that initial plans will start at $160 on the season. The have communicated that “hundreds” of deposits have already been collected. Status: on track.

Branding: the team completed supporter surveys soliciting ideas for a crest and a brand, with the goal of revealing the result “in the coming months.” Status: on track.

Communications: the front office is actively engaged with its local fanbase. They held a public open house event in February, and send out regular email communications, the latest of which have been hyping the 2024 season in an effort to get fans engaged early. They’re also active on social media, with the most engagement on Facebook and Instagram rather than Twitter. While the club did not respond to our questions by press time, we had adequate public information to report. Status: active.

Recruitment: unknown.

Probability of joining in 2025: 99%. All of the relevant factors are in place, and there are no signs that this team will struggle to join the league in 2025.

Brooklyn FC

UPDATE 3/14/2024: the club was officially announced as joining USL Championship for 2025. The below info was posted on 3/12/2024.

Still unconfirmed by the league or the team, Hudson Blue reported last week that Brooklyn FC will compete in USL Championship starting in 2025. However, until we have confirmation, we’ll still lump them into USL League One expansion and cover their details.

Stadium: the side is set to use the 7,000 capacity Maimonides Park at Coney Island in a multi-year deal. They will share the space with minor league baseball team Brooklyn Cyclones. Status: complete.

Ticketing: the team does not yet appear to be collecting season tickets, nor have a posted timeline on when deposit will begin. Status: needs update.

Branding: the team released full branding, including crest and colors in November. Status: complete.

Communications: communications have been fairly regular, mostly with hype posts and information about the youth academy, already in progress. However, more details are needed on ticketing. The club appears to have a front office, including a dedicated media contact, although we did not reach out while we wait to see if the USL Championship rumors have legs.

All that being said, an email went out tonight (March 12) indicating a big announcement is coming. We’ll have an update if something comes this week. Status: active.

Recruitment: unknown.

Probability of joining in 2025: 90%. given the hype, the youth infrastructure and the stadium already appearing to be set, we’d rate the probability of Brooklyn FC joining either league as high. Some updates on ticketing, and the team confirming the USL Championship rumors would bump that up to 99%.

Texoma FC

Announced as an expansion side in Sherman, Texas, Texoma FC also intends to join the league in 2025. However, they have also not yet been added to the league’s future clubs list.

Stadium: the club will play at Sherman High School’s Historic Bearcat Stadium until a permanent stadium can be constructed. Bearcat Stadium has a capacity of 6,500. According to the team’s website, the ownership group is “engaged in a 7,000 seat stadium development” in a location not yet disclosed. Status: on track.

Ticketing: according to the team’s website, season ticket deposits will be open soon. Status: on track, but needs update.

Branding: the team rolled out branding in December, well ahead of schedule. Status: complete.

Communications: since rolling out branding, the team has been sending out a bi-weekly newsletter with progress updates. They also have have an active presence on Facebook and Instagram, and have provided adequate public information via multiple sources. Status: active.

Recruitment: the club stated via 3rd Degree that they expect an announcement of the manager and sporting director “within the next few months.” Status: on track.

Probability of joining in 2025: 90%. A stadium, branding and proactive and responsive communications are all positive signs things are on track. If ticketing deposits open and a manager is hired well ahead of schedule, this moves to 99%.

USL Antelope Valley

Announced as an expansion side in Lancaster, California, USL Antelope Valley intends to join the league in 2025. However, they have not yet been added to the league’s future clubs list.

Stadium: according to the league announcement, the team is renovating Lancaster Municipal Stadium, the former home of minor league baseball’s Lancaster Jethawks. It will be converted into a 5,300 capacity soccer-specific stadium through a public-private partnership. Architectural and engineering design began in January after final approval from the city. Construction is expected to begin in July, with a goal of February 2025 completion. Status: on track.

Ticketing: the team’s website says season ticket deposits will begin in 2024, with full pricing announced soon after. Status: on track, needs update.

Branding: a brand survey is currently in progress, soliciting ideas from local fans. The announced target for unveiling the branding is March 2024, but the survey is still open. Status: on track.

Communications: the team has a physical office in Lancaster, and a small but active front office. They are active in email communications and active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For now, they’re using their platforms to hype up soccer and culture in the Antelope Valley, along with sharing relevant news. They’ve also reiterated the plan to join in 2025 on multiple occasions recently. The team did acknowledge our questions, but did not provide answers by press time. However, but we found adequate public information for this article. Status: active.

Recruitment: unknown.

Probability of joining in 2025: 90%. All systems seem to be on track for 2025. Opening season ticket deposits would activate increased confidence. The only fact partially holding this side back is stadium construction, which can sometimes be delayed.

USL Portland

The Portland (Maine) side is also slated to join in 2025, although things do not appear as far along as USL Naples, except possibly in branding.

Stadium: USL Portland was cleared in November by the Portland City Council to play at the 6,000 capacity Fitzpatrick Stadium. They will be on a 5 year lease with two 5 year options, and are privately funding upgrades to the facility to include league standard security, lighting, locker rooms and a press box. We have not seen any updates on the progress as Maine exits winter and construction is likely to resume in the next few months. However, there is plenty of time to have things ready for March 2025. Status: on Track, but needs an update.

Ticketing: the team is not yet collecting season ticket deposits, but has a signup on its website for information. Based on the progress of other successful expansions, we’d expect an update any day. Status: on track, but needs an update.

Branding: the colors, a crest design and a video with a mockup of a kit appear on the website, but a full branding has not been released. The team is registered as Portland United LLC, and various local media articles refer to the team as Portland United, but that is not official as the team’s brand. There is also no word on when branding might be announced. Status: on track, but needs an update.

Communications: the team has not been very active so far in 2024. Sporadic posts on various social media outlets, such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have not revealed anything new. The club did not respond to our questions by press time. Given our “needs an update” status on the above factors, and relative lack of recent public information, USL Portland’s communication status is currently: needs improvement.

Recruitment: unknown.

Probability of joining in 2025: 80%. While communications are slow at the moment, it could be due to the uncertainty of stadium upgrades as construction season looms. Still, with Brooklyn FC possibly joining USL Championship, we’d expect the league to be fully behind any effort to add a northeastern side in 2025, giving this probability a boost despite the lack of recent communication.

Santa Barbara Sky FC

Originally announced in 2022 as joining the league in 2024, everything seemed ready to go. A high profile founding investor (Peter Moore, former Liverpool FC CEO), full branding, season ticket deposits and a stadium were in place at the time of the announcement. However, the inaugural season was pushed back without any official communication.

That said, there are growing signs that that the California side could join in 2025.

Stadium: the original announcements listed La Playa Stadium on the campus of the University of California Santa Barbara. Status: on track, but needs update.

Ticketing: Sky FC has been collecting season ticket deposits since the 2022 announcement. Status: on track, but needs update.

Branding: the team revealed full branding at the time of the 2022 announcement, and even set up an online merch shop. However, the shop is currently closed with the exception of season ticket deposits. Status: complete.

Communications: very limited over the last year. Prior to an update post yesterday, Facebook and Twitter were last updated in January 2023 to announce the team’s charitable foundation. Instagram had a hiring announcement in April 2023, and an announcement of a charitable donation in May 2023, but nothing until yesterday’s update. The team’s hiring portal has since gone blank.

However, the front office appears active again. Last Thursday, we received a response within a few hours letting us know to expect announcements as soon as next week. As mentioned, the team finally posted an update via email and social media confirming the debut season is now planned for 2025, and to expect “exciting updates” over the next few months. Status: previously dead, but now showing signs of life.

Recruitment: sources say the team’s management group has reached out to some agents to establish relationships ahead of 2025 recruiting, showing yet another sign of life. Status: unconfirmed, but possibly in progress.

Probability of joining in 2025: 50%. Everyone is excited for the coming announcements, but we’ve been excited before. We will remain in wait-and-see mode until we get further confirmation on the details, and follow up with a new article expanding on what we learn.

Franchise Rights and Other Developments

These are teams that have been announced at some point as being granted franchise and/or exploratory rights or known to have been under development by the league.

Corpus Christi FC

In May 2020, the USL League Two side revealed plans for a stadium complex and a possible jump to USL League One. The original plan was for a 5,000 capacity stadium and sports complex. It took a while, but construction broke ground in December 2023 with late 2024 estimated as the completion. While there has been no recent news on the potential to make the jump to the pros, this development lays the groundwork to do so. With existing branding, communication and recruiting infrastructure already in place that would just need a few professional upgrades, we’d list Corpus Christi FC as the most likely dark horse expansion candidate for 2025.

USL Wilmington

The Wilmington Hammerheads folded at the end of the 2016 season, leaving southeastern North Carolina without a professional outdoor team. The newest attempt was announced in 2022, with the intent to start play in 2024. However, in May 2023 the ownership group officially announced a delay of at least another season.

At first, the plan was for a new soccer-specific stadium complex with training fields and a mixed-use development, and have the team play at city-owned Legion Stadium for 2-3 years. The team would provide renovations to the facility, which would have included a year round food and beer hall. The year round aspect was apparently an investor requirement as it would be the primary source of revenue. However, the group was unable to come to terms with the city before its calculated go/no-go date in May 2023, and without additional investors, were unable to make it work without year round sales.

The last update stated “additional time is needed to finalize a temporary playing venue as well as complete local investor financing.” There is a slight possibility that increased investment funds could lead to coming to terms with the city on Legion Field, but time is slipping away. Communications have also gone dark, leaving even 2025 unlikely unless we hear positive updates on the stadium in the next month.

FC Tucson

The former USL League One side self-relegated to USL League Two following the conclusion of the 2022 season, and in the midst of an ownership change in which head coach Jon Pearlman acquired the team with a group of investors.

Pearlman’s group has an option to return to USL League One, however the option does include a requirement that the team find a long-term stadium solution. They continue to play at the 3,200 capacity Kino North Stadium, owned by Pima County. The team and the county came into conflict several times while playing in USL League One, with the team accusing the county of neglecting maintenance and having overly strict rules on weather delays that go beyond that of the league.

There is currently no word on a timeline to return, which does not seem likely as long as the team is playing at Kino North in its current configuration. However, no progress seems to have been made on an alternative, league-friendly facility.

Lane United FC

In December 2022, USL League One granted franchise rights to the ownership of USL League Two side Lane United FC in Eugene, Oregon. The club was founded in 2013 with a vision of turning pro even at that time. However, the stadium they were set to use was destroyed by a fire in 2015, and things were put on hold.

The team currently plays in Civic Park, built over the site of the fire-destroyed stadium. While the pitch is FIFA regulation, the grandstand is not yet complete and will hold just 2,500. Additional upgrades to the facility would likely be required for a jump to USL League One.

Of course, branding, ticketing, communication and recruiting already exist for USL League Two, and would require only modest upgrades. But given the stadium situation, we do not see Lane United FC joining until 2026 at the earliest, assuming the interest is still there.

Fort Wayne FC

In 2020, USL League One announced Fort Wayne FC would join the league in 2023 after spending two years in USL League Two. Obviously, this never happened, and the announcement seems to have been deleted from the club’s website, even though it remains on the league’s. The club continues to compete in USL League Two, playing at Bishop John M. D’Arcy Stadium on the campus of the University of Saint Francis. More than likely, stadium issues have been preventing the jump.

Real Central New Jersey

Another USL League Two club with USL League One franchise rights, Real Central New Jersey currently plays at Ben Cohen Field on the campus of Rider University in Lawrenceville. Shared with the university’s men’s and women’s soccer teams, the pitch likely meets FIFA standards, but elsewhere may require significant upgrades.

However, there does not appear to be any update since the initial announcement in 2022, indicating the project may not have progressed.

FC Harlem

USL announced a partnership with youth club FC Harlem, initially announced as a youth-to-pro pathway, with a future USL League One expansion. However the partnership appears to have ended, with FC Harlem signing a new partnership agreement with French side Toulouse FC in 2023.

USL Fort Myers

USL League One has had its eye on Fort Myers since the league was founded in 2018. However, MLS has also been eyeing the area, and this recently came legal blows. Despite announcing Naples (an hour south of Fort Myers) as a 2024 expansion side, it seems USL is still looking to develop Fort Myers for something.

READ MORE: THE UNEXPECTED SOCCER WARS IN FORT MYERS

The city owns City of Palms Park, which would be converted from an unused baseball stadium to a soccer specific stadium. However, both USL and a developer working with MLS Next Pro called Prime Pitch have placed bids on the redevelopment, initially awarded to Prime Pitch. USL and another competing developer filed complaints and a lawsuit against the city, claiming the city broke its own rules in the process to favor Prime Pitch.

With the entire ordeal either starting over from scratch, or turning into a potentially drawn out legal battle, it does not seem likely that Fort Myers is happening for 2025 for either USL or MLS Next Pro.

Shoutout to Ryan Allen of the USL Show and Jon Hunt of Bluegrass Soccer Cast for assisting with this article.