2023 USL Championship playoffs

Main article: 2023 USL Championship season

Football tournament season

2023 USL Championship playoffsTournament details

Country| United States
Dates| October 21 – November 12
Teams| 16
Defending champions| San Antonio FC
Final positions
Champions| Phoenix Rising FC
Runner-up| Charleston Battery
Tournament statistics
Matches played| 15
Goals scored| 43 (2.87 per match)
Attendance| 95,916 (6,394 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)|  Ronaldo Damus
Cameron Lancaster
(3 goals each)

<- 2022

2024 ->

All statistics correct as of November 12, 2023.

The 2023 USL Championship playoffs (branded as the 2023 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Hisense for sponsorship reasons[1]) was the post-season championship of the 2023 USL Championship. It was the thirteenth edition of the USL Championship playoffs. The playoffs began on October 21, and concluded with the USL Championship Final on November 12.[2]

San Antonio FC were the defending title holders[3] and were eliminated in the Conference Semi-finals by Sacramento Republic FC.[4] Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies were the first teams to clinch a playoff berth which they both achieved on September 3 and subsequently both lost in the first round.[5] Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC won the regular season and were eliminated in the Conference Quarterfinals by Detroit City FC.[6]

The Charleston Battery and Phoenix Rising FC advanced to the Final after failing to make the postseason the previous year. A match Phoenix won after a penalty shoot-out for their first title.[7]

## Format

[edit]

The top eight teams in each conference qualified for the playoffs which was in a single-elimination, fixed bracket format. All playoff matches were streamed live on ESPN+ except the Championship final on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and Sirius XM FC.[2]

## Conference standings

[edit]

Eastern Conference

| Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | Pts

|
|
|

1  | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (S) | 34  | 67
2  | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 34  | 63
3  | Charleston Battery | 34  | 59
4  | Memphis 901 FC | 34  | 52
5  | Louisville City FC | 34  | 50
6  | Indy Eleven | 34  | 49
7  | Birmingham Legion FC | 34  | 46
8  | Detroit City FC | 34  | 41
9  | Miami FC | 34  | 41
10  | FC Tulsa | 34  | 39
11  | Loudoun United FC | 34  | 25
12  | Hartford Athletic | 34  | 18

Source: USL Championship Standings
(S) Players' Shield winner

Western Conference

| Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | Pts

|
|
|

1  | Sacramento Republic FC | 34  | 64
2  | Orange County SC | 34  | 57
3  | San Diego Loyal SC | 34  | 57
4  | San Antonio FC | 34  | 56
5  | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 34  | 53
6  | Phoenix Rising FC (C) | 34  | 48
7  | El Paso Locomotive FC | 34  | 47
8  | New Mexico United | 34  | 46
9  | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 34  | 43
10  | Oakland Roots SC | 34  | 42
11  | Monterey Bay FC | 34  | 41
12  | Las Vegas Lights FC | 34  | 19

Source: USL Championship Standings
(C) Champions

## Bracket

[edit]

| Conference Quarterfinals
October 21–22 | | | Conference Semifinals
October 27–28 | | | Conference Finals
November 4 | | | USL Championship Final
November 12 |

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|  |  |  | | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  |
| E1 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0 | | | |
| E8 | Detroit City FC | 1 |
| | E8 | Detroit City FC | 0 |
|  |
| | | E5 | Louisville City FC | 4 |
| E4 | Memphis 901 FC | 1 (4) |

| E5 | Louisville City FC (p) | 1 (5) |
| | E5 | Louisville City FC | 1 |
| Eastern Conference |
| | | E3 | Charleston Battery | 2 |
| E3 | Charleston Battery | 5 | |

| E6 | Indy Eleven | 0 |
| | E3 | Charleston Battery | 2 |
|  |
| | | E7 | Birmingham Legion FC | 1 |
| E2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 0 |

| E7 | Birmingham Legion FC | 3 |
| | E3 | Charleston Battery | 1 (2) |
|  |
| | | W6 | Phoenix Rising FC (p) | 1 (3) |
| W1 | Sacramento Republic FC | 1 | | |

| W8 | New Mexico United | 0 |
| | W1 | Sacramento Republic FC | 3 |
|  |
| | | W4 | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| W4 | San Antonio FC | 1 |

| W5 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 0 |
| | W1 | Sacramento Republic FC | 1 |
| Western Conference |
| | | W6 | Phoenix Rising FC | 2 |
| W3 | San Diego Loyal SC | 3 | |

| W6 | Phoenix Rising FC (a.e.t.) | 4 |
| | W6 | Phoenix Rising FC (a.e.t.) | 2 |
|  |
| | | W2 | Orange County SC | 1 |
| W2 | Orange County SC | 1 |

| W7 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 0 |

## Schedule

[edit]

### Conference Quarterfinals

[edit]

Memphis 901 FC v Louisville City FC October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) East| Memphis 901 FC| 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p)|  Louisville City FC | Memphis, Tennessee

|
|
|
|

6:30 PM EDT |

* Lapa 1'
* Paul 24'
* Ward 62'
* Kissiedou 73'
* Careaga 118'

| Report |

* Lancaster 18'
* Semmle 24'
* Perez 90+5'
* McCabe 117'

| Stadium: AutoZone Park
Attendance: 3,587
Referee: Elton García
| Penalties|

* Hyndman
* Molloy
* Smith
* Careaga
* McFadden

|  |

* Totsch
* Harris
* Mares
* McCabe
* Jimenez

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC v Detroit City FC October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) East| Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC| 0–1|  Detroit City FC | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

|
|
|
|

7:00 PM EDT |

* Dossantos 15'
* Dikwa 52'

| Report |

* Lewis 4'
* Amoo-Mensah 38'
* Rodriguez 52'
* Gasso 78'

| Stadium: Highmark Stadium
Attendance: 6,123
Referee: Sergii Demianchuk

Tampa Bay Rowdies v Birmingham Legion FC October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) East| Tampa Bay Rowdies| 0–3|  Birmingham Legion FC | St. Petersburg, Florida

|
|
|
|

7:30 PM EDT |

* Lasso 39'
* Jennings 45+1'

| Report |

* Martínez 9'
* Preston 41'
* Nwegbo 57'
* Kasim 77'

| Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 5,249
Referee: Matthew Thompson

San Antonio FC v Colorado Springs Switchbacks October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) West|  San Antonio FC | 1–0| Colorado Springs Switchbacks| San Antonio, Texas

|
|
|
|

8:00 PM CDT |

* Garcia 19'
* Hernández 55'
* PC 82'

| Report |

* Tejada 45'
* Lacroix 60'
* Mahoney 78'
* Musa 90'

| Stadium: Toyota Field
Attendance: 7,304
Referee: Alexis Da Silva

Sacramento Republic FC v New Mexico United October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) West|  Sacramento Republic FC | 1–0| New Mexico United| Sacramento, California

|
|
|
|

7:00 PM PDT |

* Donovan 13'
* López 62'
* Archimede 80'

| Report |  | Stadium: Heart Health Park
Attendance: 11,569
Referee: Ricardo Fierro

Orange County SC v El Paso Locomotive FC October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) West|  Orange County SC | 1–0| El Paso Locomotive FC| Irvine, California

|
|
|
|

7:30 PM PDT |

* Iloski 45+1'
* Scott 87'

| Report |

* Dollenmayer 29'
* Sonupe 58'
* Rose 75'
* Petrović 86'
* Díaz 90+3'
* Calvillo 90+7'

| Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium
Attendance: 5,500
Referee: Natalie Simon

Charleston Battery v Indy Eleven October 22, 2023 (2023-10-22) East|  Charleston Battery | 5–0| Indy Eleven| Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

|
|
|
|

4:00 PM EDT |

* Ycaza 12' 90'
* Williams 16' 37'
* Rodríguez 40'
* Barajas 47'
* Markanich 63'

| Report |

* Boudadi 57'
* Vázquez 72'
* Diz Pe 76'
* Lindley 83'

| Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex
Attendance: 2,972
Referee: Jeremy Scheer

San Diego Loyal SC v Phoenix Rising FC October 22, 2023 (2023-10-22) West| San Diego Loyal SC| 3–4 (a.e.t.)|  Phoenix Rising FC | San Diego California

|
|
|
|

7:00 PM PDT |

* Damus 4', 25', 90+7' (pen.)
* Adams 45+2'

| Report |

* Armenakas 19' (pen.)
* Trejo 42'
* Formella 51', 119'
* Harvey 57'
* Arteaga 87'
* Traore 90+5'
* Fuenmayor 97'

| Stadium: Torero Stadium
Attendance: 5,671
Referee: Elvis Osmanovic

### Conference Semifinals

[edit]

Sacramento Republic FC v San Antonio FC October 27, 2023 (2023-10-27) West|  Sacramento Republic FC | 3–1| San Antonio FC| Sacramento, California

|
|
|
|

7:30 PM PDT |

* Sanchez 22'
* Cicerone 49'
* Ross 69'
* Viader 80'
* Filipe 85'

| Report |

* Taintor 27'
* Nathan 74'
* Oluwaseyi 83' 90+1'

| Stadium: Heart Health Park
Attendance: 10,619
Referee: Elvis Osmanovic

Charleston Battery v Birmingham Legion FC October 28, 2023 (2023-10-28) East|  Charleston Battery | 2–1| Birmingham Legion FC| Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

|
|
|
|

7:00 PM EDT |

* Ycaza 17'
* Dodson 68'

| Report |

* Kasim 41'
* Agudelo 61'
* Rufe 70'
* Lopez 86'

| Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex
Attendance: 2,762
Referee: Elton Garcia

Louisville City FC v Detroit City FC October 28, 2023 (2023-10-28) East|  Louisville City FC | 4–0| Detroit City FC| Louisville, Kentucky

|
|
|
|

7:30 PM EDT |

* Lancaster 14' (pen.), 59'
* Ownby 43'
* Gonzalez 60'

| Report |

* Bryant 14'

| Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium
Attendance: 7,959
Referee: Ricardo Fierro

Orange County SC v Phoenix Rising FC October 28, 2023 (2023-10-28) West| Orange County SC| 1–2 (a.e.t.)|  Phoenix Rising FC | Irvine, California

|
|
|
|

7:30 PM PDT |

* Amang 24'
* Richards 51'

| Report |

* Trejo 7'
* Fuenmayor 103'
* Uzochukwu 106'
* Cuello 116'

| Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium
Attendance: 5,500
Referee: Calin Radosav

### Conference Finals

[edit]

Charleston Battery v Louisville City FC November 4, 2023 (2023-11-04) East|  Charleston Battery | 2–1| Louisville City FC| Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

|
|
|
|

7:30 PM EST |

* Rodríguez 5' 69'
* Williams 58' (pen.)
* Allan 90+4'

| Report |

* Ownby 4'
* Moguel 83' 86'
* Adams 90'
* Cruz 90+1'

| Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex
Attendance: 4,438
Referee: Elvis Osmanovic

Sacramento Republic FC v Phoenix Rising FC November 4, 2023 (2023-11-04) West| Sacramento Republic FC| 1–2|  Phoenix Rising FC | Sacramento, California

|
|
|
|

7:00 PM PST |

* Cicerone 31'
* Keko 71'

| Report |

* Traore 17'
* King 40'
* Munjoma 69'
* Donovan 80' (o.g.)
* Stenberg 88'
* Cuello 90+2'
* Harvey 90+6'
* Formella 90+6'

| Stadium: Heart Health Park
Attendance: 11,569
Referee: Ricardo Fierro

### USL Championship Final

[edit]

Charleston Battery v Phoenix Rising FC November 12, 2023 | Charleston Battery| 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(2–3 p)|  Phoenix Rising FC | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

|
|
|
|

7:00 PM EST |

* Markanich 36'
* Avila 72'

| Report |

* Traore 11'
* Harvey 72'
* Fuenmayor 73'
* Cuello 80'
* Stenberg 90'
* Zambrano 115'
* Guerra 117'

| Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex
Attendance: 5,094
Referee: Elton Garcia
| Penalties|

* Paterson
* Williams
* Archer
* Allan
* Dodson

|  |

* Cuello
* Krutzen
* Zambrano
* Gallardo
* Arteaga

Championship Game MVP: Rocco Ríos Novo (PHX)

## Top goalscorers

[edit]

[8]

Rank  | Player  | Club  | Goals

|
|
|

1  |  Ronaldo Damus | San Diego Loyal SC | 3
Cameron Lancaster | Louisville City FC
3  |  Russell Cicerone | Sacramento Republic FC | 2
Emil Cuello | Phoenix Rising FC
Dariusz Formella | Phoenix Rising FC
Prosper Kasim | Birmingham Legion FC
Nick Markanich | Charleston Battery
Arturo Rodríguez | Charleston Battery
Danny Trejo | Phoenix Rising FC
Augustine Williams | Charleston Battery
Emilio Ycaza | Charleston Battery

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Playoffs are coming to Heart Health Park on October 21st" (Press release). Sacramento, CA: Sacramento Republic FC. October 1, 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
2. ^ a b "Drama on final matchday as bracket is set for 2023 USL Championship Playoffs". www.uslchampionship.com. USL Championship. October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
3. ^ Torres, Raquel (November 14, 2022). "'Finally everything coming together': Fans revel in San Antonio FC's first USL Championship". /sanantonioreport.org/. San Antonio, TX: San Antonio Report. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
4. ^ Whitaker, Stephen (October 28, 2023). "San Antonio FC has title defense end in semifinal loss at Sacramento Republic". San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio, TX. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
5. ^ Murray, Nicholas (September 7, 2023). "USL Championship Race to the Playoffs – Sept. 9-10". www.uslchampionship.com. Tampa, FL: USL Championship. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
6. ^ Clark, Christina (October 23, 2023). "Detroit City FC Defeats Pittsburgh in First Round of USL Playoffs". www.hourdetroit.com. Detroit, MI: Hour Detroit. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
7. ^ Anderson, Jake (November 13, 2023). "Phoenix Rising FC wins USL title in improbable way vs. Charleston Battery". arizonasports.com. Charleston, SC: Arizona Sports. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
8. ^ "2023 USLC Playoff Stats". USL Championship. November 11, 2023.

* v
* t
* e

2023 USL Championship season

* Playoffs

Eastern|

* Birmingham Legion
* Charleston Battery
* Detroit City FC
* FC Tulsa
* Hartford Athletic
* Indy Eleven
* Loudoun United
* Louisville City
* Memphis 901
* Miami FC
* Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
* Tampa Bay Rowdies

Western|

* Colorado Springs Switchbacks
* El Paso Locomotive
* Las Vegas Lights
* Monterey Bay FC
* New Mexico United
* Oakland Roots
* Orange County SC
* Phoenix Rising
* RGVFC Toros
* Sacramento Republic
* San Antonio FC
* San Diego Loyal

* v
* t
* e

2023 in American soccer

« 2022

2024 »

National teams|

| Men|

* 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League A (Group D)

|

Women|

* Senior
* 2023 SheBelieves Cup
* 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
* U23
* U19
* U18
* U17

League competitions (Men)|

| Level 1|

* Major League Soccer (All-Star Game, Playoffs, MLS Cup)

|

Level 2|

* USL Championship (Playoffs)

Level 3|

* MLS Next Pro (Playoffs)
* USL League One (Playoffs)
* NISA

Amateur|

* NPSL
* USL League Two
* NISA Nation
* UPSL

Collegiate|

* NCAA
* Division I
* Division II
* Division III
* NAIA
* NJCAA

League competitions (Women)|

| Level 1|

* NWSL

|

Level 2|

* USL W
* WPSL
* UWS

Collegiate|

* NCAA
* Division I
* Division II
* Division III
* NAIA
* WJCAA

Cup competitions (Men)|

| Domestic|

* U.S. Open Cup (Qualification, Final)
* National Amateur Cup
* NISA Independent Cup
* Hank Steinbrecher Cup

|

International|

* CONCACAF Champions League
* Campeones Cup
* Leagues Cup
* group stage
* knockout stage
* final

Cup competitions (Women)|

* Challenge Cup (Final)
* Women's College Cup
* Final

Youth competitions|

| Under-23|

* NCAA College Cup (Final)

|

Under-18|

* MLS Next
* 2022–23
* 2023–24

Club seasons (Men)

MLS|

* Atlanta United FC
* Austin FC
* Charlotte FC
* Chicago Fire
* FC Cincinnati
* Colorado Rapids
* Columbus Crew
* D.C. United
* FC Dallas
* Houston Dynamo
* Inter Miami CF
* LA Galaxy
* Los Angeles FC
* Minnesota United FC
* CF Montréal
* Nashville SC
* New England Revolution
* New York City FC
* New York Red Bulls
* Orlando City SC
* Philadelphia Union
* Portland Timbers
* Real Salt Lake
* San Jose Earthquakes
* Seattle Sounders FC
* St. Louis City SC
* Sporting Kansas City
* Toronto FC
* Vancouver Whitecaps FC

USLC|

* Birmingham Legion
* Charleston Battery
* Colorado Springs Switchbacks
* Detroit City
* El Paso Locomotive
* Hartford Athletic
* Indy Eleven
* Las Vegas Lights
* Loudoun United
* Louisville City
* Memphis 901
* Miami FC
* Monterey Bay FC
* New Mexico United
* Oakland Roots
* Orange County SC
* Phoenix Rising
* Pittsburgh Riverhounds
* RGVFC Toros
* Sacramento Republic
* San Antonio FC
* San Diego Loyal
* Tampa Bay Rowdies
* FC Tulsa

MLS Next Pro|

* Atlanta United 2
* Austin FC II
* Chicago Fire FC II
* FC Cincinnati 2
* Colorado Rapids 2
* Columbus Crew 2
* Crown Legacy FC
* Houston Dynamo 2
* Huntsville City FC
* Inter Miami CF II
* Los Angeles FC 2
* LA Galaxy II
* Minnesota United FC 2
* New England Revolution II
* New York City FC II
* New York Red Bulls II
* North Texas SC
* Orlando City B
* Philadelphia Union II
* Portland Timbers 2
* Real Monarchs
* San Jose Earthquakes II
* St. Louis City SC 2
* Sporting Kansas City II
* Tacoma Defiance
* Toronto FC II
* Whitecaps FC 2

USL1|

* Central Valley Fuego
* Charlotte Independence
* Chattanooga Red Wolves
* Forward Madison
* Greenville Triumph
* Lexington SC
* Northern Colorado Hailstorm
* North Carolina FC
* One Knoxville
* Richmond Kickers
* South Georgia Tormenta
* Union Omaha

NISA|

* Albion San Diego
* Club de Lyon
* Chattanooga FC
* City Union
* Gold Star
* Los Angeles Force
* Maryland Bobcats
* Michigan Stars
* Savannah Clovers

Club seasons (Women)

NWSL|

* Angel City FC
* Chicago Red Stars
* Houston Dash
* Kansas City Current
* NJ/NY Gotham FC
* North Carolina Courage
* OL Reign
* Orlando Pride
* Portland Thorns FC
* Racing Louisville FC
* San Diego Wave FC
* Washington Spirit

*[Pos]: Position
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Pld]: Played
*[Pts]: Points