2025 USL Championship playoffs
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Dates | November 1 – November 22 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Defending champions | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (1st title) |
| Runners-up | FC Tulsa |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 13 |
| Goals scored | 14 (1.08 per match) |
| Attendance | 100,391 (7,722 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Albert Dikwa Rhode Island FC Stefan Lukic FC Tulsa (2 goals each) |
The 2025 USL Championship playoffs was the post-season championship of the 2025 USL Championship season. It was the fifteenth edition of the USL Championship playoffs. The playoffs began on the first weekend of November, and concluded with the final in late November.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, the 2024 Western Conference champions, were the defending title holders, winning against the Eastern Conference champion Rhode Island FC.[1]
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC defeated FC Tulsa in the final 5–3 on penalties to win their first title.
Format
The top eight teams in each conference qualified for the playoffs which was in a single-elimination, fixed bracket format. All playoff matches are streamed live on ESPN+ except the Championship final on CBS.[2] The playoffs are scheduled to begin on the first weekend of November, with the final taking place between the 21st and 23rd.[3]
Conference standings
|
Eastern Conference
|
Western Conference
Source: USL Championship Standings
|
|
Bracket
| Conference Quarterfinals November 1–2 | Conference Semifinals November 8 | Conference Finals November 14–16 | USL Championship Final November 22 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Louisville City FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Detroit City FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Detroit City FC | 0 (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0 (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (p) | 0 (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Hartford Athletic | 0 (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Rhode Island FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | North Carolina FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Loudoun United FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | North Carolina FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Rhode Island FC | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Charleston Battery | 0 (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Rhode Island FC (p) | 0 (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (p) | 0 (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | FC Tulsa | 0 (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | FC Tulsa (a.e.t.) | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | FC Tulsa (a.e.t.) | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Phoenix Rising FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Phoenix Rising FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | FC Tulsa | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | New Mexico United | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | New Mexico United | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | San Antonio FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | New Mexico United | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Orange County SC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Sacramento Republic FC | 0 (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Orange County SC | 0 (5) | |||||||||||||||||
Matches
Conference Quarterfinals
| November 1, 2025 East | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p) | Hartford Athletic | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 6:30 PM ET | Report | Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 4,932 Referee: Elijio Arreguin | ||
| Penalties | ||||
| November 1, 2025 East | Louisville City FC | 0–1 | Detroit City FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 7:00 PM ET | Report | Amoo-Mensah 34' | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 8,210 Referee: Greg Dopka |
| November 1, 2025 East | North Carolina FC | 1–0 | Loudoun United FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 PM ET | Anderson 6' | Report | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 2,005 Referee: Natalie Simon |
| November 1, 2025 West | FC Tulsa | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| 7:00 PM CT | Lukic 92' | Report | Stadium: Oneok Field Attendance: 7,583 Referee: Ryan Carrigan |
| November 1, 2025 West | New Mexico United | 2–0 | San Antonio FC | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| 7:00 PM MT | Report | Stadium: Isotopes Park Attendance: 8,287 Referee: Joshua Encarnación |
| November 1, 2025 West | El Paso Locomotive FC | 0–1 | Phoenix Rising FC | El Paso, Texas |
| 7:30 PM MT | Report | Dennis 86' (pen.) | Stadium: Southwest University Park Attendance: 3,469 Referee: Jeremy Scheer |
| November 2, 2025 East | Charleston Battery | 0−0 (a.e.t.) (3−5 p) | Rhode Island FC | Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina |
| 2:00 PM ET | Report | Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 4,532 Referee: Elton Garcia | ||
| Penalties | ||||
| November 2, 2025 West | Sacramento Republic FC | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) | Orange County SC | Sacramento, California |
| 6:00 PM PT | Report | Stadium: Heart Health Park Attendance: 9,367 Referee: Nabil Bensalah | ||
| Penalties | ||||
Conference Semifinals
| November 8, 2025 East | North Carolina FC | 0–2 | Rhode Island FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM ET | Report | Dikwa 81', 90+3' | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 2,287 Referee: Joshua Encarnación |
| November 8, 2025 East | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p) | Detroit City FC | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 7:30 PM ET | Report | Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 6,220 Referee: Natalie Simon | ||
| Penalties | ||||
| November 8, 2025 West | FC Tulsa | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Phoenix Rising FC | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| 8:00 PM ET | Lukic 120+2' | Report | Stadium: Oneok Field Attendance: 7,917 Referee: Brandon Stevis |
| November 8, 2025 West | New Mexico United | 2–1 | Orange County SC | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| 9:00 PM ET | Report | Pinto 68' | Stadium: Isotopes Park Attendance: 10,150 Referee: Elton García |
Conference Finals
| November 15 East | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 1–0 | Rhode Island FC | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 6:30 PM | Mertz 55' | Report | Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 6,745 Referee: Nabil Bensalah |
| November 15 West | FC Tulsa | 3–0 | New Mexico United | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| 8:30 PM | Report | Stadium: Oneok Field Attendance: 9,180 Referee: Greg Dopka |
USL Championship Final
| November 22 Final | FC Tulsa | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (3–5 p) | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| 12:00 PM EST | Report | Stadium: Oneok Field Attendance: 9,507 Referee: Elijio Arreguin | ||
| Penalties | ||||
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[4] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Devon Amoo-Mensah | Detroit City FC | 1 |
| Stefan Lukic | FC Tulsa | ||
| Mukwelle Akale | New Mexico United | ||
| Valentin Noël | |||
| Oalex Anderson | North Carolina FC | ||
| Charlie Dennis | Phoenix Rising FC |
References
- ^ Johnson, Hugh (2024-11-23). "Colorado Springs Switchbacks rout Rhode Island FC, complete miracle 10th season by winning first-ever title". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
- ^ "USL Championship Unveils 2024 Regular Season Schedule". USL Championship. 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ "USL Championship reveals the 2025 season schedule". USL Championship. 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ^ "2025 USLC Playoff Stats". USL Championship. Retrieved November 22, 2025.