How Will The USL Super League Affect College Soccer

September 4, 2024
By Kayleigh Toney

The USL Super League’s inaugural season has kicked off. The league consists of eight teams and will run from fall to summer. The eight teams are Carolina Ascent, Tampa Bay Sun, Fort Lauderdale United, Spokane Zephyr, Dallas Trinity, Lexington SC, DC Power, and Brooklyn FC. The league plans to add many more teams next season. Let’s jump into how the USL Super League may affect college soccer.

Training

One interesting aspect of the Super League is that college players can train and play with a team without losing their college eligibility through Academy contracts. It gives players the chance to play against high-quality opponents and learn from professionals without having to decide if they are willing to give up their college career, which is something that the NWSL can’t offer.

With the fall-to-summer schedule, the USL Super League will play simultaneously as college soccer. So, we could see some players choosing to represent their professional team more than their college team, with overlapping schedules.

More Pro Pathways

The USL also offers a youth-to-pro women’s pathway. The pathway includes USL Youth, USL Academy, connected to pre-professional and professional clubs, and the USL W League, a pre-professional women’s soccer league.

This league gives college players options, whether that be training with a club while still in college or just another place to play professionally when they’re done with college soccer. The Super League was the first league not to have a college draft, meaning players can sign with any team they want.

The NWSL is a small league, and many college players might not have the chance to play professionally without going overseas, but now the Super League is opening the door for many more players.

The USL Super League has been met with much interest, with teams generating high attendance in their first matches. In college markets with Super League clubs, attendance could help to transfer to the college level, with more people gaining interest in women’s soccer.

Featured image via @uslsuperleague on Instagram