2018 USL season
The 2018 USL season was the eighth season of the United Soccer League and second under Division II sanctioning. The previous season, the USL had provisional Div. II sanctioning from the United States Soccer Federation along with the North American Soccer League, but was given full sanctioning for the 2018 season with a two-year deadline to meet the full requirements set by U.S. Soccer.
Louisville City FC were the defending USL Cup champions, while Real Monarchs were the defending Supporters’ Shield champions.
This season was the last for four teams in the USL, with all changing leagues for 2019 and beyond. FC Cincinnati will join Major League Soccer. MLS side Toronto FC announced that its reserve side, Toronto FC II, would drop to USL League One, a third-level league slated to launch in 2019, and the Richmond Kickers also chose to drop to League One for 2019 and beyond. Near the end of the season, Penn FC announced that it would suspend professional operations for 2019 and resume play in League One in 2020.
It was also the final season for the league under the "United Soccer League" name. Effective with the 2019 season, the league has been rebranded as the USL Championship.
Changes from 2017
;Expansion- Atlanta United 2
- Fresno FC
- Las Vegas Lights FC
- Nashville SC
- Indy Eleven
- North Carolina FC
- Orlando City B
- * During the 2018 season, City B's MLS parent, Orlando City SC, announced that City B would resume play in 2019 as a founding member of USL League One.
- Rochester Rhinos
- * During the 2018 season, the Rhinos announced they would not return to the USL's top flight. The team will not resume professional operations until the 2020 season, at which time it will join USL League One.
- Vancouver Whitecaps 2
Rule changes
Teams
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Head coach | MLS affiliate/ownership |
| Atlanta United 2 | Lawrenceville, Georgia | Coolray Field |  Scott Donnelly | Atlanta United FC | |
| Bethlehem Steel FC | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | Goodman Stadium | Brendan Burke | Philadelphia Union | |
| Charleston Battery | Charleston, South Carolina | MUSC Health Stadium | Michael Anhaeuser | ||
| Charlotte Independence | Matthews, North Carolina | Sportsplex at Matthews | Mike Jeffries | Colorado Rapids | |
| Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Weidner Field | Steve Trittschuh | ||
| FC Cincinnati | Cincinnati, Ohio | Nippert Stadium |  Alan Koch | ||
| Fresno FC | Fresno, California | Chukchansi Park |  Adam Smith | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | |
| Indy Eleven | Indianapolis, Indiana | Lucas Oil Stadium |  Martin Rennie | ||
| LA Galaxy II | Carson, California | StubHub Center Track & Field Facility | Mike Muñoz | LA Galaxy | |
| Las Vegas Lights FC | Las Vegas, Nevada | Cashman Field |  Isidro Sánchez | ||
| Louisville City FC | Louisville, Kentucky | Louisville Slugger Field | John Hackworth | ||
| Nashville SC | Nashville, Tennessee | First Tennessee Park | Gary Smith | ||
| New York Red Bulls II | Montclair, New Jersey | MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field | John Wolyniec | New York Red Bulls | |
| North Carolina FC | Cary, North Carolina | Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park |  Colin Clarke | ||
| OKC Energy FC | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Taft Stadium | Steve Cooke | FC Dallas | |
| Orange County SC | Irvine, California | Champion Stadium | Braeden Cloutier | Los Angeles FC | |
| Ottawa Fury FC | Ottawa, Ontario | TD Place Stadium |  Nikola Popovic | Montreal Impact | |
| Penn FC | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | FNB Field |  Raoul Voss | ||
| Phoenix Rising FC | Scottsdale, Arizona | Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex | Rick Schantz | ||
| Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Highmark Stadium | Bob Lilley | ||
| Portland Timbers 2 | Portland, Oregon | Providence Park |  Cameron Knowles | Portland Timbers | |
| Real Monarchs | Herriman, Utah | Zions Bank Stadium |  Jámison Olave ' | Real Salt Lake | |
| Reno 1868 FC | Reno, Nevada | Greater Nevada Field | Ian Russell | San Jose Earthquakes | |
| Richmond Kickers | Richmond, Virginia | City Stadium | David Bulow | D.C. United | |
| Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | Edinburg, Texas | H-E-B Park | Gerson Echeverry | Houston Dynamo | |
| Sacramento Republic FC | Sacramento, California | Papa Murphy's Park | Simon Elliott | ||
| Saint Louis FC | Fenton, Missouri | Toyota Stadium |  Anthony Pulis | Minnesota United FC | |
| San Antonio FC | San Antonio, Texas | Toyota Field | Darren Powell | New York City FC | |
| Seattle Sounders FC 2 | Tacoma, Washington | Cheney Stadium |  John Hutchinson | Seattle Sounders | |
| Swope Park Rangers | Kansas City, Kansas | Children's Mercy Park |  Paulo Nagamura | Sporting Kansas City | |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | St. Petersburg, Florida | Al Lang Stadium | Neill Collins | ||
| Toronto FC II | Toronto, Ontario | Lamport Stadium | Michael Rabasca | Toronto FC | |
| Tulsa Roughnecks FC''' | Tulsa, Oklahoma | ONEOK Field |  Michael Nsien | Chicago Fire |
Other venues
- Four Toronto FC II home games were played at Marina Auto Stadium in Rochester, New York.
- Nashville's March 24 game against Pittsburgh, and the July 7 game against FC Cincinnati, were played at Nissan Stadium.
- Toronto's May 9 game against Penn FC was moved to Monarch Park Stadium due to BMO Field needing time to recover due to a busy early schedule.
- The conclusion of a suspended game from June 16 between Atlanta United 2 and Ottawa was played August 7 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Competition format
Managerial changes
‡ Luke Spencer, Paolo DelPiccolo, & George Davis IV appointed joint interim head coaches.League table
;Eastern Conference;Western Conference
Results table
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
USL Championship
Championship Game MVP: Luke SpencerAttendance
Average home attendances
Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.| Team | |||||
| FC Cincinnati | 17 | 437,197 | 31,478 | 22,407 | 25,717 |
| Sacramento Republic FC | 17 | 192,293 | 11,569 | 9,757 | 11,311 |
| Indy Eleven | 17 | 172,776 | 17,535 | 8,079 | 10,163 |
| Nashville SC | 17 | 162,640 | 18,922 | 7,487 | 9,561 |
| Louisville City FC | 17 | 134,153 | 9,684 | 6,009 | 7,891 |
| Las Vegas Lights FC | 17 | 123,529 | 9,019 | 6,810 | 7,256 |
| San Antonio FC | 17 | 117,969 | 7,946 | 6,090 | 6,939 |
| Phoenix Rising FC | 17 | 108,475 | 7,381 | 5,017 | 6,381 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 17 | 94,399 | 7,368 | 5,059 | 5,553 |
| Reno 1868 FC | 17 | 86,128 | 7,103 | 3,224 | 5,066 |
| Fresno FC | 17 | 82,810 | 7,769 | 3,718 | 4,871 |
| Ottawa Fury FC | 17 | 80,778 | 8,084 | 2,781 | 4,752 |
| North Carolina FC | 17 | 80,414 | 9,505 | 3,169 | 4,730 |
| Rio Grande Valley FC | 17 | 79,049 | 7,846 | 4,102 | 4,650 |
| Oklahoma City Energy FC | 17 | 73,071 | 6,757 | 2,574 | 4,298 |
| Richmond Kickers | 17 | 67,594 | 5,860 | 1,519 | 3,976 |
| Saint Louis FC | 17 | 72,615 | 6,019 | 3,683 | 4,271 |
| Seattle Sounders FC 2 | 17 | 57,285 | 6,049 | 2,090 | 3,370 |
| Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 17 | 67,674 | 5,000 | 2,534 | 3,295 |
| Orange County SC | 17 | 52,618 | 3,742 | 2,236 | 3,095 |
| Tulsa Roughnecks FC | 17 | 52,099 | 5,203 | 2,311 | 3,065 |
| Charleston Battery | 17 | 48,824 | 4,659 | 2,597 | 2,872 |
| Atlanta United 2 | 17 | 44,158 | 5,615 | 1,923 | 2,598 |
| Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 18† | 43,212 | 3,123 | 1,823 | 2,401 |
| Penn FC | 17 | 36,498 | 2,909 | 852 | 2,147 |
| Portland Timbers 2 | 17 | 34,256 | 5,857 | 1,548 | 2,015 |
| Bethlehem Steel FC | 17 | 39,898 | 3,284 | 1,418 | 2,347 |
| Real Monarchs | 17 | 29,432 | 4,065 | 1,089 | 1,731 |
| Charlotte Independence | 18† | 29,858 | 3,312 | 982 | 1,659 |
| LA Galaxy II | 17 | 17,818 | 1,236 | 858 | 1,048 |
| Toronto FC II | 15† | 12,143 | 4,100 | 50 | 810 |
| Swope Park Rangers | 17 | 14,978 | 1,134 | 737 | 881 |
| New York Red Bulls II | 17 | 10,946 | 1,592 | 498 | 812 |
| Total | 561 | 2,756,759 | 31,478 | 50 | 4,923 |
† Two Toronto FC II home matches were moved to Highmark Stadium and Sportsplex at Matthews due to unplayable field conditions.
Updated to games of October 14, 2018.
Sources:
Statistical leaders
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Nation | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Cameron Lancaster | Louisville City FC | 25 | |
| 2 | Thomas Enevoldsen | Orange County SC | 20 | |
| 2 | Daniel Rios | North Carolina FC | 20 | |
| 4 | Hadji Barry | Swope Park Rangers | 17 | |
| 4 | Chris Cortez | Phoenix Rising FC | 17 | |
| 4 | Cameron Iwasa | Sacramento Republic | 17 | |
| 7 | Brian Brown | Reno 1868 FC | 16 | |
| 7 | Emmanuel Ledesma | FC Cincinnati | 16 | |
| 9 | Neco Brett | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 15 | |
| 9 | Ataulla Guerra | Charleston Battery | 15 |
Source:
Top assists
| Rank | Player | Nation | Club | Assists |
| 1 | Emmanuel Ledesma | FC Cincinnati | 16 | |
| 2 | Aodhan Quinn | Orange County SC | 14 | |
| 3 | Kyle Bekker | North Carolina FC | 13 | |
| 3 | Antoine Hoppenot | Reno 1868 FC | 13 | |
| 5 | Jared Stroud | New York Red Bulls II | 11 | |
| 6 | Ilija Ilić | Louisville City FC | 10 | |
| 6 | Oscar Jimenez | Louisville City FC | 10 | |
| 8 | José Barril | OKC Energy FC | 9 | |
| 8 | Maikel Chang | Real Monarchs | 9 | |
| 8 | Thomas Enevoldsen | Orange County SC | 9 |
Source:
Shutouts
Source:Hat-tricks
| Player | Nation | Club | Against | Result | Date |
| Chris Cortez | Phoenix Rising FC | OKC Energy FC | 4–1 | March 24 | |
| Thomas Enevoldsen | Orange County SC | Tulsa Roughnecks FC | 5–0 | March 31 | |
| Efrain Alvarez | LA Galaxy II | Saint Louis FC | 6–3 | May 9 | |
| Ethan Zubak | LA Galaxy II | Saint Louis FC | 6–3 | May 9 | |
| Foster Langsdorf | Portland Timbers 2 | LA Galaxy II | 7–3 | May 18 | |
| Ethan Zubak | LA Galaxy II | Las Vegas Lights | 7–2 | May 26 | |
| Adonijah Reid | Ottawa Fury FC | New York Red Bulls II | 3–0 | June 24 | |
| Raúl Mendiola | Las Vegas Lights FC | OKC Energy FC | 4–6 | July 11 | |
| Jared Stroud | New York Red Bulls II | Richmond Kickers | 5–1 | July 13 | |
| Cameron Lancaster | Louisville City FC | New York Red Bulls II | 6–4 | August 10 | |
| Solomon Asante | Phoenix Rising FC | Orange County SC | 3–4 | August 11 | |
| Tom Barlow | New York Red Bulls II | Charleston Battery | 4–4 | August 25 | |
| Sebastián Guenzatti | Tampa Bay Rowdies | North Carolina FC | 3–0 | September 1 | |
| Jesus Ferreira | Tulsa Roughnecks | Seattle Sounders FC 2 | 4–4 | September 5 | |
| Tsubasa Endoh | Toronto FC II | FC Cincinnati | 3–4 | September 16 | |
| Donovan Ewolo | North Carolina FC | Atlanta United 2 | 6–1 | September 21 | |
| Efrain Alvarez | LA Galaxy II | Real Monarchs SLC | 6–1 | September 22 | |
| Michael Seaton | Orange County SC | Saint Louis FC | 4–0 | October 20 |
League awards
Individual awards
- Most Valuable Player: Emmanuel Ledesma
- Defender of the Year: Forrest Lasso
- Young Player of the Year: Efrain Alvarez
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Maxime Crépeau
- Coach of the Year: Alan Koch
- Golden Boot: Cameron Lancaster
- Assists Champion: Emmanuel Ledesma
- Golden Glove: Evan Newton
All-League teams
F: Thomas Enevoldsen, Cameron Lancaster, Daniel Rios
M: Tah Anunga, Solomon Asante, Emmanuel Ledesma, Aodhan Quinn
D: Paco Craig, Joe Greenspan, Forrest Lasso
G: Maxime Crépeau
Second Team
F: Hadji Barry, Ataulla Guerra, Cameron Iwasa
M: Kyle Bekker, Corben Bone, Kenardo Forbes, Lebo Moloto
D: Ayoze, Darnell King, Denso Ulysse
G: Josh Cohen