USL First Division
Defunct men's soccer league in the United States
Defunct men's soccer league in the United States
The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second Division. It began in the 1996 season as the Select League – consisting of 21 of the league's best third-tier clubs. It soon merged with the American Professional Soccer League to become the A-League in the 1997 season. It adopted its final name in the 2005 season, following a restructure of the USL. A controversial sale of Nike's stake in the USL in 2009, along with general animosity between the league and club owners, led to several clubs seceding from the league to form the North American Soccer League (NASL). Amid the dispute, U.S. Soccer organized a mediatory second-tier league with the two warring groups of clubs in 2010. In the 2011 season, the NASL began play as a second-tier league, while the USL merged its First and Second Divisions into a new...
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