USL League One Announces Intention to Return on July 18

USL League One announced today that the league will start its 2020 season next month with a provisional start date of July 18. This news means that Orlando City B, Orlando City’s developmental team, will compete during this year.

The news of USL League One’s return was expected after the USL Championship announced yesterday that its Board of Governors had approved its return. The senior league is slated to return a week earlier on July 11.

According to a league statement, all that’s been decided is that the league plans to return for this season and is provisionally slated to start on July 18 after today’s Board of Governors vote. All other information, including the competition format, scheduling, broadcasting, and other details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Given the health conditions around the country, it’s expected that the league will take similar steps to that of MLS and the NWSL, not allowing fans and media to attend games. The league still has a broadcast agreement with ESPN+, which runs through the 2022 season.

Unlike the USL Championship and MLS, League One never got its start to the 2020 season. The second division in American soccer suspended play on March 12, ending any chance of League One starting on time. The third division league was supposed to start on March 28.

Should the league start up again on July 18, OCB will have had 15 of its 28 games postponed for this season. We’ll keep you updated on the league’s plans for a restart as we hear them in the coming weeks, along with any scheduling information that comes to light.