2023 USL Championship Playoffs
Football tournament season
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Dates | October 21 – November 12 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Defending champions | San Antonio FC |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Phoenix Rising FC |
| Runner-up | Charleston Battery |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 43 (2.87 per match) |
| Attendance | 95,916 (6,394 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) |  Ronaldo Damus Cameron Lancaster(3 goals each) |
| All statistics correct as of November 12, 2023. | |
← 2022 2024 → | |
The 2023 USL Championship Playoffs (branded as the 2023 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Hisense for sponsorship reasons[1]) was the post-season championship of the 2023 USL Championship. It was the thirteenth edition of the USL Championship Playoffs. The playoffs began on October 21, and concluded with the USL Championship Final on November 12.[2]
San Antonio FC were the defending title holders[3] and were eliminated in the Conference Semi-finals by Sacramento Republic FC.[4] Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies were the first teams to clinch a playoff berth which they both achieved on September 3 and subsequently both lost in the first round.[5] Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC won the regular season and were eliminated in the Conference Quarterfinals by Detroit City FC.[6]
The Charleston Battery and Phoenix Rising FC advanced to the Final after failing to make the postseason the previous year. A match Phoenix won after a penalty shoot-out for their first title.[7]
Format
The top eight teams in each conference qualified for the playoffs which was in a single-elimination, fixed bracket format. All playoff matches were streamed live on ESPN+ except the Championship final on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and Sirius XM FC.[2]
Conference standings
| Eastern Conference
Source: USL Championship Standings (S) Players' Shield winner
| Western Conference
Source: USL Championship Standings (C) Champions |
|
Bracket
| Conference Quarterfinals October 21–22 | Conference Semifinals October 27–28 | Conference Finals November 4 | USL Championship Final November 12 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Detroit City FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Detroit City FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Louisville City FC | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Memphis 901 FC | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Louisville City FC (p) | 1 (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Louisville City FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Charleston Battery | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Charleston Battery | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Indy Eleven | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Charleston Battery | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Birmingham Legion FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Birmingham Legion FC | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Charleston Battery | 1 (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Phoenix Rising FC (p) | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Sacramento Republic FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | New Mexico United | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Sacramento Republic FC | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | San Antonio FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | San Antonio FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Sacramento Republic FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Phoenix Rising FC | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | San Diego Loyal SC | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Phoenix Rising FC (a.e.t.) | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Phoenix Rising FC (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Orange County SC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Orange County SC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
Schedule
Conference Quarterfinals
Memphis 901 FC v Louisville City FC
| October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) East | Memphis 901 FC | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) | Louisville City FC | Memphis, Tennessee |
| 6:30 PM EDT | Report | Stadium: AutoZone Park Attendance: 3,587 Referee: Elton García | ||
| Penalties | ||||
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC v Detroit City FC
| October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) East | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0–1 | Detroit City FC | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Report |
| Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 6,123 Referee: Sergii Demianchuk |
Tampa Bay Rowdies v Birmingham Legion FC
| October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) East | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 0–3 | Birmingham Legion FC | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 7:30 PM EDT | Report | Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 5,249 Referee: Matthew Thompson |
San Antonio FC v Colorado Springs Switchbacks
| October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) West | San Antonio FC | 1–0 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | San Antonio, Texas |
| 8:00 PM CDT |
| Report | Stadium: Toyota Field Attendance: 7,304 Referee: Alexis Da Silva |
Sacramento Republic FC v New Mexico United
| October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) West | Sacramento Republic FC | 1–0 | New Mexico United | Sacramento, California |
| 7:00 PM PDT |
| Report | Stadium: Heart Health Park Attendance: 11,569 Referee: Ricardo Fierro |
Orange County SC v El Paso Locomotive FC
| October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) West | Orange County SC | 1–0 | El Paso Locomotive FC | Irvine, California |
| 7:30 PM PDT | Report | Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium Attendance: 5,500 Referee: Natalie Simon |
Charleston Battery v Indy Eleven
| October 22, 2023 (2023-10-22) East | Charleston Battery | 5–0 | Indy Eleven | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |
| 4:00 PM EDT | Report | Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 2,972 Referee: Jeremy Scheer |
San Diego Loyal SC v Phoenix Rising FC
| October 22, 2023 (2023-10-22) West | San Diego Loyal SC | 3–4 (a.e.t.) | Phoenix Rising FC | San Diego California |
| 7:00 PM PDT |
| Report | Stadium: Torero Stadium Attendance: 5,671 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
Conference Semifinals
Sacramento Republic FC v San Antonio FC
| October 27, 2023 (2023-10-27) West | Sacramento Republic FC | 3–1 | San Antonio FC | Sacramento, California |
| 7:30 PM PDT | Report | Stadium: Heart Health Park Attendance: 10,619 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
Charleston Battery v Birmingham Legion FC
| October 28, 2023 (2023-10-28) East | Charleston Battery | 2–1 | Birmingham Legion FC | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Report | Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 2,762 Referee: Elton Garcia |
Louisville City FC v Detroit City FC
| October 28, 2023 (2023-10-28) East | Louisville City FC | 4–0 | Detroit City FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 7:30 PM EDT | Report |
| Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 7,959 Referee: Ricardo Fierro |
Orange County SC v Phoenix Rising FC
| October 28, 2023 (2023-10-28) West | Orange County SC | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Phoenix Rising FC | Irvine, California |
| 7:30 PM PDT | Report | Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium Attendance: 5,500 Referee: Calin Radosav |
Conference Finals
Charleston Battery v Louisville City FC
| November 4, 2023 (2023-11-04) East | Charleston Battery | 2–1 | Louisville City FC | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |
| 7:30 PM EST |
| Report | Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 4,438 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
Sacramento Republic FC v Phoenix Rising FC
| November 4, 2023 (2023-11-04) West | Sacramento Republic FC | 1–2 | Phoenix Rising FC | Sacramento, California |
| 7:00 PM PST |
| Report | Stadium: Heart Health Park Attendance: 11,569 Referee: Ricardo Fierro |
USL Championship Final
Charleston Battery v Phoenix Rising FC
| November 12, 2023 | Charleston Battery | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (2–3 p) | Phoenix Rising FC | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EST |
| Report | Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 5,094 Referee: Elton Garcia | |
| Penalties | ||||
Championship Game MVP: Rocco Ríos Novo (PHX)
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ronaldo Damus | San Diego Loyal SC | 3 |
| Cameron Lancaster | Louisville City FC | ||
| 3 |  Russell Cicerone | Sacramento Republic FC | 2 |
 Emil Cuello | Phoenix Rising FC | ||
 Dariusz Formella | Phoenix Rising FC | ||
 Prosper Kasim | Birmingham Legion FC | ||
 Nick Markanich | Charleston Battery | ||
 Arturo Rodríguez | Charleston Battery | ||
| Danny Trejo | Phoenix Rising FC | ||
 Augustine Williams | Charleston Battery | ||
| Emilio Ycaza | Charleston Battery |
References
- ^ "Playoffs are coming to Heart Health Park on October 21st" (Press release). Sacramento, CA: Sacramento Republic FC. October 1, 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ a b "Drama on final matchday as bracket is set for 2023 USL Championship Playoffs". www.uslchampionship.com. USL Championship. October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ Torres, Raquel (November 14, 2022). "'Finally everything coming together': Fans revel in San Antonio FC's first USL Championship". /sanantonioreport.org/. San Antonio, TX: San Antonio Report. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ Whitaker, Stephen (October 28, 2023). "San Antonio FC has title defense end in semifinal loss at Sacramento Republic". www.expressnews.com. San Antonio, TX: San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Murray, Nicholas (September 7, 2023). "USL Championship Race to the Playoffs – Sept. 9-10". www.uslchampionship.com. Tampa, FL: USL Championship. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ Clark, Christina (October 23, 2023). "Detroit City FC Defeats Pittsburgh in First Round of USL Playoffs". www.hourdetroit.com. Detroit, MI: Hour Detroit. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Anderson, Jake (November 13, 2023). "Phoenix Rising FC wins USL title in improbable way vs. Charleston Battery". arizonasports.com. Charleston, SC: Arizona Sports. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ^ "2023 USLC Playoff Stats". USL Championship. November 11, 2022.
