2021 USL League One season

USL League One
Season2021
DatesApril 10 – October 30 (regular season)
November 6–20 (playoffs)
ChampionsUnion Omaha (1st title)
Regular season titleUnion Omaha
(1st title)
Matches played172
Goals scored456 (2.65 per match)
Top goalscorerEmiliano Terzaghi
(18 goals)
Biggest home winGVL 4–0 NTX
(May 1)
FTL 5–1 TUC
(May 16)
NCA 4–0 RIC
(July 21)
NTX 4–0 NCA
(August 14)
Biggest away winTRM 0–4 OMA
(October 1)
Highest scoringFTL 4–4 TRM
(October 10)
Longest winning run5 matches
RIC
Longest unbeaten run15 matches
CHA
Longest winless run8 matches
GVL
Longest losing run4 matches
MAD
GVL
NCA
TRM
TUC
← 2020
2022 →
All statistics correct as of October 30, 2021 (regular season only).

The 2021 USL League One season was the third season of USL League One. The regular season began on April 10 and ended on October 30, 2021.[1] The playoffs was held from November 6 to 20, 2021.

North Carolina FC joined the league for this season, after leaving the USL Championship in what the team called a "strategic move" to enhance its youth development pathway.[2]

Greenville Triumph SC were the defending champions on both regular season and playoffs. Union Omaha took both titles to won their first League One regular season and championship titles.

Teams[edit]

class=notpageimage|
Locations of teams for the 2021 USL League One season
Club City Stadium Capacity Head coach MLS associate Jersey manufacturer Jersey sponsor
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Chattanooga, Tennessee CHI Memorial Stadium 5,000 Jimmy Obleda Adidas Transcard
Fort Lauderdale CF Fort Lauderdale, Florida DRV PNK Stadium 19,000 Darren Powell Inter Miami CF Adidas
Forward Madison FC Madison, Wisconsin Breese Stevens Field 5,000 Carl Craig Chicago Fire FC Hummel Dairyland Insurance
Greenville Triumph SC Greenville, South Carolina Legacy Early College Field 4,000 John Harkes Hummel Scansource
New England Revolution II Foxborough, Massachusetts Gillette Stadium 20,000 Clint Peay New England Revolution Adidas UnitedHealthcare
North Carolina FC Cary, North Carolina Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park 10,000 John Bradford Adidas WakeMed
North Texas SC Arlington, Texas Choctaw Stadium 48,114 Eric Quill FC Dallas Adidas AdvoCare
Richmond Kickers Richmond, Virginia City Stadium 22,611 Darren Sawatzky Adidas Ukrop's
South Georgia Tormenta FC Statesboro, Georgia Eagle Field at Erk Russell Park 3,500 Ian Cameron Adidas Optim Healthcare
Toronto FC II Toronto, Ontario Grande Sports World[3]
Osceola County Stadium [A]
BMO Training Ground[4] 		Various Mike Muñoz Toronto FC Adidas BMO
FC Tucson Tucson, Arizona Kino Sports Complex 3,500 Jon Pearlman Puma
Union Omaha Papillion, Nebraska Werner Park 9,023 Jay Mims Nike XCancer
  MLS-affiliated
  MLS-owned
  1. ^
    Played at various stadiums in the United States due to COVID-19 travel restrictions in Canada.

Managerial changes[edit]

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Incoming manager Date of appointment
Forward Madison FC United States Daryl Shore Mutual separation October 27, 2020[5] England Carl Craig December 1, 2020[6]
Fort Lauderdale CF United States Jason Kreis Mutual separation March 16, 2021[7] England Darren Powell March 16, 2021[7]
FC Tucson United States John Galas Mutual separation June 30, 2021[8] United States Jon Pearlman[a] June 30, 2021[8]
  1. ^ Pearlman was initially appointed as interim head coach, but the move was made permanent on October 7, 2021.[9]

League table[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Union Omaha (C, X) 28 14 9 5 44 22 +22 51 Qualification for the semi-finals
2 Greenville Triumph SC 28 12 9 7 36 29 +7 45
3 Chattanooga Red Wolves SC 28 11 11 6 37 29 +8 44 Qualification for the play-offs
4 FC Tucson 28 11 7 10 44 42 +2 40
5 Richmond Kickers 28 11 7 10 35 36 −1 40
6 North Texas SC 28 10 10 8 40 32 +8 40
7 Toronto FC II 28 10 8 10 34 32 +2 38
8 New England Revolution II 28 11 4 13 33 39 −6 37
9 Forward Madison FC 28 8 12 8 32 34 −2 36
10 Fort Lauderdale CF 28 8 7 13 40 49 −9 31
11 Tormenta FC 28 8 6 14 36 47 −11 30
12 North Carolina FC 28 7 4 17 30 50 −20 25
Source: USL League One
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 6) disciplinary points; 7) drawing of lots.
(C) Champions; (X) Regular Season Champion

Results table[edit]

Color key: Home  • Away  • Win  • Loss  • Draw
Club Matches[10]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Chattanooga Red Wolves
(CHA)		 NTX NEW FTL RIC TRM TUC NCA GVL OMA TUC TRM NTX GVL MAD NCA NTX OMA TOR FTL NTX GVL NCA NEW RIC NCA TOR GVL MAD
1–0 2–2 2–1 2–1 0–1 3–2 3–2 1–1 1–1 2–2 2–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–1 1–1 1–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–1 3–1 0–1 0–1 3–2 1–2 0–0 1–2
Fort Lauderdale CF
(FTL)		 NEW TRM NTX RIC OMA TUC CHA NEW MAD NCA TOR TOR TOR TUC RIC MAD NCA GVL TUC TRM CHA TUC TRM GVL OMA TRM NTX TOR
0–1 1–0 2–4 2–1 0–2 5–1 1–2 0–1 2–2 2–1 2–2 1–2 2–1 1–2 1–1 1–1 2–3 2–0 0–4 4–2 0–0 0–3 2–2 0–1 1–4 4–4 0–1 2–1
Forward Madison FC
(MAD)		 TUC NCA OMA TRM FTL OMA RIC NEW GVL NEW NTX OMA FTL CHA TRM TOR NTX NCA RIC TOR GVL NEW RIC NEW RIC OMA TUC CHA
1–1 1–0 1–0 3–1 2–2 1–2 0–0 0–2 2–2 1–0 1–4 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 2–2 1–1 0–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 2–3 2–1 2–2 2–1
Greenville Triumph SC
(GVL)		 RIC NTX NCA OMA TRM NTX NCA TRM MAD CHA NEW NCA TRM CHA TOR TRM FTL RIC TUC TOR CHA TUC MAD FTL OMA NEW CHA NCA
1–0 4–0 2–1 1–1 1–0 0–3 2–1 1–3 2–2 1–1 3–0 0–0 2–3 1–1 0–0 1–3 0–2 0–2 1–2 3–0 1–0 3–3 1–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–0 2–0
New England Revolution II
(NEW)		 FTL RIC OMA CHA FTL RIC OMA MAD NTX MAD GVL TOR TUC TOR NCA RIC TRM TUC TRM NCA RIC CHA MAD TOR MAD GVL NTX TOR
1–0 0–3 0–1 2–2 1–0 2–3 2–4 2–0 3–0 0–1 0–3 1–0 2–4 1–0 3–0 2–2 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–4 3–1 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 0–1 1–4 0–1
North Carolina FC
(NCA)		 GVL MAD RIC TUC FTL GVL CHA RIC TOR TRM TOR RIC FTL NEW CHA NTX MAD RIC OMA NEW CHA NTX TOR CHA TUC OMA TRM GVL
1–2 0–1 0–0 1–2 1–2 1–2 2–3 2–1 0–0 0–0 2–4 4–0 3–2 0–3 1–4 0–4 1–0 0–0 0–3 4–1 1–3 0–1 0–3 2–3 2–0 1–4 1–0 0–2
North Texas SC
(NTX)		 FTL GVL CHA TRM TOR TOR GVL TUC NEW RIC MAD CHA OMA TUC NCA CHA MAD OMA TUC CHA TRM OMA NCA TUC RIC FTL NEW OMA
4–2 0–4 0–1 2–1 1–2 1–1 3–0 0–0 0–3 2–3 4–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 4–0 1–1 1–1 0–0 1–1 0–1 0–2 2–2 1–0 2–0 1–2 1–0 4–1 1–1
Richmond Kickers
(RIC)		 NEW GVL FTL TRM NCA CHA NEW MAD OMA NCA NTX FTL NCA TRM TUC TOR NEW GVL NCA MAD NEW TOR CHA MAD NTX MAD OMA TUC
3–0 0–1 1–2 2–0 0–0 1–2 3–2 0–0 1–1 1–2 3–2 1–1 0–4 2–2 1–0 1–2 2–2 2–0 0–0 0–1 1–3 1–0 1–0 1–0 2–1 3–2 0–2 2–4
Tormenta FC
(TRM)		 FTL OMA TUC RIC NTX GVL MAD CHA TOR TOR GVL TOR TOR NCA CHA GVL RIC GVL MAD NEW FTL NEW NTX FTL OMA FTL TUC NCA
0–1 0–2 3–1 0–2 1–2 0–1 1–3 1–0 1–0 1–0 3–1 1–3 1–2 0–0 1–2 3–2 2–2 3–1 1–2 1–1 2–4 1–1 2–0 2–2 0–4 4–4 1–3 0–1
Toronto FC II
(TOR)		 NTX TUC NTX OMA TUC TRM TRM FTL FTL TRM FTL TRM NEW NCA NEW GVL RIC MAD CHA GVL OMA MAD RIC NCA NEW CHA FTL NEW
2–1 1–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 0–1 2–2 2–1 3–1 1–2 2–1 0–1 4–2 0–1 0–0 2–1 2–2 0–0 0–3 1–2 1–1 0–1 3–0 1–0 2–1 1–2 1–0
FC Tucson
(TUC)		 TRM MAD FTL TOR NCA TOR CHA NTX OMA FTL CHA NEW OMA RIC NTX OMA FTL GVL NEW NTX FTL GVL OMA NTX NCA TRM MAD RIC
1–3 1–1 1–5 2–1 2–1 1–1 2–3 0–0 0–1 2–1 2–2 4–2 1–2 0–1 0–2 0–1 4–0 2–1 2–1 1–1 3–0 3–3 1–0 0–2 0–2 3–1 2–2 4–2
Union Omaha
(OMA)		 TRM FTL NEW GVL MAD TOR MAD NEW RIC TUC CHA MAD TUC NTX TUC CHA NTX NCA TOR NTX TUC TRM FTL GVL NCA MAD RIC NTX
2–0 2–0 1–0 1–1 0–1 1–1 2–1 4–2 1–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–1 1–1 1–0 0–1 0–0 3–0 2–1 2–2 0–1 4–0 4–1 0–1 4–1 1–2 2–0 1–1

Playoffs[edit]

The 2021 USL League One Playoffs (branded as the 2021 USL League One Playoffs presented by TwinSpires for sponsorship reasons) was the post-season championship of the USL League One season.

Bracket[edit]

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
1 Union Omaha 6
4 FC Tucson 1 4 FC Tucson 1
5 Richmond Kickers 0 1 Union Omaha 3
2 Greenville Triumph SC 0
2 Greenville Triumph SC (a.e.t.) 2
3 Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (a.e.t.) 2 3 Chattanooga Red Wolves SC 0
6 North Texas SC 1

Schedule[edit]

Quarter-finals[edit]

November 6, 2021 Chattanooga Red Wolves SC 2–1 (a.e.t.)North Texas SCEast Ridge, Tennessee
7:00 PM EDT
Report
Stadium: CHI Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 2,017
Referee: Joshua Encarnación
November 6, 2021 FC Tucson 1–0Richmond KickersTucson, Arizona
7:00 PM MST
Report
Stadium: Kino North Stadium
Attendance: 1,793
Referee: Jeremy Scheer

Semi-finals[edit]

November 13, 2021 Union Omaha 6–1FC TucsonPapillion, Nebraska
4:00 PM CST
Report
Stadium: Werner Park
Attendance: 3,607
Referee: Michael Radchuk
November 13, 2021 Greenville Triumph SC 2–0 (a.e.t.)Chattanooga Red Wolves SCGreenville, South Carolina
7:00 PM EST
Report
Stadium: Legacy Early College Field
Attendance: 2,851
Referee: Adam Kilpatrick

Final[edit]

November 20, 2021 Union Omaha 3–0Greenville Triumph SCPapillion, Nebraska
4:00 PM CST
Report
Stadium: Werner Park
Attendance: 5,221
Referee: Kevin Broadley

Championship Game MVP: Damià Viader (Union Omaha)

Regular season statistical leaders[edit]

Top scorers[edit]

Rank Player Club Goals[11]
1 Argentina Emiliano Terzaghi Richmond Kickers 18
2 Netherlands Marios Lomis Greenville Triumph SC 14
3 Scotland Greg Hurst Union Omaha 13
4 Canada Shaan Hundal Fort Lauderdale CF 11
Italy Marco Micaletto Tormenta FC
6 United States Evan Conway Union Omaha 10
Colombia Juan Galindrez Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
8 United States Azaad Liadi Tormenta FC 9
England Charlie Dennis FC Tucson
10 United States Shak Adams FC Tucson 8
England Mitchell Curry Fort Lauderdale CF
United States Garrett McLaughlin Toronto FC II

Hat-tricks[edit]

Player Club Against Result Date
Scotland Greg Hurst Union Omaha New England Revolution II 4–2 (H)[12] June 12, 2021
Netherlands Marios Lomis Greenville Triumph SC 3–0 (A)[13] July 4, 2021
United States Garrett McLaughlin Toronto FC II North Carolina FC 4–2 (A)[14] July 18, 2021
United States Gio Calixtro FC Tucson Fort Lauderdale CF 4–0 (A)[15] August 22, 2021
England Charlie Dennis FC Tucson Greenville Triumph SC 3–3 (A)[16] September 19, 2021
United States Evan Conway Union Omaha Tormenta FC 4–0 (A)[17] October 1, 2021
United States Azaad Liadi Tormenta FC Fort Lauderdale CF 4–4 (A)[18] October 10, 2021
United States Evan Conway Union Omaha North Carolina FC 4–1 (H)[19] October 16, 2021
Notes

(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team

Individual awards[edit]

Award Winner Team Reason Ref.
Golden Boot Argentina Emiliano Terzaghi Richmond Kickers 18 goals (league record) [20]
Golden Glove Ghana Rashid Nuhu Union Omaha 9 shutouts, 0.75 goals against average [21]
Assist Champion United States Ricky Ruiz Chattanooga Red Wolves SC 10 assists [22]
Goalkeeper of the Year Japan Akira Fitzgerald Richmond Kickers 10 shutouts, 89 saves, 72.1 save percentage [23]
Defender of the Year Spain Damià Viader Union Omaha 6 goals, 5 assists, 58 key passes [24]
Coach of the Year United States Jay Mims Union Omaha Won regular season title [25]
Young Player of the Year United States Noah Allen Fort Lauderdale CF 2,430 minutes, 35 interceptions, 28 key passes [26]
Most Valuable Player Argentina Emiliano Terzaghi Richmond Kickers 18 goals; 85 shots; 40 shots on target [27]
Goal of the Year United States Devin Boyce Union Omaha vs FC Tucson in the playoffs [28]
Save of the Year United States Joe Rice New England Revolution II vs Greenville [29]

All-league teams[edit]

First team[30]
Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards
Japan Akira Fitzgerald (RIC) Canada Kobe Franklin (TOR)
United States Jason Ramos (CHA)
United States Ryan Spaulding (NEW)
Spain Damià Viader (OMA) 		Italy Marco Micaletto (TRM)
Republic of Ireland Aaron Molloy (MAD)
United States Ricky Ruiz (CHA) 		Scotland Greg Hurst (OMA)
Netherlands Marios Lomis (GVL)
Argentina Emiliano Terzaghi (RIC)
Second team[30]
Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards
Ghana Rashid Nuhu (OMA) United States Noah Franke (TUC)
United States Brandon Fricke (GVL)
Somalia Abdi Mohamed (GVL)
United States Connor Tobin (MAD) 		United States Devin Boyce (OMA)
England Charlie Dennis (TUC)
United States Aaron Walker (GVL) 		United States Evan Conway (OMA)
Canada Shaan Hundal (FTL)
United States Gibran Rayo (NTX)

Monthly awards[edit]

Month Player of the Month Goal of the Month Save of the Month Coach of the Month References
Player Club Position Player Club Position Player Club Coach Club
April / May Netherlands Marios Lomis Greenville Triumph SC Forward United States Derek Gebhard Forward Madison FC Forward Guam Dallas Jaye Greenville Triumph SC England Carl Craig Forward Madison FC [31][32][33][34]
June Colombia Juan Galindrez Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Forward Dominican Republic Edison Azcona Fort Lauderdale CF Midfielder United States Joe Rice New England Revolution II United States Jay Mims Union Omaha [35][36][37][38]
July Argentina Emiliano Terzaghi Richmond Kickers Forward Colombia Juan Galindrez Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Forward United States John Bradford North Carolina FC [39][40][41][42]
August Republic of Ireland Aaron Molloy Forward Madison FC Midfielder Canada Antonio Carlini Toronto FC II Midfielder Ghana Rashid Nuhu Union Omaha United States Jimmy Obleda Chattanooga Red Wolves SC [43][44][45][46]
September Spain Damià Viader Union Omaha Defender United States Nicky Hernandez North Texas SC Midfielder United States Joe Rice New England Revolution II United States Jon Pearlman FC Tucson [47][48][49][50]
October Argentina Emiliano Terzaghi Richmond Kickers Forward Argentina Zacarías Morán Richmond Kickers Midfielder United States John Harkes Greenville Triumph SC [51][52][53][54]

Weekly awards[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "USL League One Announces 2021 Season Format". USLLeagueOne.com. USL League One. January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "North Carolina FC Makes Strategic Move to USL League One". NorthCarolinaFC.com. January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  3. ^ "Toronto FC II to start 2021 USL League One season in Arizona". Toronto FC. March 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "Toronto FC II return to Canada to play first match at home on July 30". Toronto FC Communications. July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  5. ^