# USL Championship final

The USL Championship final is the post-season championship match of the USL Championship, the second tier of professional men's soccer in the United States. The winner is crowned champion in the same manner as in other North American sports leagues (i.e. via a playoff following a regular season).
Unlike most soccer league, but much like North American sports leagues, the USL champion does not earn promotion into Major League Soccer, due to the fixed membership structure found in the league.
As of 2024, the USL Championship final is typically held in late-November and features the Eastern Conference champion and Western Conference champion. The predecessor to the USL Championship final was the A-League Championship and the USL-1 Championship.

## Champions
### A-League era (1996–2004)

| Season | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 1996 | California Jaguars | 1–1 (p) | Richmond Kickers |
| 1997 | Milwaukee Rampage | 1–1 (p) | Carolina Dynamo |
| 1998 | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 3–1 | Minnesota Thunder |
| 1999 | Minnesota Thunder | 2–1 | Rochester Raging Rhinos |
| 2000 | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 3–1 | Minnesota Thunder |
| 2001 | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 2–0 | Hershey Wildcats |
| 2002 | Milwaukee Rampage | 2–1 (2OT) | Richmond Kickers |
| 2003 | Charleston Battery | 3–0 | Minnesota Thunder |
| 2004 | Montreal Impact | 2–0 | Seattle Sounders |

### USL-1 era (2005–2009)

| Season | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Venue | Attendance |
| 2005 | Seattle Sounders | 1–1 (p) | Richmond Kickers | Qwest Field | 8,011 |
| 2006 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 3–0 | Rochester Raging Rhinos | PAETEC Park | 9,547 |
| 2007 | Seattle Sounders | 4–0 | Atlanta Silverbacks | Starfire Sports Complex | 4,893 |
| 2008 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 2–1 | Puerto Rico Islanders | Swangard Stadium | 5,822 |
| 2009 | Montreal Impact | 3–23–1 | Vancouver Whitecaps | Swangard StadiumSaputo Stadium | 5,88613,034 |
* ↑ The league granted Vancouver the right to host the 2008 final, despite them being the lower seeded team.
* 1 2 Montreal won the two-legged series 6–3 on aggregate.

### USL Championship era (2010–present)

| Season | Champions | Score | Runners–up | Venue | Attendance | MVP |
| 2011 | Orlando City | 2–2 (p) | Harrisburg City Islanders | Citrus Bowl | 11,220 | Sean Kelley (ORL) |
| 2012 | Charleston Battery | 1–0 | Wilmington Hammerheads | Blackbaud Stadium | 4,963 | Jose Cuevas (CHB) |
| 2013 | Orlando City | 7–4 | Charlotte Eagles | Citrus Bowl | 20,886 | Dom Dwyer (ORL) |
| 2014 | Sacramento Republic | 2–0 | Harrisburg City Islanders | Bonney Field | 8,000 | Rodrigo López (SAC) |
| 2015 | Rochester Rhinos | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | LA Galaxy II | Sahlen's Stadium | 5,247 | Asani Samuels (ROC) |
| 2016 | New York Red Bulls II | 5–1 | Swope Park Rangers | Red Bull Arena | 5,547 | Brandon Allen (NYRB) |
| 2017 | Louisville City FC | 1–0 | Swope Park Rangers | Louisville Slugger Field | 14,456 | Paolo DelPiccolo (LOU) |
| 2018 | Louisville City FC | 1–0 | Phoenix Rising FC | Lynn Stadium | 7,025 | Luke Spencer (LOU) |
| 2019 | Real Monarchs SLC | 3–1 | Louisville City FC | Lynn Stadium | 7,025 | Konrad Plewa (SLC) |
| 2020 | No champion due to COVID-19 pandemic | No champion due to COVID-19 pandemic | No champion due to COVID-19 pandemic | No champion due to COVID-19 pandemic | No champion due to COVID-19 pandemic | No champion due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021 | Orange County SC | 3–1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Al Lang Stadium | 7,521 | Ronaldo Damus (OCO) |
| 2022 | San Antonio FC | 3–1 | Louisville City FC | Toyota Field | 8,534 | Santiago Patiño (SAFC) |
| 2023 | Phoenix Rising FC | 1–1 (p) | Charleston Battery | Patriots Point | 5,094 | Rocco Ríos Novo (PHX) |
| 2024 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 3–0 | Rhode Island FC | Weidner Field | 8,023 | Juan Tejada (COS) |

## Records and statistics
### USL Championship titles

| Club | Winner | Runner-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
| Louisville City FC | 2 | 2 | 2017, 2018 | 2019, 2022 |
| Orlando City SC | 2 | 0 | 2011, 2013 | |
| Charleston Battery | 1 | 1 | 2012 | 2023 |
| Phoenix Rising FC | 1 | 1 | 2023 | 2018 |
| Sacramento Republic FC | 1 | 0 | 2014 | |
| Rochester Rhinos | 1 | 0 | 2015 | |
| New York Red Bulls II | 1 | 0 | 2016 | |
| Real Monarchs SLC | 1 | 0 | 2019 | |
| Orange County SC | 1 | 0 | 2021 | |
| San Antonio FC | 1 | 0 | 2022 | |
| Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 1 | 0 | 2024 | |
| Harrisburg City Islanders | 0 | 2 | | 2011, 2014 |
| Swope Park Rangers | 0 | 2 | | 2016, 2017 |
| Wilmington Hammerheads FC | 0 | 1 | | 2012 |
| Charlotte Eagles | 0 | 1 | | 2013 |
| LA Galaxy II | 0 | 1 | | 2015 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 0 | 1 | | 2021 |
| Rhode Island FC | 0 | 1 | | 2024 |
| Winner | USL Cup champions |
| Bold | Players' Shield champions |
| Italics | No longer plays in the USL Championship |