# 2021 USL Championship playoffs

The 2021 USL Championship playoffs (branded as the 2021 USL Championship Playoffs presented by TwinSpires for sponsorship reasons) was the post-season championship of the 2021 USL Championship. It was the eleventh edition of the USL Championship playoffs. The playoffs began on November 5, and concluded with the USL Championship Final on November 28.
Tampa Bay Rowdies won the regular season with 71 standings points. They were beaten in the Final by Orange County SC, which won its first league title.
Real Monarchs, having won the title in 2019, were the title holders, since the 2020 Final was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the Rowdies and the title was not awarded. However, they were eliminated in the regular season as they finished bottom of the Mountain Division table.

## Format

The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. They began to play on the first weekend on November, featuring a single-elimination, 16-team bracket. Under the revised season format, four division winners in each conference earned hosting rights for the Eastern and Western conference quarterfinals. Following the opening round, hosting rights were determined by regular season record (ranks, then points, then number of wins). All playoff matches were streamed live on ESPN+ except the Championship final on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and Sirius XM FC.

## Division tables

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 32 | 71 |
| 2 | Charlotte Independence | 32 | 59 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 32 | 58 |
| 4 | Miami FC | 32 | 54 |
| 5 | Hartford Athletic | 32 | 41 |
| 6 | Charleston Battery | 32 | 37 |
| 7 | New York Red Bulls II | 32 | 28 |
| 8 | Loudoun United FC | 32 | 15 |
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | Louisville City FC | 32 | 61 |
| 2 | Birmingham Legion FC | 32 | 60 |
| 3 | Memphis 901 FC | 32 | 50 |
| 4 | FC Tulsa | 32 | 47 |
| 5 | OKC Energy FC | 32 | 37 |
| 6 | Indy Eleven | 32 | 35 |
| 7 | Atlanta United 2 | 32 | 34 |
| 8 | Sporting Kansas City II | 32 | 20 |
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 32 | 64 |
| 2 | San Antonio FC | 32 | 52 |
| 3 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 32 | 50 |
| 4 | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 32 | 47 |
| 5 | New Mexico United | 32 | 46 |
| 6 | Austin Bold FC | 32 | 42 |
| 7 | Real Monarchs | 32 | 22 |
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | Phoenix Rising FC | 32 | 67 |
| 2 | Orange County SC | 32 | 52 |
| 3 | San Diego Loyal SC | 32 | 48 |
| 4 | Oakland Roots SC | 32 | 41 |
| 5 | Tacoma Defiance | 32 | 39 |
| 6 | LA Galaxy II | 32 | 39 |
| 7 | Sacramento Republic FC | 32 | 36 |
| 8 | Las Vegas Lights FC | 32 | 21 |

## Bracket

| Conference Quarterfinals November 5–7 | Conference Quarterfinals November 5–7 | Conference Quarterfinals November 5–7 | | | Conference Semifinals November 13 | Conference Semifinals November 13 | Conference Semifinals November 13 | Conference Finals November 20 | Conference Finals November 20 | Conference Finals November 20 | | USL Championship Final November 28 | USL Championship Final November 28 | USL Championship Final November 28 |
| A1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| C4 | FC Tulsa | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| C4 | FC Tulsa | 2 | | | A1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | C2 | Birmingham Legion FC | 0 | | | | | | | |
| C2 | Birmingham Legion FC | w/o | | | C2 | Birmingham Legion FC | 0 | | | | | | | |
| A3 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A3 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | | | | | | | A1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies (a.e.t.) | 3 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | A1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies (a.e.t.) | 3 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | C1 | Louisville City FC | 2 | | | | |
| A2 | Charlotte Independence | 3 | | | | | | | | | C1 | Louisville City FC | 2 | | | | |
| C3 | Memphis 901 FC | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| C3 | Memphis 901 FC | 1 | | | A2 | Charlotte Independence | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | C1 | Louisville City FC | 1 | | | | | | | |
| C1 | Louisville City FC | 1 | | | C1 | Louisville City FC | 1 | | | | | | | |
| A4 | Miami FC | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A4 | Miami FC | 0 | | | | | | | | | | A1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | P2 | Orange County SC | 3 |
| M1 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | P2 | Orange County SC | 3 |
| P4 | Oakland Roots SC | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| P4 | Oakland Roots SC | 1 | | | P4 | Oakland Roots SC | 0 (5) | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | P2 | Orange County SC (p) | 0 (6) | | | | | | | |
| P2 | Orange County SC | 1 | | | P2 | Orange County SC (p) | 0 (6) | | | | | | | |
| M3 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| M3 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 0 | | | | | | P2 | Orange County SC (p) | 1 (5) | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | P2 | Orange County SC (p) | 1 (5) | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | M2 | San Antonio FC | 1 (3) | | | | |
| M2 | San Antonio FC | 2 | | | | | | | | | M2 | San Antonio FC | 1 (3) | | | | |
| P3 | San Diego Loyal SC | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| P3 | San Diego Loyal SC | 0 | | | M2 | San Antonio FC | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | M4 | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 | | | | | | | |
| P1 | Phoenix Rising FC | 3 (3) | | | M4 | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 | | | | | | | |
| M4 | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (p) | 3 (4) | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Schedule
### USL Championship Final

Championship Game MVP: Ronaldo Damus (Orange County SC)

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Ronaldo Damus | Orange County SC | 4 |
| 2 | Leo Fernandes | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3 |
| 2 | Lucky Mkosana | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3 |
| 2 | Santiago Patiño | San Antonio FC | 3 |
| 5 | Elvis Amoh | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 2 |
| 5 | Solomon Asante | Phoenix Rising FC | 2 |
| 5 | Steevan Dos Santos | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2 |
| 5 | Nathan Fogaça | San Antonio FC | 2 |
| 9 | 17 players | 17 players | 1 |

## Awards

* Goal of the Playoffs: Rodrigo López (RGV)
* Save of the Playoffs: Jordan Farr (SAN)