# 2018 USL Cup playoffs

The 2018 USL Cup playoffs was the postseason tournament following the 2018 United Soccer League regular season, the fourth since the league rebranded for the 2015 season, and second as a USSF Division II league. Including USL Pro history, it was the seventh postseason tournament. The tournament began on the weekend of October 20 and ended on November 8.
Sixteen teams (top 8 per conference) competed in the single elimination tournament. Teams were seeded one through eight in each conference. The conference semifinal winners played against each other in the Conference Championship, which served as the overall semifinals for the playoff. The winners of the Eastern and Western Conference Championship played for the USL Cup. The winner of the playoffs was to be crowned league champion.
FC Cincinnati clinched the USL regular-season title on September 26 and was the number one seed in the Eastern Conference.

## Conference standings

The top 8 teams from each conference advance to the USL playoffs.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | FC Cincinnati (X) | 34 | 77 |
| 2 | Louisville City FC (C) | 34 | 66 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 34 | 59 |
| 4 | Charleston Battery | 34 | 56 |
| 5 | New York Red Bulls II | 34 | 52 |
| 6 | Bethlehem Steel FC | 34 | 50 |
| 7 | Indy Eleven | 34 | 49 |
| 8 | Nashville SC | 34 | 49 |
| 9 | North Carolina FC | 34 | 47 |
| 10 | Ottawa Fury | 34 | 45 |
| 11 | Charlotte Independence | 34 | 42 |
| 12 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 34 | 41 |
| 13 | Penn FC | 34 | 37 |
| 14 | Atlanta United 2 | 34 | 31 |
| 15 | Richmond Kickers | 34 | 22 |
| 16 | Toronto FC II | 34 | 18 |
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | Orange County SC | 34 | 66 |
| 2 | Sacramento Republic | 34 | 65 |
| 3 | Phoenix Rising FC | 34 | 63 |
| 4 | Real Monarchs | 34 | 60 |
| 5 | Reno 1868 FC | 34 | 59 |
| 6 | Portland Timbers 2 | 34 | 55 |
| 7 | Swope Park Rangers | 34 | 53 |
| 8 | Saint Louis FC | 34 | 53 |
| 9 | San Antonio FC | 34 | 50 |
| 10 | OKC Energy FC | 34 | 43 |
| 11 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 34 | 39 |
| 12 | Fresno FC | 34 | 39 |
| 13 | Rio Grande Valley Toros | 34 | 38 |
| 14 | LA Galaxy II | 34 | 37 |
| 15 | Las Vegas Lights FC | 34 | 31 |
| 16 | Seattle Sounders FC 2 | 34 | 25 |
| 17 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 34 | 21 |

## Bracket

| First round | First round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | | Conference finals | Conference finals | | USL championship | USL championship |
| October 20 – Nippert Stadium | October 20 – Nippert Stadium | | | | | | |
| #1 FC Cincinnati (p) | 1 (6) | | | | | | |
| #1 FC Cincinnati (p) | 1 (6) | October 27 – Nippert Stadium | October 27 – Nippert Stadium | | | | | |
| #8 Nashville SC | 1 (5) | October 27 – Nippert Stadium | October 27 – Nippert Stadium | | | | |
| #8 Nashville SC | 1 (5) | #1 FC Cincinnati | 0 | | | | |
| October 20 – MUSC Health Stadium | October 20 – MUSC Health Stadium | | #1 FC Cincinnati | 0 | | | | |
| October 20 – MUSC Health Stadium | October 20 – MUSC Health Stadium | #5 New York Red Bulls II | 1 | | | | |
| #4 Charleston Battery | 0 | #5 New York Red Bulls II | 1 | | | | |
| #4 Charleston Battery | 0 | | | | November 2 – Louisville Slugger Field | November 2 – Louisville Slugger Field | | |
| #5 New York Red Bulls II | 1 | | | | November 2 – Louisville Slugger Field | November 2 – Louisville Slugger Field | |
| #5 New York Red Bulls II | 1 | | | | #5 New York Red Bulls II | 1 | |
| October 20 – Highmark Stadium | October 20 – Highmark Stadium | | | | | #5 New York Red Bulls II | 1 | |
| October 20 – Highmark Stadium | October 20 – Highmark Stadium | | | | #2 Louisville City FC | 5 | |
| #3 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 2 (7) | | | | #2 Louisville City FC | 5 | |
| #3 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 2 (7) | October 27 – Louisville Slugger Field | October 27 – Louisville Slugger Field | | | | | |
| #6 Bethlehem Steel FC (p) | 2 (8) | October 27 – Louisville Slugger Field | October 27 – Louisville Slugger Field | | | | |
| #6 Bethlehem Steel FC (p) | 2 (8) | #6 Bethlehem Steel FC | 0 | | | | |
| October 20 – Louisville Slugger Field | October 20 – Louisville Slugger Field | | #6 Bethlehem Steel FC | 0 | | | | |
| October 20 – Louisville Slugger Field | October 20 – Louisville Slugger Field | #2 Louisville City FC | 2 | | | | |
| #2 Louisville City FC | 4 | #2 Louisville City FC | 2 | | | | |
| #2 Louisville City FC | 4 | | | | | | | November 8 – Lynn Stadium (ESPN2) | November 8 – Lynn Stadium (ESPN2) |
| #7 Indy Eleven | 1 | | | | | | | November 8 – Lynn Stadium (ESPN2) | November 8 – Lynn Stadium (ESPN2) |
| #7 Indy Eleven | 1 | | | | | | | #2 Louisville City FC | 1 |
| October 20 – Championship Soccer Stadium | October 20 – Championship Soccer Stadium | | | | | | | | #2 Louisville City FC | 1 |
| October 20 – Championship Soccer Stadium | October 20 – Championship Soccer Stadium | | | | | | | #3 Phoenix Rising FC | 0 |
| #1 Orange County SC | 4 | | | | | | | #3 Phoenix Rising FC | 0 |
| #1 Orange County SC | 4 | October 27 – Championship Soccer Stadium | October 27 – Championship Soccer Stadium | | | | | | |
| #8 Saint Louis FC | 0 | October 27 – Championship Soccer Stadium | October 27 – Championship Soccer Stadium | | | | | | |
| #8 Saint Louis FC | 0 | #1 Orange County SC | 1 | | | | | | |
| October 20 – Zions Bank Stadium | October 20 – Zions Bank Stadium | | #1 Orange County SC | 1 | | | | | | |
| October 20 – Zions Bank Stadium | October 20 – Zions Bank Stadium | #5 Reno 1868 FC | 0 | | | | | | |
| #4 Real Monarchs | 0 | #5 Reno 1868 FC | 0 | | | | | | |
| #4 Real Monarchs | 0 | | | | November 3 – Championship Soccer Stadium | November 3 – Championship Soccer Stadium | | | | |
| #5 Reno 1868 FC | 1 | | | | November 3 – Championship Soccer Stadium | November 3 – Championship Soccer Stadium | | | |
| #5 Reno 1868 FC | 1 | | | | #1 Orange County SC | 1 | | | |
| October 19 – PRFC Soccer Complex | October 19 – PRFC Soccer Complex | | | | | #1 Orange County SC | 1 | | | |
| October 19 – PRFC Soccer Complex | October 19 – PRFC Soccer Complex | | | | #3 Phoenix Rising FC | 2 | |
| #3 Phoenix Rising FC | 3 | | | | #3 Phoenix Rising FC | 2 | |
| #3 Phoenix Rising FC | 3 | October 26 – PRFC Soccer Complex | October 26 – PRFC Soccer Complex | | | | | |
| #6 Portland Timbers 2 | 0 | October 26 – PRFC Soccer Complex | October 26 – PRFC Soccer Complex | | | | |
| #6 Portland Timbers 2 | 0 | #3 Phoenix Rising FC | 4 | | | | |
| October 20 – Papa Murphy's Park | October 20 – Papa Murphy's Park | | #3 Phoenix Rising FC | 4 | | | | |
| October 20 – Papa Murphy's Park | October 20 – Papa Murphy's Park | #7 Swope Park Rangers | 2 | | | | |
| #2 Sacramento Republic FC | 1 | #7 Swope Park Rangers | 2 | | | | |
| #7 Swope Park Rangers | 2 | | | | | | |

## Schedule
### USL championship

Championship Game MVP: Luke Spencer (LOU)

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Didier Drogba | Phoenix Rising FC | 3 |
| 1 | Brian Ownby | Louisville City FC | 3 |
| 1 | Michael Seaton | Orange County SC | 3 |
| 4 | Tom Barlow | New York Red Bulls II | 2 |
| 4 | Hadji Barry | Swope Park Rangers | 2 |
| 4 | Chris Cortez | Phoenix Rising FC | 2 |
| 4 | Ilija Ilić | Louisville City FC | 2 |
| 4 | Jason Johnson | Phoenix Rising FC | 2 |
| 4 | Niall McCabe | Louisville City FC | 2 |
| 4 | Luke Spencer | Louisville City FC | 2 |
| 4 | Devon Williams | Louisville City FC | 2 |