USL Premier Development League The USL Premier Development League ( commonly known as the PDL ) is the pro development league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States , Canada , and Bermuda , forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid . It is currently the top - level men ' s amateur soccer competition in the United States , and has 62 teams competing in four conferences , split into nine regional divisions ; unofficially , it is considered to be the fourth tier of competition , behind Major League Soccer , the North American Soccer League and the USL Professional Division , and roughly equal with the National Premier Soccer League . Forest City London are the reigning PDL champions , having defeated the Carolina Dynamo 2 - 1 in the 2012 PDL Championship game on August 4 , 2012 . While not strictly a " professional " league in the sense that the majority of players do not receive payment , the PDL prides itself on its professionalism in terms of its organization and the way the league is run , and its dedication to developing young soccer players , preparing them for future careers in professional leagues in the United States and elsewhere . As PDL seasons take place during the summer months , the player pool is drawn mainly from elite NCAA college soccer players seeking to continue playing high - level soccer during their summer break , which they can do while still maintaining their college eligibility . However , in recent years , teams such as Laredo Heat , New Orleans Jesters , Vancouver Whitecaps FC U - 23 , Kitsap Pumas and the Hollywood United Hitmen have been embracing at least partial professionalism through a new program called PDL - Pro , whereby teams can choose to employ players who are paid for their performances , but who still meet the age eligibility criteria . This does not contravene NCAA rules , which state that college players cannot play " alongside " professionals , but may play " against " them . What this also means , however , is that PDL - Pro teams cannot have any active NCAA players on their rosters , but may employ NAIA and community college players , ex - NCAA players who have already graduated , or other local players who do not play college soccer at all . In addition , PDL squads often also include standout high school and junior club players , as well as former professionals seeking to continue competing at a high level , often having been forced to retire from top flight competition due to age or injury . PDL rules dictate that a maximum of eight players on each team ' s 26 - man roster can be over 23 years old , while at least three players on each team ' s roster must be 18 or younger . Increasingly , the PDL is seen as a ' shop window ' for professional clubs looking to discover and identify aspiring professional players who may enter the MLS SuperDraft in future years . Many of the players currently playing in Major League Soccer and elsewhere began their careers in the PDL . History . 1990s . In 1995 the United States Interregional Soccer League ( USISL ) changed its name to the United States International Soccer League , and split into two leagues , one professional ( the ' Professional League ' , which ultimately became the USL Second Division ) and one amateur ( the ' Premier League ' ) . The purpose for the split was to expand into and improve the soccer capabilities of many urban areas throughout the United States and Canada , while offering current college soccer players the opportunity to continue playing during the summer months without losing their college eligibility . The inaugural season of the new USISL Premier League featured 27 teams , and the Richmond Kickers won the first title , beating the Cocoa Expos 3 - 1 in the championship game . Gabe Jones of the Austin Lone Stars was the league ' s top scorer and MVP . The United States International Soccer League changed its name again in 1996 , to the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues , and before the season , there was substantial movement of teams between the Pro League , the Premier League and the newly created Select League ( which would later merge with the A - League , and eventually become the USL First Division ) . The Premier League grew to 34 teams in its sophomore year , with the Central Coast Roadrunners from San Luis Obispo , California beating the San Francisco Bay Seals in the championship game to take the title . Pasi Kinturi of the Nashville Metros was the league ' s top scorer and MVP . The Premier League renamed itself the Premier Development Soccer League ( PDSL ) in 1997 , and the Central Coast Roadrunners repeated as national champions , the first team to do so , beating the Cocoa Expos in the PDSL championship game . Lester Felicia of the Jackson Chargers was the league ' s MVP , while Rodrigo Costa of the Detroit Dynamite was the leading scorer and the league ' s Rookie of the Year , talling 21 goals and 2 assists for 44 points . In 1998 the PDSL took to the field with 33 teams , including four associate members from the Pacific Coast Soccer League who played shortened schedules after their PCSL season was over . In the championship game the San Gabriel Valley Highlanders upset regular season champions Jackson Chargers 3 - 2 , taking the trophy to California for the third straight year . Rodrigo Costa of the Detroit Dynamite was the league MVP , Boniventure Manati of the Jackson Chargers was the league ' s top scorer , and a young striker by the name of Brian Ching from the Spokane Shadow was named Rookie of the Year . In 1999 the umbrella USISL changed its name to the United Soccer Leagues , and the Premier Development Soccer League dropped the ' soccer ' part of its name and became known as the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League , or PDL . The league took in several teams from the D3Pro league , expanding to 42 teams in six divisions . Expansion franchise Chicago Sockers ultuimately won the league , beating Spokane Shadow 3 - 1 for the title in a tight championship game . Fabio Eidenwein of the Sioux City Breeze was named League MVP and was the top scorer , with 20 goals . 2000s . The PDL expanded by a further eight franchises in 2000 , and the Chicago Sockers won their second straight title , beating the Mid - Michigan Bucks in a close 1 - 0 Championship game . The single goal was scored by Rodrigo Costa who , having received a pass from teammate Hamid Mehreioskouei , chipped Bucks goalkeeper Eric Pogue from 18 yards through a crowded penaltty area . Fernando Salazar of the Los Angeles - based San Fernando Valley Heroes was the league ' s MVP , while his teammate Arshak Abyanli took the honors as top goalscorer . The league grew from 41 to 44 teams in 2001 through the usual mix of relegation from D3Pro , teams folding and new franchises being added . In the semifinals , the Westchester Flames defeated Sioux Falls Spitfire 5 - 1 and Calgary Storm defeated Des Moines Menace 2 - 1 ; in the final , Westchester defeated Calgary 3 - 1 to take their first league title . Des Moines and Chicago Fire Reserves dominated the 2002 regular season , but both teams stuttered in the playoffs ; the PDL final saw the Cape Cod Crusaders defeating the Boulder Rapids Reserve 2 - 1 to bring the title to the Northeast for the second year in a row . 2002 also saw the debut of the soon - to - be PDL legend , Tomas Boltnar of Des Moines Menace , who secured an unprecedented triple - crown of PDL MVP , Top Scorer and Rookie of the Year . The mid - 2000s was a period of steady growth and consolidation for the PDL . A TV agreement with Fox Soccer Channel saw the PDL Championship game being broadcast live on national television in North America for the first time , and professional teams began investing in the league by adding U - 23 development sides as an addition to their senior rosters . Cape Cod repeated as PDL champs in 2003 , beating the Chicago Fire Reserves in the final ( and despite the presence of Jürgen Klinsmann playing for Orange County Blue Star ) , while 2004 saw the title head to Florida for the first time as the Central Florida Kraze overcame perennial bridesmaids Boulder Rapids Reserve . Des Moines Menace took the PDL Championship trophy back to Iowa in 2005 after beating the El Paso Patriots 6 - 5 on penalty kicks , following a 0 - 0 draw in the PDL Championship game . 2006 saw the beginning of two seasons of dominance for two teams : the Michigan Bucks and the Laredo Heat . Both teams made the PDL Final in 2006 and 2007 , with the Bucks emerging victorious in ' 06 with a 2 - 1 win thanks to goals by Kenny Uzoigwe and Ty Shipalane , only for Laredo to get their revenge the following year with an epic penalty kicks win after a 0 - 0 tie in regulation time . Laredo became the first team to make three consecutive PDL championship games in 2008 , but fell at the final hurdle to Thunder Bay Chill , who became the first ever Canadian side to win the PDL following their 4 - 1 penalty shootout victory . The PDL had grown to 68 teams by 2009 , and to reflect their growing reputation , introduced a new scheme called PDL - Pro , whereby certain teams would be allowed to act as professional clubs , paying players , while still adhering to NCAA collegiate eligibility rules , and the USL ' s own age restriction policy . Ventura County Fusion returned the PDL title to Southern California for the first time in over a decade with a stoppage - time victory over Chicago Fire Premier , and in doing so became the lowest - seeded team to claim the national title . 2010s . The 2010s began with a record , as the Portland Timbers U23s ended the season as national champions , beating Thunder Bay Chill 4 - 1 in the 2010 PDL Championship game . The Timbers also had the best regular season record , winning all their 16 games , scoring 53 goals and conceding just six along the way . In doing so the Timbers became the first team to post a perfect PDL regular season record since the Jackson Chargers in 1998 , the first regular season champion to win the playoffs since the Central Coast Roadrunners in 1996 , and the first team in PDL history to go through an entire PDL regular season and playoff campaign without posting a loss or a tie . Portland Timbers U23s striker Brent Richards was named League MVP and Rookie of the Year for his stellar campaign with the national champions . Players from Canadian side Thunder Bay Chill led the majority of the statistical categories , with striker Brandon Swartzendruber leading the league with 15 goals , while his teammate Gustavo Oliveira led the league with 13 assists . Portland Timbers U23s goalkeeper Jacob Gleeson enjoyed the best goalkeeping statistics , allowing just five goals in 15 games and earning with a 0 . 360 GAA average . Western Conference teams dominated the league in 2011 for the third year in a row , with the Kitsap Pumas ending the season as national champions , beating Laredo Heat 1 - 0 in the 2011 PDL Championship game . Kitsap , who lost just one game and conceded just ten goals all season , were the second team from the Northwest Division to win the national title in a row , while Laredo were contesting their fourth championship game in six years . Interestingly , Kitsap also were the first PDL - Pro team to win the championship , a milestone for the league . Kitsap ' s Western Conference rivals Fresno Fuego had the best regular - season record , posting an unbeaten 13 - 0 - 3 record . Fresno midfielder Milton Blanco was named League MVP , after leading the league in points ( 38 ) and assists ( 14 ) and helping his team to the Southwest Division title . Two Michigan Bucks players - Stewart Givens and Mitch Hildebrandt - were given end - of - season awards as Defender of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year respectively , while their coach Gary Parsons was named Coach of the Year . Jake Keegan of the Westchester Flames was named Rookie of the Year after tallying 16 goals in 16 games to take the league goal - scoring crown . Keegan accounted for 64 percent of Westchester ' s goals in 2011 and also finished third in the league in points with 34 . Notable professional players with PDL experience . Many senior international players had their first taste of competitive league experience playing in the PDL . This list includes players who , after playing in the PDL , have achieved some kind of significant success as a professional soccer player - playing internationally for their country , playing in one of the world ' s top leagues ( such as the Premier League in England ) , being a # 1 draft pick , or winning a major award such as the MLS Rookie of the Year award or the MAC Hermann Trophy , which is awarded to the best college soccer player of a given year and is American soccer ' s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy . Average attendance . Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team ' s self - reported home attendances from the historical match archive at http : / / www . uslsoccer . com / history / index _ E . html , and then averaging this league - wide .