2018 USL season
The 2018 USL season was the eighth season of the United Soccer League and second under Division II sanctioning. The previous season, the USL had provisional Div. II sanctioning from the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) along with the North American Soccer League, but was given full sanctioning for the 2018 season with a two-year deadline to meet the full requirements set by U.S. Soccer. Louisville City FC were the defending USL Cup champions, while Real Monarchs were the defending Supporters’ Shield champions. This season was the last for four teams in the USL, with  all changing leagues for 2019 and beyond. FC Cincinnati will join Major League Soccer. MLS side Toronto FC announced that its reserve side, Toronto FC II, would drop to USL League One, a third-level league slated to launch in 2019, and the Richmond Kickers also chose to drop to League One for 2019 and beyond. Near the end of the season, Penn FC announced that it would suspend professional operations for 2019 and resume play in League One in 2020. It was also the final season for the league under the "United Soccer League" name. Effective with the 2019  season, the league has been rebranded as the USL Championship. Rule changes. Regular season games will now be considered official after the 70th minute. Teams are allowed a fourth substitution in extra time for the USL Playoffs. Teams will submit a 23-player squad at least 48 hours before kickoff. A team's 18-player gameday roster may now contain a maximum of five players signed to USL Academy contracts. Competition format. The season began on March 16 and ends on October 14. The top eight finishers in each conference qualify for the playoffs. Managerial changes. ‡ Luke Spencer, Paolo DelPiccolo , & George Davis IV appointed joint interim head coaches. Playoffs. USL Championship. Championship Game MVP: Luke Spencer (LOU) Attendance. Average home attendances. Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance. League awards. All-League teams. First Team F: Thomas Enevoldsen (OCO), Cameron Lancaster (LOU), Daniel Rios (NCA) M: Tah Anunga (CHS), Solomon Asante (PHX), Emmanuel Ledesma (CIN), Aodhan Quinn (OCO) D: Paco Craig (LOU), Joe Greenspan (PIT), Forrest Lasso (CIN) G: Maxime Crépeau (OTT) Second Team F: Hadji Barry (SPR), Ataulla Guerra (CHS), Cameron Iwasa (SAC) M: Kyle Bekker (NCA), Corben Bone (CIN), Kenardo Forbes (PIT), Lebo Moloto (NSH) D: Ayoze (IND ), Darnell King (SAN), Denso Ulysse (SEA) G: Josh Cohen (SAC)