The USL Championship is unlike just about any other second-tier league on the planet.
It’s enormous, at 35 clubs this year. More are on the way. It has teams in 25 markets of more than a million people, and in 18 of the top 50 media markets in the USA. It’s building new stadiums. It has a national TV deal. And unlike almost every other second-tier league in the world, its clubs can’t earn promotion to the first division on the field. For independent USL clubs, the only way in to MLS is to buy a $300 million ticket.