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The United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as USL Pro, is a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada that began its inaugural season in 2011. USL is sanctioned as a Division III Professional League by United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer), placing it under Major League Soccer (Division I) and the North American Soccer League (Division II) in the hierarchy. The league is owned and operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL) and was formed as result of the organization's merger of the old USL First and Second Divisions, following the controversial 2010 season which saw neither the USL First Division nor the North American Soccer League (NASL) receive sanctioning from the USSF, resulting in the temporary USSF Division 2 Pro League. The merger is meant to consolidate USL's position within the American professional soccer landscape and focus on stability, commercial growth and the professional development of soccer in four main regions throughout the United States and Canada. In January 2013, USL and MLS reached an agreement to integrate USL Pro league competition with the MLS Reserve League, primarily to improve player development in North America, strengthen league competition and build ties between divisions in the American soccer pyramid. This multi-year deal encourages MLS and USL Pro team affiliations and player loans, and it will lead to more games for teams and developing players. ==Competition format== USL Pro's scheduling format has changed for the 2015 season to accommodate the expansion that took place during the 2014-2015 off-season, and the league's resulting need to divide teams into conferences — which has eliminated the single table.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=USL Pro 2015 Standings )〕 All teams will play 28 regular-season matches stretching from March to September. This will include a 22-game, double-round-robin schedule that will pit each team against all its conference opponents at home and on the road. The remaining six fixtures will be played against regional rivals, which will lead to some inter-conference regular season matches. The top six finishers in each conference will go through to the October playoffs, which will continue to be a series of single-game knockout rounds. After three rounds of intra-conference play, the two conference champions will meet in the championship match, to be hosted by the team with the better regular-season record. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「United Soccer League」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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