2022 USL Championship playoffs

Main article: 2022 USL Championship season
2022 USL Championship playoffs
Tournament details
CountryUnited States
Teams14
Defending championsOrange County SC (2021)
Final positions
ChampionsSan Antonio FC
Runner-upLouisville City FC
Tournament statistics
Matches played13
Goals scored38 (2.92 per match)
Attendance104,695 (8,053 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)Colombia Santiago Patiño
(5 goals)
← 2021
2023 →

All statistics correct as of November 13, 2022.

The 2022 USL Championship playoffs (branded as the 2022 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Hisense for sponsorship reasons) is the post-season championship of the 2022 USL Championship. It is the twelfth edition of the USL Championship playoffs. The playoffs began October 22, and concluded with the USL Championship Final on November 13.[1]

San Antonio FC won the regular season.[2] Defending title holders Orange County SC did not qualify for the playoffs.[3]

Format

The top seven teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs; the top team from each conference earned a bye to the conference semifinals. After the opening round the tournament will be reseeded to ensure that the top team from each conference plays the lowest seeded team and hosting rights will be determined by regular season record.[4] All playoff matches will be streamed live on ESPN+ except the Championship final on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and Sirius XM FC.[1][5]

Conference standings

Bracket

Conference Quarterfinals
October 22–23 		Conference Semifinals
October 28–30 		Conference Finals
November 5–6 		USL Championship Final
November 13
            
E1 Louisville City FC (p) 2 (5)
E5 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 2 (3)
E4 Birmingham Legion FC 2 (7)
E5 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (p) 2 (8)
E1 Louisville City FC (a.e.t.) 1
Eastern Conference
E3 Tampa Bay Rowdies 0
E2 Memphis 901 FC 3
E7 Detroit City FC 1
E2 Memphis 901 FC 0
E3 Tampa Bay Rowdies 1
E3 Tampa Bay Rowdies 3
E6 Miami FC 1
E1 Louisville City FC 1
W1 San Antonio FC 3
W1 San Antonio FC 3
W7 Oakland Roots SC 0
W2 San Diego Loyal SC 0
W7 Oakland Roots SC 3
W1 San Antonio FC 2
Western Conference
W3 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 0
W3 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 3
W6 Rio Grande Valley FC 0
W3 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (a.e.t.) 2
W4 Sacramento Republic FC 1
W4 Sacramento Republic FC 2
W5 New Mexico United 0

Schedule

Conference Quarterfinals

October 22 East Tampa Bay Rowdies 3–1Miami FCSt. Petersburg, Florida
7:30 PM EDT
Report
Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 5,937
Referee: Calin Radosav
October 22 East Memphis 901 FC 3–1Detroit City FCMemphis, Tennessee
8:00 PM CDT
Report
Stadium: AutoZone Park
Attendance: 6,010
Referee: Elijio Arreguin
October 22 West Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 3–0Rio Grande Valley FCColorado Springs, Colorado
6:30 PM MDT
Report
Stadium: Weidner Field
Attendance: 7,036
Referee: Mark Allatin
October 22 West Sacramento Republic FC 2–0New Mexico UnitedSacramento, California
7:00 PM PDT
Report
Stadium: Heart Health Park
Attendance: 11,569
Referee: Elvis Osmanovic
October 23 EastBirmingham Legion FC2–2 (a.e.t.)
(7–8 p)		 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Birmingham, Alabama
6:00 PM EDT
Report
Stadium: Protective Stadium
Attendance: 10,227
Referee: Eric Tattersall
Penalties
October 23 WestSan Diego Loyal SC0–3 Oakland Roots SC San Diego, California
5:30 PM PDT
Report
Stadium: Torero Stadium
Attendance: 5,719
Referee: Elton Garcia

Conference Semifinals

October 28 West San Antonio FC 3–0Oakland Roots SCSan Antonio, Texas
7:30 PM CDT
Report
Stadium: Toyota Field
Attendance: 8,208
Referee: Elvis Osmanovic
October 29 East Louisville City FC 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(5–3 p)		Pittsburgh Riverhounds SCLouisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM EDT
Report
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium
Attendance: 8,509
Referee: Elijio Arreguin
Penalties
October 29 West Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 2–1 (a.e.t.)Sacramento Republic FCColorado Springs, Colorado
6:00 PM MDT
Report
Stadium: Weidner Field
Attendance: 7,075
Referee: Sergii Demianchuk
October 30 EastMemphis 901 FC0–1 Tampa Bay Rowdies Memphis, Tennessee
3:00 PM CDT
Report
Stadium: AutoZone Park
Attendance: 6,063
Referee: Elton Garcia
Note: Match rescheduled from October 29 due to weather.[6]

Conference Finals

November 5 East Louisville City FC 1–0 (a.e.t.)Tampa Bay RowdiesLouisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM EDT
Report
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium
Attendance: 11,563
Referee: Mark Allatin
November 6 West San Antonio FC 2–0Colorado Springs Switchbacks FCSan Antonio, Texas
7:30 PM CST
Report
Stadium: Toyota Field
Attendance: 8,245
Referee: Kevin Broadley

USL Championship Final

Similar to the 2022 MLS playoffs, the final featured the top seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences, Louisville City FC and San Antonio FC, who were their conferences' regular-season and play-off champions. As overall regular-season champion, San Antonio FC had home-field advantage for the final.

For Louisville City, 2022 marks the fourth Championship final in five seasons, having won two of their previous three in 2017 and 2018. For San Antonio FC, this is a first USL Championship final.


November 13 San Antonio FC 3–1Louisville City FCSan Antonio, Texas
7:30 PM CST
Report
Stadium: Toyota Field
Attendance: 8,534
Referee: Lukasz Szpala

Championship Game MVP: Santiago Patiño (SAN)


[7]

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Colombia Santiago Patiño San Antonio FC 5
2 United States Samuel Adeniran San Antonio FC 2
United States Russell Cicerone Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Uruguay Sebastián Guenzatti Tampa Bay Rowdies
Uganda Edward Kizza Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Democratic Republic of the Congo Michee Ngalina Colorado Springs Switchbacks
United States Aaron Wheeler Colorado Springs Switchbacks

Awards

References

  1. ^ a b "USL Releases Playoff Schedule and Announces Hisense USA as Presenting Partner of Championship and League One Playoffs". USL League One. September 22, 2022. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  2. ^ Anderson, Stephen (October 1, 2022). "San Antonio FC Clinches Top Overall Seed With Win In Pittsburgh". Forward Axis. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022. The historic season for San Antonio FC continued on Saturday night as they earned a 1–0 victory over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC to clinch the top overall seed in the USL Championship Playoffs, which begin at the end of the month.
  3. ^ "SD Loyal, Already Playoff Bound, Meets Goal of 2nd-Place Finish in Western Conference". Times of San Diego. October 1, 2022. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022. Orange County, eliminated from playoff contention, pushed forward in the final minutes and found the equalizer with a goal by Milan's brother, Brian Iloski, in the 90th minute.
  4. ^ "USL Championship Announces 2022 Competition Format". USL Championship. December 21, 2021. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  5. ^ "USL Announces Broadcast Teams for USL Championship Final on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and SiriusXM Satellite Radio". USL Championship. October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  6. ^ infield, Matt (October 29, 2022). "901 FC playoff game postponed due to rain". Action News 5. Memphis, TN. Archived from the original on October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  7. ^ "2022 USL Championship Playoffs Presented by Hisense: Conference Quarterfinals Schedule". USL Championship. October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  8. ^ "USL Championship Fans' Choice Goal of the Playoffs". USLChampionship.com Staff. November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  9. ^ "USL Championship Fans' Choice Save of the Playoffs". USLChampionship.com Staff. November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.