2023 USL Championship Playoffs

2023 USL Championship Playoffs
Tournament details
Country	United States
Dates	October 21 – November 12
Teams	16
Defending champions	San Antonio FC
Final positions
Champions	Phoenix Rising FC
Runner-up	Charleston Battery
Tournament statistics
Matches played	15
Goals scored	43 (2.87 per match)
Attendance	95,916 (6,394 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Ronaldo Damus; Cameron Lancaster; (3 goals each)
	← 2022 2024 →; All statistics correct as of November 12, 2023.

The 2023 USL Championship Playoffs (branded as the 2023 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Hisense for sponsorship reasons^[1]) was the post-season championship of the 2023 USL Championship. It was the thirteenth edition of the USL Championship Playoffs. The playoffs began on October 21, and concluded with the USL Championship Final on November 12.^[2]

San Antonio FC were the defending title holders^[3] and were eliminated in the Conference Semi-finals by Sacramento Republic FC.^[4] Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies were the first teams to clinch a playoff berth which they both achieved on September 3 and subsequently both lost in the first round.^[5] Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC won the regular season and were eliminated in the Conference Quarterfinals by Detroit City FC.^[6]

The Charleston Battery and Phoenix Rising FC advanced to the Final after failing to make the postseason the previous year. A match Phoenix won after a penalty shoot-out for their first title.^[7]

Format

The top eight teams in each conference qualified for the playoffs which was in a single-elimination, fixed bracket format. All playoff matches were streamed live on ESPN+ except the Championship final on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and Sirius XM FC.^[2]

Conference standings

Eastern Conference

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	Pts
1	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (S)	34	67
2	Tampa Bay Rowdies	34	63
3	Charleston Battery	34	59
4	Memphis 901 FC	34	52
5	Louisville City FC	34	50
6	Indy Eleven	34	49
7	Birmingham Legion FC	34	46
8	Detroit City FC	34	41
9	Miami FC	34	41
10	FC Tulsa	34	39
11	Loudoun United FC	34	25
12	Hartford Athletic	34	18

Source: USL Championship Standings
(S) Players' Shield winner

Western Conference

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	Pts
1	Sacramento Republic FC	34	64
2	Orange County SC	34	57
3	San Diego Loyal SC	34	57
4	San Antonio FC	34	56
5	Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC	34	53
6	Phoenix Rising FC (C)	34	48
7	El Paso Locomotive FC	34	47
8	New Mexico United	34	46
9	Rio Grande Valley FC Toros	34	43
10	Oakland Roots SC	34	42
11	Monterey Bay FC	34	41
12	Las Vegas Lights FC	34	19

Source: USL Championship Standings
(C) Champions

Bracket

Conference Quarterfinals
October 21–22

Conference Semifinals
October 27–28

Conference Finals
November 4

USL Championship Final
November 12

E1

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

0

E8

Detroit City FC

1

E8

Detroit City FC

0

E5

Louisville City FC

4

E4

Memphis 901 FC

1 (4)

E5

Louisville City FC (p)

1 (5)

E5

Louisville City FC

1

Eastern Conference

E3

Charleston Battery

2

E3

Charleston Battery

5

E6

Indy Eleven

0

E3

Charleston Battery

2

E7

Birmingham Legion FC

1

E2

Tampa Bay Rowdies

0

E7

Birmingham Legion FC

3

E3

Charleston Battery

1 (2)

W6

Phoenix Rising FC (p)

1 (3)

W1

Sacramento Republic FC

1

W8

New Mexico United

0

W1

Sacramento Republic FC

3

W4

San Antonio FC

1

W4

San Antonio FC

1

W5

Colorado Springs Switchbacks

0

W1

Sacramento Republic FC

1

Western Conference

W6

Phoenix Rising FC

2

W3

San Diego Loyal SC

3

W6

Phoenix Rising FC (a.e.t.)

4

W6

Phoenix Rising FC (a.e.t.)

2

W2

Orange County SC

1

W2

Orange County SC

1

W7

El Paso Locomotive FC

0

Schedule

Conference Quarterfinals

October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) East	Memphis 901 FC	1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p)	Louisville City FC	Memphis, Tennessee
6:30 PM EDT	Lapa 1' Paul 24' Ward 62' Kissiedou 73' Careaga 118'	Report	Lancaster 18' Semmle 24' Perez 90+5' McCabe 117'	Stadium: AutoZone Park Attendance: 3,587 Referee: Elton García
	Penalties
	Hyndman Molloy Smith Careaga McFadden		Totsch Harris Mares McCabe Jimenez

October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) East	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	0–1	Detroit City FC	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
7:00 PM EDT	Dossantos 15' Dikwa 52'	Report	Lewis 4' Amoo-Mensah 38' Rodriguez 52' Gasso 78'	Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 6,123 Referee: Sergii Demianchuk

October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) East	Tampa Bay Rowdies	0–3	Birmingham Legion FC	St. Petersburg, Florida
7:30 PM EDT	Lasso 39' Jennings 45+1'	Report	Martínez 9' Preston 41' Nwegbo 57' Kasim 77'	Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 5,249 Referee: Matthew Thompson

October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) West	San Antonio FC	1–0	Colorado Springs Switchbacks	San Antonio, Texas
8:00 PM CDT	Garcia 19' Hernández 55' PC 82'	Report	Tejada 45' Lacroix 60' Mahoney 78' Musa 90'	Stadium: Toyota Field Attendance: 7,304 Referee: Alexis Da Silva

October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) West	Sacramento Republic FC	1–0	New Mexico United	Sacramento, California
7:00 PM PDT	Donovan 13' López 62' Archimede 80'	Report		Stadium: Heart Health Park Attendance: 11,569 Referee: Ricardo Fierro

October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) West	Orange County SC	1–0	El Paso Locomotive FC	Irvine, California
7:30 PM PDT	Iloski 45+1' Scott 87'	Report	Dollenmayer 29' Sonupe 58' Rose 75' Petrović 86' Díaz 90+3' Calvillo 90+7'	Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium Attendance: 5,500 Referee: Natalie Simon

October 22, 2023 (2023-10-22) East	Charleston Battery	5–0	Indy Eleven	Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
4:00 PM EDT	Ycaza 12' 90' Williams 16' 37' Rodríguez 40' Barajas 47' Markanich 63'	Report	Boudadi 57' Vázquez 72' Diz Pe 76' Lindley 83'	Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 2,972 Referee: Jeremy Scheer

October 22, 2023 (2023-10-22) West	San Diego Loyal SC	3–4 (a.e.t.)	Phoenix Rising FC	San Diego California
7:00 PM PDT	Damus 4', 25', 90+7' (pen.) Adams 45+2'	Report	Armenakas 19' (pen.) Trejo 42' Formella 51', 119' Harvey 57' Arteaga 87' Traore 90+5' Fuenmayor 97'	Stadium: Torero Stadium Attendance: 5,671 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic

Conference Semifinals

October 27, 2023 (2023-10-27) West	Sacramento Republic FC	3–1	San Antonio FC	Sacramento, California
7:30 PM PDT	Sanchez 22' Cicerone 49' Ross 69' Viader 80' Filipe 85'	Report	Taintor 27' Nathan 74' Oluwaseyi 83' 90+1'	Stadium: Heart Health Park Attendance: 10,619 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic

October 28, 2023 (2023-10-28) East	Charleston Battery	2–1	Birmingham Legion FC	Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
7:00 PM EDT	Ycaza 17' Dodson 68'	Report	Kasim 41' Agudelo 61' Rufe 70' Lopez 86'	Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 2,762 Referee: Elton Garcia

October 28, 2023 (2023-10-28) East	Louisville City FC	4–0	Detroit City FC	Louisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM EDT	Lancaster 14' (pen.), 59' Ownby 43' Gonzalez 60'	Report	Bryant 14'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 7,959 Referee: Ricardo Fierro

October 28, 2023 (2023-10-28) West	Orange County SC	1–2 (a.e.t.)	Phoenix Rising FC	Irvine, California
7:30 PM PDT	Amang 24' Richards 51'	Report	Trejo 7' Fuenmayor 103' Uzochukwu 106' Cuello 116'	Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium Attendance: 5,500 Referee: Calin Radosav

Conference Finals

November 4, 2023 (2023-11-04) East	Charleston Battery	2–1	Louisville City FC	Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
7:30 PM EST	Rodríguez 5' 69' Williams 58' (pen.) Allan 90+4'	Report	Ownby 4' Moguel 83' 86' Adams 90' Cruz 90+1'	Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 4,438 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic

November 4, 2023 (2023-11-04) West	Sacramento Republic FC	1–2	Phoenix Rising FC	Sacramento, California
7:00 PM PST	Cicerone 31' Keko 71'	Report	Traore 17' King 40' Munjoma 69' Donovan 80' (o.g.) Stenberg 88' Cuello 90+2' Harvey 90+6' Formella 90+6'	Stadium: Heart Health Park Attendance: 11,569 Referee: Ricardo Fierro

USL Championship Final

November 12, 2023	Charleston Battery	1–1 (a.e.t.) (2–3 p)	Phoenix Rising FC	Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
7:00 PM EST	Markanich 36' Avila 72'	Report	Traore 11' Harvey 72' Fuenmayor 73' Cuello 80' Stenberg 90' Zambrano 115' Guerra 117'	Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 5,094 Referee: Elton Garcia
	Penalties
	Paterson Williams Archer Allan Dodson		Cuello Krutzen Zambrano Gallardo Arteaga

Championship Game MVP: Rocco Ríos Novo (PHX)

Top goalscorers

^[8]

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Ronaldo Damus	San Diego Loyal SC	3
1	Cameron Lancaster	Louisville City FC	3
3	Russell Cicerone	Sacramento Republic FC	2
	Emil Cuello	Phoenix Rising FC
	Dariusz Formella	Phoenix Rising FC
	Prosper Kasim	Birmingham Legion FC
	Nick Markanich	Charleston Battery
	Arturo Rodríguez	Charleston Battery
	Danny Trejo	Phoenix Rising FC
	Augustine Williams	Charleston Battery
	Emilio Ycaza	Charleston Battery

References

^ "Playoffs are coming to Heart Health Park on October 21st" (Press release). Sacramento, CA: Sacramento Republic FC. October 1, 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Drama on final matchday as bracket is set for 2023 USL Championship Playoffs". www.uslchampionship.com. USL Championship. October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
^ Torres, Raquel (November 14, 2022). "'Finally everything coming together': Fans revel in San Antonio FC's first USL Championship". /sanantonioreport.org/. San Antonio, TX: San Antonio Report. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
^ Whitaker, Stephen (October 28, 2023). "San Antonio FC has title defense end in semifinal loss at Sacramento Republic". San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio, TX. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
^ Murray, Nicholas (September 7, 2023). "USL Championship Race to the Playoffs – Sept. 9-10". www.uslchampionship.com. Tampa, FL: USL Championship. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
^ Clark, Christina (October 23, 2023). "Detroit City FC Defeats Pittsburgh in First Round of USL Playoffs". www.hourdetroit.com. Detroit, MI: Hour Detroit. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
^ Anderson, Jake (November 13, 2023). "Phoenix Rising FC wins USL title in improbable way vs. Charleston Battery". arizonasports.com. Charleston, SC: Arizona Sports. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
^ "2023 USLC Playoff Stats". USL Championship. November 11, 2022.

[1] "Playoffs are coming to Heart Health Park on October 21st" (Press release). Sacramento, CA: Sacramento Republic FC. October 1, 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

[ScheduleAnnouncement-2] "Drama on final matchday as bracket is set for 2023 USL Championship Playoffs". www.uslchampionship.com. USL Championship. October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.

[3] Torres, Raquel (November 14, 2022). "'Finally everything coming together': Fans revel in San Antonio FC's first USL Championship". /sanantonioreport.org/. San Antonio, TX: San Antonio Report. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.

[4] Whitaker, Stephen (October 28, 2023). "San Antonio FC has title defense end in semifinal loss at Sacramento Republic". San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio, TX. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.

[5] Murray, Nicholas (September 7, 2023). "USL Championship Race to the Playoffs – Sept. 9-10". www.uslchampionship.com. Tampa, FL: USL Championship. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.

[6] Clark, Christina (October 23, 2023). "Detroit City FC Defeats Pittsburgh in First Round of USL Playoffs". www.hourdetroit.com. Detroit, MI: Hour Detroit. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.

[7] Anderson, Jake (November 13, 2023). "Phoenix Rising FC wins USL title in improbable way vs. Charleston Battery". arizonasports.com. Charleston, SC: Arizona Sports. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.

[8] "2023 USLC Playoff Stats". USL Championship. November 11, 2022.

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