HARRISON, N.J. (December 19, 2018) – New York Red Bulls II and the USL Championship unveiled the 2019 schedule today. NYRB II will embark on a 34-match campaign in search of their fifth-consecutive playoff appearance. The season begins on March 9 when NYRB II hosts Swope Park Rangers at MSU Soccer Park on the campus of Montclair State University.
The 2019 USL Championship regular season will open on Saturday, March 9 and conclude on Sunday, October 20, with every team playing a home-and-home series within its own conference.
NYRB II will host three straight matches at MSU Soccer Park to start the year. Three matches is the longest homestand of the season. NYRB II will have an additional three-game stretch at MSU Soccer Park in April. NYRB II went 11-3-3 at home in 2018.
April 20 will mark the first meeting with Loudon United FC, the new affiliate of D.C. United. Loudon United visit Montclair in April, and the teams will meet again to close out the regular season in Virginia on October 19.
The longest road trip of the season is also three games, with NYRB II visiting the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Nashville SC and the Charleston Battery over eight days in late June. NYRB II will look to build upon a 2-5-10 road record from last season.
Building off a historic season that saw almost 3 million fans attend games in the 2018 regular season and USL Cup Playoffs, the 2019 USL Championship regular season will see the league’s 36 teams play home-and-home series within its own conference. All of the action will be available digitally through ESPN+, with future announcements regarding the league’s national television schedule to be made at a future date.
Expanded Format For 2019 USL Cup Playoffs
The 2019 USL Cup Playoffs will expand to include 10 teams from each conference, with the lowest four seeds in each conference opening the postseason in the Play-In Round, provisionally slated for Wednesday, October 23 with the No. 7 seed hosting the No. 10 seed and the No. 8 seed hosting the No. 9 seed for a place in the Conference Quarterfinals.
The single-elimination format will then continue for the following four weekends in a fixed-bracket format with the higher seed in each matchup serving as host through the Eastern and Western Conference Finals. The 2019 USL Cup will be held between November 14-18, 2019 and be hosted by the conference champion with the better regular-season record.
2019 USL Cup Playoffs Schedule
Play-In Round – October 23
Conference Quarterfinals – October 25-27
Conference Semifinals – November 1-3
Conference Finals – November 8-10
USL Cup – November 14-18
NYRB II 2019 Schedule
Bold – home match
March
9 – Swope Park Rangers – MSU Soccer Park
23 – Nashville SC – MSU Soccer Park
29 – Memphis 901 FC – MSU Soccer Park
April
6 – @ Birmingham Legion FC – BBVA Compass Field
13 – @ Charlotte Independence – Sportsplex at Matthews
17 – Hartford Athletic – MSU Soccer Park
20 – Loudoun United FC – MSU Soccer Park
27 – Indy Eleven – MSU Soccer Park
May
8 – @ Ottawa Fury FC – TD Place
18 – @ Tampa Bay Rowdies – Al Lang Stadium
24 – North Carolina FC – MSU Soccer Park
June
1 – Bethlehem Steel FC – MSU Soccer Park
7 – @ Atlanta United FC 2 – Coolray Field
15 – Louisville City FC – MSU Soccer Park
22 – @ Pittsburgh Riverhounds – Highmark Stadium
26 – @ Nashville SC – First Tennessee Park
29 – @ Charleston Battery – MUSC Health Stadium
July
5 – Ottawa Fury FC – MSU Soccer Park
10 – @ Bethlehem Steel FC – Talen Energy Stadium
14 – Atlanta United FC 2 – MSU Soccer Park
20 – @ Memphis 901 FC – AutoZone Park
27 – Tampa Bay Rowdies – MSU Soccer Park
August
3 – Saint Louis FC – MSU Soccer Park
10 – @ Hartford Athletic – Dillon Stadium
14 – Pittsburgh Riverhounds – MSU Soccer Park
24 – @ Swope Park Rangers – Children’s Mercy Victory Field
September
4 – @ Indy Eleven – Lucas Oil Stadium
13 – Charlotte Independence – MSU Soccer Park
18 – @ Saint Louis FC – Toyota Stadium
21 – @ Louisville City FC – Louisville Slugger Field
28 – Charleston Battery – MSU Soccer Park
October
5 – @ North Carolina FC – WakeMed Soccer Park
16 – Birmingham Legion FC – MSU Soccer Park
19 – @ Loudoun United FC – Loudon United Stadium
