2023 USL Championship playoffs
Football tournament season
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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]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Dates | October 21 – November 12 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Phoenix Rising FC |
| Runners-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) |
All statistics correct as of November 12, 2023. | |
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 SiriusXM FC.[2]
Conference standings
|
Eastern Conference
|
Western Conference
|
|
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 East | Memphis 901 FC | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) | Louisville City FC | Memphis, Tennessee |
| 6:30 PM EDT | Report | Stadium: AutoZone Park Attendance: 3,587 Referee: Elton García | ||
| Penalties | ||||
| October 21, 2023 East | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0–1 | Detroit City FC | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Report |
|
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 6,123 Referee: Sergii Demianchuk |
| October 21, 2023 East | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 0–3 | Birmingham Legion FC | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 7:30 PM EDT | Report | Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 5,249 Referee: Matthew Thompson |
| October 21, 2023 West | San Antonio FC | 1–0 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | San Antonio, Texas |
| 8:00 PM CDT | Report | Stadium: Toyota Field Attendance: 7,304 Referee: Alexis Da Silva |
| October 21, 2023 West | Sacramento Republic FC | 1–0 | New Mexico United | Sacramento, California |
| 7:00 PM PDT | Report | Stadium: Heart Health Park Attendance: 11,569 Referee: Ricardo Fierro |
| October 21, 2023 West | Orange County SC | 1–0 | El Paso Locomotive FC | Irvine, California |
| 7:30 PM PDT | Report | Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium Attendance: 5,500 Referee: Natalie Simon |
| October 22, 2023 East | Charleston Battery | 5–0 | Indy Eleven | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |
| 4:00 PM EDT | Report | Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 2,972 Referee: Jeremy Scheer |
| October 22, 2023 West | San Diego Loyal SC | 3–4 (a.e.t.) | Phoenix Rising FC | San Diego California |
| 7:00 PM PDT | Report | Stadium: Torero Stadium Attendance: 5,671 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
Conference Semifinals
| October 27, 2023 West | Sacramento Republic FC | 3–1 | San Antonio FC | Sacramento, California |
| 7:30 PM PDT | Report | Stadium: Heart Health Park Attendance: 10,619 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
| October 28, 2023 East | Charleston Battery | 2–1 | Birmingham Legion FC | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Report | Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 2,762 Referee: Elton Garcia |
| October 28, 2023 East | Louisville City FC | 4–0 | Detroit City FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 7:30 PM EDT | Report |
|
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 7,959 Referee: Ricardo Fierro |
| October 28, 2023 West | Orange County SC | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Phoenix Rising FC | Irvine, California |
| 7:30 PM PDT | Report | Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium Attendance: 5,500 Referee: Calin Radosav |
Conference Finals
| November 4, 2023 East | Charleston Battery | 2–1 | Louisville City FC | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |
| 7:30 PM EST | Report | Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 4,438 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
| November 4, 2023 West | Sacramento Republic FC | 1–2 | Phoenix Rising FC | Sacramento, California |
| 7:00 PM PST | Report | 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 | Report | Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 5,094 Referee: Elton Garcia | ||
| Penalties | ||||
Championship Game MVP: 
Rocco Ríos Novo (PHX)
