As rumors swirled around Greenville, S.C., last week about the new USL Division III soccer team’s name and colors, those of us in the SNST Carolina Soccer Slack took a moment to think about how far the soccer landscape in America has come in the last decade.

When I moved to the Carolinas in the summer of 2014, I had never really given a second thought to “USL Pro,” the soccer league that sat then in the third level of the U.S. Soccer “pyramid.”

I knew of the league, but I was an MLS fan from my time living in Seattle and Columbus, and a supporter of Leeds United after researching family roots. Personally uninterested in the smaller, Division II NASL at the time, and without any chance of American pro/rel in the offing, “minor league” soccer in the States really didn’t feel worth following. … Sorry?

(I know, I know, sports fans; I was wrong, I learned. Keep reading.)

That all changed for me in 2015 as USL Pro grew up a bit, rebranded to “USL,” expanded their partnership with MLS and began a ridiculous four years of growth that now sees the league as the sole holder of Division II status.

The league added 12 teams in 2015, five teams in 2016, three teams in 2017 and six more this season. It has absorbed the best of what NASL had left to offer (North Carolina FC and Indy Eleven) and the league has nine more teams planned for 2019 and 2020.

Now, recognizing another need in the American soccer landscape, USL is planning to re-enter Division III with USL D3 (branding still to come) in 2019. Not content with becoming the most stable and professional tier of American soccer below MLS, the USL league office in Tampa has spent the last four years finding clubs that can’t quite hit the D2 requirements and building them a new home in D3.

The league officially applied for D3 sanctioning Tuesday. In the proposal, it listed six teams by name, with four left to be announced for the inaugural 10-team 2019 season.

Those teams are spread far and wide across North America (R.I.P. travel budgets):

South Georgia Tormenta FC

FC Tucson

Madison Pro Soccer (name TBD)

Chattanooga Pro Soccer (name TBD)

Toronto FC II

and, of course, Greenville Triumph SC

According to the league, the goal is to have 24 teams by 2021.

If you’re keeping track, that means the goal across USL D2/D3 for 2021 currently sits at 63 teams. D2 now has 33 teams, but FC Cincinnati, Nashville SC and Toronto FC II are all leaving. Nine more expansion clubs are currently planned for a total of 39. And who knows how many more they’ll add before World Cup 2022? This growth is exhausting just to write about.

USL Rising indeed.

All that said, there are plenty of questions to be asked about the plan USL has with their tiered set up. This morning, we had a chance to ask just a few of those questions and USL D3 Vice President Steven Short was kind enough to answer them for us. He wouldn’t give away anything too secretive or groundbreaking, but read between the lines below and I think you’ll find a few interesting nuggets.

Let’s go.

Why is USL forming a Division III league? What’s the goal here?

USL Division III will bring the thrill and passion of professional soccer to numerous communities across the United States that do not currently have direct access to the professional level, while also delivering professional opportunities for players, coaches, referees and executive development. The league is committed to growing the game domestically, while teams engage with and elevate their communities.

How many teams have you gathered together to be a part of the league so far? We know of only six …

As a part of our sanctioning application to the U.S. Soccer Federation, we have identified 10 thriving markets that will compete in the inaugural 2019 season. However, we will have more announcements on teams competing in 2019 in the weeks ahead and are in ongoing discussions with ownership groups in markets preparing to join in 2020. Our target by 2021, the league’s third season, is 24 teams competing across North America.

So what does this sanctioning process look like?

USL Division III submitted the league’s formal application for sanctioning on Tuesday, Aug. 14. As part of the sanctioning process, each team will host representatives from the U.S. Soccer Federation for a compliance visit, in which the materials provided by the clubs will be assessed.

From field dimensions to the club’s business plan, the visit is comprehensive and will provide USSF with the information needed to evaluate the club and league’s application to ensure it meets and exceeds the Professional League Standards set forth by U.S. Soccer for third division professional soccer. During this compliance phase, USL Division III will continue to announce teams within the league.

How did the league find Greenville, S.C.?

Greenville, South Carolina, was identified as a potential expansion market in 2015 as we built the game plan for USL Division III. Once USL Division III was formally announced in April 2017, the league visited Greenville to meet with local leaders and soccer influencers, beginning with Chris Lewis — former President of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and current Greenville Triumph SC President — Carlos Phillips, President and CEO of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, and Robin Wright and Chris Stone from VisitGreenvilleSC.

Following the league’s first visit to Greenville, we were invited back to present to local business leaders regarding the potential for professional soccer in Greenville. It was shortly thereafter that the league was able to connect with Joe Erwin and his team.

Are there any other markets in the Carolinas you’re working with? A few of our loyal readers will want you to say Wilmington … please say Wilmington.

We have spent a lot of time in North and South Carolina. From Asheville to High Point, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Hickory, Fayetteville and Columbia, our conversations continue in many of these markets, and we are excited for the potential to bring professional soccer to these areas and more within the Carolinas and the region.

We have not visited Wilmington to date, but we have had conversations in the market.

Last fall, one of our readers noticed that USL trademarked the terms “USL Championship, USL League One, USL League Two, and USL Youth.” Care to comment on that?

The league will release its official brand identity later this year.

Alright, so what announcements should we be looking for in the coming months? What’s the timeline before first kick 2019?

Multiple teams will be announced, including at least one more in the Southeast, followed by brand, coach and initial roster signing announcements. Additionally, the league will release its brand identity along with the competition structure and schedule.

It’s going to be an exciting time.

Personal opinions on the matter aside: In just four years time, USL has dramatically changed the game in lower division soccer in America. Growing from just 14 teams in Division III in 2014 to 33 in Division II today, the league could conceivably double that number by the next World Cup.

That’s wild.

Thanks to Steven Short and the USLD3 family for taking some time with us this morning and good luck to them over the next few months. As far as we’re concerned at SNST, the more Carolina soccer, the better, and we’re hopeful a few more of those Carolina cities mentioned have their own professional clubs in the near future.