“We feel like this is a great opportunity for us to reorganize and refocus and get to the next level we want to be at. … The USL has proven an incredible track record over the last several years in terms of growing franchise values and growing the beautiful game of soccer.”

The expansion of the American lower leagues falls in line with the Kickers’ current expansion plans, which are centered on the revitalization of City Stadium and the $20 million of renovations for which the club is on the hook after signing a 40-year lease with the city in December 2016.

In financial terms, fielding a second-division team with second-division players was creating “a huge financial commitment to keep up in a league like [the USL],” Inge said. Even then, Richmond struggled to keep pace with its opponents with a budget that often paled in comparison despite the strain.

FC Cincinnati, which is on the cusp of moving to Major League Soccer, is employing players on its roster with MLS contracts. Fanendo Adi, who joined Cincinnati midseason from the Portland Timbers of the MLS, makes an annual salary of $1.25 million. Though the Kickers declined to reveal their budget for player salaries, Inge confirmed the entirety of the Kickers’ 23-man roster makes less than Adi does alone in Cincinnati.