December 18, 2023 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Phoenix Rising FC News Release
The defending USL Championship winners, Phoenix Rising FC revealed its 2024 schedule today, kicking off at 38th St. & Washington on Saturday, March 9 (7:30 p.m.) against Birmingham Legion FC.
Capitalizing on the Spring weather in Phoenix, Rising will play two more times in March (3/23 vs. Oakland & 3/30 vs. New Mexico), April (4/13 vs. Colorado & 4/20 vs. Pittsburgh) and May (5/4 vs. Sacramento & 5/18 vs. Miami) before hitting the road for seven of 11 away matches during the summer months.
Single-game tickets for Rising’s 2024 campaign will go on sale Monday, January 22.
About the 2024 USL Championship Schedule
Each team will play 34 matches in the quest for spots in the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs. The full 408-game regular season unfolds over 34 weeks and concludes on Oct. 26. Great rivalries, rising stars, and compelling storylines have the USL Championship primed for a third straight year of attendance growth after drawing more than 2.3 million fans through the gates in 2023.
The 2024 season will see expansion side Rhode Island FC embark on its inaugural season while North Carolina FC returns to the league after exercising its option to move up from USL League One, where the club played three seasons, including its 2023 title-winning campaign.
The USL also announced today that Rio Grande Valley FC has ceased operations. Founded in 2015 as a development team for MLS club Houston Dynamo FC, RGV FC was granted permission in 2021 to remain in the USL Championship, provided it continued to meet all league and federation requirements.
To maintain two 12-team conferences, Memphis 901 FC and FC Tulsa will move to the Western Conference this season (See format and conference alignment below).
The 2024 USL Championship season will mark the first in the league’s new historic four-year broadcast agreement with CBS Sports, through which USL Championship contests will air on network television for the first time. More details on the 2024 national broadcast schedule and broadcast partners will be announced in the coming weeks.
The season will conclude with a full slate of 12 games on Saturday, October 26, which will feature a blockbuster interconference clash as Louisville City FC hosts Phoenix Rising FC at Lynn Family Stadium. Additionally on the final day of the regular season, the Tampa Bay Rowdies will play host to Indy Eleven and Sacramento Republic FC will face…