United Soccer League New Brand Identity | WPI Agency SPARK
New Brand for the Next Era of American Soccer
By Worldwide Partners, Inc (WPI)
New Brand for the Next Era of American Soccer
The United Soccer League (USL) unveiled a new brand identity developed in partnership with SPARK, a leading independent creative agency. The new brand arrives as the USL enters a significant period of growth and transformation, including the planned launch of USL Premier in 2028 as the top tier of its men's professional leagues and the introduction of promotion and relegation across its three men's professional divisions.
The work began with a broad question: what should the future of American soccer feel like? SPARK interviewed league leadership and club ownership, studied the competitive landscape across American sports and global football, and conducted brand perception research. Because promotion and relegation is familiar to much of the soccer world but still new to many American fans, SPARK also drew on the Worldwide Partners network to convene supporters in the U.S. and international markets. Those sessions explored how fans view American soccer and how they respond to promotion and relegation, and were used to test and validate identity concepts before the brand was finalized.
One pattern held across those conversations: American audiences tended to measure USL against other domestic leagues, while international supporters focused on what it could become. The research also made clear that the league’s long-standing strengths, from its connected soccer system to its community-rooted clubs and clear player pathway, needed a brand that showed fans how it all fits together. That became the foundation of the new United for Soccer brand platform.
The new identity moves the league away from a fragmented, corporate look toward something bold and unmistakably athletic. A new wordmark gives USL a stronger visual signature, and a flexible design system extends across every league and level of play, from USL Youth and USL Academy through the men’s and women’s professional leagues. Each competition shares a consistent visual language that can evolve alongside the organization, carried across broadcast and digital channels, apparel and merchandise, trophies, stadium environments, and future marketing campaigns.
The brand debuts today as the first public step in a multi-year transformation. It will roll out across USL leagues and channels in January 2027, ahead of promotion and relegation in 2028. From then on, clubs will move between USL Premier, the USL Championship, and USL League One based on performance.