USL League One Expanding to Westchester, New York in 2025
While the league has not released an official statement, local news reports that Westchester SC is launching next year to expand third-division soccer in America.
On Thursday, journalist Gary Stern reported that a new soccer club named Westchester SC will begin play next spring as a member of USL League One.
The expansion club is funded by Mitch Baruchowitz, the co-founder of private equity firm Merida, specialists in the cannabis industry. His club plan to play matches out of The Stadium at Memorial Field, a 3,900 seat complex that just recently reopened in 2022 after $40 million in renovations driven by Westchester County (a county of New York City). The stadium is managed by the county and the city of Mount Vernon. Mount Verson city spokesperson Tim Allen stated that the city would withhold comment as contract negotiations were not completed and that the city will provide a comment and official statement once the process is complete, confirming the formation of the team before the official USL announcement, expected “within weeks”. The club is also expected to form a professional women’s side in the “coming years”.
Mr. Stern’s report states that the club plans to focus on player development, with plans to merge with a Westchester-based youth soccer academy and develop partnerships with local and regional soccer programs to create a development pipeline. The club is expected to draw interest from players and programs from northern New Jersey to western Connecticut.
Westchester SC looks to be the 7th hopeful club to launch into USL League One for the 2025 season, joining Naples, Florida, Texoma FC, Antelope Valley, Portland, Maine, Santa Barbara Sky FC, and Lane United FC (rebrand on the way), pushing the league to 19 teams. However, a statement by the club states their intention to one day move up to the USL Championship, “the highest tier of the USL’s professional soccer pyramid”. Until they make that move, they’ll be replacing League One’s presence in New York City that was lost when Brooklyn FC announced that they would launch in the Championship.
This is a great opportunity for USL’s third division to continue to grow across the United States and establish a great base of local soccer in the country. Let’s welcome Westchester SC to the USL!
Very atypical role out for a USL team. Wonder if there is any reason for that.
Any details on what is the revenue split between the USL-1 side and West Chester for stadium revenues and sponsorships?