Affiliations
USL is directly affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA), the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), the Puerto Rican Football Federation (PRFF) and the Bermudan Football Association (BFA).

Rosters
USL rosters may consist of a maximum of 26 players, with 18 designated for each game. In the PDL and W-League, at least three(3)players in a full 26-player roster must be under 19, in accordance with guidelines set by the USASA and USSF. In the PDL, a maximum of eight (8) players may be over the age of 23. In USL-1 and USL-2, each team is permitted a maximum of five (5) foreign players on its active game-day roster and a maximum of seven (7) foreign players on its master roster. The PDL is permitted a maximum of six (6) on both rosters and the W-League is permitted a maximum of seven (7) on both rosters.

Roster Freeze
Each USL league has a Roster Freeze Date after which no team may register any new players. For 2008, those dates are:

W-League: July 9
PDL: July 16
USL Second Division: July 23
USL First Division: August 27
USL Super-20 League: August 1
USL Super Y-League: October 1

TRANSFER WINDOWS
From the 2007 season and until further notice, FIFA will not register player transfers that take place outside of the following transfer windows:

Transfer Windows
- January 15 until April 15 (the “primary window”)
- July 15 until August 15 (the “secondary window”)

Amateur Player Definition
An amateur player is defined by the following: A player who does not receive payment for playing soccer and who has signed an amateur registration form with U.S. Soccer or Canadian Soccer Association. Amateur players may be reimbursed for certain expenses as allowed by USSF / CSA / NCAA rules.

Point System
The standard FIFA (3-1-0) system awards three points for a regulation or overtime victory. In the case of a tie, each team will be awarded one point.

Game clock
All games are comprised of 90 minutes (two 45-minute halves). No overtime is utilized.

LAWS OF THE GAME
USL adheres to all the Laws of the Game as dictated by FIFA, soccer’s international governing body.

Substitutions
Five (5) substitutions are allowed per league game with no re-entry permitted in the USL professional leagues. Six (6) will be allowed in the PDL and W-League.

Standings tiebreakers
The breaking of ties in the final league standings, playoffs and finals is accomplished by applying the following criteria, listed in order of importance:

The following two guidelines will be followed during the implementation of USL tiebreakers for all ties involving three or more teams:
1) The tiebreaker will determine the winner first.
2) The tiebreaker will continue to be followed in order to determine the ranking of the remaining teams without restarting from the beginning.

1) Head-to-head record based on total points in League games.*
2) Total wins in League games
3) Goal difference in League games.
4) Goals scored in League games.
5) Total points within smallest grouping. If number of games is unequal, then point percentage will be used.
6) Ranking based on points earned against top four group finishers. This tiebreaker will not be used if four or less teams comprise the group. If number of games is unequal, then point percentage applies.
7) Point percentage outside/smallest division or conference in League games
8) Total points in all regular season and Open Cup Qualifying games combined. If number of games is unequal, then point percentage applies.
9) FIFA Fair Play – Team with fewest disciplinary points in League games. (If number of games is unequal, points will be divided by games played to arrive at a common basis for comparison.)
10) Lottery conducted by USL at League office.

League games: refers solely to games that count towards the regular season standings. Open Cup qualifying specific games are NOT “League games” when it comes to determining placement in the League standings. (When utilizing these criteria to determine tiebreakers for Open Cup groups, “League games” should be interpreted as all games that count toward the Open Cup group standings.)

* Should more than two teams involved have played each other an UNEQUAL number of times, this tiebreaker will be skipped.

Group: term used to describe the primary unit in which a team competes (i.e. PDL – Southwest Division)

Point Percentage: number of total points earned / maximum possible points (3 per game)

SCHEDULES
USL First Division: Each USL FIrst Division team plays 30 games during the regular season. Each team will face everyone in the league three times with additional matches versus regional rivals.

USL Second Division: Each team plays 20 games during the regular season. Each team will face everyone in the league home and away with additional matches versus regional rivals.

USL PDL: Each team plays 16 games during the regular season.

W-League: Each team plays 12 or 14 games during the regular season.

PLAYOFFS
Each league in USL has its own distinct playoff system that will determine the league champion.

USL First Division: The top seven teams will advance to the playoff tournament, with the Commissioner’s Cup winner (regular season champion) receiving a bye into the Semifinals. The First Round will involve the #2 - #7 seeds competing in two-leg aggregate score series with the three winners advancing to Semifinals with #1 seed pitted against the lowest remaining seed. The semifinal winners advance to the USL-1 Championship set for October 11.

USL Second Division: The top six clubs will advance to the postseason which will consist of teams seeded three through six playing a single-game elimination round midweek. The winners of the First Round will advance to the Semifinal Round the following weekend versus the top two clubs, who received byes. The teams will not be re-seeded after the first round, pitting the regular season champion against the winner of the 4-v-5 match-up and the number two seed against the 3-v-6 winner. The Semifinal winners advance to the USL-2 Championship match on Saturday, August 23.

USL PDL: The playoffs will begin almost immediately with the expanded Central Conference format in which seven teams will move onto the postseason. The four Conference Championship Tournaments will be held July 25-27 with the PDL Semifinals August 1-2 and the PDL Championship Saturday, August 9. All playoff hosts are determined via a bid process.

Central Conference Playoffs: The regular season conference champion receives a bye to the conference tournament semifinals. The remaining top two teams in each division will play a divisional round midweek to determine the three other qualifiers for the conference tournament. The number one seed will play the lowest seeded non-divisional opponent in the conference tournament semifinals. The winner of the conference championship advances to the PDL Semifinals.
Eastern Conference Playoffs: The three division champions and the top second-place club (wild card) advance to the conference championship tournament. The number one seed will play the lowest seeded non-divisional opponent in the conference tournament semifinals. The winner of the conference championship advances to the PDL Semifinals.
Southern Conference Playoffs: The top two teams in each division advance to the conference championship tournament. The division champions face the second place team from the opposite division in the conference semifinals. The winner of the conference championship advances to the PDL Semifinals.
Western Conference Playoffs: The top two teams in each division advance to the conference championship tournament. The division champions face the second place team from the opposite division in the conference semifinals. The winner of the conference championship advances to the PDL Semifinals.

W-League: The playoffs will begin almost immediately with a midweek divisional playoff round. The three Conference Championship Tournaments will be held July 25-27. The W-League Championship Tournament will be held June 31 and August 2. The W-League Championship will be held in Virginia Beach, VA and hosted by the Hampton Roads Piranhas.

Regular Season Champion: The regular season W-League champion for the 2008 season will automatically receive a berth in the W-League Semifinals.

Central Conference Playoffs: The playoffs open with a Divisional Round between the second and third-place teams in the Northern Division hosted by the higher seed. The winner of the Divisional Round will advance to the conference tournament with the regular season Northern Division champion and the top two teams from the Midwest Division. The top seeds will play the lower seeds from the opposite division in the conference semifinals. The conference champion will advance to the W-League Championship Tournament. The regular season conference champion has the first right to host the conference tournament if they meet the pre-established hosting requirements.

Eastern Conference Playoffs: The playoffs open with a Divisional Round between the second and third-place teams in the Northeast Division hosted by the higher seed. The winner of the Divisional Round will advance to the conference tournament with the regular season Northeast Division champion and the top two teams from the Atlantic Division. The top seeds will play the lower seeds from the opposite division in the conference semifinals. The conference champion will advance to the W-League Championship Tournament. The regular season conference champion has the first right to host the conference tournament if they meet the pre-established hosting requirements.

Western Conference Playoffs: The regular season conference champion will play host to the second-place finisher in the Conference Championship match. The winner advances to the W-League Championship Tournament.

Single playoff matches
During postseason play, single games tied after regulation will be followed by two 15-minute overtime periods played in their entirety. If still tied, FIFA penalty kicks are used to determine the winner.

Two-leg, aggregate score series
Playoffs: Each team will host a regulation 90-minute match. If the series score is tied at the conclusion of the second game (180 minutes total), two 15-minute overtime periods are played in their entirety to determine the series winner. If neither team scores, the series is then decided via FIFA penalty kicks. Rules governing the play of overtime and penalty kicks are extended from the second match.