Five new clubs make their debut, a season-wide Henny Derby, expanded USL Jägermeister Cup with matches against USL Championship opposition
RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers and USL League One announced the schedule for the 2025 season, the league’s seventh overall, which kicks off on Saturday, March 8 at South Georgia Tormenta and concludes on Saturday, Oct. 25 for the last leg of the Henny Derby. Every team in the league will conclude their season on Oct. 25, ahead of the 2025 USL League One Playoffs.
The 2025 USL League One season will be the largest field in league history with 14 clubs competing across 210 regular season matches.
The Kickers will play their home-opener March 22nd against League One newcomer Antelope Valley. Four other clubs kick off their inaugural campaigns this season. The Kickers will give each new squad a full-fledged City Stadium welcome to USL League One. Westchester SC first travels to Richmond April 19, Texoma FC on June 7, FC Naples kicks off August in Richmond on the second, and the Portland Hearts of Pine close out the newcomer visits on Sept. 17.
The regular season will consist of 30 matches with every team playing a home-and-home series against each of the other 13 clubs and then four additional matches – two home, two away – in a single table format.
The recently announced expansion of the USL Jägermeister Cup will make up the remaining four matches in each club’s schedule, with group play beginning on April 25 and concluding on July 26. The last week of each month will feature dedicated USL Jägermeister Cup weekends. The USL Jägermeister Cup includes all 38 professional men’s clubs competing in a World Cup-style tournament throughout the regular season with the USL Jägermeister Cup Final taking place on Saturday, Oct. 11. The Kickers start USL Jägermeister Cup play on April 26 at Louisville City, host May 31 and June 28 against NCFC and Lexington SC respectively and finish the group stage of the tournament on the road against Charlotte Independence on July 26.
On March 15, the two oldest clubs in the league will renew their decade-long rivalry for the 23rd time when the Richmond Kickers travel to American Legion Memorial Stadium to take on the Charlotte Independence with two of the longest-tenured coaches on the sidelines, Charlotte’s Mike Jeffries and Richmond’s Darren Sawatzky.
The first leg Henny Derby will be played on March 29 before what’s always a raucous crowd at City Stadium. The Kickers will host the first and last meeting between themselves and Forward Madison this year as the Kickers look to keep the trophy another year. Richmond travels to Madison Sept. 13 but returns home for the final leg on the last day of the regular season, Oct. 25.
2025 USL League One Playoffs
At the conclusion of the regular season, the top eight teams in the regular season standings will qualify for the 2025 USL League One Playoffs which will kick off on the weekend of Nov. 1.
The USL League One Playoffs will remain a single-elimination and fixed bracket format. The postseason will conclude with the 2025 USL League One Final taking place between Nov. 14 and Nov. 16.
