The 2021 USL Championship playoffs (branded as the 2021 USL Championship Playoffs presented by TwinSpires for sponsorship reasons) was the post-season championship of the 2021 USL Championship. It was the eleventh edition of the USL Championship playoffs. The playoffs began on November 5, and concluded with the USL Championship Final on November 28.
Tampa Bay Rowdies won the regular season with 71 standings points. They were beaten in the Final by Orange County SC, which won its first league title.
Real Monarchs, having won the title in 2019, were the title holders, since the 2020 Final was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the Rowdies and the title was not awarded. However, they were eliminated in the regular season as they finished bottom of the Mountain Division table.
Qualified teams
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Atlantic Division |
Central Division
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Mountain Division |
Pacific Division
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Format
The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. They began to play on the first weekend on November, featuring a single-elimination, 16-team bracket. Under the revised season format, four division winners in each conference earned hosting rights for the Eastern and Western conference quarterfinals. Following the opening round, hosting rights were determined by regular season record (ranks, then points, then number of wins). All playoff matches were streamed live on ESPN+ except the Championship final on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and SiriusXM FC.
Division tables
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Atlantic Division
Source: USL
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Central Division
Source: USL
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Mountain Division
Source: USL
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Pacific Division
Source: USL
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Bracket
| Conference Quarterfinals November 5–7 | Conference Semifinals November 13 | Conference Finals November 20 | USL Championship Final November 28 | ||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| C4 | FC Tulsa | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Birmingham Legion FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Birmingham Legion FC | w/o | |||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | ||||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies (a.e.t.) | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Louisville City FC | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Charlotte Independence | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| C3 | Memphis 901 FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Charlotte Independence | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Louisville City FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Louisville City FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| A4 | Miami FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| P2 | Orange County SC | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| M1 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| P4 | Oakland Roots SC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| P4 | Oakland Roots SC | 0 (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| P2 | Orange County SC (p) | 0 (6) | |||||||||||||||||
| P2 | Orange County SC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| M3 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| P2 | Orange County SC (p) | 1 (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| M2 | San Antonio FC | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| M2 | San Antonio FC | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| P3 | San Diego Loyal SC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| M2 | San Antonio FC | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| M4 | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| P1 | Phoenix Rising FC | 3 (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| M4 | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (p) | 3 (4) | |||||||||||||||||
Schedule
Conference Quarterfinals
| November 6, 2021 East | Charlotte Independence | 3–1 | Memphis 901 FC | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Report | Stadium: American Legion Memorial Stadium Attendance: 2,723 Referee: Mark Allatin |
| November 6, 2021 East | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 6–2 | FC Tulsa | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 7:30 PM EDT | Report | Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 6,262 Referee: Sergii Demianchuk |
| November 6, 2021 East | Louisville City FC | 1–0 | Miami FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 8:00 PM EDT | Report | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 9,097 Referee: Elton García |
| November 7, 2021 East | Birmingham Legion FC | w/o | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Birmingham, Alabama |
| 5:00 PM EST | Report | Stadium: BBVA Field | ||
| Note: Match canceled after multiple Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players tested positive for COVID-19. | ||||
| November 5, 2021 West | San Antonio FC | 2–0 | San Diego Loyal SC | San Antonio, Texas |
| 8:00 PM CDT | Report | Stadium: Toyota Field Attendance: 7,003 Referee: Matthew Thompson |
| November 5, 2021 West | El Paso Locomotive FC | 0–1 | Oakland Roots SC | El Paso, Texas |
| 7:30 PM MDT | Report | Stadium: Southwest University Park Attendance: 7,201 Referee: Ismir Pekmic |
| November 6, 2021 West | Orange County SC | 1–0 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | Irvine, California |
| 7:00 PM PDT | Report | Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium Attendance: 4,194 Referee: Lukasz Szpala |
| November 6, 2021 West | Phoenix Rising FC | 3–3 (a.e.t.) (3–4 p) | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | Chandler, Arizona |
| 7:30 PM MST | Report | Stadium: Wild Horse Pass Attendance: 8,234 Referee: Brandon Stevis | ||
| Penalties | ||||
Conference Semifinals
| November 13, 2021 East | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–0 | Birmingham Legion FC | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 7:00 pm EST | Report | Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 5,949 Referee: Elton García |
| November 13, 2021 East | Louisville City FC | 1–0 | Charlotte Independence | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 7:30 pm EST |
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Report | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 9,155 Referee: Elijio Arreguin |
| November 13, 2021 West | Orange County SC | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (6–5 p) | Oakland Roots SC | Irvine, California |
| 7:00 pm PST | Report |
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Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium Attendance: 5,218 Referee: Matthew Thompson | |
| Penalties | ||||
| November 13, 2021 West | San Antonio FC | 3–1 | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | San Antonio, Texas |
| 8:00 PM CST | Report | Stadium: Toyota Field Attendance: 7,966 Referee: Mark Allatin |
Conference Finals
| November 20, 2021 East | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Louisville City FC | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 7:00 pm EST |
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Report | Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 7,120 Referee: Lukasz Szpala |
| November 20, 2021 West | Orange County SC | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3 p) | San Antonio FC | Irvine, California |
| 7:00 pm PST | Report | Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium Attendance: 5,386 Referee: Elton García | ||
| Penalties | ||||
USL Championship Final
| November 28, 2021 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–3 | Orange County SC | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 8:30 PM EST | Report | Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 7,521 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez |
Championship Game MVP: Ronaldo Damus (Orange County SC)
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ronaldo Damus | Orange County SC | 4 |
| 2 | Leo Fernandes | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3 |
| Lucky Mkosana | Tampa Bay Rowdies | ||
| Santiago Patiño | San Antonio FC | ||
| 5 | Elvis Amoh | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 2 |
| Solomon Asante | Phoenix Rising FC | ||
| Steevan Dos Santos | Tampa Bay Rowdies | ||
| Nathan Fogaça | San Antonio FC | ||
| 9 | 17 players | 1 | |
Awards
- Goal of the Playoffs: Rodrigo López (RGV)
- Save of the Playoffs: Jordan Farr (SAN)