Ottawa Fury FC named to United Soccer League eastern conference

_ (Via Ottawa Fury FC) _

** OTTAWA ** - The United Soccer League announced

 Monday

its structure for the 2017 season, which will feature 30 teams playing an expanded 32-game schedule as the league continues in a two-conference alignment that began in 2015. Ottawa Fury FC will begin its inaugural USL season in the Eastern Conference.

"Building momentum off our U.S. Soccer Division 2 designation last week, USL aims to become one of the most globally recognized second division professional soccer leagues in the world and our expansive national footprint for this season will showcase teams in 21 of the top 50 U.S. media markets," said USL President Jake Edwards. "The 2017 USL Season will feature a total of 495 games in 19 states with a focus on enhanced competition, and strong regional rivalries in both Eastern and Western Conferences."






Fury FC will be joined in the Eastern Conference by league newcomers the Tampa Bay Rowdies while expansion Reno 1868 FC will play in the Western Conference. Saint Louis FC will rejoin the Eastern Conference, and both the Eastern and Western Conferences will each have 15 teams.






"The USL Eastern Conference is filled with fantastic competition and we're excited to prove our worth against these clubs," said Paul Dalglish, Fury FC GM and Head Coach. "It won't take long for rivalries to flourish that are sure to produce thrilling games all season."






"Training Camp is a few short weeks away and we're excited to get going," added Dalglish whose team will begin camp at the beginning of February.






The 2017 USL regular season schedule will see teams play 32 matches contested over 30 weeks, with the regular season starting on

 
  March 24-26
 

and concluding the weekend of

 
  October 13-15
 

. Teams will play two games (one home, one away) against each of their conference rivals. The remaining four games will be played against regional foes. Teams will not face each other more than three times during the 2017 regular season.






The top eight teams in each conference will qualify for postseason play that will include Conference Quarterfinals (

 
  Oct. 20-22
 

), Semifinals (

 
  Oct. 27-29
 

) and Final (

 
  Nov. 3-5
 

). The 2017 USL Cup Final will be played the weekend of

 
  November 10-12
 

. The full 2017 USL schedule will be released soon.












Ottawa Fury FC season tickets for the 2017 USL season are now on-sale at
[
 OttawaFuryFC.com
](http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001fxRS3yrhrWiTUAQX27Pp3M4mmdcarETDhN2DZMSH6Skotcmqbvoq4Lk3T5RxltBGwZ1_Gm6m1PMNVUQdpNU8YOUyImTnt5FBFvyogme4GAyCPjrN5yJ5nfov81VsxAOY07i4tsNsMWP94YPEKodg1xDWQLLGCXyIKHxcMs3pFjc=&c=Yc75RT4fKUMuEBOOzGcnPQRT2NXndZ5Sgf7DPDMjWOWOnHnHASudkQ==&ch=ZOHl-4mb21i8gweO7qaLGIABaZJM4B1tJNCFY6l9rep1e08D9fRopg==)
, by calling
[
 613.232.6767 X1
](tel:(613)%20232-6767)
or in person at The Box Office at TD Place.















 The conference alignment will be:












 **
  Eastern Conference
 **






 Bethlehem Steel FC






 Charleston Battery






 Charlotte Independence
 






 FC Cincinnati






 Harrisburg City Islanders






 Louisville City FC






 New York Red Bulls II






 Orlando City B






 **
  Ottawa Fury FC
 **






 Pittsburgh Riverhounds






 Richmond Kickers






 Rochester Rhinos






 Saint Louis FC






 Tampa Bay Rowdies






 Toronto FC II












 **
  Western Conference
 **






 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC






 LA Galaxy II






 OKC Energy FC






 Orange County Blues FC






 Phoenix Rising FC






 Portland Timbers 2






 Real Monarchs SLC






 Reno 1868 FC






 Rio Grande Valley FC






 Sacramento Republic FC






 San Antonio FC






 Seattle Sounders FC 2






 Swope Park Rangers






 Tulsa Roughnecks FC






 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2









The 2016 season saw the USL record a total attendance of almost 1.5 million for 29 teams, a 33 percent increase from 2015. The league has more than doubled in size since 2014 and has built a stable, highly-competitive professional soccer league positioned for long-term success. The USL enters the 2017 season with three new teams, and has announced Nashville SC as joining the league in 2018. Additional expansion announcements are expected in the near future.