As part of a rebrand unveiled earlier this week, the USL doubled down on its plan to launch promotion and relegation for the 2028 season, a shift that may well shape how the Portland Hearts of Pine build their roster in the years to come.
Amid ongoing doubts over the feasibility of the 2028 start date, the USL’s new visual identity challenges that skepticism, embedding a stair-step design into the “S” of its new wordmark, a nod to clubs climbing and falling between divisions. While fans generally support the concept, some club owners, investors and soccer executives have had reservations centered around financial survival and logistics.
Promotion and relegation (pro-rel) is the standard organizational model used in soccer leagues around the world, in contrast to the “closed-shop” franchise system used in traditional professional U.S. sports, such as Major League Soccer, the NFL, NBA or MLB. Teams that finish at the top of the table are promoted to a higher league, while those finishing at the bottom are relegated to the lower one.
It has seemed, though, that the Hearts’ organization has embraced the idea. On multiple occasions, club officials have talked enthusiastically about using pro-rel to climb the USL ladder and gain entrance through promotion into higher divisions.
Ray Saari, Portland Hearts of Pine’s sporting director, called it an exciting development.
“It’s the way it should be, right?” Saari said. “It’s what everybody’s been screaming for, for 20-plus years, so (it’s) certainly exciting.”
Saari said pro-rel will be a consideration for his plans in constructing the club because part of his job is to build for the long-term future of the Hearts. That means finding players who are battle-tested with positive results and who will relish high-pressure end-of-season moments.
“You’re not just playing for yourself, but the chance to be promoted adds an extra pressure,” Saari said. “What is the mental profile of the player that we’re looking for? Is this player mature enough and have the emotional intelligence to work through pressure situations like that, is something that we think about.”
Saari said pro-rel also pertains to setting up player contracts that Portland wants for the long term.
“You’re starting to think about, ‘do you want the player’s contract to be through that 2029 year?’” he asked. “Do you want it to end right before? There’s a lot of strategy that goes into that, but certainly (it) is exciting.”
Despite any enthusiasm fans and some executives might have for pro-rel, there remain a host of unanswered questions about how it can work in the United States. Issues still needing to be addressed include stadium size (the higher the league’s level, the bigger the stadium is required to be) and the loss of revenue (relegated teams can face a reduction in TV broadcast revenue, sponsorship deals and ticket sales). Relegated clubs could also still be locked into player contracts that were negotiated for the higher league (the higher the league, the more a player is paid).
Another issue is the potential problem for owners/investors who spent big money to build stadiums and brands and don’t want to risk losing their entire investment because a team has a bad season.
Built around the slogan “United for Soccer,” the rebrand is a visual overhaul designed to align the USL’s marketing identity with its long-term sporting structure. By replacing a series of disconnected league logos with the new USL wordmark and matching marks for each league, the USL has woven its seven leagues, plus 2028 newcomer USL Premier, into a single, cohesive identity.
“We believe American soccer is stronger when more communities have clubs to call their own, more players have opportunities to advance and competition rewards performance on the field,” Paul McDonough, president and CEO of the USL, said in a statement. “United for Soccer reflects that belief and our commitment to working alongside our owners, players, fans, and stakeholders to grow the game together.”
Hearts coach Bobby Murphy called the news “exciting if it gets off the ground.”
As he is apt to do, Murphy then offered brilliant yet somewhat esoteric commentary: “What’s the old Billy the Kid movie, ‘Young Guns’? Yeah, many a slip twixt a cup and a lip. You know what I mean?”
No, we did not, but after an internet search, we learned that it’s an English proverb similar to the line, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”
Murphy added, “I think if we can get it all together and the owners can decide on what that format looks like, I think it’ll be really exciting for fans. For teams like us in our situation this year, it (would make) the end of the season really important … because you have something to fight for.”
He then praised Hearts’ leaders for their work on pro-rel.
“I think the owners have been really prudent and smart in keeping their powder dry, waiting for this and really not jumping the gun, but building a club in terms of infrastructure and everything else that’s sustainable, that’s ready to make a push if and when that becomes the reality,” Murphy said.
For a deeper look at the USL rebrand, check out the video it released. And here is a link to the USL story about it.