​It’s official: the new Oklahoma City professional soccer club will be called OKC United.The name was revealed during Mayor David Holt’s State of the City address on Wednesday, alongside the team colors and crest. Starting in the 2028 season, OKC United will compete in the United Soccer League, the same as its predecessor, OKC Energy FC, competed until 2022.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe USL is not a minor league or lower division for Major League Soccer, instead, it is an independent business, usually focusing on smaller or mid-sized markets like El Paso, Lexington and Jacksonville. Oklahoma already has a representative in the USL, FC Tulsa.The league also counts with some major city teams that also have a representative in the MLS, like Miami and Louisville, but the teams operate independently.More: Why did OKC United pick that name? See the naming, design processOKC United’s maiden season will coincide with the USL’s first season using the relegation system, already used in most major leagues around the world. The three tiers will include USL Premier, USL Championship and USL League One. The Oklahoma City team will start in the second division, USL Championship, and will have to fight for promotion by finishing the season in one of the top spots.1 / 22Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt speaks at the State of the City in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN)It is unknown whether FC Tulsa will be promoted to USL Premier or stay in the Championship heading into 2028.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe team will play at MAPS 4 Multipurpose Stadium, now under construction downtown. The stadium’s capacity will be around 10,000, and is to be built with flexibility to also host United Football League games, a new league also coming to OKC in 2028.Currently, 25 teams compete in the USL, divided into the Eastern and the Western Conference.Eastern: Tampa Bay Rowdies, Charleston Battery, Detroit City FC, Louisville City FC, Indy Eleven, Miami FC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, Hartford Athletic, Rhode Island FC, Birmingham Legion FC, Brooklyn, Loundoun United FC, Sporting JAXWestern: Orange County SC, San Antonio FC, New Mexico United, Oakland Roots SC, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, El Paso Locomotive FC, FC Tulsa, Sacramento Republic FC, Lexington SC, Phoenix Rising FC, Las Vegas Lights FC, Monterey Bay FCThe USL features a spring-to-fall 34-week regular season followed by a fixed-bracket postseason.Each club in the Eastern Conference play 24 or 25 games against in-conference opposition, and five or six games against Western Conference opposition to complete a 30-game regular season schedule. In the Western Conference, clubs play 24 games against in-conference opposition, and six games against Eastern Conference opposition.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe top eight teams in each conference qualify for the USL Championship Playoffs.This format is subject to change as the league introduces its three