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The United Soccer Leagues ('''USL''') is the parent organization for the men's lower division leagues of US Soccer: USL First Division (second division), USL Second Division (third division), and Premier Development League (PDL) (fourth division). The top division for US men's soccer is Major League Soccer (MLS) . The USL also includes the current top flight women's league W-League and youth league the Super Y-League . It's directly affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA). The USL structure allows for the Second Division champion to be promoted to the First Division, provided that the team to be promoted meets criteria set by USL and the USSF, and space exists. A formal Relegation process may also be added at a future date. USL rosters may consist of a maximum of 26 players, with 18 designated for each game. Each team is permitted a maximum of five (5) foreign players on its active game-day roster and a maximum of seven (7) foreign players on its master roster. In the PDL and W-League, at least three players in a full 26-player roster must be under 19, in accordance with guidelines set by the USASA and USSF. In the PDL, a maximum of eight (8) players may be over the age of 23, and can retain their NCAA elegibility. HISTORY The USL began life in 1986 as the Southwest Indoor Soccer League ('''SISL'''). In 1989 the league added an outdoor season and subsequently became known as the '''Southwest Independent Soccer League''' with many teams playing both indoor and outdoor seasons. Before the beginning the 1990/91 indoor season the league again changed its name to the '''Sunbelt Independent Soccer League''', and again prior to the beginning of the 1991/92 indoor season the league changed its name to the '''United States Interregional Soccer League''' ('''USISL'''). In 1995, after briefly renaming themselves the United States International Soccer League ('''USISL'''), the league changed its name to the '''United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues''' and formally established an amateur league, the USL Premier Development League and a professional league, the USL Second Division . The next year, the USISL established the new ''Select League'' consisting of its strongest teams from its professional FIFA Division 3 sanctioned Pro League and its amateur Premier League in hopes of gaining FIFA Division 2 sanctioning. The next season, the Select League and the independent Division 2 A-League merged to form a new A-League under the USISL umbrella. In 1999 the umbrella USISL changed its name to the modern United Soccer Leagues. Complete historical team list SISL USISL Champions SISL
- Champions determined by best-of-5-game series, except for 1986/87, 1989 & 1991 seasons which were determined by one-game final. USISL
- Champions determined by one-game final, except for 1996/97 which was determined by best-of-3 game series. EXTERNAL LINKS
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