As the second division in a country that finds its professional soccer only second best in the continent, the USL-1 gets few chances to shine on the North American soccer scene. Until now, that is, as they placed a surprising two teams (one more than MLS) in the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals, where the Puerto Rico Islanders advanced to the semifinal round last week.
As SI.com’s Luis Bueno writes, “all [USL president Francisco] Marcos and USL clubs wanted was an opportunity” to show that they can match up with other teams from around the region. "Our teams didn’t go into this — just like they don’t go into the [U.S.] Open Cup or the Canadian Cup — as a half-assed exercise," says Marcos. "It’s real. It’s a way to vindicate themselves. It’s a way to prove that they belong."
And belong they do, as recent statistics show that USL teams trail only Mexican first division teams in success rates within Concacaf, with a total of 10 wins (a winning percentage of .600) easily besting MLS (2-10-6 record, .222 winning percentage), which despite having twice as many teams in the competition had one-fifth the amount of wins as the USL.