- The United Soccer League will run a 32-team Rocket League tournament titled the eCup that will compete in a World Cup-style format.
- The tournament has been approved by Psyonix who also are founding partners of the San Diego Loyal SC, a USL Championship Club.
- The USL eCup begins March 31 and runs through April 24.
The United Soccer League (USL), currently on hiatus due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, has announced the launch of a 32-team Rocket League tournament. The tournament, called the USL eCup, will see 32 teams from USL Championship and USL League One compete in a World Cup-style format with groups, a knockout stage, and final. The first group matchups start on March 31.
The teams participating in the USL eCup will be represented by soccer players, supporters, and team ambassadors, with many of the participants unlikely to have played the game before.
All USL eCup matches will be streamed on the USL’s Twitch channel.
The tournament has been approved by Psyonix, the developers of Rocket League, who also are founding partners of the San Diego Loyal SC, a USL Championship Club.
According to the release, the USL has long been looking to build a greater presence in esports, and with the soccer season suspended for the foreseeable future, the opportunity to organize an event that involved all of the clubs made sense.
“Our sole mission for this tournament is to provide lightness and levity for USL supporters across the country. People have enough to worry about right now, so we just wanted to create an environment where supporters and fans could come together again, compete, and share a few laughs,” said Ryan Madden, USL vice president of communications and public relations.
The USL eCup begins March 31 and runs through April 24.
