Home Venue: Goodman Stadium
2017 Season: 12-12-8, 44pts, eight in Eastern Conference
2017 USL Cup Playoffs: L 4-0 at Louisville City FC
Head Coach: Brendan Burke, 3rd season

TEAM OUTLOOK
After narrowly missing out on the postseason in its inaugural season, Bethlehem Steel FC took the next step in reaching the USL Cup Playoffs in Year 2 as the club’s attack bloomed behind the efforts of Cory Burke and Seku Conneh. An Eastern Conference Quarterfinal departure at the hands of eventual champion Louisville City FC didn’t dampen too much what was a successful season all-around for the club.

Burke’s performance has seen him make the move to the Philadelphia Union’s squad this season, where he has been joined this offseason by Homegrown signings Anthony Fontana and Mark McKenzie, both former Steel FC players. There are some quality holdovers in Bethlehem’s squad for the new year, though, with midfielder James Chambers back for his third season at the club, and 2017 USL Rookie of the Year Finalist Santi Moar aiming to add to his six goals and six assists last year.

Head Coach Brendan Burke returns to the sidelines, too, providing continuity for Steel FC’s young standouts as he continues to burnish his reputation as one of the bright young coaches in American soccer circles. The challenge to continue the club’s upward movement will be tough in what looks like an improved Eastern Conference, but the additions of 2016 USL Rookie of the Year Brandon Allen and Jamaican international Omar Holness should help Steel FC keep pace.

Home Venue: MUSC Health Stadium
2017 Season: 15-8-9, 54pts, second in Eastern Conference
2017 USL Cup Playoffs: L 4-0 vs. New York Red Bulls II
Head Coach: Mike Anhaeuser, 14th season

TEAM OUTLOOK
The Charleston Battery’s 25th anniversary season saw the club become the lone club in the USL’s modern era to reach the USL Cup Playoffs in every season, but after a stellar regular season that saw Charleston sit in second place in the Eastern Conference standings the club fell in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to defending champion the New York Red Bulls II to end hopes of a postseason run.

The offseason also brought an end to a notable era for the club, with the offseason departures of Justin Portillo and Maikel Chang to Real Monarchs SLC, Forrest Lasso to FC Cincinnati and Heviel Cordoves to the Richmond Kickers. The Battery will have some familiar faces back at MUSC Health Stadium this season – led by stalwart defender Taylor Mueller – but it will likely feel like a fresh start when the season kicks off.

The constant, however, will be Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser, who enters his 14th season as the helm of the club aiming to maintain the standard that has been expected over the Battery's history. With the Battery aiming to continue their traditions of success on the field, Anhaeuser will dig in over the coming season to get the best out of his new recruits.

Home Venue: Sportsplex at Matthews
2017 Season: 13-10-9, 48pts, fifth in Eastern Conference
2017 USL Cup Playoffs: L 2-1 at Rochester Rhinos
Head Coach: Mike Jeffries, 4th season

TEAM OUTLOOK
The Independence pushed on to new heights for the opening two-thirds of the 2017 season, challenging at the top of the Eastern Conference for a spell, but the club’s late slide down the standings left it with the same result as in 2016 when the USL Cup Playoffs arrived in a road defeat in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

The season did show what the club could be capable of now that it has moved into its new home at the Sportsplex at Matthews, however, although the Independence will have to try and match those high points without the services of two-time All-League First Team and Most Valuable Player finalist Enzo Martinez after his offseason move to MLS partner the Colorado Rapids.

There remains a strong core of players, though, and in Head Coach Mike Jeffries there is an experienced hand to lead the way. The level of competition looks set to continue its rise in the Eastern Conference with the arrival of new in-state rival North Carolina FC, however, which will mean Charlotte will have to raise its game to match.

Home Venue: Nippert Stadium
2017 Season: 12-10-10, 46pts, sixth in Eastern Conference
2017 USL Cup Playoffs: L 3-0 at Tampa Bay Rowdies
Head Coach: Alan Koch, 2nd season

TEAM OUTLOOK
FC Cincinnati produced more memorable moments in its second season, highlighted by becoming the first lower-division club to reach the Semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup since the Richmond Kickers in 2011 on a run that captured the national imagination, but once again fell in the opening round of the USL Cup Playoffs as inconsistency saw the side unable to contend for a high finish in the league.

The club will have a different look this year, Alan Koch’s second in charge, with the departure of a number of familiar names from the past two seasons. Goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt signed with Atlanta United, while two-time All-League First Team defender Harrison Delbridge returned to Australia to join the A-League’s Melbourne City FC.

On the plus-side is the return of key midfielder Kenney Walker and both Corben Bone and Jimmy McLaughlin to provide creativity, but the club will be looking to numerous newcomers including goalkeeper Evan Newton, 2017 USL All-League First Team defender Forrest Lasso and former North Carolina FC attacking midfielder Nazmi Albadawi to make a big impact and get FCC back into contention at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Home Venue: Slugger Field
2017 Season: 18-6-8, 62pts, first in Eastern Conference
2017 USL Cup Playoffs: W 4-0 vs. Bethlehem Steel FC; W 1-0 vs. Rochester Rhinos; W 1-1 (4-3 PKs) vs. New York Red Bulls II; W 1-0 vs. Swope Park Rangers
Head Coach: James O’Connor, 4th season

TEAM OUTLOOK
For its first two seasons, Louisville City FC had set a high standard, but in the club’s third it took the final step to earn the 2017 USL Cup in front of almost 15,000 fans at Slugger Field. The victory over the Swope Park Rangers marked the conclusion to a season that had seen the team’s depth come to the fore, as every outfield player recorded at least one goal during the regular season.

Head Coach James O’Connor will have plenty of familiar faces to call upon in the defense of the club’s championship, with mainstays like captain Paolo DelPiccolo, goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh, defender Kyle Smith and forward George Davis IV among 15 returning players to the club. Also back is Magnus Rasmussen, who rejoined the team after returning to play in Scandinavia a year ago.

The club has continued to progress off the field, too, with a 10,000-seat stadium proposed for the Butchertown neighborhood in Louisville close to coming to fruition. The goal is for the new venue to open for the 2020 season, by which time the club and O’Connor will expect to have added more silverware to the team’s trophy cabinet in this season and next.

Home Venue: MSU Soccer Park
2017 Season: 13-14-5, 44pts, seventh in Eastern Conference
2017 USL Cup Playoffs: W 4-0 at Charleston Battery; W 2-1 at Tampa Bay Rowdies; L 1-1 (3-4 PKs) at Louisville City FC

TEAM OUTLOOK
The New York Red Bulls II made a gallant defense of their 2016 USL Cup, falling in a penalty shootout to eventual champion Louisville City FC, after a season that hit some of the high notes of their championship season, and saw new names emerge as key players in the club’s future.

Head Coach John Wolyniec’s side will have a number of key players to replace this season, though, with Junior Flemmings moving on to the Tampa Bay Rowdies, midfielder Dan Meztger joining Penn FC, and veteran goalkeeper Rafael Diaz heading to Sacramento Republic FC. As usual, the side will rely on the emerging talent that have either graduated from or currently feature in the club’s Academy to form the nucleus of the side this season, with MLS SuperDraft selections Brian White, Jared Stroud and Jose Aguinaga all having previously played for the club’s PDL squad while in college.

There will be some familiar faces too, with midfielders Andrew Tinari and Ben Mines and goalkeeper Evan Louro all coming off solid seasons in 2017. Potential additions from the club’s MLS squad will also include last season’s leading scorer Stefano Bonomo, who moved to the Red Bulls’ roster after a standout year. Wolyniec’s plate will be full as the side looks for a fourth consecutive playoff berth but given their past it wouldn’t be wise to underestimate the Red Bulls II.

Home Venue: Al Lang Stadium
2017 Season: 14-7-11, 53pts, third in Eastern Conference
2017 USL Cup Playoffs: W 3-0 vs. FC Cincinnati; L 2-1 vs. New York Red Bulls II
Head Coach: Stuart Campbell, 4th season

TEAM OUTLOOK
The Tampa Bay Rowdies made a major impact in their first season in the USL, making Al Lang Stadium one of the toughest places to visit as the side finished third in the Eastern Conference before bowing out in the USL Cup Playoffs after an epic Eastern Conference Semifinals clash with defending champion the New York Red Bulls II. After a busy offseason, Head Coach Stuart Campbell now has a squad that is very capable of bringing home silverware this season.

Tampa Bay has returned a good contingent of its key players from a season ago, with the veteran midfield duo of Joe Cole and Marcel Schäfer and defender Neill Collins helping provide a strong spine for the side. Georgi Hristov also re-signed this offseason and enters the new season with a chance to become the club’s all-time leading scorer.

The Rowdies' core group has been added to by a number of impressive additions, with forward Jochen Graf and winger Junior Flemmings both coming off impressive 2017 seasons for the Rochester Rhinos and New York Red Bulls II respectively. Goalkeeper Cody Mizell also returned for his second stint with the club and will battle Akira Fitzgerald to replace the departed Matt Pickens (Nashville SC), adding to the quality that makes the Rowdies one of the front-runners going into the new season.