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2021 USL Championship playoffs

Tournament details
Country	United States
Teams	16
Defending champions	Real Monarchs (2019)
Final positions
Champions	Orange County SC (1st title)
Runner-up	Tampa Bay Rowdies
Tournament statistics
Matches played	14
Goals scored	40 (2.86 per match)
Attendance	93,029 (6,645 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Ronaldo Damus (4 goals)
← 20202022 →

The 2021 USL Championship playoffs (branded as the 2021 USL Championship Playoffs presented by TwinSpires for sponsorship reasons) was the post-season championship of the 2021 USL Championship. It was the eleventh edition of the USL Championship playoffs. The playoffs began on November 5, and concluded with the USL Championship Final on November 28.

Tampa Bay Rowdies won the regular season with 71 standings points. They were beaten in the Final by Orange County SC, which won its first league title.

Real Monarchs, having won the title in 2019, were the title holders, since the 2020 Final was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the Rowdies and the title was not awarded. However, they were eliminated in the regular season as they finished bottom of the Mountain Division table.

Qualified teams

Format

The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. They began to play on the first weekend on November, featuring a single-elimination, 16-team bracket. Under the revised season format, four division winners in each conference earned hosting rights for the Eastern and Western conference quarterfinals. Following the opening round, hosting rights were determined by regular season record (ranks, then points, then number of wins). All playoff matches were streamed live on ESPN+ except the Championship final on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and Sirius XM FC.

Division tables

Bracket

Schedule

Conference Quarterfinals

Conference Semifinals

Conference Finals

USL Championship Final

Championship Game MVP: Ronaldo Damus (Orange County SC)

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Ronaldo Damus	Orange County SC	4
2	Leo Fernandes	Tampa Bay Rowdies	3
	Lucky Mkosana	Tampa Bay Rowdies
	Santiago Patiño	San Antonio FC
5	Elvis Amoh	Rio Grande Valley FC Toros	2
	Solomon Asante	Phoenix Rising FC
	Steevan Dos Santos	Tampa Bay Rowdies
	Nathan Fogaça	San Antonio FC
9	17 players		1

Awards

• Goal of the Playoffs: Rodrigo López (RGV)
• Save of the Playoffs: Jordan Farr (SAN)

References

1. "Matchday Report: Rowdies Defeat Lights FC, Clinch Homefield Advantage in Postseason". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. October 31, 2021.
2. "USL Championship Confirms 2021 Playoff Structure". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
3. "USL Championship Final to air live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and SiriusXM FC". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
4. "The Miami FC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds Match to be Replayed on Oct. 27, Starting from 67th Minute". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
5. "USL Issues Fine, Forfeit to Sporting Kansas City II for Ineligible Player". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
6. "Birmingham Legion FC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Playoff Match Canceled". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
7. "USL Championship Goal of the Playoffs Nominees Presented by Select". USLChampionship.com Staff. November 29, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
8. "USL Championship Fans' Choice Save of the Playoffs Nominees". USLChampionship.com Staff. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2020.

• 2021 USL Championship season
• USL Championship playoffs