 Loudoun United FC was launched as a fully owned-and-operated affiliate of D.C. United for the 2019 USL Championship season, presumably ending the Kickers' affiliation tenure.After many years of struggling to keep up with the other teams in the USL Championship, the Kickers announced that they were self-relegating and becoming inaugural members of the new third division league, USL League One.In addition to joining a new league, the Kickers announced that 22 Holdings, LLC, an organization consisting of former Davidson College soccer players and led by former Kickers player Rob Ukrop, had acquired a controlling interest in the team.