The United Soccer League’s expansion into Chicago got a boost Wednesday when it was announced Cubs owner Tom Ricketts will be the new soccer team’s majority owner.

The effort to bring a second-division team to Chicago is a joint effort by developer Sterling Bay and Ricketts, who previously owned a minority stake in English side Derby County. The USL team is expected to begin play in 2021 with plans for a stadium on the proposed Lincoln Yards development.

So what is the USL and what does an expansion team mean for the Fire, Chicago’s MLS team? Here’s a primer.

What soccer team is Tom Ricketts buying exactly? It’s not the Fire, is it?

No, it’s not the Fire. On Wednesday, the Sterling Bay real estate development firm announced that the Cubs chairman will be the majority owner of a Chicago franchise in the United Soccer League. Sterling Bay purchased the USL expansion team last year and will retain a stake in it. The still-unnamed team would play its home games at a new stadium that is part of Sterling Bay’s proposed Lincoln Yards development on the North Side.

What exactly is the United Soccer League?

It’s a developmental league one level below Major League Soccer in the American soccer pyramid. It was founded in 2010 and currently has 33 teams, many (but not all) of which are affiliated with MLS sides. Chicagoans can watch USL matches with a subscription to ESPN Plus.

What is attendance like for USL matches?

In short, not great, with a few exceptions. FC Cincinnati averaged 21,000 last season, but the league average as a whole was about 4,300. For comparison, the Fire averaged about 17,300 last season.

Lincoln Yards, the multibillion-dollar development proposed for 55 acres along Lincoln Park and Bucktown, won final City Council approval Wednesday. (Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)

If MLS is the top flight in the U.S. and Canada, can USL teams get promoted to MLS like in other soccer leagues?

U.S. Soccer has opposed instituting promotion/relegation into its pyramid, meaning the best-performing USL sides and worst-performing MLS teams stay in their respective leagues.

Will the Chicago USL team be affiliated with the Fire?

That’s unclear. The Fire’s current USL affiliate is the Tulsa Roughnecks. The Roughnecks are coached by former Fire midfielder/defender David Vaudreuil. The Fire previously were affiliated with Saint Louis FC.

Will the Fire ever play the USL team?

They won’t play in the same league, but don’t be surprised if they play preseason friendlies or get drawn against each other in the U.S. Open Cup.

Is part of the plan for the Fire to eventually move out of Toyota Park (soon to be renamed SeatGeek Stadium) and into this new stadium?

MLS and the Fire signed a 30-year lease to play at Toyota Park beginning in 2006. It’s hard to imagine they’ll be getting out of Bridgeview any time soon.

In fact, the lease states all Fire home matches must be played at Toyota Park unless playing at the stadium would not be cost-effective or attendance would exceed the stadium’s capacity, such as when more than 61,000 attended the Fire’s friendly against Manchester United at Soldier Field in 2011.

The Red Stars, who play in the National Women's Soccer League, have played home matches at Toyota Park since 2016. But with USL expansion and stadium development still in the planning stages, it's too early to tell if they would make the move to the new stadium.

How many seats will the new stadium have?

The plan calls for 20,000 seats, roughly the same as Toyota Park. The new stadium likely will have a retractable roof and host concerts and other sporting events, including international soccer matches.

Where will the new stadium be built?

The 70-acre Lincoln Yards site sits along the Chicago River and stretches from Webster Avenue to North Avenue. Part of that land was previously occupied by the A. Finkl & Sons steel plant. The hope is that the site also would be home to Amazon’s second headquarters.

When will the new team begin play?

The Chicago team is expected to begin play in 2021.

Tribune real estate reporter Ryan Ori contributed to this report.

jknowles@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jknowles31

jmikula@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jeremymikula

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