Eugene will have to wait a year longer for the debut of its newest professional sports franchise.

Sporting Cascades FC, formed in July as an expansion club in the United Soccer League’s League One, has postponed its inaugural season. The club was initially set to begin play in spring of 2026, but announced Wednesday it would delay its launch to “give ourselves a little more time to ensure we’re ready for opening kickoff,” according to an unsigned press release.

“While we understand you may be disappointed that we won’t be taking the field in 2026, rest assured you will be seeing a lot of us next year, and the wait will just make our inaugural season even better,” the release read.

A call for comment to the Sporting Cascades front office was not returned.

Eugene was one of four clubs slated to join USL League One in 2026. The club — owned by Vancouver businessman Sat Dhinsa — unveiled its name and crest in August and plans to play at Civic Park, which it commemorated on Instagram with a handful of what appeared to be AI-generated images, including one that appeared to replicate the old Civic Stadium burning down at night. (The stadium burned down during daylight hours.)

Sporting Cascades wasn’t the only USL League One expansion to tap the brakes: Last week, Fort Lauderdale United FC announced it would push back its debut to 2027 as well.

Tyson Alger covered the Ducks for The Oregonian and The Athletic before branching out on his own to create and run The I-5 Corridor. He brings more than a decade of experience on the University of Oregon sports beat. He has covered everything from Marcus Mariota’s Heisman Trophy-winning season to the Ducks’ first year in the Big 10.