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MLS Next Pro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with MLS Next.

MLS Next Pro
Organising bodyMajor League Soccer
FoundedJune 21, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-06-21)
First season2022
CountryUnited States
Other club(s) fromCanada
ConfederationCONCACAF
Number of clubs29
Level on pyramid3
Domestic cup(s)U.S. Open Cup
Current championsNorth Texas SC
(2024)
Current regular
season title		North Texas SC
(2024)
Broadcaster(s)MLS Season Pass
YouTube
Websitemlsnextpro.com
Current: 2025 MLS Next Pro season

MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clubs and 2 independent clubs. MLS Next Pro is classified as part of the third tier of the United States soccer league system.[1]

History

[edit]

On June 21, 2021, Major League Soccer announced the creation of a new professional league which would begin play in 2022. MLS has applied to the United States Soccer Federation for the league to be sanctioned as a Division III professional league, the same level currently occupied by USL League One and the National Independent Soccer Association and one level below the USL Championship.[2] MLS announced that Next Pro would start with at least 20 teams, many of them owned by Major League Soccer and development teams between their first-teams and their youth academies.[2] All MLS clubs with reserve teams in the USL Championship or USL League One initially planned to move those sides to MLS Next Pro by 2023. D.C. United's formerly owned-and-operated reserve team was sold to independent buyers.[2]

The inaugural match of MLS Next Pro was played on March 25, 2022, at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis. St. Louis City 2 defeated Rochester New York FC 2–0. Wan Kuzain scored the first ever goal in the 20th minute.[3][4][5]

The league makes use of unique rules such as all regular season draws being decided by penalty shootouts and the addition of concussion substitutions. On July 6, 2022, new rules for the league were introduced in the middle of the season. This included an off-field treatment rule meant to curb gamesmanship and timewasting and a new rule for red card suspensions: The suspension a player gets for getting a red card or two yellow cards in the same game will be served by the player when next playing against the same opponent.[6]

Competition format

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The league runs from spring to fall with the season kicking off in March. Each team plays 28 regular-season games, followed by an 14-team playoff tournament. The league is divided into Eastern and Western Conferences.[7]

Unlike Major League Soccer, MLS Next Pro does not feature a salary cap and player contracts are held by the teams, not the league. Team rosters can have up to 24 professional players (not including amateur academy players) with a maximum of seven international players.[8] An MLS Next Pro club's active roster contains up to 35 players, all of whom are eligible for selection to each official match roster during the MLS Next Pro season.[9]

Teams

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Locations of announced teams in MLS Next Pro:
  • Eastern Conference - Northeast Division Eastern Conference - Southeast Division
  • Western Conference - Frontier Division Western Conference - Pacific Division
  • future teams
Team Location Stadium Capacity Founded Joined Head coach Affiliate
Eastern Conference
Northeast Division
Chicago Fire FC IIBridgeview, IllinoisSeatGeek Stadium20,000[10]2021 2022 Mike Matkovich Chicago Fire FC
Columbus Crew 2Columbus, OhioHistoric Crew Stadium19,968[11]2021 2022 Kelvin JonesColumbus Crew
FC Cincinnati 2Highland Heights, KentuckyNKU Soccer Stadium1,000[12]2021 2022 Tyrone MarshallFC Cincinnati
New England Revolution IIFoxborough, MassachusettsGillette Stadium20,000[13]2019 2022 Richie WilliamsNew England Revolution
New York City FC IINew York City, New YorkBelson Stadium2,168[14]2021 2022 Matt PilkingtonNew York City FC
New York Red Bulls IIMontclair, New JerseyMSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field5,000[15]2015 2023 Ibrahim SekagyaNew York Red Bulls
Philadelphia Union IIChester, PennsylvaniaSubaru Park18,500[16]2015 2022 Ryan RichterPhiladelphia Union
Toronto FC IIToronto, OntarioYork Lions Stadium4,000[17]2014 2022 Gianni CiminiToronto FC
Southeast Division
Atlanta United 2Kennesaw, GeorgiaFifth Third Stadium8,318 2017 2023 Steve CookeAtlanta United FC
Carolina Core FCHigh Point, North CarolinaTruist Point4,500[18]2022 2024 Donovan RickettsIndependent
Chattanooga FCChattanooga, TennesseeFinley Stadium20,412 2009 2024 Chris Nugent Independent
Crown Legacy FCMatthews, North CarolinaSportsplex at Matthews5,000[19]2022 2023 José Tavares Charlotte FC
Huntsville City FCHuntsville, AlabamaJoe W. Davis Stadium6,000[20]2022 2023 Chris O'Neal Nashville SC
Inter Miami CF IIFort Lauderdale, FloridaChase Stadium21,550[21]2019 2022 Cristian LedesmaInter Miami CF
Orlando City BKissimmee, FloridaOsceola County Stadium5,300[22]2015 2022 Manuel Goldberg Orlando City SC
Western Conference
Frontier Division
Austin FC IIAustin, TexasParmer Field 1,000 2022 2023 Brett Uttley Austin FC
Colorado Rapids 2Denver, ColoradoDick's Sporting Goods Park(Commerce City)
University of Denver Soccer Stadium		18,061
2,000 		2021 2022 Erik Bushey Colorado Rapids
Houston Dynamo 2Houston, TexasSaberCats Stadium3,200[23]2021 2022 Marcelo Santos Houston Dynamo FC
Sporting Kansas City IIKansas City, MissouriSwope Soccer Village3,500[24]2015 2022 István UrbányiSporting Kansas City
Minnesota United FC 2Saint Paul, MinnesotaAllianz Field
National Sports Center(Blaine)		19,400[25]
5,500[26]		2021 2022 Jeremy HallMinnesota United FC
North Texas SCArlington, TexasChoctaw Stadium48,114[27]2018 2022 John Gall FC Dallas
St. Louis City 2St. Louis, MissouriEnergizer Park22,423 2021 2022 David Critchley St. Louis City SC
Pacific Division
Los Angeles FC 2Fullerton, CaliforniaTitan Stadium10,000[28]2023 2023 Junior GonzalezLos Angeles FC
Portland Timbers 2Portland, OregonProvidence Park[29]25,218[30]2014 2022 Serge Dinkota Portland Timbers
Real MonarchsHerriman, UtahZions Bank Stadium5,000[31]2014 2022 Mark LowryReal Salt Lake
The Town FCMoraga, CaliforniaSaint Mary's Stadium 5,500[32]2021 2022 Dan DeGeer San Jose Earthquakes
Tacoma DefianceTukwila, WashingtonStarfire Sports Complex4,500[33]2014 2022 Hervé Diese Seattle Sounders FC
Ventura County FCThousand Oaks, CaliforniaWilliam Rolland Stadium 2,000[34]2014 2023 Matt TaylorLA Galaxy
Whitecaps FC 2Burnaby, British ColumbiaSwangard Stadium5,228[35]2021 2022 Ricardo ClarkVancouver Whitecaps FC

Future teams

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Team[36]Location Stadium Capacity Founded Joining Affiliate
Jacksonville Armada FCJacksonville, FloridaNew Eastside Stadium 2,500 2013 2026 Independent
Connecticut United FCBridgeport, ConnecticutNew Waterfront Stadium 10,000 2024 2026[37]
Cleveland Pro SoccerCleveland, OhioSouth Gateway Stadium 10,000 2022 2026[38]
West Michigan SoccerGrand Rapids, MichiganAmway Stadium8,500 2024 2027

Former teams

[edit]
Club City Stadium Capacity Founded Joined Last season Affiliate
Rochester New York FCBrighton, New YorkJohn L. DiMarco Field1,500[39]1996 2022 2022 Independent

Timeline

[edit]

League memberFormer memberFuture memberOther leagues

Champions

[edit]
Season Playoff champions Regular season champions
2022Columbus Crew 2Columbus Crew 2
2023Austin FC IIColorado Rapids 2
2024North Texas SCNorth Texas SC

Finals

[edit]
Year Winner Score Runner-Up Venue MVPAttendance Ref.
2022Columbus Crew 24–1 St. Louis City 2Lower.com FieldMarco Micaletto (CC2) 7,446 [40]
2023Austin FC II3–1 Columbus Crew 2Lower.com FieldValentin Noël (AU2) 7,500 [41]
2024North Texas SC3–2 Philadelphia Union IIToyota StadiumHerbert Endeley (NTX) 7,692 [42]

Individual game highest attendance

[edit]

Regular season

[edit]
Home team Score Away team Attendance Stadium Date Ref
1St. Louis City 25–0Tacoma Defiance12,022CityParkOctober 6, 2024[43]
2St. Louis City 22–0Sporting Kansas City II10,671CityParkJune 23, 2024[44]
3St. Louis City 24–1LA Galaxy II9,626CityParkSeptember 17, 2023[45]
4St. Louis City 24–0Real Monarchs9,489CityParkAugust 6, 2023[46]
5The Town FC0–0
Pen: 4-2		Austin FC II5,500PayPal ParkApril 20, 2024[47]

MLS Next Pro Cup Playoffs

[edit]
Home team Score Away team Attendance Stadium Date Ref
1North Texas SC3–2Philadelphia Union II7,700Toyota StadiumNov 9, 2024[48]
2Columbus Crew 21–3Austin FC II7,500Lower.com FieldOctober 22, 2023
3Columbus Crew 24–1St. Louis City 27,446Lower.com FieldOctober 8, 2022[49]
4St. Louis City 20–2San Jose Earthquakes II5,227CityParkOctober 1, 2023[50]
5Philadelphia Union II4–0Columbus Crew 24,727Subaru ParkNovember 2, 2024[51]
Key
MLS Next Pro Cup
Conference Final
Conference Semifinal
Otherwise, it is a previous knockout round

See also

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References

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  1. ^Straus, Brian (December 6, 2021). "MLS Next Pro Adds Another Element to U.S. Soccer's Ever-Evolving Lower Club Tier". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  2. ^ abcBonagura, Kyle (June 21, 2021). "Major League Soccer to launch development league in 2022". ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  3. ^Schneider, Jacob (March 24, 2022). "St Louis CITY2 hosts RNY FC in Inaugural MLS NEXT Pro Match". mlsnextpro.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  4. ^"Match Report: stlvsroc 03-25-2022". mlsnextpro.com. March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  5. ^Schneider, Jacob (March 25, 2022). "Historic Day in St. Louis as CITY2 beats RNY FC to begin the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro campaign". mlsnextpro.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  6. ^"MLS NEXT PRO IMPLEMENTING TWO NEW COMPETITION RULES FOR SECOND HALF OF INAUGURAL SEASON". MLS Next Pro. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  7. ^"MLS NEXT Pro unveils 21 clubs for inaugural season starting March 2022". mlssoccer. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  8. ^Rueter, Jeff (January 14, 2022). "MLS Next Pro to have no salary cap, other key differences from MLS structure, sources say". The Athletic. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  9. ^"2022 MLS NEXT PRO Roster Guidelines". MLS Next Pro. January 31, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  10. ^"Fun Within Reach". Toyota Park. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  11. ^"Historic Crew Stadium". www.ColumbusSports.org. Greater Columbus Sports Commission. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  12. ^"NKU Soccer Stadium". Northern Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  13. ^"Gillette Stadium Overview". revolutionsoccer.net. March 8, 2012. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  14. ^"BELSON STADIUM". www.RedStormSports.com. St. John's University. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  15. ^"MSU Soccer Park". www.MontclairAthletics.com. Montclar State University. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  16. ^"About Talen Energy Stadium". philadelphiaunion.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  17. ^"York Lions Stadium Conversion". www.YorkU.CA. York University. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  18. ^"Ball Park A-Z". High Point Rockers. 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  19. ^"Mecklenburg County Sportsplex at Matthews". www.MatthewsNC.gov. Town of Matthews, NC. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  20. ^Brazelton, Dave (May 19, 2023). "Huntsville businesses benefit from new Joe Davis Stadium". WAAY 31 ABC. Huntsville, AL. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  21. ^"Inter Miami CF Announces Increased Stadium Capacity Ahead of 2024 Season Due to Unprecedented Demand" (Press release). Inter Miami CF. January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  22. ^"Osceola County Stadium". www.OHPark.com. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  23. ^"Sabercats Stadium". www.HoustonSabercats.com. Houston Sabercats. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  24. ^"Swope Soccer Village". KCParks.org. Kansas City Parks & Recreation. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  25. ^"Stadium Facts". www.MNUFC.com. Minnesota United. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  26. ^"NSC Stadium".
  27. ^Sullivan, T. R. (October 30, 2012). "Rangers Resume Fan-Focused Park Renovations". Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  28. ^"Titan Stadium". Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  29. ^Timbers2, Portland. "Portland Timbers2". Portland Timbers2. Retrieved August 30, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^"Providence Park Stadium". www.Portland.gov. City of Portland. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  31. ^Meyer, Taran (April 25, 2018). "Zions Bank Stadium Provides Unique Soccer Experience". www.RSL.com. Real Salt Lake. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  32. ^"Facilities". Saint Mary's Athletics. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  33. ^"Outdoor Fields". www.StarFireSports.com. Star Fire Sports. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  34. ^"William Rolland Stadium". Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  35. ^"Swangard Stadium – Home of your Whitecaps". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
  36. ^"Seven MLS Affiliated Clubs To Join MLS Next Pro In 2023". mlsnextpro. August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  37. ^"CONNECTICUT AWARDED MLS NEXT PRO EXPANSION TEAM". CTUnited.com. Connecticut United. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  38. ^"Cleveland's MLS NEXT Pro Team". Cleveland Pro Soccer. 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  39. ^Reuter, Jeff (March 10, 2023). "Jamie Vardy's U.S. club Rochester New York FC ceases operations". The Athletic. San Francisco, California. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  40. ^Tellitud, Jesus (October 8, 2022). "Columbus Crew 2 hoist MLS NEXT Pro Cup with 4-1 win over St Louis CITY2". MLS Next Pro. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  41. ^"Austin FC II Defeats Defending Champion Columbus Crew 2 To Win 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Cup". MLS Next Pro. October 22, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  42. ^Snipes, Tyler (November 9, 2022). "New champs! North Texas SC win 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Cup". MLS Next Pro. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  43. ^Rolstad, Skylar (October 7, 2024). "Decision Day: The Best of MLS NEXT Pro's Wild Final Day!". mlsnextpro.com. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  44. ^"Decision Day: The Best of MLS NEXT Pro's Wild Final Day!". stlcitysc.com. June 23, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  45. ^"CITY2 locked up their playoff spot in front of a record-breaking 9,626-person crowd". stlcitysc.com. September 17, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  46. ^"Match Recap St Louis CITY2 Dominates in Front of Record-Breaking Crowd". stlcitysc.com. August 6, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  47. ^"A Letter to Quakes season ticket holders". thetownfc.com. April 16, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  48. ^"North Texas SC's Matt Denny Named 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Executive of the Year". mlsnextpro.com. November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  49. ^Johnson, Bailey (October 8, 2022). "Columbus Crew 2 wins inaugural MLS Next Pro Cup with dominant 4-1 victory". dispatch.com. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  50. ^Timmermann, Tom (October 1, 2023). "City2's season ends with 2-0 loss to San Jose in MLS Next Pro playoffs". stltoday.com. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  51. ^Jones, Tim (November 2, 2024). "Playoff match report: Philadelphia Union II 4 -0 Columbus Crew 2". phillysoccerpage.net. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
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