MLS Next Pro

MLS Next Pro
Organizing bodyMajor League Soccer
FoundedJune 21, 2021; 5 years ago (2021-06-21)
First season2022
CountryUnited States
Other club fromCanada
ConfederationCONCACAF
Conferences2
Number of clubs30
Level on pyramid3
Domestic cupU.S. Open Cup
Current champion(s)New York Red Bulls II
(2025)
Current regular season titleSt. Louis City 2
(2025)
BroadcastersOneFootball
YouTube
Websitemlsnextpro.com
Current: 2026 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 three independent clubs (Carolina Core FC, Chattanooga FC and CT United). MLS Next Pro is classified as part of the third tier of the United States soccer league system.

As of the 2026 season, 27 of the 30 MLS teams held affiliations with an MLS Next Pro team, with only CF Montréal, D.C. United, and San Diego FC having no such franchise affiliation.

History

In the mid 2000s, MLS teams began to form their own academies to begin the development of players. In 2005, MLS launched a reserve league with the then 12 teams that competed in MLS. This was an effort to allow games for the players amongst the academies for more meaningful competition.

MLS announced the dissolution of the Reserve League following the partnership formed with then-named USL. This allowed players to get loaned from teams in MLS to play minutes in teams in third division soccer. This was mandatory during the time of affiliation between MLS–USL clubs. During the partnership, teams in MLS began the foundings of their own B teams, or No. 2 teams. First teams among MLS to field B teams were: RSL, LA Galaxy, Toronto FC, and Portland Timbers.

Establishment

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. 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. 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.

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.

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.

MLS Next Pro will transition to a fall-to-spring schedule in 2027.

Competition format

The league runs from spring to fall with the season kicking off in March. Each team plays 28 regular-season games, followed by a 16-team playoff tournament. The league is divided into Eastern and Western Conferences.

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. 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.

Teams

MLS Next Pro is located in the United States
Atlanta
Austin
Carolina
Chattanooga
CT United
Charlotte
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Colorado
Columbus
Golden City FC
Grand Rapids
Houston
Huntsville
Miami
Jacksonville
LAFC2
Minnesota
New England
NYCFC II
Red Bulls II
North Texas
Orlando
Philadelphia
Portland
Salt Lake City
San Jose
Kansas City
St. Louis
Tacoma
The Island
Toronto
Ventura County
Whitecaps
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
CT United FC New Haven, Connecticut Morrone Stadium (Storrs)
Reese Stadium		 5,300
3,000		 2024 2026 Shavar Thomas Independent
Columbus Crew 2 Columbus, Ohio Historic Crew Stadium 19,968 2021 2022 Federico Higuaín Columbus Crew
FC Cincinnati 2 Highland Heights, Kentucky NKU Soccer Stadium 1,000 2021 2022 Sammy Castellanos FC Cincinnati
New England Revolution II Foxborough, Massachusetts Gillette Stadium 20,000 2019 2022 Pablo Moreira New England Revolution
New York City FC II New York City, New York Belson Stadium 2,168 2021 2022 Matt Pilkington New York City FC
New York Red Bulls II Montclair, New Jersey MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field 5,000 2015 2023 Dominik Wohlert New York Red Bulls
Philadelphia Union II Chester, Pennsylvania Subaru Park 18,500 2015 2022 Ryan Richter Philadelphia Union
Toronto FC II Toronto, Ontario York Lions Stadium 4,000 2014 2022 Gianni Cimini Toronto FC
Southeast Division
Atlanta United 2 Kennesaw, Georgia Fifth Third Stadium 8,318 2017 2023 José Silva Atlanta United FC
Carolina Core FC High Point, North Carolina Truist Point 4,500 2022 2024 Donovan Ricketts Independent
Chattanooga FC Chattanooga, Tennessee Finley Stadium 20,412 2009 2024 Richard Dixon Independent
Chicago Fire FC II Bridgeview, Illinois SeatGeek Stadium 20,000 2021 2022 Mike Matkovich Chicago Fire FC
Crown Legacy FC Matthews, North Carolina Sportsplex at Matthews 5,000 2022 2023 Kevin Sawchak Charlotte FC
Huntsville City FC Huntsville, Alabama Joe W. Davis Stadium 6,000 2022 2023 Chris O'Neal Nashville SC
Inter Miami CF II Fort Lauderdale, Florida Chase Stadium 21,550 2019 2022 Cristian Ledesma Inter Miami CF
Orlando City B Kissimmee, Florida Osceola County Stadium 5,300 2015 2022 Edward Wilding Orlando City SC
Western Conference
Frontier Division
Austin FC II Austin, Texas Parmer Field 1,000 2022 2023 Jason Shackell Austin FC
Colorado Rapids 2 Denver, Colorado Dick's Sporting Goods Park (Commerce City)
University of Denver Soccer Stadium		 18,061
2,000		 2021 2022 Erik Bushey Colorado Rapids
Houston Dynamo 2 Houston, Texas SaberCats Stadium 3,200 2021 2022 Jeremy Hurdle Houston Dynamo FC
Sporting Kansas City II Kansas City, Missouri Swope Soccer Village 3,500 2015 2022 Lee Tschantret Sporting Kansas City
Minnesota United FC 2 Saint Paul, Minnesota Allianz Field
National Sports Center (Blaine)		 19,400
5,500		 2021 2022 Fanendo Adi Minnesota United FC
North Texas SC Mansfield, Texas Texas Health Mansfield Stadium 7,000 2018 2022 John Gall FC Dallas
St. Louis City 2 St. Louis, Missouri Energizer Park 22,423 2021 2022 David Critchley St. Louis City SC
Pacific Division
Los Angeles FC 2 Fullerton, California Titan Stadium 10,000 2023 2023 Fabian Sandoval Los Angeles FC
Portland Timbers 2 Portland, Oregon Providence Park 25,218 2014 2022 Jack Cassidy Portland Timbers
Real Monarchs Herriman, Utah Zions Bank Stadium 5,000 2014 2022 Mark Lowry Real Salt Lake
San Jose Earthquakes II Moraga, California Saint Mary's Stadium 5,500 2021 2022 Dan DeGeer San Jose Earthquakes
Tacoma Defiance Tukwila, Washington Starfire Sports Stadium 4,500 2014 2022 Paulo Nagamura Seattle Sounders FC
Ventura County FC Thousand Oaks, California William Rolland Stadium 2,000 2014 2023 Matt Taylor LA Galaxy
Whitecaps FC 2 Burnaby, British Columbia Swangard Stadium 5,228 2021 2022 Rich Fagan Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Future teams

Team Location Stadium Capacity Founded Joining Affiliate
Jacksonville Armada FC Jacksonville, Florida New Eastside Stadium 8,000 2013 2027 Independent
Forest City Cleveland Cleveland, Ohio South Gateway Stadium 10,000 2022 2027
AC Grand Rapids Grand Rapids, Michigan Amway Stadium 8,500 2024 2027
The Island F.C. Long Island, New York New Stadium at Mitchel Athletic Complex 2,500 2025 2027

Former teams

Club City Stadium Capacity Founded Joined Last season Affiliate
Rochester New York FC Brighton, New York John L. DiMarco Field 1,500 1996 2022 2022 Independent

Timeline

League member Former member Future member Other leagues

Champions

Season Playoff champions Regular season champions
2022 Columbus Crew 2 Columbus Crew 2
2023 Austin FC II Colorado Rapids 2
2024 North Texas SC North Texas SC
2025 New York Red Bulls II St. Louis City 2
2026 Austin FC II

Finals

Year Winner Score Runner-up Venue MVP Attendance Ref.
2022 Columbus Crew 2 4–1 St. Louis City 2 Lower.com Field Marco Micaletto (CC2) 7,446
2023 Austin FC II 3–1 Columbus Crew 2 Lower.com Field Valentin Noël (AU2) 7,500
2024 North Texas SC 3–2 Philadelphia Union II Toyota Stadium Herbert Endeley (NTX) 7,692
2025 New York Red Bulls II 3–3
(3–1 p)		 Colorado Rapids 2 Sports Illustrated Stadium Rafael Mosquera (NYR) 9,095

Individual game highest attendance

Regular season

Home team Score Away team Attendance Stadium Date Ref
1St. Louis City 23–1Houston Dynamo 212,263Energizer ParkMay 4, 2025
2St. Louis City 25–0Tacoma Defiance12,022CityParkOctober 6, 2024
3St. Louis City 22–0Sporting Kansas City II10,671CityParkJune 23, 2024
4St. Louis City 24–1LA Galaxy II9,626CityParkSeptember 17, 2023
5St. Louis City 24–0Real Monarchs9,489CityParkAugust 6, 2023
6The Town FC0–0
(4–2 p)		Austin FC II5,500PayPal ParkApril 20, 2024

MLS Next Pro Cup playoffs

Home team Score Away team Attendance Stadium Date Ref
1New York Red Bulls II3–3
(3–1 p)		Colorado Rapids 29,095Sports Illustrated StadiumNovember 8, 2025
2North Texas SC3–2Philadelphia Union II7,692Toyota StadiumNovember 9, 2024
3Columbus Crew 21–3Austin FC II7,500Lower.com FieldOctober 22, 2023
4Columbus Crew 24–1St. Louis City 27,446Lower.com FieldOctober 8, 2022
5St. Louis City 20–2San Jose Earthquakes II5,227CityParkOctober 1, 2023
6Philadelphia Union II4–0Columbus Crew 24,727Subaru ParkNovember 2, 2024
Key
MLS Next Pro Cup
Conference Final
Conference Semifinal
Otherwise, it is a previous knockout round

See also

References

  1. ↑ "OneFootball becomes the new home of MLS NEXT Pro matches in 2026 with new Global Partnership". MLS Next Pro. MLS Next Pro. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. 1 2 3 Bonagura, Kyle (June 21, 2021). "Major League Soccer to launch development league in 2022". ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  4. ↑ Schneider, Jacob (March 24, 2022). "St Louis CITY2 hosts RNY FC in Inaugural MLS NEXT Pro Match". mlsnextpro.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Match Report: stlvsroc 03-25-2022". mlsnextpro.com. March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "MLS NEXT Pro Implementing Two New Competition Rules For Second Half of Inaugural Season". MLS Next Pro. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  8. ↑ "MLS NEXT Pro to shift competition calendar in 2027". mlsnextpro. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  9. ↑ "MLS NEXT Pro unveils 21 clubs for inaugural season starting March 2022". mlssoccer. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ "2022 MLS NEXT PRO Roster Guidelines". MLS Next Pro. January 31, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  12. ↑ "CONNECTICUT AWARDED MLS NEXT PRO EXPANSION TEAM". CTUnited.com. Connecticut United. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Historic Crew Stadium". www.ColumbusSports.org. Greater Columbus Sports Commission. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  14. ↑ "NKU Soccer Stadium". Northern Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Gillette Stadium Overview". revolutionsoccer.net. March 8, 2012. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  16. ↑ "BELSON STADIUM". www.RedStormSports.com. St. John's University. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  17. ↑ "MSU Soccer Park". www.MontclairAthletics.com. Montclar State University. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  18. ↑ "About Talen Energy Stadium". philadelphiaunion.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  19. ↑ "York Lions Stadium Conversion". www.YorkU.CA. York University. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Ball Park A-Z". High Point Rockers. 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Fun Within Reach". Toyota Park. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Mecklenburg County Sportsplex at Matthews". www.MatthewsNC.gov. Town of Matthews, NC. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  23. ↑ Brazelton, Dave (May 19, 2023). "Huntsville businesses benefit from new Joe Davis Stadium". WAAY 31 ABC. Huntsville, AL. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  24. ↑ "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.
  25. ↑ "Osceola County Stadium". www.OHPark.com. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Sabercats Stadium". www.HoustonSabercats.com. Houston Sabercats. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Swope Soccer Village". KCParks.org. Kansas City Parks & Recreation. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Stadium Facts". www.MNUFC.com. Minnesota United. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  29. ↑ "NSC Stadium". Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Titan Stadium". Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  31. ↑ Timbers2, Portland. "Portland Timbers2". Portland Timbers2. Retrieved August 30, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ↑ "Providence Park Stadium". www.Portland.gov. City of Portland. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  33. ↑ Meyer, Taran (April 25, 2018). "Zions Bank Stadium Provides Unique Soccer Experience". www.RSL.com. Real Salt Lake. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Facilities". Saint Mary's Athletics. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  35. ↑ "Outdoor Fields". www.StarFireSports.com. Starfire Sports. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  36. ↑ "William Rolland Stadium". Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  37. ↑ "Swangard Stadium – Home of your Whitecaps". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
  38. ↑ "Seven MLS Affiliated Clubs To Join MLS Next Pro In 2023". mlsnextpro. August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  39. ↑ "Cleveland's MLS NEXT Pro Team". Cleveland Pro Soccer. 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  40. ↑ 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.
  41. ↑ 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.
  42. ↑ "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.
  43. ↑ Snipes, Tyler (November 9, 2022). "New champs! North Texas SC win 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Cup". MLS Next Pro. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  44. ↑ "RBNYvsCOL 11-08-2025 | MLSNEXTPro.com". mlsnextpro. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  45. ↑ Rolstad, Skylar (May 4, 2025). "Match Report: St Louis CITY2 Earns Dominant 3–1 Win Over Houston Dynamo 2 at Energizer Park". stlcitysc.com. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  46. ↑ Rolstad, Skylar (October 7, 2024). "Decision Day: The Best of MLS NEXT Pro's Wild Final Day!". mlsnextpro.com. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  47. ↑ "Decision Day: The Best of MLS NEXT Pro's Wild Final Day!". stlcitysc.com. June 23, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  48. ↑ "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.
  49. ↑ "Match Recap St Louis CITY2 Dominates in Front of Record-Breaking Crowd". stlcitysc.com. August 6, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  50. ↑ "A Letter to Quakes season ticket holders". thetownfc.com. April 16, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  51. ↑ "RBNYvsCOL 11-08-2025 | MLSNEXTPro.com". mlsnextpro. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  52. ↑ "North Texas SC's Matt Denny Named 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Executive of the Year". mlsnextpro.com. November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  53. ↑ 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.
  54. ↑ 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.
  55. ↑ Jones, Tim (November 2, 2024). "Playoff match report: Philadelphia Union II 4 -0 Columbus Crew 2". phillysoccerpage.net. Retrieved November 28, 2024.