MLS Next Pro
Professional soccer league in the United States and Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 two independent clubs (Carolina Core FC and Chattanooga FC). MLS Next Pro is classified as part of the third tier of the United States soccer league system.[2]
| |
| Organizing body | Major League Soccer |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 21, 2021 |
| First season | 2022 |
| Country | United States |
| Other club from | Canada |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Conferences | 2 |
| Number of clubs | 30 |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Domestic cup | U.S. Open Cup |
| Current champion(s) | New York Red Bulls II (2025) |
| Current regular season title | St. Louis City 2 (2025) |
| Broadcaster(s) | OneFootball[1] YouTube |
| Website | mlsnextpro.com |
| Current: 2026 MLS Next Pro season | |
As of the 2025 season, 27 of the 30 MLS teams held affiliations with an MLS Next Pro team, with only the CF Montréal, D.C. United, and San Diego FC having no such franchise affiliation.
History
In the mid 2000's 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.
Formation of the league
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.[3] 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.[3] 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.[3]
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.[4][5][6]
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.[7]
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.[8]
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.[9] 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.[10]
Teams
Eastern Conference - Northeast Division 
Eastern Conference - Southeast Division
Western Conference - Frontier Division 
Western Conference - Pacific Division
future teams
Future teams
| Team[37] | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Joining | Affiliate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Armada FC | Jacksonville, Florida | New Eastside Stadium[a] | 8,000 | 2013 | 2027 | Independent |
| Forest City Cleveland | Cleveland, Ohio | South Gateway Stadium[a] | 10,000 | 2022 | 2027[38] | |
| AC Grand Rapids | Grand Rapids, Michigan | Amway Stadium[a] | 8,500 | 2024 | 2027 | |
| Golden City FC | San Francisco, California | Kezar Stadium[b] | 10,000 | 2025 | 2027[39] | |
| 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[a] | 1,500[40] | 1996 | 2022 | 2022 | Independent |
- Multi-purpose stadium
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 |
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 | [41] |
| 2023 | Austin FC II | 3–1 | Columbus Crew 2 | Lower.com Field | Valentin Noël (AU2) | 7,500 | [42] |
| 2024 | North Texas SC | 3–2 | Philadelphia Union II | Toyota Stadium | Herbert Endeley (NTX) | 7,692 | [43] |
| 2025 | New York Red Bulls II | 3–3 (3–1 p) |
Colorado Rapids 2 | Sports Illustrated Stadium | Rafael Mosquera (NYR) | 9,095 | [44] |
Individual game highest attendance
Regular season
| Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Stadium | Date | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis City 2 | 3–1 | Houston Dynamo 2 | 12,263 | Energizer Park | May 4, 2025 | [45] |
| 2 | St. Louis City 2 | 5–0 | Tacoma Defiance | 12,022 | CityPark | October 6, 2024 | [46] |
| 3 | St. Louis City 2 | 2–0 | Sporting Kansas City II | 10,671 | CityPark | June 23, 2024 | [47] |
| 4 | St. Louis City 2 | 4–1 | LA Galaxy II | 9,626 | CityPark | September 17, 2023 | [48] |
| 5 | St. Louis City 2 | 4–0 | Real Monarchs | 9,489 | CityPark | August 6, 2023 | [49] |
| 6 | The Town FC | 0–0 (4–2 p) | Austin FC II | 5,500 | PayPal Park | April 20, 2024 | [50] |
MLS Next Pro Cup playoffs
| Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Stadium | Date | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Red Bulls II | 3–3 (3–1 p) | Colorado Rapids 2 | 9,095 | Sports Illustrated Stadium | November 8, 2025 | [51] |
| 2 | North Texas SC | 3–2 | Philadelphia Union II | 7,692 | Toyota Stadium | November 9, 2024 | [52] |
| 3 | Columbus Crew 2 | 1–3 | Austin FC II | 7,500 | Lower.com Field | October 22, 2023 | |
| 4 | Columbus Crew 2 | 4–1 | St. Louis City 2 | 7,446 | Lower.com Field | October 8, 2022 | [53] |
| 5 | St. Louis City 2 | 0–2 | San Jose Earthquakes II | 5,227 | CityPark | October 1, 2023 | [54] |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union II | 4–0 | Columbus Crew 2 | 4,727 | Subaru Park | November 2, 2024 | [55] |
| Key | |
|---|---|
| MLS Next Pro Cup | |
| Conference Final | |
| Conference Semifinal | |
| Otherwise, it is a previous knockout round | |
See also
- MLS Next
- MLS Reserve League (2005–2014)