SafekipediaMLS Next Pro
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MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is connected to Major League Soccer (MLS).
The league started in 2022 with 21 teams. Now it has 27 teams. These include 27 reserve teams from MLS clubs and three independent teams: Carolina Core, Chattanooga FC, and CT United.
As of the 2025 season, 27 out of the 30 MLS teams have a team in MLS Next Pro. Only CF Montréal, D.C. United, and San Diego FC do not have a team in this league.
MLS Next Pro is part of the third level of the United States soccer league system.
History
Main article: MLS Reserve League
In the mid-2000s, MLS teams began creating academies to help young players improve. In 2005, MLS made a reserve league where its teams could play each other. This gave players more chances to compete in real games.
Later, MLS ended this league and worked with another group. During this time, some MLS teams started their own second teams. The first teams to do this were RSL, LA Galaxy, Toronto FC, and Portland Timbers.
Establishment
On June 21, 2021, Major League Soccer announced a new professional league that would start in 2022. This new league, called MLS Next Pro, would be a third-level league in the United States. It would include at least 20 teams, many owned by MLS clubs to help develop young players. By 2023, all MLS clubs with reserve teams in other leagues planned to move them to MLS Next Pro.
The first game of MLS Next Pro was played on March 25, 2022, at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis. St. Louis City 2 beat Rochester New York FC 2–0, with Wan Kuzain scoring the first goal. The league uses special rules, like deciding tied games with penalty shootouts and allowing extra substitutions for players who get hurt. In July 2022, new rules were added to stop teams from wasting time and to handle red card suspensions differently.
Competition format
The MLS Next Pro league runs from spring to fall, starting in March. Each team plays 28 games during the regular season. After that, there is a playoff tournament with 16 teams. The league has two conferences: Eastern and Western.
Unlike Major League Soccer, MLS Next Pro does not limit how much teams can pay players. Each team can have up to 24 professional players on its roster, plus up to seven players from other countries. In total, a team can have 35 players ready to play in any game during the season.
Teams
The MLS Next Pro league has many teams from the United States and Canada. Some teams belong to bigger Major League Soccer clubs, while others are independent. The league is split into groups to help organize games better.
Future teams
Former teams
Timeline
League member Former member Future member Other leagues
| 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 | |
| Golden City FC | San Francisco, California | Kezar Stadium | 10,000 | 2025 | 2027 | |
| The Island F.C. | Long Island, New York | New Stadium at Mitchel Athletic Complex | 2,500 | 2025 | 2027 |
| 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 |
Champions
The MLS Next Pro league names a champion each year. Here are the winners from the championship matches.
Finals
Below are the details of the championship finals.
| 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 |
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Venue | MVP | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
The regular season is when teams play many games to see who does best. Some games have more people watching than others.
MLS Next Pro Cup playoffs
The MLS Next Pro Cup playoffs are special games at the end of the season. The best teams play to win a big trophy.
| Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Stadium | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis City 2 | 3–1 | Houston Dynamo 2 | 12,263 | Energizer Park | May 4, 2025 |
| 2 | St. Louis City 2 | 5–0 | Tacoma Defiance | 12,022 | CityPark | October 6, 2024 |
| 3 | St. Louis City 2 | 2–0 | Sporting Kansas City II | 10,671 | CityPark | June 23, 2024 |
| 4 | St. Louis City 2 | 4–1 | LA Galaxy II | 9,626 | CityPark | September 17, 2023 |
| 5 | St. Louis City 2 | 4–0 | Real Monarchs | 9,489 | CityPark | August 6, 2023 |
| 6 | The Town FC | 0–0 (4–2 p) | Austin FC II | 5,500 | PayPal Park | April 20, 2024 |
| Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Stadium | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Red Bulls II | 3–3 (3–1 p) | Colorado Rapids 2 | 9,095 | Sports Illustrated Stadium | November 8, 2025 |
| 2 | North Texas SC | 3–2 | Philadelphia Union II | 7,692 | Toyota Stadium | November 9, 2024 |
| 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 |
| 5 | St. Louis City 2 | 0–2 | San Jose Earthquakes II | 5,227 | CityPark | October 1, 2023 |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union II | 4–0 | Columbus Crew 2 | 4,727 | Subaru Park | November 2, 2024 |
| Key | |
|---|---|
| MLS Next Pro Cup | |
| Conference Final | |
| Conference Semifinal | |
| Otherwise, it is a previous knockout round | |
Related articles
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on MLS Next Pro, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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