It is a battle for the heart of American soccer, as the U.S. Soccer Federation has denied a request from MLS to withdraw the participation of top-level clubs in U.S. Open Cup play and instead have the league represented by MLS NEXT Pro developmental squads. (more…)
Archive | MLS Next Pro
After $29 million upgrade, Joe Davis Stadium makes its pro soccer debut
The decrepit condition of Joe Davis Stadium led to the loss of pro baseball in Huntsville. This weekend the former Southern League ballpark made its pro soccer debut as home of MLS Next Pro’s Huntsville City FC. (more…)
Rochester FC NY throws in towel on 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season
The checkered history of pro soccer in upstate New York took another turn for the worse with the announcement that Rochester FC NY was immediately ceasing operations and withdrawing from the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season. (more…)
USL Championship 2023 lineup unveiled
It looks like the break between United Soccer League (USL) and Major League Soccer (MLS) is complete, as USL Championship 2023 will feature 24 teams in two 12-team divisions. (more…)
Irvine weighs Orange County SC lease at Championship Soccer Stadium
The Irvine City Council is debating the future of USL Championship’s Orange County SC at Championship Soccer Stadium, as other area organizations and LA Galaxy II express interest in holding more events there as well. (more…)
MLS NEXT Pro 2023 lineup adds seven more teams
Here’s the second part of the MLS shift of affiliates launched before this season: the MLS NEXT Pro 2023 lineup will grow by seven teams, including three defectors from USL Championship. (more…)
Nashville SC launches Huntsville MLS NEXT Pro team
We’ll see a Huntsville MLS NEXT Pro team in 2023, as MLS’s Nashville SC will launch and run the team playing at a renovated Joe Davis Stadium, former home to pro baseball in the Alabama city. (more…)
Previewing the big 2022 soccer business stories
After almost two years of operations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re on the cusp of a season approaching normalcy, with new and renovated stadiums opening in MLS, realignments in Division II and III men’s pro soccer and the continued growth in women’s soccer. Here are the four stories we’ll be following closely this year. (more…)
Spokane opts for USL League One over MLS Next Pro for new stadium
Swayed by a $4 million stadium investment from the league, the Spokane Public Facilities District opted to lease a new stadium to the USL for a League One team over a bid from Brett Sports for a MLS Next Pro team. (more…)
MLS Next Pro unveiled, in massive soccer realignment
MLS Next Pro, the new Division III circuit launching in 2022, will feature 21 clubs in 2022 and adding at least eight teams in 2023, representing a serious realignment in professional soccer. (more…)