MLS Next (stylized as MLS NEXT) is a youth

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

league in the United States and Canada that is managed, organized, and controlled by

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

. It was introduced by the league in 2020. It is a successor to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. The system covers the under-13, under-14, under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-19 age groups. The league currently includes 753 teams across 151 clubs.

History

Organized youth soccer affiliated with Major League Soccer began with various MLS academy teams playing in the Super Y-League at its foundation in 1999. In 2007, the United States Soccer Federation created an elite academy league called the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, which featured academy teams of MLS teams, along with several non-MLS academies across the United States and Canada. The intention of the USSDA was to create a top division of youth soccer in the United States and Canada. On March 12, 2020, as a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19, the U.S. Soccer Development Academy suspended its operations. On April 15, 2020, the league ended operations, citing financial difficulty. The next day, Major League Soccer announced the formation of a “new elite youth competition platform intended to provide year-round high-level matches for MLS club academy teams and non-MLS academy teams that previously participated in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.” Major League Soccer officially announced MLS Next on September 8, 2020, encompassing 489 teams across 113 clubs and six age groups. On September 11, 2020, the inaugural MLS Next matches were held at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, between the Colorado Rapids and Real Colorado's respective U-17 and U-19 age groups. The league added 24 new clubs and expanded additional age groups for 16 existing clubs for the 2021–2022 season on June 11, 2021. In December 2021, Major League Soccer announced

MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, 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 clu ...

, a new professional league that will complete an integrated player pathway from MLS Next through to MLS first teams. The league includes 27 teams and played its initial season in 2022. In December 2024, MLS Next announced a strategic partnership with the Girls Academy in an attempt to foster an aligned development pathway for boys and girls aspiring to reach their highest potential. In January 2025, MLS announced the expansion of MLS Next with a new competition tier that will feature an additional 1,200 teams from more than 220 clubs across regional divisions, managed by various league operators.

MLS NEXT Cup

Clubs

''As of February 28, 2025''

References

External links

MLS Next
Major League Soccer 2020 establishments in the United States Sports leagues established in 2020 Youth soccer leagues in the United States