MLS Next Pro has been a talk of the town nowadays. Football fans especially American fans are very eager to know what is this and how it will be played and many other questions related to this new league. Here we will explain it by cracking this topic into different parts and will cover everything you need to know about it.
WHAT IS MLS NEXT PRO?
The United States and Canada have started this league which is affiliated with Major League Soccer. It is Men’s professional soccer league and will be launched in 2022. MLS Next Pro will have 21 teams and 20 of them are the reserve sides of the teams from MLS. However, there is one independent club – Rochester New York FC. This league will play its role as a 3rd tier league in the United States soccer league system. Thus, its main focus will be on the upbringing of the new talent. We can also say that it will serve as an academy for the future of American soccer.
HISTORY AND WHAT IS IT’S PURPOSE?
On June 21, 2021, Major League Soccer’s federation announced the creation of MLS Next Pro and published that it will start in 2022. MLS wants this league to be sanctioned and therefore are in talks with the United States Soccer Federation to make the MLS Next Pro a 3rd Division league. This division is currently occupied by USL League One and it will be one level below the USL Championship. One of the main purposes of MLS Next Pro is the upbringing of talent to rival European Football. Today MLS is quite popular in Europe too unlike a few decades ago when only European Football was watched all over the world. MLS Next Pro focuses on bringing the best of the youth and putting them outside their comfort zone and it will eventually help the main MLS in the future and will also increase the competition of the league. Europe has produced many great talents. Currently, some of the best American talents are also making their name in European Football like Pulisic, Dest and many more so it will be interesting to see what the future holds for this new project and how it will transform the soccer of America.
FIXTURES AND FORMAT
The first match will be played on 26 March and then the league will officially start. Each team will play a total of 24 games – 12 home games and 12 away games. The group is also divided into Eastern and Western conferences which are further divided into 2 divisions, the names of these divisions are Frontier Division, Pacific Division, Northeast Division and Central Division. Four teams from each conference will qualify for the MLS Next Pro playoffs.
WHAT TO EXPECT?
There is no doubt this league will have a big impact on the future of American Soccer and will polish the talent. The fans are expecting a whole new experience with new talented players coming forward and if this league will be managed by professionals and hardworking people then it can also help the USA’s national team in winning the World Cup because they are yet to win this prestigious cup.
