Inaugural Season Kicks Off with Nine Matches This Weekend
NEW YORK (March 21, 2022) – The inaugural season of MLS NEXT Pro officially kicks off this Friday, March 25, in St. Louis, as St Louis CITY2 hosts RNY FC at Hermann Stadium (8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT). A sellout crowd is expected for this historic first-ever MLS NEXT Pro match.
Opening weekend will consist of eight additional matches, with four on both Saturday and Sunday. The MLS NEXT Pro opening weekend matchups are as follows:
Saturday, March 26 |
Sunday, March 27 |
|---|---|
Orlando City B vs. Chicago Fire II |
Philadelphia Union II vs. FC Cincinnati 2 |
Inter Miami II vs. Columbus Crew 2 |
Tacoma Defiance vs. Real Monarchs |
Houston Dynamo 2 vs. Whitecaps FC 2 |
NYCFC II vs. New England Revolution II |
North Texas SC vs. MNUFC2 |
Colorado Rapids 2 vs. Sporting KC II |
Tune In
Friday’s match in St. Louis will be the first MLS NEXT Pro “Game of the Week,” with an enhanced broadcast featuring MLS Great, New England Revolution legend and current ESPN commentator Taylor Twellman, plus Steve Cangialosi, Poppy Miller and Susannah Collins. A second “Game of the Week” enhanced production follows on Saturday (9 p.m. ET) with Houston Dynamo 2 hosting Whitecaps FC 2. Each of the 21 MLS NEXT Pro clubs will have at least one home “Game of the Week” this season.
Additionally, MLS NEXT Pro has teamed up with automated camera technology provider Spiideo to deliver livestreams of all other MLS NEXT Pro matches, ensuring every match this season will be available for viewing on mlsnextpro.com.
Head Coaches
Forty percent of MLS NEXT Pro clubs will be led by former Major League Soccer players: Laurent Courtois (Columbus Crew 2), Benny Feilhaber (Sporting KC II), Pa-Madou Kah (North Texas SC), Cam Knowles (MNUFC2), Tyrone Marshall (FC Cincinnati 2), Jamison Olave (Real Monarchs), Clint Peay (New England Revolution II) and Wade Webber (Tacoma Defiance) all played in MLS and will now serve as head coaches for their MLS NEXT Pro clubs.
The head coaching group is also diverse, with coaches of color leading 25 percent of MLS NEXT Pro clubs in the inaugural season.
No Ties
MLS NEXT Pro has released its 2022 Competition Guidelines, highlighted by the inclusion of shootouts for regular season matches that remain tied at the end of regulation. MLS NEXT Pro clubs will break the deadlock using a traditional shootout of kicks from the penalty mark (KFPM).
With approximately 25 percent of MLS games resulting in ties in the last three years and 20 percent of men’s FIFA World Cup knockout games since 1998 decided by shootouts, MLS NEXT Pro’s shootouts will be an exciting element for fans and will provide crucial opportunities for players to sharpen their finishing in this critical element of competition.
MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs
The MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs will consist of single-elimination matches hosted by the higher-seeded team and follow a straight bracket format through the MLS NEXT Pro Final. Seeding and/or hosting is decided by the highest points total.
At the end of the regular season, eight teams will qualify for the playoffs, four from each conference: two division champions plus the next two teams with the most points in each conference.
adidas
adidas, a founding partner of MLS NEXT Pro, will provide the Official Match Ball for all MLS NEXT Pro games. The league will utilize the same match ball that will be used in MLS. adidas will also present the MLS NEXT Pro Golden Ball, awarded annually to the top performing player in the league.
As a founding partner of MLS NEXT Pro, adidas will continue to expand upon its deep relationship with MLS and MLS NEXT. The partnership affirms adidas’ commitment to the growth and advancement of the sport of soccer in local communities throughout the United States, Canada and globally.
