Expansion Update #001 - October '24
With three confirmed independent expansion clubs, and more on the way, I take a look at where expansion stands right now.
Back in March, league President Charles Altchek mentioned to Sport Business Journal that they expect to “be at 40 announced teams by the end of this year”.
Right now the league sits at 32 teams including the 3 official expansion teams, so we should (emphasis on should) expect ~8 additional teams to be announced over the next three months. Note: I suspect one of these was expected to be Ft. Myers, which seems to have collapsed since these comments were made.
As we head towards the window where we might expect “Special Announcements”, now seems like a good time to take a look at where the ongoing expansion efforts stand.
Officially Announced
These three efforts have been formally announced as future independent expansion clubs, and are all well on their way to kicking off in the near future.
(i) Cleveland
Let’s start off with the club that has been an official expansion club the longest: Cleveland Pro Soccer
Cleveland, understandably, has been all-in on their prospective NWSL bid in recent months, which they are currently awaiting a response for. The central piece to that bid is the $150m, 12k-capacity stadium proposed to house both their men’s and women’s teams, which if all goes smoothly should open in time for the 2026 season. In a highly encouraging sign, the team recently purchased the land needed for the stadium.
So, what about the MLSNP club? Well, there hasn’t been much movement recently. An NWSL bid of this size is an “all hands on deck” type of project, so it’s no cause for concern in my opinion.
Given the stadium will not open until 2026 at the absolute earliest, it is highly likely the MLSNP club will be delayed until then. However, for what its worth, the club did respond to me regarding this and reiterated their intention is for a 2025 MLSNP kickoff, but acknowledged 2026 is a possibility:
Est. debut: Likely 2026
(i) Jacksonville Armada FC
On November 2nd, 2023 storied lower league club Jacksonville Armada FC was announced as the next independent expansion club. During the event, they stated their intention was to kick off in 2025 in a brand new 2,500-seat stadium located in downtown Jacksonville, FL.
Roughly 11 months later and that stadium has unfortunately still not yet broken ground. It appears they ran into unexpected legislative roadblocks, but as of August 27th they seem to have gotten the necessary approval to move forward.
While not officially confirmed by the club, a press release from EPL club West Ham United let slip that the timeline has shifted to the 2026 season. Given the stadium hiccups, this should not come as a surprise. You only get one chance to reintroduce yourself to the local community, and the club is determined to get it right.
Est. debut: 2026
(i) Connecticut United FC
The newest independent expansion club to join the league is CT United FC, based in Bridgeport, CT.
Formally introduced earlier this year on January 9th, the club announced some highly ambitious plans that included:
A new 7.5k+ waterfront stadium (ready for the 2025 season)
A entirely free youth academy
Intentions to pursue an MLS franchise
A possible future NWSL bid
The first step in those plans is, of course, the waterfront stadium. To build it, the club is seeking ~$30 million from the state for various purposes. As of August 30th, they have only received $16 million from the state. While it is far short of their initial ask, it can also be viewed as a good sign that there is some legislative support for the project.
Outside of the stadium though, the club is making much more progress. In may, they appointed former Colorado Rapids Head Coach Robin Fraser to the club’s board as Chief Sporting Advisor. The club has also hit the ground running with their free youth academy, which is currently playing their inaugural MLS NEXT season for the U14 and U16 age groups. Lastly, the club officially unveiled their crest and colors on August 2nd.
On August 30th, the club announced that they were officially delaying their MLSNP debut until 2026.
Est. debut: 2026
Public Interest
The following projects have publicly announced their interest in pursuing an MLSNP expansion club, but have not yet been formally introduced by the league.
Baltimore, MD
Let’s start with the only reserve team on the list: DCU’s Baltimore effort.
D.C. United is one of only 3 MLS clubs that do not currently have a reserve team in the league, the others being Montreal and 2025 MLS expansion club San Diego FC. Unlike those two, DCU has been open about the fact that an MLSNP club is definitely in their plans, and they have their sights set squarely on Baltimore, MD.
In an interview with Pro Soccer Wire in November of last year, owner Jason Levien stated:
“We…are going to plan to build the opportunity in MLS Next Pro in Baltimore, and we’re committed to that,” said Levien in an exclusive interview on Tuesday at United’s Inova Performance Center in Leesburg, Va. “Now, it’s about executing on that, which I have some experience just from the D.C. [stadium] project. So we’re working very closely with city and state officials in Baltimore on that project, and we want to grow our footprint.”
To that end, the club has spent $225,000 on a study this year to determine a suitable location for a 7.5k(+) capacity soccer specific stadium. That study has recently pivoted to a new location on Baltimore Peninsula (shown below), which seems highly promising and has support from the current land owners.
This stadium is a long way off from becoming reality, and depending on what costs the study comes back with it may not be pursued at all. With that said, DCU seems to be well aware that the absence of a reserve team in the talent-rich DMV is detrimental to the club, and seem highly motivated to launch a team.
Est. debut: 2026+
Albany, NY
When announced back in May, this project seemed to catch many people (myself included) by surprise.
Led by local business leaders Ed and Lisa Mitzen, the plan calls for an 8,000-seat soccer stadium to be built in downtown Albany, NY. Along with other site redevelopment plans, the project is expected to cost upwards of $300 million. The ownership group plans to request some state and local support to help finance.
While not officially announced by the league, MLSNP President Charles Altchek said this during the press announcement:
"We are focused on bringing an MLS NEXT Pro team to Albany. We are hopeful that the state and affiliate organizations will work to support the new development and stadium and the surrounding community infrastructure. The Mitzens are the ideal local leaders to drive this transformational project."
If approved and built as expected, the stadium should open in June of 2026 according to County Executive Dan McCoy. This would put them on track to kickoff for the 2026 season, while playing the first half of the season on the road. This arrangement has already proven to be successful, as both Huntsville City and Carolina Core FC opened their stadiums halfway through their inaugural seasons to crowds averaging around 4,000 fans.
Est. debut: Likely 2026
BattleBorn FC
The Reno, NV based club has long made their intentions to launch a fully professional team known. The rapidly growing Nevada city is one every professional league in the country has had their eyes on ever since USL club Reno 1868 folded after the 2020 season.
Back in May of 2023, BattleBorn FC owner Marc Radow confirmed they had received interest from multiple leagues:
"There's an ownership group and an investor group that has been so community oriented," Radow said. "They're the people that make this possible. The MLS has asked us and the USL has asked us and NISA Nation has asked us— the professional leagues are basically saying, 'Is your investor group willing to go the distance? To go all the way?' And everybody has basically pledged their balance sheet to make that happen.”
The club has plans to build a privately funded 5,000-seat soccer specific stadium in Northern Reno, which has been approved by the city since 2023. As of July 2024, the stadium was working through final approvals on necessary permits needed before construction could begin.
Based on what I’m hearing, the club has chosen MLS Next Pro. As long as the stadium continues to progress, I would not be surprised if there is an announcement before the end of the year.
Est. debut: Likely 2026
Wilmington, NC
To give the full context of this situation we need to go all the way back to 2022, when a group called “USL to Wilmington”, led by Dewan Bader, announced intentions to bring professional soccer back to the Port City by 2024. Of course, that plan ultimately did not materialize.
In April of this year, Wilmington StarNews caught up with the group to learn more about the situation. According to their reporting, when the plans didn’t come together in 2023 the group lost one of their primary investors which upended the project entirely.
This setback has led us to today, where Bader is actively putting together a new group of core investors to revive the effort. The original plans for Legion Stadium are still in place, approved by the city, and are ready to go whenever the club is.
So, why is all of this in an article about MLSNP expansion? In that same article from April Bader mentions that all options are on the table for the new ownership group, including MLS Next Pro.
In recent weeks, the “USL to Wilmington” Instagram page has come back to life and has started posting more frequently. They have hinted that information regarding the project is “coming soon” on several occasions, but have yet to elaborate further.
Est. debut: 2026+ (if at all)
Weston FC
The highly successful MLS NEXT youth club Weston FC turned heads recently when Technical Director Luis Mendoza revealed their plans to (eventually) pursue an MLS Next Pro expansion spot.
In an interview with SoccerAmerica.com he had this to say:
“We spend a lot of money to travel right — when we make trips, we travel like a pro team. We have recovery, our own physio, everything set like a pro environment. Eventually, our target is to go MLS Next Pro.”
The club, which has produced the likes of Benjamin Cremaschi and Aidan Morris, has not mentioned what sort of timeline they expect for this jump to the professional ranks however.
Est. debut: TBD
Santa Cruz Breakers FC
Another highly respected youth club that has previously expressed interest in joining MLS Next Pro is Santa Cruz, CA based club Breakers FC.
Back in May of 2023, the club was revealed as the highest bidder on an old middle school campus. At the time, the club explained their plan for the campus was to launch a full youth academy, and to eventually launch an MLS Next Pro side in 2025.
However, there has been no updates on this effort since and it’s unclear if they are still planning to launch a pro team. Until there is some sort of indication that this effort is underway, I’m not expecting this to happen anytime soon.
Est. debut: TBD
Final Thoughts
So, where does all of this leave the league?
Let’s put it this way, as of right now I would expect 2025 to lean heavier on rebrands (I’ll have a separate article on this later) than expansion. Though I’m not ruling anything out either, its just too early to say for sure. Chattanooga FC, although heavily rumored at the time, was not formally announced until mid-November, but still debuted just a few months later.
The 2026 season, however, is where we should expect to see a wave of expansion efforts getting off the ground. By my count as many as 10 new clubs, mostly independent, could debut together in 2026.
In recent years, the league has had the majority of their “Special Announcements” in Q4. Given Altchek’s highly ambitious “40 teams” statement, I’m expecting news to start ramping up around November/December.
Lastly, if you want to share anything, you can always email me via nextpronews@gmail.com or DM me on Twitter.
Would be great to have an update on all the above....