The new MLS Next Pro team in Middlesex County, New Jersey that will replace New York City FC II come July 2027 has its first president.
The still-to-be-named club announced today that Brady O'Connor will be that first president, taking on leadership of NJ Next Pro's business operations, and tasked with launching an expansion third-division team that gets its players through New York City FC's sporting department and pipeline.
O'Connor most recently served as the Chief of External Affairs for the NY/NJ 2026 World Cup host committee, and before that held roles as a special assistant to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, while also serving as chief of staff for the president and CEO of non-profit economic development organization Choose New Jersey.
His new role will see him in charge of building a brand-new Next Pro team, with the announcement of his hiring specifying that O'Connor will oversee the club's partnerships, ticket sales, marketing, and community engagement in the build-up to a 2027 on-field debut.
Michael Battista of the New York Soccer Journal first reported that NYCFC II would be shifting to Middlesex County as part of the Hometown Soccer Holdings initiative on August 14, a relocation and rebranding confirmed by all parties on September 2.
This is the first one of these moves made in tandem with Hometown Soccer Holdings, the new entity backed by private-equity giants KKR and run by former NYCFC president Tom Glick that's aiming to take over and centralize business operations for any willing, MLS-affiliated MLS Next Pro franchises, with the intent to rebrand them and relocate them outside their immediate MLS markets.
Michael Battista
In an interview with New York Soccer Journal to discuss his hiring into this club president role, O'Connor elaborated on what made Middlesex County the right place to host this inaugural effort to reimagine an MLS reserve team.
"You have a perfect combination of local interest in Middlesex and in the surrounding area, plus a very, very accessible area for the stadium, brand new, a lot of excitement locally around that. Then obviously with the team, with the association of NYCFC, I think it's a perfect marriage for the county and for us," O'Connor said.
"This part of the state, central and north Jersey, there's a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of soccer fans. There's a ton of local clubs, and you combine the popularity of the sport, the population density of the County and the region with that accessibility and with the culture that is building there in the County and in the surrounding area, and I think it's a perfect recipe for this," said O'Connor.
O'Connor got an up-close look at how the World Cup went in New Jersey through his work with the host committee, but the World Cup is very different from MLS Next Pro. The Hometown Soccer Holdings plan is meant to target new markets that can support new teams with unique, non-"MLS II" identities, drawing crowds in the thousands and succeeding as standalone clubs not reliant upon the MLS teams they share affiliations with.
Now as he builds out this new Next Pro franchise, O'Connor thinks the concept of World Cup momentum will work in New Jersey Next Pro's favor. "I thought everything that we did at the local level with our partners in New York City, New York State and the state of New Jersey went off really, really well. There was clear enthusiasm and engagement and interest in the sport, and this is a perfect opportunity to try to transition some of that enthusiasm at a local level," O'Connor said.
O'Connor also takes on the task of helping this brand-new team get its name, colors, crest, and identity nailed down. New Jersey Next Pro already says there are plans to engage the local Middlesex County community to come up with a name, with a literal "Name the Club" campaign teased as coming soon.
"We definitely want the community involved. We want to make sure that they feel like they're a part of this and this isn't just someone from the team coming down and saying that this is what this is. There will be some fan engagement there. We're still figuring out exactly what that will be like, but it's an important part of this to us," said O'Connor.
The New York City FC connection will always be there for this team, even if it will not be called "New York City FC II" for much longer. O'Connor isn't shying away from the team's ties to NYCFC, saying, "We are going to use it as our backbone for how we operate and ensuring that folks understand the association and the seriousness of the organization. But also, we want to make sure that there is definitely a local flavor and a local color to the team here in Middlesex County."
He's not worried about capturing existing NYCFC fans, nor is he focused on who potential fans of New Jersey Next Pro may or may not support at MLS level.
"We want to make sure that it's an experience that is something that's easy for them to get to, is fun, is a good product on the field, and that they feel association with. We're not necessarily worried about who their MLS team is. We would love as many NYCFC fans to come as well, but that's not really our focus. Our focus is really about ensuring that the locals are engaged and involved in this," O'Connor said.
The name and identity of the team is not yet in place, but their home stadium is known, as the new club will move into the 6,500-seat multi-purpose stadium that's opening as part of the $350 million NEXUS development in Edison, New Jersey. NEXUS is set to be a sports and entertainment district that includes the stadium plus an adjacent plaza, a full-service restaurant and bar, and 14 renovated or newly-built athletic fields.
The new New Jersey Next Pro team won't debut until July 2027, when MLS Next Pro kicks off its first summer-to-spring season that aligns with the new competition calendar also being followed by first-tier MLS beginning next summer. The stadium, though, is expected to hold a ribbon cutting before the end of 2026, and will have hosted other events, like co-tenants Rutgers University's baseball team, in the months leading up to the Next Pro franchise's debut, with no concerns expressed by O'Connor about readiness or availability at the start of the 2027/28 Next Pro season.
"It's going to be really one-of-a-kind for this part of the state. I don't think there's going to be anything like it, which is really great and very exciting as it relates to us, NYCFC, and NEXUS," O'Connor said of the new facility.
Next, the task becomes filling as many of those 6,500 seats as possible, and making a MLS Next Pro team stand out inside the local Middlesex County community.
In the announcement of his hiring, O'Connor said in part, "I know firsthand what soccer means to communities across the state. I could not be more excited to help build a club that reflects New Jersey values in Middlesex County and to bring professional soccer to fans who have waited a long time for a team of their own. Our goal is to provide an experience that is accessible, affordable, and fun for all."
