This 2027 qualifier between New Jersey-based amateur teams had everything: Wobbly goalposts delaying kickoff, a mid-match blackout, rowdy fans, red cards, a goal from a 43-year-old player-coach, a nasty head-to-head collision, and so much more.
New York City FC II's last 28-match season as "NYCFC II" ended as its best-ever MLS Next Pro campaign, as the club clinched sixth place and a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a shootout win on the road over Philadelphia on Decision Day.
Brady O'Connor, most recently of the NY/NJ 2026 World Cup host committee, will lead business operations as the Edison, New Jersey-based club prepares for its July 2027 debut.
NYCFC and MLS now confirm Edison, New Jersey, and a soon-to-be-completed 6,500-seat multi-purpose stadium will become the new home for a relocated and rebranded version of New York City FC II as part of MLS Next Pro's new Hometown Soccer Holdings initiative.
Beginning in September, 22 teams from across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will be competing for a spot in the tournament field.
New franchise USL Long Island plans to launch a third-division men's team at James M. Shuart Stadium at Hofstra University, a direct competitor for nearby The Island FC launching in 2027 in MLS Next Pro.
Oisín Coyne swapped Irish football for New York's soccer scene, and he hasn't looked back. Why the native of Kildare, Ireland, left his homeland to pursue his commentary dream in the United States.
The Hicksville-based amateur side travels to Los Angeles hoping to clinch a third straight US Open Cup appearance and to become just the second team in UPSL history to win back-to-back national titles.
The Burlington-based side continues to set the standard for amateur soccer in America on and off the field, beating Flint City Bucks to make it back-to-back USL 2 titles and cap off another unbeaten season.
Four local amateur teams — Lansdowne Yonkers FC, New Haven United FC, Metropolitan Oval Academy, and NY Renegades FC — face upcoming matches with huge Open Cup qualification ramifications.
A new entity created by MLS and a private-equity firm will offer to take control of the business operations of MLS Next Pro teams in order to rebrand them and relocate them, a potentially seismic change to the lower-league soccer landscape.
