What to Expect in MLS Next Pro

By Anonymous (not verified), March 21, 2022

For Immediate Release MLS NEXT Pro Communications Sellout Crowd Expected at MLS NEXT Pro Inaugural Match in St. Louis 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.  The match will also air locally in St. Louis on Bally Sports Midwest. 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 this season, ensuring every match 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.   >>>>> The 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Competition Guidelines are available here 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.

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