Tacoma Defiance advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals in the previous season and won back-to-back Pacific Division titles in 2022 and 2023. On March 15, they will play Austin FC II in a replay of the Western Conference Semifinals from the previous year to begin their season.
A professional football league called MLS NEXT Pro was established in 2022 in both Canada and the United States. It has 29 teams and is associated with Major League Soccer. Two of them are autonomous, but the majority are MLS clubs’ reserve squads. The third tier of the US football league hierarchy is home to MLS NEXT Pro.
The league wants to increase professional soccer’s accessibility and appeal to supporters and fans all over North America. More opportunities for growth and success in the sport are also created for referees, coaches, players, and sports business professionals. It links the first teams of MLS clubs with the MLS NEXT youth development programme.
In the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season, which begins on March 15, two new independent teams, Carolina Core FC and Chattanooga FC, will play alongside 27 MLS affiliates (a total of 29 clubs). For 30 weeks, each team will play a 28-match schedule (14 at home and 14 away). Teams will play other teams in their conference and each divisional opponent three times.
With MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, fans will be able to watch live for most regular season games as well as all Decision Day, playoff, and MLS NEXT Pro Cup matchups. Live streaming of the remaining regular season games will be available on mlsnextpro.com.
The 2023 postseason introduced the “pick-your-opponent” concept, which will return to the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs in 2024. There will be more teams making selections, more teams making the playoffs (16 total), and more knockout games played (15 total) this year.
Each conference will send eight teams to the playoffs, with the top four seeds in each conference hosting and choosing their opponents in the opening round. The top-seeded team in each conference will choose a matchup from the remaining three teams in the second round.
A new level of competition and exposure for the upcoming generation of players and coaches, MLS NEXT Pro is an exciting addition to the North American soccer scene. Fans may witness their hometown talent in action and show support for the affiliates of their preferred MLS clubs.
If you love football, you should definitely check out MLS NEXT Pro and keep an eye on its development as the season goes on. Visit mlsnextpro.com for additional details about the league, its clubs, its schedule, its standings, and its highlights. You can also follow @MLSNEXTPRO on Twitter for more information.
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