What Is MLS NEXT? How It Works for Youth Players
MLS NEXT is the youth development league that Major League Soccer runs for boys from U13 to U19. It includes all 30 MLS club academies and about 280 independent clubs, and the 2026-27 season has roughly 53,000 players on 2,743 teams.
If a coach has mentioned MLS NEXT to your son, or he has a tryout coming up, you probably want to know what he would be signing up for. This post covers how the league is structured, how a season runs, the rules families ask about most, and the part the league's website doesn't cover: what the move into this environment asks of a young player. I see that side of it every week in our mentoring sessions at Beyond Goals.
What MLS NEXT is and where it came from
MLS launched MLS NEXT in 2020. U.S. Soccer had shut down its Development Academy that April, which left the top boys' clubs in the country without a national league, and MLS built a new one around its own academies. The first matches were played in September 2020 in Commerce City, Colorado (Wikipedia).
Six years later it is much bigger. For 2026-27, MLS NEXT lists 310 clubs, 2,743 teams and more than 27,000 scheduled matches across the U.S. and Canada (Inside World Football).
Teams play in six age groups: U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U19. The league is for boys. The girls' pathway connected to it is Girls Academy, which formed a partnership with MLS NEXT in December 2024.
The point of the whole structure is a pathway. A player who develops in MLS NEXT can be signed by an MLS club as a Homegrown player, move to MLS NEXT Pro (the professional league MLS clubs use for their reserve teams), get picked up by a youth national team, or be recruited by a college program. Most players will end up in the last group, and that is a good outcome.
The two divisions
Since the 2025-26 season, MLS NEXT has had two tiers (MLS). They share the national events but differ in a few ways that matter to a family.
Homegrown Division
This is the top tier. It includes every MLS academy plus the strongest independent clubs, which MLS calls Elite Academies.
Age groups follow the birth year (January 1 to December 31), which matches how FIFA and the youth national teams group players.
Players are expected to give up high school soccer. Waivers exist, and we cover them below.
This is where MLS clubs sign most of their Homegrown players, so the scouting from the pro side is heaviest here.
Academy Division
This tier was added for 2025-26 and has about 230 clubs and 25,000 players. Five regional league operators run it under MLS NEXT's standards (MLS NEXT).
From 2026-27, age groups switch to the school year (August 1 to July 31), so your son will be grouped with his classmates (MLS).
Players are allowed to play high school soccer, and the regular season is built around the high school calendar.
Academy Division teams play at MLS NEXT Fest and can qualify for MLS NEXT Cup, so college and pro scouts do see them.
If you are weighing an offer from one division against the other, I wrote a longer comparison of MLS NEXT Homegrown vs. Academy that goes through the trade-offs in more detail.
How a season works
The season runs from about September to June. Most weekends are regional conference games, with a few national events spread through the year. Here is the 2026-27 calendar (Inside World Football):
Talent ID, October 9–12: open scouting sessions at MLS facilities in 13 markets, where about 1,300 prospects were identified this year.
MLS NEXT Fest, December 2–13, Mesa, Arizona: the biggest event of the year, with about 1,600 teams and around 2,400 matches over 12 days in front of pro, national team and college scouts.
Generation adidas Cup, March 25 to April 2, IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida: an international tournament where MLS academies play clubs from other countries.
MLS NEXT Flex, April 29 to May 4, Atlanta: the last qualifying event for the Cup.
MLS NEXT Cup, June 5–13, Cincinnati: the national playoffs across six age groups.
The training load is the part families tend to underestimate. MLS NEXT's published technical standards set a minimum of three sessions a week at U13 and four a week from U14 up, with at least one day off (MLS NEXT technical standards). Add weekend games, travel to national events and the odd missed school day, and there is very little off-season left. That is fine for a player who wants it. It wears down a player who is there because everyone around him expected it.
The questions families ask most
Does it cost money?
It depends on the club. MLS club academies generally don't charge players to play. Independent clubs do charge fees, and the totals vary a lot once you add uniforms, regional travel and a trip to Arizona for Fest. Before you commit, ask the club for the full-season cost in writing, travel included, and ask what financial aid it offers.
Can my son still play high school soccer?
In the Academy Division, yes. In the Homegrown Division, players are expected to skip it, and a player who plays high school soccer without an approved waiver can't be registered again until fall 2027 (MLS NEXT high school waiver, 2026-27). Waivers are possible if the player receives financial aid tied to high school soccer, was admitted to his school because of soccer, or has another reason documented in a letter. Requests go in by September 9 for the fall season, between October 15 and November 15 for winter, or between January 4 and February 13 for spring, signed by the principal, the club's academy director and a parent. If you are torn on this one, our post on whether high school soccer is enough to play in college is worth reading first.
How do players get in?
Through club tryouts, usually in the spring, and through scouting. MLS academies scout constantly, and Talent ID events give players outside the system a chance to be seen. A tryout for an MLS NEXT team is as much about how a player handles pressure as how good his first touch is, so it helps to prepare mentally for the tryout and not only physically.
Does it help with college recruiting?
It puts your son in front of a lot of college coaches, especially at Fest and the Cup qualifiers. Exposure only helps if he is playing well and has done the groundwork, though: emails to coaches, a recruiting video and grades that keep his options open. Our college recruiting timeline by grade level lays out when each of those should happen.
What the spec sheets leave out
Most guides to MLS NEXT stop at divisions, dates and fees. The harder part for most players is the adjustment once they are in.
Nearly every player who joins an MLS NEXT team was one of the best players on his old team. Now he is one of 18 who all were. For a 13- or 14-year-old, losing that status can rattle his confidence quickly. He goes from starting every game to fighting for minutes, and it is easy for him to decide he doesn't belong, when he is going through a normal adjustment that most of his teammates are going through too.
The second thing is how much he is evaluated. Coaches are tracking every session, scouts are at the big events, and teammates are competing for the same spots. Players under that kind of attention often start playing safe. They take the easy pass, stop asking for the ball in tight spaces and avoid the risks that made coaches notice them in the first place. Every level I moved up to as a player came with a version of this, and the players who adjusted fastest were the ones who stopped treating each session as a verdict.
A few things help in that first season:
Set one process goal a week instead of judging yourself on minutes. Pick something within your control, such as winning your first duel of every game or checking your shoulder before every receive. Write it down on Monday and rate yourself on it on Sunday. Minutes depend on the coach. The goal depends on you.
Build a short reset for after a mistake. At this level mistakes happen every game. Choose a physical cue (clap twice, touch your shin guard) and a short phrase ("next action"), and use them every time. Practice it in training so it is automatic in games.
Ask your coach about your role early. In the first month, ask what he wants from you in your position and what you should work on. Most coaches respect the question, and the answer gives you something concrete to focus on instead of guessing.
Parents can help by keeping the drive home about effort and enjoyment, not minutes and mistakes. That conversation can wait until the next day.
Is MLS NEXT right for your player?
MLS NEXT is a great environment for some players and the wrong one for others. These questions will tell you more than any ranking:
Does he want it himself? Four or more sessions a week is hard to keep up for a player who is doing it for someone else.
Can your family handle the schedule and travel? Count the drive to training four times a week, plus national events, before you say yes.
How does he feel about high school soccer? For some players it matters a lot. If it does, the Academy Division or another league may be a better fit.
What will it cost, all in? Ask the club for the full-season number, travel included.
Is the club itself a good fit? The league badge matters less than the coaching he will get every day. Our guide on how to evaluate a soccer club as a parent covers what to look for.
MLS NEXT is one route to college and pro soccer. Plenty of players get there through ECNL, high school or other strong club programs.
Making the most of it
The league gives a player the structure: good competition, a demanding schedule and people watching. What he gets out of it depends on how he handles being there, including the weeks when he is on the bench and the games where nothing goes right.
If your son is heading into MLS NEXT, or working to get there, that mental side is what we work on in our mentoring sessions with former pros. Book an intro session and we can talk about where he is and what would help.
Frequently Asked Questions
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It depends on the club. MLS club academies generally don't charge player fees, while independent clubs do, and the total varies with travel. Ask any club for the full-season cost in writing.
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No, MLS NEXT is a boys' league. The girls' pathway linked to it is Girls Academy, which partnered with MLS NEXT in December 2024.
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Both are national leagues for elite youth clubs, and ECNL runs a boys' league as well as its better-known girls' league. MLS NEXT is run by Major League Soccer and includes the MLS club academies, so it connects directly to MLS NEXT Pro and the Homegrown player route. Strong players come through both.
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There is no automatic promotion between the two. Players move when a Homegrown Division club recruits them, which happens when a player stands out in Academy Division games or at national events. Our Homegrown vs. Academy comparison covers this in more detail.
