MLS Next Brings On A New League

How does the expansion alter the youth soccer landscape? The competition is the current home of the highest-level youth soccer across the United States and Canada, giving young talent the chance to kickstart their careers in the beautiful game. The goal of the league is to provide an elite platform for youth players to grow and develop their games in an extremely competitive environment. Presently, MLS NEXT encompasses more than 15,000 players, which is a significant figure. Outside of the competition, however, there is a group of leagues vying to be the next tier of competition. The youth soccer pyramid in the United States has long been in limbo, with constant restructuring leading to a house divided.

The current MLS NEXT project should grant youth soccer a far more centralized second division. Presently, five leagues will be morphing into this new project. These leagues include the National Academy League (NAL), the Elite Academy League (EAL), the Sporting Development League (SDL), Cobalt Sports, and the Cal North Soccer Association. These leagues encompass clubs from all over the United States. The National Academy League will be bringing over a majority of the new teams and players, representing clubs from the entire Eastern half of the country as well as Mid- America. The addition of teams from over 200 clubs across the country will undoubtably bring some major new talent into MLS NEXT. Many top clubs are coming with this expansion. Some already have MLS NEXT top division sides, while many do not. Across the leagues that will be making up the new second tier, lots of high-quality club teams will be seen. Among the bunches of new talent are clubs like Albion SC, who had teams filling up the later rounds of the EAL 2024 nation championships across multiple age groups. Some other major EAL clubs making the move are Laguna United, Tonka Fusion and Wasatch FC. The NAL is bringing a plethora of quality teams and programs, including IFA, Cedar Stars and Boston Bolts. The SDL and Cal North Soccer Association are transferring strong sides from clubs such as Sacramento United, De Anza Force, and San Francisco Glens SC.

How Will These Teams Be Involved?

The new teams and clubs making their way into the MLS NEXT family will become involved in a multitude of ways. They will gain access to a seasonal regional tournament that will provide potential qualification to a spot in an event at the MLS NEXT Cup. The new teams will also be given the option to attend MLS NEXT Fest each December. The ability to attend these high-profile national events will give more teams a brighter spotlight, allowing their players to be seen by more scouts at various levels of the game. Players on teams in this tier will also maintain their ability to play soccer for their high schools.

The incoming expansion of MLS NEXT is a great step forward in the business of making North American youth soccer bigger and better. Young talent in the region is already getting seen more than ever before, and this new project is another way to continue improving player development and exposure.

RBNY Talent Joins AC Milan

NYRB Academy Talent Astin Mbaye to join AC Milan Astin Mbaye, a talented 2009 center back for the New York Red Bulls academy setup, is set to make his way to Italy to join the Rossoneri. He is going overseas just days after his 16 th birthday to join fellow US Internationals Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah as a part of the AC Milan family. Mbaye has been thriving as a center back for the Red Bulls, providing a strong defensive presence while also showing lots of attacking capabilities. He has demonstrated many traits desirable in a modern center back, which has seen his stock rise rapidly. He has also been a key contributor for the U15 US youth national team, with 6 caps under his belt. A highlight of this stint was a goal against Scotland. Mbaye has since been called up to the U16 national team for the United States. The move to Milan could prove to be a phenomenal next step in a blossoming career for Astin Mbaye. He has proven himself to be a serious player in the American academy setup as well as the international scene and has given AC Milan many good reasons to bring him over. While he may not see first team action immediately, Mbaye is going to get good experience Associazione Calcio Milan Youth Sector, the Milan youth academy. He also has the potential to get time with the Milan Futuro, the reserve side currently playing in Serie C, the third tier of Italian football.

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