Is anyone shocked? I’m certainly not 🤦‍♂️

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👀👀 On Saturday at 2:00pm the 2027 independent expansion club based in Grand Rapids, MI will drop the “West Michigan Soccer” placeholder and officially unveil their name. www.mlive.com/news/grand-r...

This is a good read, but doesn't solve the biggest problem in CF Montréal's infrastructure: a lack of a proper reserve team to put all those young talents in before they're ready to play at the top level.

A lot of really great MLSNP related questions and answers here. Credit to the author for not asking a general question and then moving on, but asking good follow-up questions to get more details.

Despite clinching a spot in the playoffs, Richie Williams and #NERevsII’s foot is still on the gas pedal as they look to finish the 2025 strong! open.substack.com/pub/thebentm...

FWIW this would not surprise me at all, especially if it’s more than just 2 or 3 players loaned down a year. I can’t see Chattanooga agreeing to anything beyond that, but Carolina strikes me as a club who might. (Connecticut also does, but the owners said “existing” at the STM meeting)

It’s not mentioned in this thread, but in this interview the owners also confirm there is some sort of partnership in place to have an MLSNP team and it should be announced “soon”

Wake up babe, new Capy just dropped. Koné, 23, comes from the top flight in the French FUTSAL league and has played for his national team. #CapyCrew | #Crew96 | #Futsal www.columbuscrew.com/news/columbu...

Let’s go, Seth! 👏 We have signed CITY2 midfielder Seth Antwi to a first team contract through the end of the 2025 MLS season with club options for 2026 and 2027. 🗞️ www.stlcitysc.com/news/st-loui...

The more I think about this, there are really two options: 1) Partner with Chattanooga (maybe Carolina) for a handful of players. DCU has already sent Turner to CFC 2) Partner with expansion club CT Utd. Win-win for both sides (DC keeps kids close / CT has lower cost while they get off the ground)

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Nashville SC have signed defender Jordan Knight to an MLS contract from Huntsville City FC. www.sixonefivesoccer.com/nashville-sc...

🇺🇸 Sources: Orange County SC have signed talented USYNT forward Apolo Marinch. Marinch, 15, was previously with Columbus Crew academy. Debuted in the U.S. Open Cup (with Crew 2) this year at 14-years-old (!) earlier this year.

2024 MLS Next Pro MVP David Poreba is on the bench for Fire II. This is his first appearance on the bench since he tore his ACL in preseason. This is also Owen Pratt’s first app on the bench since joining the club #cf97 #VamosFire

North Texas SC has seating charts for Mansfield Stadium up on their season ticket page. #NTSC Images remind me a bit of Dyanmo's setup with some field-level seats, then suites, then larger upper sections. Tix packages look to run from $10 per game up to $40.

Section 904 SG have released another statement asking for info on the 2026 season and MLS Next Pro. Despite Robert Palmer ignoring their previous requests in May about the future of the Jacksonville Armada.

Congratulations to Yu Tsukanome for tying the Defiance/S2 all-comp, single-season scoring record with this 17 goal last night. www.sounderatheart.com/2025/09/yu-t...

👀 - It sounds like LAFC2 is expected to play their October 5th game (Decision Day) at the University of Southern California’s Rawlinson Stadium Rawlinson Stadium opened earlier this year and is a multi-purpose stadium home to USC Women’s soccer and lacrosse teams. It has a capacity of 2,500.

📰 - Rapids 2 are headed north 👀 They’ll play their next home game ~1hr north at the University of Northern Colorado’s soccer-specific Jackson Stadium. Jackson Stadium was built in 1926 and is located in Greeley, Colorado. It has seating for 1,860.

Houston Dynamo 2 have signed Noah Betancourt to a MLS NEXT Pro contract. The 18 year old is the 8th Dynamo Academy product to sign a pro contract with Dynamo Dos.

Houston Dynamo 2 have signed Enrique Correa to a MLS NEXT Pro contract. The 18 year old is the 9th Dynamo Academy product (and second today) to sign a pro contract with Dynamo Dos.

It's the second annual Space Cowboy match tonight! Nashville SC will travel south to Alabama to take on Huntsville City FC, their second team, in a friendly match. Get all the info on the match, predicted XIs, and more with our match preview.

📰 - Really great article here giving insight into Huntsville City FC and what they are building down in Alabama. Also, fwiw, I tend to agree with the headline. What Huntsville is doing benefits not just themselves, not just NSH, but the entire league. www.al.com/sports/2025/...

Looks like Georgi Minoungou has been called into Burkina Faso, too. www.instagram.com/p/DN6VAiiEhA...

Looks like USL intends to compete directly with @clevelandprosoccer.bsky.social’s MLSNP efforts (and likely WPSL Pro as well). The “Soccer Warz” rage on. www.wkyc.com/article/news...

📰 - per @meninred97.com / @amcalabrese.bsky.social, Ventura County GK Owen Pratt is headed to Chicago Fire II. Pratt, 17, is one of the top prospects in the LAG system but has struggled to breakthrough for VCFC. Pratt’s new deal will upgrade to a HG deal in 2027. meninred97.com/sources-owen...

John Hackworth gave Mykhi Joyner the 59 nickname after Joyner single handedly scorched that early academy side. It’s fitting then, that Hackworth was the one to give Joyner the news of his call-up last week. Anyways, Joyner told me that he actually likes the moniker, MJ59 might have some legs.

News: The Chicago Fire have loaned forward Dean Boltz to Forward Madison for the remainder of the 2025 USL League One season. Boltz, 18, was the Fire's 1st round pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft & has been a fixture with Fire II this season. #cf97 #VamosFire

Union Backup goalkeeper, Pierce Holbrook, who was just called up on loan from Union II, appears to have injured himself during warmups and has had to be carried off the field. @jtannenwald.bsky.social #DOOP

Calling up Philadelphia Union II goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook on a short-term loan agreement ahead of our match against Chicago. 📝 philaunion.co/holbrookloan #DOOP

#NERevsII bolsters its defense with the addition of Chris Mbaï-Assem! open.substack.com/pub/thebentm...

The club announced today that it has signed MNUFC2 defender Kieran Chandler to a one-and-a-half-year MLS contract. Chandler is available for tonight’s match at Real Salt Lake.

Huntsville City FC Starting XI vs Chattanooga FC Valdez; Knight, Applewhite, Barrett, Bowen ©; Mayaka, Véliz; Carleton, Casas, O'Brien; Ka BENCH: Lauta, Miglietti, Gill, Rose, Boneau, Barker John, Studenhofft, Carmichael, Ekk

🇲🇽 Sources: Nashville SC sign on-loan winger Jonathan Perez to a permanent deal from the LA Galaxy. Galaxy will receive $1.5m cash trade for Perez + $300k add-ons. Signs new U-22 initiative deal. Perez, 22, has 29 apps with Nashville after joining on loan last year.

🇺🇸 Sources: Atlanta United academy, USYNT standout GK James Donaldson has signed his first pro contract. Deal is MLS Next Pro now, then turns into first team homegrown deal ahead of 2027 season. Donaldson, 16, also eligible for England.

St. Louis CITY SC has moved Mykhi Joyner from an Off-Roster Homegrown designation to the club’s Supplemental Roster, making him eligible for matchday selection for the rest of the season. 🗞️

👀 Crown Legacy’s “sign and stash” strategy continues... - Petkovic ($3m - ‘23) - Toklomati ($3.5m - ‘24) 2025: - Coulilbaly ($2.5m) - Subotic ($1.6m) - Echegbu ($1m) - Bartolovic ($680k - $1.7m) - Aloko ($6m - likely incentives based)

So I'm not entirely sure what to make of this, but apparently Urbanyi has retained legal council after leaving SKCII. #SportingKC www.wboy.com/business/pre...

The Kid from Comox. 🌊 'Caps are excited to announce that 18-year-old Homegrown midfielder and BMO Academy product, Liam Mackenzie, has signed his first MLS contract through 2028. ✍️ Welcome to the first team, Liam! #VWFC | 📰: bit.ly/mackenzie-signing

Kimani Stewart-Baynes has suffered a season-ending ankle injury while on loan at Lexington SC. He's been recalled and will rehab it with the Colorado Rapids. No word on timeline or severity of injury, but his season is done.

✍️ - Chattanooga FC signs forward Yuval Cohen Cohen, 19, departs Inter Miami’s academy to sign a pro contract with the independent club. He has 3g and 1a across 13 appearances for MIA2 this season. He played for MIA2 as recently as last week… 👀 www.mlsnextpro.com/chattanoogaf...

ICYMI:

What’s your favorite on our CLEVELAND WOMEN’S TEAM SHORTLIST? - Cleveland City Emeralds - Cleveland Sirens - Cleveland Loyal SC - Cleveland Cardinals - Forest City SC More than picking a team name. It’s defining what kind of community we want to create — and what story we’ll tell. VOTE BELOW 💬

✍️ - Carolina Core has signed forward Jesus Ibarra Ibarra, 27, recently parted ways with fellow independent club Chattanooga FC, where he had been since 2023. This season Ibarra has 1g and 1a across 11 app. Very interesting to see CCFC scoop up Ibarra so quickly. www.mlsnextpro.com/carolinacore...

And this right here is why, for 90% of teams, treating your MLSNP team as just a U20 academy team afterthought is shortsighted. Tacoma’s roster build out was very intentional, and they are going to enjoy the fruits of that strategy for years imo.

The other thing I’ve pointed out before: with how guys like Osaze, Musovski, White, Ilovski, Tani and a few others have translated their lower tier productivity to MLS… if your front office is not scouting the hell out of Next PRO & USL, they’re not doing their jobs.

The club has signed MNUFC2 forward Luke Hille to a Short-Term Agreement, making him available for tonight’s Leagues Cup match against Atlético de San Luis.

Jacksonville Armada get a section and you can pretty much bank on it also that they won't debut in MLS Next Pro in 2026. There's been zero progress on stadium so far because of contractors and well let's say "other" issues with team/stadium. nextpronews.substack.com/p/expansion-...

🗞️ - New Article! Expansion Update #003 🏗️ Grand Rapids breaks ground 🌉 The return of pro soccer in San Francisco 🏟️ Details on the Baltimore stadium study All that and more! open.substack.com/pub/nextpron...