2026 Spotlight: MLS NextPro
Setting the table for Huntsville's season
There are only two professional soccer teams in Alabama: Birmingham Legion, and Huntsville City. Both teams operate in different ecosystems, and the focus here will be surrounding the league and system that Huntsville competes in.
Image credit: MLS
Huntsville City competes in MLS NextPro, which is sanctioned as a Division 3 professional league - the same level in the US pyramid as USL League One, and one level below USL Championship (Birmingham's league). Major League Soccer (MLS) sits at the top of the pyramid as a Division 1 league. You've probably figured out that MLS has their own system that's separate from the USL system, and they compete with each other in their paths for developing players into professionals. In the past, MLS clubs had reserve teams that competed within the USL ecosystem, as well as clubs that had affiliate arrangements across the two systems. But in 2022 MLS leveraged their size and power and formed NextPro. Teams that had been operating in USL moved over, and MLS clubs that didn't already have reserve professional squads fielded reserve teams in the new NextPro league (with a couple of exceptions). Additionally, NextPro allows independent clubs to join and compete, with no attachments to an MLS parent club. For context, Huntsville City is the reserve team for Nashville SC, while Chattanooga FC is completely independent.
In 2025, there were two independent teams competing in NextPro, Chattanooga and Carolina Core, and for 2026 Connecticut United will begin competing (Huntsville will play them just once, on May 30 in Huntsville). There are five more independent teams lined up to join in the near future as well; all are planned for next year, but one or two will likely slide. There are three MLS clubs that have yet to start operating reserve teams in NextPro, which puts the total for the league at 30 teams this year. The league's scope is the secret sauce for success. Due to their sheer size, they limit travel and are able to develop some rivalries in a way that other professional soccer leagues haven't been able to replicate. For example, Huntsville will play Chattanooga and Atlanta 2 three times each during the regular season, and they don't face any teams from the West until late in the playoffs.
The Path to Pro
Image credit: MLS
Both competing ecosystems talk a great deal about “The Path to Pro”. The development channels for soccer can be very different than any other sport in the United States. Basketball and football rely a great deal on athletes being developed through college sports, while soccer operates more like baseball has historically. College can be important, but plenty of baseball players go straight to pro without college, and the vast majority toil in the minor league system, hoping for the chance to eventually get to MLB. Some of that holds true for soccer as well.
Of course, soccer is more of a global game, but within the US much of the player development happens in youth clubs. MLS Next is the youth part of the MLS ecosystem, and features a top layer of youth clubs that compete on a ten-month calendar that aligns with professional leagues. Next predates NextPro, which was started to formalize a stronger bridge from amateur youth players to players with the potential to be professionals. Huntsville City has a system within Next, and Nashville also has teams within this top youth layer (MLS Next Homegrown Division). This system, in addition to others, is built around development of players and coaches, and funneling them to the top. The MLS Next youth system alone has over 40,000 players participating.
The Bigger Picture
Image credit: Nashville SC
As we zoom out, it's important to see how all of this is playing out in the big picture across the country. Nashville's Matthew Corcoran is a prime example. Matthew played in the FC Dallas youth system, then came to Birmingham Legion at just 15 years-old, and now he's with Nashville SC. On the coaching side, Nicky Law played in USL Championship, then ended up as a player-coach at Huntsville. After time coaching with Tampa Bay Rowdies, he's back in NextPro as an assistant with North Dallas SC. The two ecosystems combined provide robust pathways for domestic players to go pro, and gain valuable experience. Ultimately, the objective is to raise the bar and see the results start to show up at the National team level.
Huntsville City FC
Image credit: Huntsville City FC
The NextPro season kicks off two weeks from today, with Chicago Fire 2 facing off against Inter Miami II. Huntsville's first match will be on Sunday, March 2 on the road against Orlando City B, the first of three consecutive games on the road to start the season. The first home game will be against their closest rival, Chattanooga FC, on Saturday, March 21.
Huntsville had their best season so far in 2025, finishing in sixth place in the East for the regular season, and then getting knocked out in the second round of the playoffs. The nature of NextPro means that rosters see a significant amount of turnover, so the first few games will be critical to getting established for the season.
The other significant change for 2026 is that NextPro games will be easier to watch. For 2025 the games were behind the MLS Season Pass paywall. That wall has been lowered for 2026, as MLS content is now included in the Apple TV subscription. If you can watch Ted Lasso, you should be able to watch most MLS games, and NextPro matches. If you haven't watched NextPro games in the past, it's a great time to start.