The 2022 MLS Next Pro season was the inaugural season of
MLS Next Pro
MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clu ...
, the reserve league of
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
. It is the first season since 2014 where MLS had a standalone reserve league, the previous season being the
MLS Reserve League
The MLS Reserve League was a association football, soccer league for the reserve teams of Major League Soccer with teams in both the United States and Canada.
It was inaugurated on April 9, 2005, with the first official reserve game being a 2 ...
. Including both MLS Next Pro and the MLS Reserve League, it is the ninth season of a reserve league operated by MLS. The league is sanctioned as a third division league by
U.S. Soccer.
A total of 21 clubs, 20 MLS reserve teams and one independent team (
Rochester New York FC) participated in the 2022 season. The regular season began on March 25 and was concluded on September 18, 2022.
Columbus Crew 2 defeated
St. Louis City 2 4–1 in the inaugural MLS Next Pro Cup final on October 8.
Teams
Stadiums and locations
Personnel and sponsorship
Regular season
The regular season will feature 24 matches in a mostly regionalized schedule. Teams will play two or three games against teams in their conference. Only four matches total will be played between teams in opposite conferences. Each conference will be divided into divisions of five or six teams for scheduling.
Conference standings
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Overall table
Player statistics
Goals
Hat-tricks
;Notes
(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team
4 – Scored 4 goals
Assists
Clean sheets
Playoffs
There was an eight-team playoff, where the top finisher in each division qualified, along with the next two top finishers in each conference. Seeding within each conference was based on conference standings, regardless of being division champions.
Qualifying teams
;Eastern Conference
*
Columbus Crew 2 - Central Division Winner
*
Toronto FC II - Northeast Division Winner
*
Philadelphia Union II - Conference Wild Card #1
*
Rochester New York FC - Conference Wild Card #2
;Western Conference
*
St. Louis City 2 - Frontier Division Winner
*
Tacoma Defiance - Pacific Division Winner
*
Houston Dynamo 2 - Conference Wild Card #1
*
North Texas SC
North Texas Soccer Club is a professional soccer club that competes in MLS Next Pro, the third division of American soccer. The team is owned by, and operates as the reserve team of the Major League Soccer club FC Dallas. North Texas SC currently ...
- Conference Wild Card #2
Bracket
Conference Semifinals
Eastern Conference
----
Western Conference
----
Conference Finals
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
2022 MLS Next Pro Cup
Most Valuable Player:
Marco Micaletto (
Columbus Crew 2)
League awards
Individual awards
MLS Next Pro Best XI
Monthly awards
See also
*
2022 Major League Soccer season
The 2022 Major League Soccer season was the 27th season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. The league had 28 clubs following the addition of Charlotte FC as an expansion team.
The ...
References
External links
MLS Next Pro
{{DEFAULTSORT:2022 MLS Next Pro season
MLS Next Pro
MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clu ...
Mls Next Pro
MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clu ...
Mls Next Pro
MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clu ...
MLS Next Pro seasons