here<\/a>). Illustrating the two schedules\u2019 contrasts are the first team\u2019s almost-certain opening month of nine matches in the first 32 days and \u00a0Union II\u2019s opening month of only four<\/p>\nHome Venues<\/p>\n
Soccer schedules north of the Rio Grande get adjusted during the year. The weather sometimes forces variation, and other circumstances such as multipurpose field availability can change. We think Philadelphia Union II will almost certainly experience such adjustment this year.<\/p>\n
We think Philadelphia\u2019s soccer campus, the WSFS Sportsplex and Subaru Park, will have extra occupants using its facilities this summer. It has been designated as a FIFA Team Base Camp hosting national teams for training during the World Cup.<\/p>\n
Lincoln Financial Field will host actual scheduled matches that feature Cote D\u2019Ivoire, Ecuador, Haiti, Brazil, France, Curacao, Croatia, Ghana, a playoff team to be determined, and the participants in the July 4th quarterfinal. Ten or 11 teams will need practice venues.<\/p>\n
And after the World Cup in early August during the Leagues Cup, Philly\u2019s campus will serve similar functions for three unannounced Liga MX teams as well as staging Philadelphia\u2019s three matches with them during it.<\/p>\n
We are guessing that some of Philadelphia Union II\u2019s summer home games will not be played at Subaru Park itself. Instead they will happen on the Championship Field at the Sportsplex. That field has the extra lighting, the bleacher seating capacity, and the other basic amenities to qualify as an official U. S. Soccer Division III game venue.<\/p>\n
We have tried to anticipate some of the games. Such specifics are an even riskier guess.<\/p>\n
Of the Union II games scheduled during the FIFA International break that precedes the World Cup, the Cup itself, and the group stage of the Leagues Cup, eight are away and three are at home. Unofficially using logic only, we guess that perhaps maybe those three home games might be played on the Championship field.<\/p>\n
Sunday, June 14, vs NYC FC II
\nSunday, July 12, vs Huntsville
\nSunday, August 9, vs FC Cincinnati 2<\/p>\n
We have no confirmation of these guesses and no idea whether more venue changes might be needed. A FIFA World Cup side\u2019s practice needs might \u201coutrank\u201d an U. S. Soccer Division III game, for example.<\/p>\n
Days & starts <\/p>\n
There are three different start times for Union II home games and five for away ones. The third home game start is skewed by being Decision Day with its special requirements.<\/p>\n
Eleven Union II home games start at 3:00 PM. Two start at 7:00. Decision Day starts at 2:00.<\/p>\n
Nine of the 14 away matches start at 7:00 PM, two start at 6:00, and the other three start at 3:00, 4:00 and 5:00 respectively. We believe all the times above are eastern time zone. We assume the greater variation in away starts reflects both the preferences of specific markets, and perhaps the requirements of venues when the club may lease rather than own.<\/p>\n
2026\u2019s MLSNEXT Pro competition<\/p>\n
There are now 30 teams in the league, Connecticut United FC of Bridgeport having joined for 2026. Philadelphia Union II\u2019s game schedule continues the past\u2019s pattern of no interconference regular season play. The separation reduces travel drastically.<\/p>\n
Colleague Alex Hayden has discovered that Chicago Fire FC II now describes itself as a member of the Eastern Conference\u2019s Southeast Division.\u00a0 We infer that Connecticut has displaced Fire II from the Northeast since Union II play them three times, and that the two divisions now have eight teams each. Hayden\u2019s discovery further suggests that the Eastern conference has 16 teams; and the Western, 14.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia plays each of the seven other teams in the Northeast Division three times and seven of the eight in the Southeast once to create a 28-game season. We presume venues for Northeast Division third \u2014 aka, rubber \u2014 matches would alternate year by year were the 30 teams and the 16:14 split to continue, but they probably won\u2019t (see below).<\/p>\n
Union II does not play Inter Miami II in 2026.<\/p>\n
2 0 2 6 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C O N F E R E N C E S \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0& \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0D I V I S I O N S<\/p>\n
Eastern Conference
\nWestern Conference<\/p>\n
Northeast Division
\nSoutheast Division
\nFrontier Division
\nPacific Division<\/p>\n
Connecticut
\nAtlanta
\nAustin
\nLos Angeles FC<\/p>\n
Cincinnati
\nCarolina Core
\nColorado
\nPortland<\/p>\n
Columbus
\nChattanooga
\nHouston
\nSalt Lake<\/p>\n
New England
\nChicago
\nKansas City
\nSan Jose<\/p>\n
New York City
\nCrown Legacy
\nMinnesota
\nTacoma<\/p>\n
Red Bull NY
\nHuntsville
\nNorth Texas
\nVentura County<\/p>\n
Philadelphia
\nMiami
\nSt, Louis
\nVancouver<\/p>\n
Toronto
\nOrlando<\/p>\n
Change not continuity<\/p>\n
The 2026 competitive format will almost certainly last only this year. More expansion is said to be coming. Two possible teams are on the east coast, and two more are in the Midwest. The geographic asymmetry \u2014 all four are east of th Mississippi \u2014 suggests future reorganization.<\/p>\n
MLS Next Pro\u2019s official website currently lists four expansion teams, one of which has already formally announced itself as joining in 2027, AC Grand Rapids in western Michigan.<\/p>\n
The Jacksonville Armada and Cleveland Pro Soccer are listed by both MLS Next Pro itself and Wikipedia as other 2027 expansion teams. Both claim appropriate stadiums either existing or under construction.<\/p>\n
The Island FC (Suffolk County, NY on Long Island) is listed by MLS Next Pro only.<\/p>\n
All four have websites depicting academies, and all four websites claim to join in 2027. But experience advises caution in committing resources and making concrete plans based of such claims absent details of stadiums, named front office and technical staffs, and announced, contracted players. Even those criteria did not prevent Rochester from ceasing operations at the Next Pro level at the last minute before season two.<\/p>\n
AC Grand Rapids will change MLSNEXT Pro\u2019s 2027 season. Probably so will Major League soccer\u2019s 2027 transition \u201cseason\u201d and its concurrent calendar shift.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo Marjorie Elzey Now that MLS NEXT Pro has published its 2026 regular season schedule, it is time…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":439446,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[49,48,561,82],"class_list":["post-439445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=439445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439445\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/439446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=439445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=439445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=439445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}