Building the Next Layer of the Game: Ali Curtis on the Growth of MLS NEXT Pro
- Jason Longshore
- 7 minutes ago
- 5 min read
MLS NEXT Pro was created to develop players.
Four years later, it is increasingly developing something bigger.
As the league enters the 2026 season, it is expanding into new markets, attracting independent ownership groups, and positioning itself as a broader platform for professional soccer across North America.
For league president Ali Curtis, that growth represents the next phase of MLS NEXT Pro’s evolution.
“There are more markets that can support professional soccer and be part of the MLS family,” Curtis said during an appearance on SDH AM this week. “Having a team in High Point, North Carolina, having a team in Chattanooga, in Bridgeport, in places like Grand Rapids, Long Island, Jacksonville, Cleveland. There are people who love the game across the United States and Canada.”
What began primarily as a developmental environment for Major League Soccer clubs is steadily expanding into something larger: a national professional league that connects emerging markets, new ownership groups, and the broader growth of the sport.
Curtis has previously spoken about the league’s long-term ambition to reach roughly 50 clubs. The expansion of independent teams alongside MLS-affiliated sides is central to that vision.
But growth, Curtis emphasized, is not simply about adding teams.
It is about adding the right ones.
Building the Right Kind of Growth
When MLS NEXT Pro evaluates new clubs, Curtis said the league focuses on three essential elements.
The first is the market itself.
“You want to make sure it’s a place that can sustain professional soccer,” Curtis said.
The second factor is infrastructure. Clubs must demonstrate a viable stadium plan and training environment that can support a professional operation long term.
But the most important component is ownership.
“You want to make sure you’re bringing the right people to the table,” Curtis said. “People that have the same vision and the same goals as the league.”
Curtis described expansion as a long-term partnership rather than a short-term opportunity.
“We view this as a really long-term vision and a long-term investment,” he said.
That philosophy has shaped the league’s expansion strategy as it adds independent clubs in markets across the country, including places that may never host an MLS franchise but still possess the appetite and infrastructure for professional soccer.
For MLS NEXT Pro, those communities represent the next layer of the sport’s footprint in North America.
A League Built on Process
Curtis repeatedly emphasized that MLS NEXT Pro’s growth is guided by collaboration and structure.
League leadership works through committees, working groups, and consultation across multiple stakeholders when shaping decisions about the competition.
“We have really good people working at the league office,” Curtis said. “Our process is very collaborative and highly communicative.”
That collaborative model extends beyond league staff. Coaches, general managers, referees, medical professionals, and outside soccer stakeholders are often part of the conversation when the league evaluates potential changes.
Curtis believes that strong process ultimately leads to stronger outcomes.
“We’re not going to achieve everything we want,” he said. “But if we have the right process and the right people, it puts us in a really good place.”
The approach has positioned MLS NEXT Pro as more than just a developmental competition.
It has become a testing ground for ideas about how the game itself can evolve.
A Moment Arriving With the World Cup
The league’s expansion and experimentation come at a moment when soccer’s visibility across North America is accelerating.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will bring the tournament back to the United States, Canada, and Mexico, marking the largest World Cup ever staged.
For Curtis, the moment carries personal resonance.
He remembers attending matches during the 1994 World Cup as a kid growing up in Michigan, including a trip to the Pontiac Silverdome.
Now, more than three decades later, the sport is preparing for another transformative moment on the continent.
“This is a great year for our sport,” Curtis said. “We have a World Cup coming here.”
The timing places MLS NEXT Pro squarely within a broader wave of soccer growth in North America, as new professional markets, youth development structures, and fan bases continue to expand.
From Experimental League to Global Influence
That growth has also allowed MLS NEXT Pro to influence the sport beyond its own competition.
Several rule adjustments introduced in the league have recently been approved by International Football Association Board, the body responsible for the Laws of the Game.
Curtis said the league approached those changes carefully.
“We didn’t want to change the game,” he said. “We wanted to make slight adjustments to adapt to things that were happening on the field.”
To develop those proposals, MLS NEXT Pro created an innovation committee made up of general managers and coaches while also consulting referees, medical experts, players, and officials from multiple soccer organizations.
The goal was to address issues that fans, players, and coaches frequently recognize during matches.
“We all scream at the television sometimes,” Curtis said. “You see something happening and you ask, ‘Why do we keep doing that?’”
The process ultimately produced changes designed to improve the flow of the game while maintaining its integrity.
Now those ideas will appear on the sport’s biggest stage.
Staying Close to the Game
Despite the league’s rapid growth, Curtis believes leadership must remain closely connected to the clubs and communities that make up MLS NEXT Pro.
That means traveling regularly to matches across the country.
Last year alone, Curtis attended the MLS Cup Final, the MLS NEXT Pro Cup Final, and the MLS NEXT youth championships.
He also makes time to visit regular-season matches in markets throughout the league.
“You’ve got to be physically present,” Curtis said. “You’ve got to be there and be close to the clubs and the communities.”
Those visits offer a chance to see the league through the eyes of supporters, players, and local ownership groups.
“They’re building something in their communities,” Curtis said. “And it’s important to experience that firsthand.”
A Lifelong Connection to the Game
For Curtis, the work is ultimately rooted in the same game that shaped his own journey.
Before becoming an executive, Curtis played professionally in Major League Soccer with clubs including the Tampa Bay Mutiny and D.C. United. His playing career followed years of youth development, including time with the Michigan club Vardar.
Those relationships remain part of his life today.
Curtis still keeps in touch with youth coaches and teammates from decades ago, connections he credits with shaping his path in the sport.
The game, he said, offers lessons that extend well beyond the field.
“It’s not just about what you can do on the soccer field,” Curtis said. “It’s what the game can teach you as a person.”
As MLS NEXT Pro continues to expand its reach across North America, Curtis sees the league as part of that broader mission — helping build new opportunities, new markets, and new communities connected by the sport.
The players may be developing their careers.
But the league itself is still developing too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is MLS NEXT Pro?
MLS NEXT Pro is a professional soccer league launched by Major League Soccer in 2022 that serves as a development platform for players, coaches, and referees while also expanding professional soccer into new markets.
How many teams are in MLS NEXT Pro?
MLS NEXT Pro currently includes 30 teams, both MLS-affiliated reserve teams and independent clubs. League leadership expresses ambitions to eventually grow toward around 50 teams.
Who is the president of MLS NEXT Pro?
Ali Curtis, a former MLS player and executive, serves as president of MLS NEXT Pro and oversees the league’s growth and competition structure.