MLS Next Announcement

[Anonymous]

Beginning in the 2026-27 season, player registration for within MLS NEXT will be as follows: Allstate Homegrown Division will continue to use Birth-Year age groups (January 1 - December 31). Academy Division will change to School-Year age groups (August 1 - July 31).

Player registration via Birth-Year remains the optimal structure for the Allstate Homegrown Division, as it aligns with FIFA standards, the global professional pathway and greatly benefits our youth national teams.

The School Year age group system is the most suitable structure for the Academy Division, as it aligns with the broader youth soccer landscape across the United States and creates opportunities for continued collaboration and growth between MLS NEXT and the wider youth soccer ecosystem.

Discuss!

[Anonymous]

Cant tell is serious

[Anonymous]

Why is this important?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cant tell is serious

They just posted it on their socials, it’s real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beginning in the 2026-27 season, player registration for within MLS NEXT will be as follows: Allstate Homegrown Division will continue to use Birth-Year age groups (January 1 - December 31). Academy Division will change to School-Year age groups (August 1 - July 31).

Player registration via Birth-Year remains the optimal structure for the Allstate Homegrown Division, as it aligns with FIFA standards, the global professional pathway and greatly benefits our youth national teams.

The School Year age group system is the most suitable structure for the Academy Division, as it aligns with the broader youth soccer landscape across the United States and creates opportunities for continued collaboration and growth between MLS NEXT and the wider youth soccer ecosystem.

Discuss!

it's been confirmed by our club. email went out today

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beginning in the 2026-27 season, player registration for within MLS NEXT will be as follows: Allstate Homegrown Division will continue to use Birth-Year age groups (January 1 - December 31). Academy Division will change to School-Year age groups (August 1 - July 31).

Player registration via Birth-Year remains the optimal structure for the Allstate Homegrown Division, as it aligns with FIFA standards, the global professional pathway and greatly benefits our youth national teams.

The School Year age group system is the most suitable structure for the Academy Division, as it aligns with the broader youth soccer landscape across the United States and creates opportunities for continued collaboration and growth between MLS NEXT and the wider youth soccer ecosystem.

Discuss!

I don’t have a prediction but it will be really interesting to see how the Q4 kids respond to the option of being at the top of the ECNL age pool versus the back of the MLS Next I age pool.

Getting the 🍿 ready for tryout season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is this important?

Kid born on Jan 1 of year ABCD will be in the same age group as that born on Dec 31 of the same year ABCD.

Former kid has an entire year of biological advancement over the latter kid.

-

The rest of the nation is doing school grade. So all 7th graders will be grouped the same 7th graders.

-

Kind of important. Not too much but a lil.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is this important?

Kid born on Jan 1 of year ABCD will be in the same age group as that born on Dec 31 of the same year ABCD.

Former kid has an entire year of biological advancement over the latter kid.

-

The rest of the nation is doing school grade. So all 7th graders will be grouped the same 7th graders.

-

Kind of important. Not too much but a lil.

Got it. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Now there will be school year age MLS 2 teams filled with end of year kids from the older birth year that can probably beat the true birth year MLS 1 teams within the same club. How confusing is that. Say you have a bunch of late birth year 2012s who don’t quite make MLS 1 as 2012s. They will then be on the 2013 MLS 2 team which will probably be better than the 2013 MLS 1 team with all true 2013s bc most or even all of the 2013 MLS 2 team could be born in 2012 🫠

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is this important?

Kid born on Jan 1 of year ABCD will be in the same age group as that born on Dec 31 of the same year ABCD.

Former kid has an entire year of biological advancement over the latter kid.

-

The rest of the nation is doing school grade. So all 7th graders will be grouped the same 7th graders.

-

Kind of important. Not too much but a lil.

Got it. Thanks.

You’re very welcome!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is this important?

Kid born on Jan 1 of year ABCD will be in the same age group as that born on Dec 31 of the same year ABCD.

Former kid has an entire year of biological advancement over the latter kid.

-

The rest of the nation is doing school grade. So all 7th graders will be grouped the same 7th graders.

-

Kind of important. Not too much but a lil.

You're wrong. The rest of the nation is going AGE BRACKETS (1-AUG-XX to 31-JULY-XY) Some places will be misaligned 1 month and other places will be misaligned 3 months and you will still have mixed grades.

[Anonymous]

So, for top boys in the area, aiming for spots on the first teams at MLS Next clubs (Bethesda, SYC, Alexandria, Achilles, DCUA) -- nothing changes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is this important?

Kid born on Jan 1 of year ABCD will be in the same age group as that born on Dec 31 of the same year ABCD.

Former kid has an entire year of biological advancement over the latter kid.

-

The rest of the nation is doing school grade. So all 7th graders will be grouped the same 7th graders.

-

Kind of important. Not too much but a lil.

Except, they said not one single thing about school grade. They listed a Aug 1st cutoff

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Now there will be school year age MLS 2 teams filled with end of year kids from the older birth year that can probably beat the true birth year MLS 1 teams within the same club. How confusing is that. Say you have a bunch of late birth year 2012s who don’t quite make MLS 1 as 2012s. They will then be on the 2013 MLS 2 team which will probably be better than the 2013 MLS 1 team with all true 2013s bc most or even all of the 2013 MLS 2 team could be born in 2012 🫠

Someone needs to tell you its about individual players development and not team performance

[Anonymous]

How does this work for non MLS events. Do tournaments starting follow School-Year age groups. They haven't allowed players to "play down" an age year.