<p>As of 2024, ninety-four men’s soccer teams in the United States are designated as professional. That spans Major League Soccer, the USL Championship, MLS Next Pro, NISA, and USL League One. Granted, it does not include all of MLS Next Pro, because many teams in that division are reserves. While 94 professional men’s teams are encouraging, it’s tiny compared to how many people live in the United States.</p>



<p>For instance, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/author/derekreese/">Derek Reese</a> compiled the data that lists how many clubs there are based on the population of the United States. He found that there is one club for every 3.5 million people. His research shows how few teams the USA has in comparison to the populations of other Western countries:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Let&apos;s compare our men&apos;s pro club ecosystem against, for example, the nations that have won a World Cup.<br><br>When it comes to getting the pro game in front of our population, we are woefully behind. We have just one professional men&apos;s club for every 3.5 million people in the US. <a href="https://t.co/Et0MraB0VZ">pic.twitter.com/Et0MraB0VZ</a></p>— Derek Reese (@DR928) <a href="https://twitter.com/DR928/status/1761070474404987086?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2024</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>For example, eight countries have won the World Cup. Each of them has a far lower people-per-club ratio. In other words, there are more clubs per person, which allows more academies, opportunities, and places for fans to show their support. Having more clubs in the United States would afford those opportunities.</p>



<h2>Comparing professional clubs in the United States to others</h2>



<p>If other countries that have success internationally followed the same trend as the United States, the outlook of professional clubs in the area vastly changes. Take Uruguay, for example. There is one professional club in Uruguay for every 114,809 people. To be fair, Uruguay is far smaller than the United States in both population and size. If Uruguay had the same ratio as the United States, there would be one professional club. </p>



<p>That is an extreme case, as Uruguay is by far the smallest nation to win the World Cup, and it has not won since 1950. England has not won a World Cup since 1966, but few would deny how potent England is as a soccer nation. There are a massive 164 professional and semi-professional soccer clubs in England. That leads to one club for every 344,734 people in England. </p>



<p>If England were to follow the same ratio as the United States, there would be 19 clubs in total. That equates to roughly one or two clubs per major city in England. Yet, if there is one thing that stories like Luton Town, Leicester City, Brighton and Hove Albion and other clubs from ‘smaller’ cities say, it is that clubs often take advantage of the opportunity. Many of the players in England’s squad did not come through the top academies in England. Jude Bellingham was in the Birmingham City Academy. Harry Maguire came up through Sheffield United. Ollie Watkins is a product of Exeter City, which is currently in League One. The fact remains that having so many clubs gave these players the chance, and they took it. </p>



<p><a href="https://twitter.com/DR928/status/1761070479912087746" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reese summed it up himself</a> when presenting the data. Smaller communities in the United States deserve clubs of their own.</p>



<h2>Limitations to setting up new clubs</h2>



<p>Certainly, there is a major challenge in simply creating new teams. They are expensive, and it is hard to grow a fandom when there are established clubs in the area. For example, someone in New York may be less inclined to watch one of the many local teams in the area when New York City FC is more established. Likewise, there are formatting concerns preventing more professional clubs.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/explained-why-mls-doesnt-have-promotion-relegation-20231015-WST-461932.html">lack of promotion and relegation</a>, a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/will-mls-ever-start-relegation-of-teams-20231202-WST-474166.html">much-discussed topic</a> here at World Soccer Talk, prevents the possibility of professional clubs truly growing. The Indy Eleven, for example, can only max out its success at the USL Championship. Fans outside of Indianapolis may look to clubs like the Chicago Fire, St. Louis CITY or FC Cincinnati. Those MLS teams are at the top, and they are all within a three-hour drive from Indianapolis. The closed systems in US soccer that are all nationwide have hampered national growth. </p>



<p>Finally, there is one major thing soccer in the United States must contend with that other countries do not. There are many more sports, both professionally and from a grassroots level, in the United States. Football, baseball, basketball and even ice hockey are popular sports in the United States. Soccer continues to grow in popularity, but it will always have to contend with other sports for fans’ eyes and interaction.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em></p>

How the number of pro soccer teams in the USA compares to abroad

There are 94 teams in the United States that have designation as professional clubs in 2024 or in the near future.

featured

<p>Soccer in the USA can sometimes feel tough to get excited about. Our leagues aren’t the best in the world, organizational problems sometimes cause rifts between leagues and teams, and unfortunately far too often <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/failure-rate-of-american-soccer-clubs-worst-in-the-world-20230711-WST-440334.html">we lose professional clubs</a>. But there are always reasons to be positive. And some fantastic things are on the way to brighten American soccer in 2024. </p>



<h4>Copa América</h4>



<p>Arguably the second most important international competition in the world, after the World Cup, returns to the USA this upcoming summer in the form of the 48th <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/copa-america-tv-schedule/">Copa América </a>tournament.</p>



<p>CONMEBOL’s ten nations will be joined by six from Concacaf, including the United States and Mexico, to battle for the crown of best team in the Americas. </p>



<p>The USMNT has a chance to prove themselves against the stars of South America in what will be a key tournament leading up to the 2026 World Cup, which will also be in the United States.</p>



<p>The tournament kicks off June 20 with Leo Messi and Argentina in Atlanta, while the final will be held in Miami on July 14.</p>



<p>In the opening round, the United States faces Uruguay, Bolivia and Panama.</p>



<h4>The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup</h4>



<p>MLS controversially <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/mls-quits-us-open-cup-risks-losing-d1-sanctioning-20231216-WST-477772.html">attempted to pull its first teams out</a> of America’s oldest national soccer competition for 2024. But the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/mls-open-cup-stance-backfires-as-ussf-blocks-next-pro-teams-20231220-WST-478030.html">USSF nixed that idea</a> and it appears, for now at least, the tournament will go on as usual for its 109th edition. </p>



<p>As always, we can expect plenty of drama and hopefully, a few giant slayings and Cinderella runs in this magical competition.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/us-open-cup-tv-schedule/">Open Cup</a> will run from March 19 to September 25.</p>



<h4>New pro clubs and a new competition</h4>



<p>The game continues to grow in the USA. We’ll have eight brand-new professional clubs hitting the field in 2024 across all three professional divisions and five leagues. This includes the return of the Utah Royals of NWSL, who previously played in the league from 2018-2020. Of the currently existing pro leagues, only Major League Soccer won’t see a new entry this season. However, San Diego FC is on deck for 2025.</p>



<p>Bay FC (NWSL – D1 Women)<br>Utah Royals (NWSL – D1 Women)<br>Rhode Island FC (USL Championship – D2 Men)<br>Spokane Velocity FC (USL League One – D3 Men)<br>Calabasas FC (NISA – D3 Men)<br>Irvine Zeta (NISA – D3 Men)<br>Arizona Monsoon FC (NISA – D3 Men)<br>Carolina Core FC (MLS NEXT Pro – D3 Men)</p>



<p>In addition, a new tournament joins the US soccer calendar. The still-unnamed competition will be an in-season cup for USL League One clubs.  </p>



<p>When will all the action start? Here’s when everything kicks off in 2024:<br><br>U.S. Open Cup: March 19<br>MLS: February 21<br>NWSL: March 15 (Challenge Cup)<br>USL Championship: March 9<br>USL League One: March 9<br>League One Cup: April 27 <br>NISA: TBA<br>MLS NEXT Pro: TBA</p>



<p>But wait, there are even more new clubs on the way. The women’s first division landscape will nearly double in size with the launch of an entirely new league with nine more new clubs:</p>



<h4>The USL Super League</h4>



<p>USL is launching the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/usl-super-league-aim-to-launch-as-d1-womens-league-in-2024-20230516-WST-433038.html">Super League</a>, a new division one women’s league, that will kick off in August 2024. Unique in the US, the league will run on the international soccer calendar, from Fall-Spring.</p>



<p>The Super League is set to add nine additional first-division teams in its inaugural season. And more are queued up to join in the coming years. They don’t all have names yet, but these are the new clubs set to kick off in 2024:</p>



<p>Charlotte<br>Dallas-Fort Worth<br>Fort Lauderdale<br>Lexington<br>Phoenix<br>Spokane Zephyr FC<br>Tampa Bay Sun FC<br>Tucson<br>Washington, D.C.</p>



<p>Following the launch of the Super League in 2024, American domestic pro soccer will now be played nearly year-round, which is an excellent prospect.</p>



<h4>CPKC Stadium</h4>



<p>Keeping things in the women’s soccer sphere, new ground has literally and figuratively been broken in Kansas City.</p>



<p>CPKC Stadium is set to open in March for the new NWSL season as the home of the Kansas City Current. The 11,500-seat venue is notable because it is the world’s first privately funded venue <a href="https://equalizersoccer.com/2021/10/26/kansas-city-nwsl-plans-build-privately-financed-stadium-70-million/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ever built specifically</a> for a women’s professional club.</p>



<p>This is a milestone moment for women’s soccer not just in America, but around the world.  Women’s teams usually play in venues built for the men’s game or other sports. Not anymore. Hopefully, CPKC is the first of many such venues built in the US and abroad.</p>



<h4>A full season of Messi</h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20231231_WST_479823_Fake-Messi-Miami-jerseys-1200x675_09f61684.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Inter Miami Messi" class="wp-image-448043" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/08/Fake-Messi-Miami-jerseys-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/08/Fake-Messi-Miami-jerseys-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/08/Fake-Messi-Miami-jerseys-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/08/Fake-Messi-Miami-jerseys.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<p>American soccer was turned on its head last summer when the legendary Lionel Messi left PSG and joined MLS’s Inter Miami.</p>



<p>He arrived just in time to take part in the revamped Leagues Cup, which Miami naturally cruised through and won in Messi’s first month in a pink shirt. MLS and Apple <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/apple-excluding-us-open-cup-from-messi-film-makes-no-sense-20231017-WST-462591.html">might not want you to know about it</a>, but the club also found themselves deep in the U.S. Open Cup, where Messi helped them win a semifinal on penalty kicks and eventually finish as runners-up (he didn’t play in the final).</p>



<p>However, Inter Miami had a dreadful start to their season before Messi arrived, and they missed the MLS Cup Playoffs.</p>



<p>Fans and media will surely be eager to see what the Argentine maestro can do in a full season in America (though they may not be so eager to see the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/miami-pays-the-price-for-messi-with-record-breaking-ticket-prices-20230929-WST-459241.html">ticket prices</a>).</p>



<p>Surely, American soccer should be in for a banner year in 2024. The first in a string of major international tournaments hosted by the US will kick off. Further, we’ll welcome more clubs and leagues all over the country. And surely many soccer memories will be made.</p>



<p><em>Photos: Imago</em> <em>/</em> <em>KC Current / Tampa Bay Sun FC</em></p>

Reasons to be optimistic for American soccer in 2024

Some great things are on the horizon for American soccer in 2024. Here's what to get excited about for the upcoming year!

Reasons to be optimistic for American soccer in 2024 - World Soccer Talk


<p>From the bottom to the top, we take a deep dive into discussing what US lower league soccer clubs (and leagues themselves) need to improve in order to be more relevant in 2023 and beyond. This also includes a discussion of the complexity of the current system, and how the US Soccer Federation can make a difference. </p>



<p>On this podcast episode, we analyze how the changing media landscape means that lower division soccer leagues have to think nationally and internationally especially after more games are available to stream than ever before. </p>



<p>Last but not least, we read and discuss your feedback about the positives and negatives of Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass.</p>



<p>Listen to the podcast episode below:</p>



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<p>Launched in 2006, the World Soccer Talk Podcast is the longest running podcast on the planet. Every week, we share the latest news about watching soccer on television and streaming, in addition to discussing what we like and dislike, and featuring your questions and feedback in our Listener Mailbag segment. The show is hosted by Christopher Harris and Kartik Krishnaiyer of World Soccer Talk.</p>



<p>Send in your questions, comments and feedback via e-mail to web@worldsoccertalk.com, via Twitter (@worldsoccertalk) or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/worldsoccertalk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Facebook</a>. We’ll read them out on-air in the next episode. Or call our voicemail line and leave a message at 561-247-4625.</p>


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The future of lower-league soccer in the US - World Soccer Talk

The future of lower-league soccer in the US


<p>This month, in the United States men’s club soccer scene, three different professional third divisions kick off 2023 campaigns. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/espn-to-air-nine-usl-games-on-espn2-in-2023-season-20230303-WST-422059.html">USL League One</a> kicks off this weekend. Then, MLS Next Pro the following weekend. Finally, NISA the weekend after.&nbsp;</p>



<p>What exactly is a third division in a system with no promotion and relegation? Well, It’s a free-standing professional division meeting the USSF’s arbitrary <a href="https://www.ussoccer.com/organization-members/pro-league-standards" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pro League Standards</a> for a Division Three league. This level of soccer provides important player development opportunities in a professional setting for young domestic starlets. At the same time, it is a proving ground for small- and medium-sized cities or local communities growing the beautiful game. Oftentimes, these are within larger metropolitan areas.</p>



<h5>A pyramid, or a maze?</h5>



<p>Other soccer-playing nations consolidated their pyramids building foundations at the bottom. Yet, US Soccer created a system where predatory competition between professional and adult-amateur leagues is not just permitted. Rather, it is tacitly encouraged. </p>



<p>This amounts to creating a chaotic soccer landscape throughout the country. One where palace intrigue and in-flighting dominate more than anything tangible in a sporting sense.</p>



<p>US Soccer currently boasts three independently-managed and sanctioned professional third divisions. There are no less than four separate national adult-amateur fourth divisions. Then, factor in roughly 12 regional leagues that can <em>also </em>fall under the ‘fouth division’ umbrella.</p>



<p>No serious nation involved in this sport has such disarray in its setup for the professional and adult-amateur game. It leads directly to the sort of predatory behavior that often curtails logical long-term growth for players. Consequently, it damages the understanding of the soccer divisions for fans. Additionally, the virtual anarchy at the lower division level contributed greatly to an unprecedented laundry list of club failures. This is unrivaled by other major industralized nations.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Just this past week, MLS Next Pro’s Rochester New York FC (RNYFC), announced they were not going to contest the 2023 season. RNYFC played one year in the MLS-run third division created in 2021. MLS Next Pro launched to further player development. However, it was also a vehicle for MLS to destabilize USL.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It is with a heavy heart and a great sense of disappointment that we share with you Rochester NY Football Club will not participate in the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season.</p>— Rochester New York FC (@rnyfcofficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/rnyfcofficial/status/1634303614293254144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h5>Destabilizing competing leagues</h5>



<p>In the past several months, countless people have spoken to me about clubs pondering the jump from USL League 2 to a professional league. MLS Next Pro provides the nomenclature of professional in the US soccer pyramid. The wider ultimate goal, multiple sources believe, is to cast doubt about USL’s long-term viability. At the same time, MLS’s net ecosystem grows with more clubs.</p>



<p>The prospect of commercial association with MLS is unquestionably very tempting to lower clubs’ owners and investors. Now, the Rochester situation casts doubt into whether MLS is operating a viable third-division for independent ownership. In fact, since last Friday, I have heard from multiple contacts that the Rochester hiatus will serve as a&nbsp;victory for USL. Reason being, MLS’s third division now looks no more stable for independent clubs than that of USL or NISA. MLS Next Pro will field 27 teams in 2023. Each of those 27 is an affiliate of existing MLS clubs.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Meanwhile, NISA, sanctioned as a third division by USSF, has seen three of its clubs defect to USL in the last four years. It loses several other teams in the usual manner that lower division soccer clubs fail. NISA will play the 2023 season with just nine teams, including expansion sides in Savannah and Central Florida.</p>



<p>US Soccer’s willingness to allow corporate entities to fight it out left the sporting landscape resembles the wild west. The Federation only paid token interest to lower divisions in the last several years. US Soccer instead focused solely on its senior national teams, fending off litigation. Former USSF President Sunil Gulati warranted many of his criticisms. At least he tracked lower soccer divisions to try and play peacemaker when problems arose. Since Gulati’s departure in 2018, we have seen no effort from US Soccer whatsoever to deal with the mayhem below MLS.</p>



<h2>The plight of lower divisions in US Soccer</h2>



<p>Earlier this week, I had a conversation with a figure in the sport that has long consulted for lower division clubs in the United States. This person said to me that their advice to prospective owners today is simple.</p>



<p>“Don’t start or buy a club in the United States.” </p>



<p>US Soccer is unwilling to serve as an honest and fair facilitator at the lower division level. The ensuing havoc with MLS’s foray into the field destabilized an already volatile situation. In fact, investment at this time is just unwise. That is even with the US having won the right to co-host the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Instability is the name of the game in the United States thanks to the USSF role as an absentee landlord. Take south Florida, for example. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan area has been ravaged. It lost an MLS team in 2001, a second-division NASL side in 2016,&nbsp;and our remaining second division side was forced to play in an adult-amateur league in 2018 due to a situation beyond the club’s control.&nbsp;</p>



<p>By 2020, south Florida had three professional clubs, two of which were brand new, including an MLS entrant. Backtracking to&nbsp;2018, the year we&nbsp;lacked a club in a professional league locally, we still had 12 teams playing in a national fourth division. These clubs split between PDL (now USL League 2), NPSL and UPSL. Since 2018, many of the 12 clubs have either gone under or changed leagues. This discussion does not even factor in the large number of clubs that have come and gone in local leagues the Florida Adult Soccer Association (FASA) sanctions.</p>



<h5>Effect on fans&nbsp;</h5>



<p>Southern Florida is but one areas of the country where this sort of disarray has created an unstable and unsustainable soccer environment. It also leads directly to fans becoming jaded and quitting the domestic game, instead choosing to focus on foreign soccer or worse yet, other entertainment pursuits.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Yet all of this, seems to go above the heads of those running US Soccer and many in the media that cover the sport in this country. With the United States co-hosting a FIFA World Cup in 2026, the time is now for some degree of consolidation and logical build-out of the US Soccer pyramid to take place. Alas, it appears like bringing a semblance of order to lower division pro soccer is not among the priorities for the US Soccer Federation.&nbsp;</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire</em></p>


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