At the Seattle Sounders Annual Business Meeting, it was all but confirmed that the Tacoma Defiance would be departing the USL Championship for a new league. Monday, MLS revealed more details about the new league.
“MLS Next Pro” will start play in 2022 in the Division 3 level of US Soccer with 21 teams, both MLS-owned and independent. It won’t stay at 21 teams for long, as the league will expand quickly, with more MLS-affiliated teams joining in 2023 and additional independent teams are expected to join in the coming years, according to MLS. Charles Altchek was named league President while Ali Curtis will serve as Senior Vice President of Competition and Operations.