When U.S. Soccer pulled the plug on its nationwide Development Academy last month, Major League Soccer announced within hours that it would fill that youth soccer void. On Wednesday the league revealed how it would do so, bringing 65 teams under its existing club academy umbrella to create the MLS Youth Development Platform.
The program will be made up of academy teams from 30 MLS teams — the 26 current clubs plus four expansion franchises — 60 unaffiliated youth clubs and five USL Championship clubs. The resulting league will feature 95 teams and 8,000 players in the U.