The USL Pro league and Major League Soccer announced a historic partnership, which will be a boost to the MLS Reserve League. The multi-year partnership allows direct affiliate partnerships between USL Pro and MLS teams.
Currently announced are direct affiliations between the Richmond Kickers and D.C. United, the Orlando City Lions and Sporting Kansas City, The Rochester Rhinos and New England Revolution, and the Harrisburg City Islanders and the Philadelphia Union.
The affiliate partnerships provide that the MLS team will make at least four reserve players available to their USL Pro partners on a long-term loan basis, thus giving those reserve players an opportunity to play on a regular basis.
All USL Pro teams will be paired with an MLS team, and will play an interleague two-game home-and-away series against the MLS club’s reserve squad. Results of these games will count in the USL Pro Standings and in the MLS Reserve League standings.
The partnership is unique in that it is between the top Division I professional league (MLS) in the United States and the third division USL Pro.
“The partnership represents the first step in a long-term alliance between MLS and USL PRO to connect domestic professional soccer through a system that benefits player development competition and the overall business of our sport,” said MLS Executive Vice president of Player Relations & Competition Todd Durbin.
The MLS clubs that have direct partnerships with the USL Pro clubs and provide reserve players on loan, will not be required to field teams in the Reserve League.