By Andrew Kramer, Newswire Intern
The Greater Cincinnati area was announced to host the 2027 Major League Soccer (MLS) NEXT Cup championship June 5-13.
MLS NEXT is “the most elite platform for youth player development in North America,” according to its website. Its goal is to train young athletes to become the next generation of MLS players.
MLS NEXT was founded in 2020 as a successor to the U.S. Soccer Development Agency. Greater Cincinnati is the seventh area to host this championship. Its renewed branding has brought greater interest into its unique lens as a professional national tournament for young soccer players.
The youth soccer program is split into two divisions: the Homegrown division and the Academy division.
The Homegrown division is the top tier of MLS NEXT, with focus specialized for those players going directly to professional leagues. The Academy division operates around a high school calendar to accommodate its players that also want to play for their school’s team.
Despite their differences, both divisions are still holding their championships in Greater Cincinnati.
MLS NEXT team Inter Atlanta’s striker.
The youth who qualify for the NEXT divisions are split into six age divisions designated from U13 to U19. 2,743 teams will compete in 27,000 matches when the season begins on Sept. 5th.
Cincinnati’s own MLS NEXT team, FC Cincinnati, shows promise among the competition.
“We have a really good team here at Cincy for FC Cincinnati” first-year finance major and local Cincinnati native Daniel Godbey said.
The 350 teams that are coming to Cincinnati will compete at TQL Stadium, Voice of America Park and Warren County Sports Park. These venues in Cincinnati, West Chester and Mason respectively are sparking enthusiasm from those who live in these areas of Ohio.
The large number of people travelling to Greater Cincinnati will benefit many aspects of the city, with the end-of-season finale expected to bring in $30 million through economic impact. Hotels and restaurants should attract more customers as the championship gets closer.
In addition to the expected $30 million in economic impact, Cincinnati should also face a revitalization of culture and soccer-related energy as fans flow into the area.
“It’s really exciting because having all that young talent coming to Cincy is a good look for Cincinnati, especially with their soccer program and building into FC Cincinnati as a team. Just like the World Cup did for America, it will bring different senses of culture into Cincinnati, making it more diverse,” Godbey said.
As more young players come to Cincinnati, they can see what the city has to offer and possibly permanently stay in the future. FC Cincinnati in particular has a lot to gain with the best youth soccer players in America visiting its stadium and city.
The championship has traditionally had free admission for any and all spectators. Cincinnati locals will have a free national event in their backyard when matches begin in early June.