# 2023 MLS Next Pro season

The 2023 MLS Next Pro season was the second season of MLS Next Pro, the reserve league of Major League Soccer. It featured 27 clubs—an increase of seven from the inaugural 2022 season. Atlanta United 2, New York Red Bulls II and LA Galaxy II joined the league from the USL Championship. The expansion teams include Austin FC II (representing Austin FC), Crown Legacy FC (Charlotte FC), Huntsville City FC (Nashville SC), and Los Angeles FC 2 (Los Angeles FC). Rochester New York FC withdrew. The regular season ran from March 24 to September 24.

## Teams
### Stadiums and locations

| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
| Atlanta United 2 | Fifth Third Bank Stadium | 8,318 |
| Austin FC II | Parmer Field | 1,000 |
| Chicago Fire FC II | SeatGeek Stadium | 20,000 |
| FC Cincinnati 2 | NKU Soccer Stadium | 1,000 |
| Colorado Rapids 2 | Denver Soccer Stadium | 2,000 |
| Columbus Crew 2 | Historic Crew Stadium | 19,968 |
| Crown Legacy FC | Sportsplex at Matthews | 5,000 |
| Houston Dynamo 2 | SaberCats Stadium | 3,200 |
| Huntsville City FC | Joe W. Davis Stadium | 6,000 |
| Inter Miami CF II | DRV PNK Stadium | 18,000 |
| LA Galaxy II | Dignity Health Sports Park Track & Field Stadium | 2,000 |
| Los Angeles FC 2 | Titan Stadium | 10,000 |
| Minnesota United FC 2 | Allianz Field | 19,600 |
| Minnesota United FC 2 | National Sports Center | 5,500 |
| New England Revolution II | Gillette Stadium | 20,000 |
| New York City FC II | Belson Stadium | 2,168 |
| New York Red Bulls II | MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field | 5,000 |
| North Texas SC | Choctaw Stadium | 48,114 |
| Orlando City B | Osceola County Stadium | 5,300 |
| Philadelphia Union II | Subaru Park | 18,500 |
| Portland Timbers 2 | Providence Park | 25,218 |
| Real Monarchs | Zions Bank Stadium | 5,000 |
| San Jose Earthquakes II | PayPal Park | 18,000 |
| Sporting Kansas City II | Rock Chalk Park | 2,500 |
| Sporting Kansas City II | Swope Soccer Village | 1,500 |
| St. Louis City 2 | CityPark | 22,423 |
| Toronto FC II | York Lions Stadium | 4,000 |
| Tacoma Defiance | Starfire Sports Complex | 4,500 |
| Whitecaps FC 2 | Swangard Stadium | 5,288 |

### Personnel and sponsorship

Note: All teams use Adidas as universal kit manufacturer.
| Team | Head coach |
| Atlanta United 2 | Steve Cooke |
| Austin FC II | Brett Uttley |
| Chicago Fire FC II | Ludovic Taillandier |
| FC Cincinnati 2 | Tyrone Marshall |
| Colorado Rapids 2 | Erik Bushey |
| Columbus Crew 2 | Laurent Courtois |
| Crown Legacy FC | José Tavares |
| Houston Dynamo 2 | Kenny Bundy |
| Huntsville City FC | Jack Collison |
| Inter Miami CF II | Federico Higuaín |
| LA Galaxy II | Marcelo Sarvas |
| Los Angeles FC 2 | Enrique Duran |
| Minnesota United FC 2 | Cameron Knowles |
| New England Revolution II | Clint Peay |
| New York City FC II | Matt Pilkington |
| New York Red Bulls II | Ibrahim Sekagya |
| North Texas SC | Javier Cano |
| Orlando City B | Martín Perelman |
| Philadelphia Union II | Marlon LeBlanc |
| Portland Timbers 2 | Shannon Murray |
| Real Monarchs | Jámison Olave |
| San Jose Earthquakes II | Dan DeGeer |
| Sporting Kansas City II | Benny Feilhaber |
| St. Louis City 2 | Bobby Murphy |
| Toronto FC II | Gianni Cimini |
| Tacoma Defiance | Wade Webber |
| Whitecaps FC 2 | Ricardo Clark |

## Regular season

During the regular season, teams played 28 matches each in a mostly regionalized schedule. Each conference was divided into divisions of six or seven teams for scheduling.

### Conference standings
#### Eastern Conference

| Pos | Div | Teamvte | Pld | W | SOW | SOL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | NE | Crown Legacy FC | 28 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 60 | 34 | +26 | 66 | Qualification for the Conference semifinals |
| 2 | NE | New England Revolution II | 28 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 57 | 41 | +16 | 56 | Qualification for the Playoffs |
| 3 | CT | Columbus Crew 2 | 28 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 58 | 46 | +12 | 54 | Qualification for the Playoffs |
| 4 | NE | New York Red Bulls II | 28 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 53 | 36 | +17 | 51 | Qualification for the Playoffs |
| 5 | CT | Orlando City B | 28 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 59 | 61 | −2 | 46 | Qualification for the Playoffs |
| 6 | CT | Chicago Fire FC II | 28 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 54 | 46 | +8 | 43 | Qualification for the Playoffs |
| 7 | NE | Philadelphia Union II | 28 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 54 | 57 | −3 | 42 | Qualification for the Playoffs |
| 8 | NE | New York City FC II | 28 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 60 | 55 | +5 | 41 | |
| 9 | CT | Huntsville City FC | 28 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 48 | 45 | +3 | 38 | |
| 10 | CT | Atlanta United 2 | 28 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 50 | 52 | −2 | 35 | |
| 11 | NE | Toronto FC II | 28 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 43 | 57 | −14 | 29 | |
| 12 | CT | FC Cincinnati 2 | 28 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 37 | 65 | −28 | 27 | |
| 13 | CT | Inter Miami CF II | 28 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 34 | 68 | −34 | 22 | |

#### Western Conference

| Pos | Div | Teamvte | Pld | W | SOW | SOL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | FR | Colorado Rapids 2 | 28 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 70 | 37 | +33 | 66 | Qualification for the Conference semifinals |
| 2 | PC | Tacoma Defiance | 28 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 54 | 33 | +21 | 57 | Qualification for the Playoffs |
| 3 | FR | Sporting Kansas City II | 28 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 59 | 41 | +18 | 49 | Qualification for the Playoffs |
| 4 | FR | Austin FC II | 28 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 40 | 23 | +17 | 49 | Qualification for the Playoffs |
| 5 | FR | St. Louis City 2 | 28 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 48 | 38 | +10 | 47 | Qualification for the Playoffs |
| 6 | PC | San Jose Earthquakes II | 28 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 41 | 36 | +5 | 45 | Qualification for the Playoffs |
| 7 | FR | Houston Dynamo 2 | 28 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 50 | 44 | +6 | 43 | Qualification for the Playoffs |
| 8 | FR | Minnesota United FC 2 | 28 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 50 | 52 | −2 | 43 | |
| 9 | FR | North Texas SC | 28 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 43 | 45 | −2 | 36 | |
| 10 | PC | Portland Timbers 2 | 28 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 40 | 63 | −23 | 34 | |
| 11 | PC | Whitecaps FC 2 | 28 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 33 | 46 | −13 | 34 | |
| 12 | PC | Real Monarchs | 28 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 27 | 54 | −27 | 31 | |
| 13 | PC | Los Angeles FC 2 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 30 | 39 | −9 | 25 | |
| 14 | PC | LA Galaxy II | 28 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 36 | 74 | −38 | 25 | |

#### Overall table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | SOW | SOL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Awards |
| 1 | Colorado Rapids 2 | 28 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 70 | 37 | +33 | 66 | Regular season champion and U.S. Open Cup First Round |
| 2 | Crown Legacy FC | 28 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 60 | 34 | +26 | 66 | U.S. Open Cup First Round |
| 3 | Tacoma Defiance | 28 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 57 | 36 | +21 | 57 | |
| 4 | New England Revolution II | 28 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 57 | 41 | +16 | 56 | |
| 5 | Columbus Crew 2 | 28 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 58 | 46 | +12 | 54 | |
| 6 | New York Red Bulls II | 28 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 53 | 36 | +17 | 51 | U.S. Open Cup First Round |
| 7 | Sporting Kansas City II | 28 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 60 | 42 | +18 | 49 | U.S. Open Cup First Round |
| 8 | Austin FC II | 28 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 40 | 23 | +17 | 49 | |
| 9 | St. Louis City 2 | 28 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 49 | 39 | +10 | 47 | |
| 10 | Orlando City B | 28 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 59 | 61 | −2 | 46 | |
| 11 | San Jose Earthquakes II | 28 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 41 | 36 | +5 | 45 | |
| 12 | Houston Dynamo 2 | 28 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 50 | 44 | +6 | 43 | |
| 13 | Minnesota United FC 2 | 28 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 50 | 52 | −2 | 43 | U.S. Open Cup First Round |
| 14 | Chicago Fire FC II | 28 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 54 | 46 | +8 | 43 | U.S. Open Cup First Round |
| 15 | Philadelphia Union II | 28 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 54 | 57 | −3 | 42 | |
| 16 | New York City FC II | 28 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 60 | 55 | +5 | 41 | U.S. Open Cup First Round |
| 17 | Huntsville City FC | 28 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 48 | 45 | +3 | 38 | |
| 18 | North Texas SC | 28 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 43 | 45 | −2 | 36 | |
| 19 | Atlanta United 2 | 28 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 50 | 52 | −2 | 35 | |
| 20 | Portland Timbers 2 | 28 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 40 | 63 | −23 | 34 | U.S. Open Cup First Round |
| 21 | Whitecaps FC 2 | 28 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 36 | 49 | −13 | 34 | |
| 22 | Real Monarchs | 28 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 27 | 54 | −27 | 31 | |
| 23 | Toronto FC II | 28 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 43 | 57 | −14 | 29 | |
| 24 | FC Cincinnati 2 | 28 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 37 | 65 | −28 | 27 | |
| 25 | Los Angeles FC 2 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 30 | 39 | −9 | 25 | |
| 26 | LA Galaxy II | 28 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 36 | 74 | −38 | 25 | U.S. Open Cup First Round |
| 27 | Inter Miami CF II | 28 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 34 | 68 | −34 | 22 | |

## Player statistics

    As of September 24, 2023

### Goals

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Rémi Cabral | Colorado Rapids 2 | 19 |
| 1 | Jack Lynn | Orlando City B | 19 |
| 1 | MD Myers | New York City FC II | 19 |
| 4 | Nicolas Firmino | Atlanta United 2 | 16 |
| 5 | Ibrahim Kasule | New York Red Bulls II | 15 |
| 5 | Braudílio Rodrigues | Tacoma Defiance | 15 |
| 7 | Aaron Bibout | LA Galaxy II | 14 |
| 7 | Papa Ndoye | Houston Dynamo 2 | 14 |
| 9 | Yosuke Hanya | Colorado Rapids 2 | 13 |
| 9 | John Klein | St. Louis City 2 | 13 |

### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Score | Date |
| Aaron Bibout | LA Galaxy II | Whitecaps FC 2 | 4–3 (A) | April 16 |
| Esmir Bajraktarevic | New England Revolution II | Philadelphia Union II | 4–3 (A) | May 21 |
| Jeremy Rafanello | Philadelphia Union II | Columbus Crew 2 | 3–2 (H) | May 28 |
| Papa Ndoye | Houston Dynamo 2 | Real Monarchs | 5–3 (A) | July 28 |
| Braudílio Rodrigues | Tacoma Defiance | Sporting Kansas City II | 3–1 (H) | August 9 |
| Diego Gutierrez | Portland Timbers 2 | LA Galaxy II | 6–1 (H) | August 9 |
| MD Myers | New York City FC II | Inter Miami CF II | 5–0 (H) | August 10 |
| Alenis Vargas | Sporting Kansas City II | Portland Timbers 2 | 6–1 (H) | August 13 |
| Azaad Liadi | Huntsville City FC | Philadelphia Union II | 5–2 (H) | August 19 |
| Gibran Rayo | Columbus Crew 2 | Inter Miami CF II | 5–0 (A) | September 3 |
| Faysal Bettache | St. Louis City 2 | Houston Dynamo 2 | 3–1 (A) | September 3 |
| Leonardo Flores | Los Angeles FC 2 | Portland Timbers 2 | 4–0 (H) | September 15 |
| Rémi Cabral | Colorado Rapids 2 | Minnesota United FC 2 | 4–2 (H) | September 24 |

#### Notes

(H) – Home team (A) – Away team

### Assists

| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
| 1 | Marlon Vargas | Colorado Rapids 2 | 10 |
| 2 | Yosuke Hanya | Colorado Rapids 2 | 9 |
| 3 | Josh Coan | Sporting Kansas City II | 8 |
| 3 | Oliver Larraz | Colorado Rapids 2 | 8 |
| 3 | Chris Olney | Philadelphia Union II | 8 |
| 6 | Jack Beer | New York City FC 2 | 7 |
| 6 | Luka Prpa | Chicago Fire FC II | 7 |
| 6 | Jhon Solís | Orlando City B | 7 |
| 9 | 9 players | 9 players | 6 |

### Clean sheets

| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
| 1 | Damian Las | Austin FC II | 12 |
| 2 | AJ Marcucci | New York Red Bulls II | 6 |
| 2 | Brady Scott | Columbus Crew 2 | 6 |
| 4 | Isaac Walker | Crown Legacy FC | 5 |
| 5 | Nico Campuzano | New England Revolution II | 4 |
| 5 | Eric De La Cerda | San Jose Earthquakes II | 4 |
| 5 | Fernando Delgado | Real Monarchs | 4 |
| 5 | Emmanuel Ochoa | San Jose Earthquakes II | 4 |
| 5 | Vicente Reyes | Atlanta United 2 | 4 |
| 10 | 18 players | 18 players | 3 |

## Playoffs
### Format

Top seven teams in each conference qualified for the playoffs, with the best record in each conference earning a first round bye. The second and third seeds in each conference were able to choose which of the remaining teams they would play. The top seed in the conference semifinals were also allowed to choose their opponent from the remaining teams.

### Bracket

| Conference Quarterfinals September 29–October 1 | Conference Quarterfinals September 29–October 1 | Conference Quarterfinals September 29–October 1 | | | Conference Semifinals October 6–8 | Conference Semifinals October 6–8 | Conference Semifinals October 6–8 | Conference Finals October 14–15 | Conference Finals October 14–15 | Conference Finals October 14–15 | | MLS Next Pro Final October 22 | MLS Next Pro Final October 22 | MLS Next Pro Final October 22 |
| | | | | | E1 | Crown Legacy FC | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E3 | Columbus Crew 2 | 1 | | | | | | | |
| E3 | Columbus Crew 2 | 2 | | | E3 | Columbus Crew 2 | 1 | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Orlando City B | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Orlando City B | 1 | | | | | | E3 | Columbus Crew 2 | 1 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E3 | Columbus Crew 2 | 1 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E2 | New England Revolution II | 0 | | | | |
| E2 | New England Revolution II | 3 | | | | | | | | | E2 | New England Revolution II | 0 | |
| E7 | Philadelphia Union II | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Philadelphia Union II | 2 | | | E2 | New England Revolution II | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E4 | New York Red Bulls II | 1 | | | | | | | |
| E4 | New York Red Bulls II | 4 | | | E4 | New York Red Bulls II | 1 | | | | | | | |
| E6 | Chicago Fire FC II | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E6 | Chicago Fire FC II | 1 | | | | | | | | | | E3 | Columbus Crew 2 | 1 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | W4 | Austin FC II | 3 |
| | | | | | W1 | Colorado Rapids 2 | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W6 | San Jose Earthquakes II | 0 | | | | | | | |
| W5 | St. Louis City 2 | 0 | | | W6 | San Jose Earthquakes II | 0 | | | | | | | |
| W6 | San Jose Earthquakes II | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W6 | San Jose Earthquakes II | 2 | | | | | | W1 | Colorado Rapids 2 | 0 (1) | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W1 | Colorado Rapids 2 | 0 (1) | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W4 | Austin FC II (p) | 0 (4) | | | | |
| W2 | Tacoma Defiance | 4 | | | | | | | | | W4 | Austin FC II (p) | 0 (4) | |
| W7 | Houston Dynamo 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W7 | Houston Dynamo 2 | 3 | | | W2 | Tacoma Defiance | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W4 | Austin FC II | 1 | | | | | | | |
| W3 | Sporting Kansas City II | 0 | | | W4 | Austin FC II | 1 | | | | | | | |
| W4 | Austin FC II | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### 2023 MLS Next Pro Cup Final

Most Valuable Player: Valentin Noël (Austin FC II)

## League awards
### Individual awards

| Award | Winner | Team | Reason |
| Golden Boot | Rémi Cabral | Colorado Rapids 2 | 19 goals |
| Golden Boot | Jack Lynn | Orlando City B | 19 goals |
| Golden Boot | MD Myers | New York City FC II | 19 goals |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Damian Las | Austin FC II | 12 clean sheets; 0.74 Goals Against Average |
| Coach of the Year | Erik Bushey | Colorado Rapids 2 | Lead team to the Regular Season title |
| Most Valuable Player | Jack Lynn | Orlando City B | 19 goals; Best XI |

### MLS Next Pro Best XI

| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | Ref |
| Damian Las (AU2) | Abdoulaye Cissoko (TAC) Joe Hafferty (AU2) João Pedro (CRN) | Nicolas Firmino (AT2) Yosuke Hanya (CR2) Ibrahim Kasule (NYR) Oliver Larraz (CR2) | Rémi Cabral (CR2) Jack Lynn (OCB) MD Myers (NY2) | |

### Weekly awards

| Week | Player of the Matchday | Player of the Matchday | Player of the Matchday | Player of the Matchday | Team of the Matchday | Ref. |
| Week | Player | Club | Position | Reason | Team of the Matchday | Ref. |
| 1 | Arquimides Ordóñez | FC Cincinnati 2 | Forward | 2 goals vs Toronto | Minnesota United FC 2 | |
| 2 | Brandon Cambridge | Crown Legacy FC | Forward | 2 goals vs Cincinnati | Colorado Rapids 2 | |
| 3 | Favian Loyola | Orlando City B | Midfielder | 1 goal, 1 assist vs Miami | New England Revolution II | |
| 4 | Aaron Bibout | LA Galaxy II | Forward | Hat trick vs Vancouver | Austin FC II | |
| 5 | Ryan Bilichuk | Portland Timbers 2 | Goalkeeper | Shutout vs LAFC2 | Whitecaps FC 2 | |
| 6 | Yosuke Hanya | Colorado Rapids 2 | Midfielder | Game-winning goal vs North Texas SC | Real Monarchs | |
| 7 | Nelson Pierre | Philadelphia Union II | Forward | 2 goals vs Red Bulls II | Toronto FC II | |
| 8 | Damian Rivera | New England Revolution II | Midfielder | 2 goals vs Toronto | Portland Timbers 2 | |
| 9 | Esmir Bajraktarevic | New England Revolution II | Midfielder | Hat trick vs Philadelphia | Huntsville City FC | |
| 10 | Alexander Yagudayev | New York City FC II | Goalkeeper | 9 saves in 2 games | New England Revolution II | |
| 11 | Nicolas Firmino | Atlanta United 2 | Midfielder | 2 goals vs Inter Miami | New York Red Bulls II | |
| 12 | Chris Olney | Philadelphia Union II | Midfielder | Game winning goal vs Atlanta | Orlando City B | |
| 13 | Victor Bezerra | Chicago Fire FC II | Forward | 2 goals; 1 assist vs Philadelphia | Austin FC II | |
| 14 | Nicolas Firmino | Atlanta United 2 | Midfielder | 2 goals vs NYCFC II | Tacoma Defiance | |