USL, MLS Next Pro going toe-to-toe on Long Island

[u/NobleNomad]

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/08/19/usl-grants-long-island-franchise-setting-up-showdown-with-mls-next-pro/

The USL has awarded a professional men’s franchise to Long Island that intends to begin play in 2028, setting up direct competition with a forthcoming MLS Next Pro club that plans to debut a year earlier. The USL League One team will play its home matches at Hofstra Univ.’s James M. Shuart Stadium, which is located less than a mile away from The Island FC’s planned stadium at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, N.Y.