Raffi

UPDATE: I hear that this process has been moving along this month, per numerous sources I've talked to on this matter. It is believed that, at a recent coaching convention and via a recent conference call, during the month of January that further progress has been made. Most sources I've spoken to believe that 2026-27 is when these changes would be put into place, although I don't yet know for a fact that 2025-26 has been ruled out. The belief I've heard is that there was a recent vote on a conference call that included All ACC and Big 10 men's soccer programs to move forward with leaving the NCAA and joining the professional ranks. Numerous sources have mentioned that many top programs are already starting to plan in a way that recognizes this coming shift. This move would be with the backing of US Soccer Federation and this is a move to professionalize college soccer. The season would be 9-10 months long. Speculation is that USL League One offered these programs the chance to join their league structure as professional teams, while MLS has been pushing back on this idea to USSF because they believe this move could hurt the place of their development league, MLS Next Pro, within in the professional pyramid. Where exactly these college programs would fit in the pro pyramid is not yet clear after the discussions I've had on this matter. Questions are swirling about exactly which programs will be involved. The answer varies, depending on who you talk to. As best as I can ascertain, no one really doubts that the ACC and Big 10 programs are on board. Beyond that, my belief is that there are other programs, but it is not all of D1 Mens College Soccer at this point. Some will tell you traditional power 4 conference sports schools, others say top 40-50 college soccer programs, others believe it's not split as much on prestige lines and is more a case by case basis outside of those two conferences. Sources have mentioned that the process is chaotic and fluid, and a lot of the exact details, such as which programs are on board, is ever-changing. There's also the likelihood of realignment of conferences in Division 1 Mens College Soccer if the professional ranks takes a segment of the programs and others end up staying. The big picture is that there continues to be optimism that at least a sizable segment of the top men's college soccer programs are going to break away from the NCAA and professionalize in the next year or two.