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Expansion of West Region Training Sites to Include St. Joseph’s Catholic School

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:35:36 GMT

Expansion of West Region Training Sites to Include St. Joseph’s Catholic School

Starting this fall season, Sporting City – West Region will expand its training locations to include St. Joseph’s Catholic School’s brand-new, state-of-the-art turf field. Located in the heart of downtown Shawnee, the campus offers convenient access just off Highway 35 and Johnson Drive.

Upgrades to the St. Joseph’s athletic facilities are set for completion this summer. Enhancements include an expanded playing surface, a new turf field, upgraded lighting, fencing, a sound system, and a video scoreboard. The project will also add accessible restrooms on the first floor of the former high school building, serving both the athletic complex and the main gym. Additional features include expanded parking, a maintenance building, and team meeting spaces for pre-game preparation.

Compass Minerals Sporting Fields will still remain the central training location for Sporting City - West Region.

Players interested in joining competitive youth soccer teams that will train twice per week at St. Joseph’s are encouraged to complete the Sporting City Interested Player Form .

Coaches interested in coaching a team at St. Joseph’s should contact Sporting City – West Region Director Matt Busch at matt.busch@sportingkc.com .

For more information about St. Joseph’s multi-purpose youth athletic facility and to view field renderings, click here.

Sporting City Age Group Changes Fall 2026- Spring 2027 Season

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 19:09:20 GMT

Sporting City Age Group Changes Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Season

The governing bodies of youth soccer in the United States collectively announced a major update to age group formation that will take effect beginning with the Fall 2026- Spring 2027 season. This change moves away from the current calendar year (January – December) model and returns to a school year (August – July) model for age grouping.

To help our families understand how these changes might affect their player(s), we have prepared some frequently asked questions to help address the most common concerns regarding the change.

Age Group Chart 2026-2027 Season

Rob Zahl Announced as Sporting City Director of the MLS NEXT New Tier program

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 19:19:29 GMT

Rob Zahl Announced as

Sporting City Director of the MLS NEXT New Tier program

Sporting City is excited to announce Rob Zahl as Director of the MLS NEXT New Tier program. This past February, Sporting City was announced as a founding club in the MLS NEXT New Tier - Heartland Conference.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rob Zahl and his family to Sporting KC and Sporting City,” said Dan Popik, Vice President of Youth Sports Properties for Sporting KC. “Rob’s extensive experience in leadership and coaching roles with MLS Academies and MLS NEXT Elite Academies makes him the ideal candidate to lead our MLS NEXT New Tier program.”

Rob Zahl brings a wealth of expertise to Sporting City, backed by over 30 years of leadership in youth soccer development. Zahl comes to Sporting City from Michigan Jaguars, an MLS NEXT Elite Academy Club in Southeast Michigan, where he served as the U15 and U17 head coach.

“I am honored and excited to join Sporting City and support the development of MLS NEXT New Tier,” said Zahl. “I’m committed to building a program that nurtures players, empowers coaches, and strengthens our community. I can’t wait to collaborate with Sporting City staff and Kansas City soccer fans to make this a success. I’m truly thankful to the club for entrusting me with this new project.”

Before joining the Michigan Jaguars, Zahl worked with Minnesota United’s academy, where he provided coaching and supported talent identification efforts. Additionally, Zahl held various director and coaching roles with the Portland Timbers and was the Boys Director for Minnesota Thunder during their time in the US Soccer Development Academy. Throughout his career at these clubs, Zahl earned a strong reputation for building successful programs, fostering talent development, maintaining high standards, and creating clear pathways for players to achieve success.

Zahl holds a US Soccer A License, a US Soccer Academy Director License, and is a candidate in the US Soccer A License Instructor course.

Sporting City is a youth soccer club located in Kansas City for U8 to U18/19 boys and girls, with over 1,550 competitive players, 112 teams, five full-time Directors, two full-time Operators, and 60 team coaches. Sporting City is an MLS NEXT New Tier and Girls Academy club.

Rob Zahl will be in attendance at next week’s MLS NEXT New Tier ID Sessions on April 15-17 at Swope Soccer Village. To register for these ID Sessions, click here .

You can find the most up-to-date information about the MLS NEXT New Tier program on the club’s website: www.sportingcitysoccer.com . Additionally, you can follow Sporting City on our social channels.

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Sporting City Will Join MLS NEXT's New Competition for 2025-2026 Season

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 16:05:48 GMT

MLS NEXT Announces Expansion Clubs for the 2025-26 Season

Seven clubs to join top tier of the program beginning in the fall of 2025

New MLS NEXT competition tier to launch with more than 220 clubs

NEW YORK (Friday, February 28, 2025) – MLS NEXT today announced seven new clubs that will join the program’s top-tier beginning in the 2025-26 season. Each new member is committed to elite player development and providing athletes with the resources to reach their full potential. MLS NEXT also introduced the teams that will be participating in the new competition tier, which was previously announced in January. The new tier will have over 1,300 teams from more than 220 clubs competing in regional divisions that are run by leading local operators.

Of the new clubs joining the top level of MLS NEXT, Albion SC Colorado, Michigan Futbol Academy, Northern Virginia Alliance, The Football Academy, and Tulsa Greenwood SC will provide a full player pathway, competing in all age groups of MLS NEXT competition from U13 to U19. Tulsa Greenwood SC will mark the first MLS NEXT club in Oklahoma, marking the 34th different state to have an MLS NEXT team along with the District of Columbia.

Three clubs with MLS NEXT Pro affiliations will join in the fall – Chattanooga FC (U13 to U15), Huntsville City FC (U13, U14), and Michigan Futbol Academy (U13 to U19). Huntsville City is the first MLS NEXT Pro affiliate to launch an MLS NEXT academy independent of its MLS club, while Michigan Futbol Academy will be affiliated with the recently announced MLS NEXT Pro team in Grand Rapids. Chattanooga FC, which started competing in MLS NEXT Pro in 2024 as an independent club, was previously announced as joining MLS NEXT in 2025-26.

The seven expansion clubs who will debut in 2025-26 are:

Albion SC Colorado (Boulder County, Colo.) – U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, U19
Chattanooga FC (Chattanooga, Tenn.) – U13, U14, U15
Huntsville City FC (Huntsville, Ala.) – U13, U14
Michigan Futbol Academy (Grand Rapids, Mich.) – U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, U19
Northern Virginia Alliance (Leesburg, Va.) – U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, U19
The Football Academy (Florham Park, N.J.) – U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, U19
Tulsa Greenwood SC (Tulsa, Okla.) – U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, U19

“After a rigorous expansion process, these clubs demonstrated a thoughtful commitment to player development that will be extremely valuable to our program,” said MLS NEXT General Manager Kyle Albrecht. “We are excited to welcome all the expansion clubs that will be joining across both MLS NEXT tiers and look forward to the impact they will make. The interest from across the ecosystem emphasizes MLS NEXT’s standing as one of the most elite platforms for player development in the world.”

MLS NEXT annually manages a thorough expansion process to select new clubs to compete in the upcoming season. Several factors were considered, including specialized training plans, experienced coaching, effective player identification and recruitment, high-quality facilities, cutting-edge technological opportunities, defined player pathways, and collaboration with local MLS clubs. Off the field, clubs were required to demonstrate a mission-aligned culture with core values, overall community engagement, holistic development strategies, a strong commitment to access and representation, robust financial aid and scholarship programs, and a forward-thinking leadership team. These characteristics ensure that chosen clubs align with MLS NEXT's standards for accessibility, representation, and player development within North America’s most elite platform for youth soccer.

New MLS NEXT Tier Teams and Divisions

MLS NEXT also announced the division structure and participating teams in the new tier of competition, which was previously unveiled in January. The new tier will feature more than 1,200 teams from more than 220 clubs across regional divisions during the regular season. Of those clubs, more than half previously competed outside of MLS NEXT. Each division will be managed by leading league operators across the youth landscape with a strong commitment to player development – the National Academy League (NAL) operated by 3Step Soccer, Elite Academy League (EAL), Sporting Development League (SDL), Cobalt Sports, and Cal North Soccer Association.

Regular season play will begin in September 2025, which will be accompanied by regional tournaments and an opportunity to attend MLS NEXT national events, as well as coaching development and education programs. The regional tournaments will serve as qualifying for a championship event at the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs later in 2026. These events will be marquee talent identification opportunities for college, professional, and national team scouts to evaluate players. Players competing in the new tier will also be eligible to play high school soccer.

A full breakdown of the divisions and participating clubs is available HERE .

For more information on MLS NEXT and its member clubs, please visit MLSsoccer.com/MLSNEXT .

About MLS NEXT

Launched in 2020, MLS NEXT is the most elite platform for youth player development in North America. With a commitment to innovation and providing access and representation, MLS NEXT players receive the best training and coaching as they prepare for their futures, both in soccer and in life. Throughout a season, MLS NEXT hosts four marquee events across the country, including the Generation adidas Cup, which features MLS academies playing against the top international clubs. Membership for the 2024-25 season included 29 MLS academies, 122 Elite Academies (151 total clubs), 753 teams and over 16,000 players across the U.S. and Canada. Official partners of MLS NEXT include adidas and Allstate. For more information about MLS NEXT, visit www.mlssoccer.com/mlsnext .

Sporting City West, North and East Announce Club Rebrand. One Club, One Crest.

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 18:43:00 GMT

Sporting City West, North and East Announce Club Rebrand

One Club, One Crest

Starting with the 2025-2026 season, Sporting City West, Sporting City North and Sporting City East will all adopt the unified name “Sporting City” with one club crest. With 1,550 competitive players, 110 teams, and 65 coaches and staff, the club has become one of the largest youth soccer organizations in Kansas City, making this the right time to align the regions under a single, recognizable brand.

The rebranding strategy focuses on unifying the club’s identity, eliminating confusion from multiple logos and names. This will provide clearer recognition, making it easier for players, coaches, and parents in the youth soccer community to identify and connect with Sporting City.

By combining the region clubs under one unified name, we’re creating a stronger and more cohesive player pool that can compete in regional and national level leagues, tournaments and showcases. This strategy will create more opportunities for players identification initiatives to support the growth of our players to progress into the SKC Academy, other top-tier boys and girls programs, and pursue college soccer opportunities.

The redesigned crest combines the key elements and unified concepts from each of the region clubs. The four main unified elements of the new crest are:

Hoops
The hoops element is prevalent within Sporting KC’s branding and carries over from the crests of Sporting City North, West and East to unite them under a shared identity.
Heart of Gold
Gold honors Kansas City’s history as “The Heartland of America” and symbolizes the unity that binds our community together.
Three Stars
The three stars represent the unification of Sporting City North, West and East, honoring their legacy as they come together as one club.
Unified Circle
The Sporting Blue circle represents the three clubs coming together as a unified force, symbolizing their connection to the greater Kansas City community.

In the coming days, we will be making an exciting announcement about what’s “next” for the boys program. In addition, we anticipate exciting news to be released this spring for the girls program.

For players interested in joining Sporting City, please complete the Interested player form .

Follow Sporting City on social media:

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Sporting City Rebrand Frequently Asked Questions

sporting-city-soccer

Expansion of West Region Training Sites to Include St. Joseph’s Catholic School

Expansion of West Region Training Sites to Include St. Joseph’s Catholic School

Sporting City Age Group Changes Fall 2026- Spring 2027 Season

Sporting City Age Group Changes Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Season

Rob Zahl Announced as Sporting City Director of the MLS NEXT New Tier program

Rob Zahl Announced as

﻿ Sporting City Director of the MLS NEXT New Tier program

Sporting City Will Join MLS NEXT's New Competition for 2025-2026 Season

MLS NEXT Announces Expansion Clubs for the 2025-26 Season

Seven clubs to join top tier of the program beginning in the fall of 2025

﻿ New MLS NEXT competition tier to launch with more than 220 clubs

New MLS NEXT Tier Teams and Divisions

About MLS NEXT

Sporting City West, North and East Announce Club Rebrand. One Club, One Crest.

One Club, One Crest

Sporting City Director of the MLS NEXT New Tier program

New MLS NEXT competition tier to launch with more than 220 clubs