The new minor-league soccer team coming to Long Island — called The Island F.C. — officially was awarded membership into MLS Next , the league's youth development league, on Tuesday. The program will have two youth teams that will establish training sites in Suffolk County and begin tryouts in January.

The youth teams (U13-U19) will begin play in 2026-27. One club will play in the top-tier Homegrown Division, which features 152 other clubs and a 10-month season. The other club will play in the second-tier Academy Division, which has approximately 230 clubs and is built around the high school soccer schedule so players can play for both .

“This is a transformative moment for soccer on Long Island,” club principal owner Mitchell Rechler said in a Tuesday news release. “Our vision is

See Full Page