The two boys’ national leagues
ECNL vs MLS NEXT: what is the difference?
The short answer
ECNL Boys and MLS NEXT are the two national top-level leagues in boys’ club soccer. Our directory lists 170 ECNL Boys clubs and 152 clubs in MLS NEXT’s top tier, the Homegrown Division, where the academies of the MLS clubs play; 2 hold a place in both. Each has a second tier, the ECNL Regional League and the MLS NEXT Academy Division, and neither league is required for college soccer.
Sources last checked
| ECNL Boys clubs | 170 in 39 states |
|---|---|
| MLS NEXT Homegrown clubs | 152 in 36 states and provinces |
| Clubs in both | 2 |
| States with both leagues | 29 |
| Second tier | ECNL Regional League (448 clubs) · MLS NEXT Academy Division (229 clubs) |
How do ECNL Boys and MLS NEXT compare?
| ECNL Boys | MLS NEXT (Homegrown Division) | |
|---|---|---|
| Clubs in our directory | 170 | 152 |
| States | 39 | 36 |
| Only this league is in | Arkansas, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Carolina | British Columbia, Canada, Washington, DC, New Hampshire, Ontario, Canada, Quebec, Canada, Rhode Island, West Virginia |
| Second tier | ECNL Regional League, 448 clubs | Academy Division, 229 clubs |
| Full club list | ECNL Boys clubs | MLS NEXT clubs |
MLS NEXT’s own description of the Homegrown Division: 152 clubs, made up of every MLS academy and 123 MLS NEXT Elite Academies, with more than 17,000 players in a 10-month season, at U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U19 (Homegrown Division). Its events are Generation adidas Cup, MLS NEXT Flex, MLS NEXT Cup and the MLS NEXT All-Star Game. The ECNL’s site lists its competitions and clubs and prints no count of its own that we could read, so the ECNL figures here are ours.
Which league is bigger in each state?
| State | ECNL Boys clubs | MLS NEXT clubs |
|---|---|---|
| California | 29 | 33 |
| Florida | 11 | 15 |
| Texas | 17 | 9 |
| New York | 8 | 9 |
| North Carolina | 7 | 6 |
| Georgia | 6 | 6 |
| New Jersey | 4 | 8 |
| Virginia | 7 | 3 |
| Tennessee | 6 | 3 |
| Washington | 8 | 1 |
| Colorado | 6 | 2 |
| Massachusetts | 3 | 5 |
A state’s name links to every club in that state, in every league.
ECNL Boys is in 39 states and MLS NEXT in 36 states and Canadian provinces; 29 have both. Where only one is present, the choice is made for you.
Can MLS NEXT and ECNL players play high school soccer?
MLS NEXT’s second tier says so in plain words: Academy Division players may play high school soccer, and its regular season is regionally focused and built around high school calendars (Academy Division). The Homegrown Division’s page describes a 10-month season and does not address high school play.
We could not read a rule on high school play on the ECNL’s site. In both cases, ask the club before you sign: it is the club that will hold you to it. More in club soccer vs high school soccer.
What sits under each league?
Under MLS NEXT’s Homegrown Division is the Academy Division, added in the 2025-26 season, with 229 clubs in our directory: Homegrown vs Academy Division. Under ECNL Boys is the ECNL Regional League, with 448: ECNL vs ECNL Regional League.
The whole ladder is in boys’ club soccer levels.
Is ECNL or MLS NEXT better for college recruiting?
No rule favors either. The NCAA and NAIA manuals name no youth league, and the NCAA defines a coach’s evaluation as the observation of a player taking part in any practice or competition at any site (Bylaw 13.02.7).
MLS NEXT describes its top tier as a pathway to the professional game, and its Academy Division qualifiers as talent identification opportunities for college, professional and national team scouts. Whichever league a player is in, a college coach still has to hear from them: how to get recruited for college soccer.
Quick answers
- Is MLS NEXT better than ECNL?
- We do not rank one above the other. Our directory lists 152 MLS NEXT Homegrown clubs and 170 ECNL Boys clubs. The academies of the MLS clubs play in MLS NEXT’s Homegrown Division.
- Can a club be in both MLS NEXT and ECNL?
- Yes. In our directory 2 clubs hold a place in both ECNL Boys and MLS NEXT’s Homegrown Division.
- How many MLS NEXT clubs are there?
- The league says its Homegrown Division has 152 clubs and its Academy Division approximately 230. Our directory lists 152 and 229.
- How many ECNL Boys clubs are there?
- Our directory lists 170, in 39 states.
- Can MLS NEXT players play high school soccer?
- Academy Division players may play high school soccer, by the league’s own page. The Homegrown Division’s page does not say; ask the club.
How this was counted
Club counts are our club directory, built on 2026-10-05 from each league’s own published club list. A club is one name in one state. What MLS NEXT says about itself is quoted from its own site, read on 2026-10-05.
Sources
- MLS NEXT: about ↗
- MLS NEXT: Homegrown Division ↗
- MLS NEXT: Academy Division ↗
- ECNL (Elite Club National League) ↗
- NCAA Division I Manual, 2026-27 (Legislative Services Database) ↗
- Startline: the club directory, by league and by state
Last checked against these sources on. Figures marked Startline are counted from the data we hold and move when it does. Rules change: check anything dated against the governing body itself.
See the youth pathway for a sample player
The demo’s youth track shows clubs by level near a sample player, with tryout pages.
The demo is the real product with a sample player in it. No account, no card, and nothing you do in it is charged or sent.