CT United FC played its first season in MLS Next Pro in 2026. It finished the regular season seventh of 16 in the Eastern Conference with 46 points, then won its first playoff game, 1-0 at Atlanta United 2 on October 16. This is how the season went, from the match reports linked in the table at the end, most of them the club's or the league's own.
A slow start
The season opened on March 1 with a 3-1 win at FC Cincinnati 2 in Highland Heights, Kentucky. Robbie Mora, Alex Monis and Ibrahim Kasule scored. The next eight games brought one more win, 2-1 at Philadelphia Union II on March 15, and one shootout win, against six losses. After nine games CT United had 8 points.
The first three home games were at UConn's Morrone Stadium in Storrs: a 3-1 loss to Columbus Crew 2 on April 11, a 2-1 loss to Philadelphia Union II and a 0-0 draw with New England Revolution II that CT United won 6-5 on penalties. In MLS Next Pro a game tied after 90 minutes goes straight to a shootout. Both teams get a point, and the shootout winner gets a second. The club then moved to Yale's Reese Stadium in New Haven, and lost its first game there 2-0 to Toronto FC II on May 16.
38 points from the last 19 games
The turn came at the end of May. CT United won 3-1 at Red Bull New York II on May 24 and won a shootout at Huntsville City FC six days later. From there to the end of the season it won 12 of its last 19 games, against 6 losses and one more shootout win.
The longest winning run came at Reese Stadium, five in a row between July 5 and August 1: Carolina Core FC 3-1, Toronto FC II 3-2, Red Bull New York II 2-1, Columbus Crew 2 2-1 and Orlando City B 4-2. After a 2-1 home loss to New England Revolution II, three road wins in eight days followed, at FC Cincinnati 2, Crown Legacy FC and Philadelphia Union II. The club's report on the 2-0 win at Crown Legacy on August 19 put CT United fifth in the conference.
In on the last day
Three losses followed. The first was 4-2 to Red Bull New York II on August 29, in the club's first game in Bridgeport, at the University of Bridgeport's Knights Field. Then came 4-1 at Atlanta United 2 and 1-0 at New York City FC II. CT United went into the final day, September 20, ninth in the conference.
It beat Inter Miami CF II 7-2 at Knights Field. That left it level on 46 points with Red Bull New York II, and seventh, with one more win (14 to 13). Home and away, the season came out the same: 7 wins, one shootout win and 6 losses at home, and 7 wins, one shootout win and 6 losses on the road.
The playoffs
Nine teams from each conference reached the 2026 playoffs, the largest field the league has had, according to U.S. Soccer. Seeds 8 and 9 meet in a play-in game, and the top three seeds in each conference pick their quarterfinal opponents from seeds 5 to 8. Atlanta United 2, the third seed, picked CT United, the seventh.
The quarterfinal was played on October 16 at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in Marietta, Georgia. Barnabás Tanyi scored in the fifth minute, and CT United won 1-0 in both clubs' first playoff game. The conference semifinals are scheduled for October 23 to 25. CT United's opponent depends on the other quarterfinals, scheduled for October 17 and 18.
Who scored
Tanyi led the team with 16 regular-season goals and 7 assists in 26 games. Alex Monis and Bryan Destin scored 8 each, and 11 players scored at least once in the team's 59 regular-season goals.
Where CT United plays
The 14 home games were played at three college grounds: 3 at Morrone Stadium in Storrs, 9 at Reese Stadium in New Haven and 2 at Knights Field in Bridgeport.
The club's long-term home has changed since it was announced. In January 2024 the plan was a new waterfront stadium in Bridgeport. This year Gov. Ned Lamont passed on state support for that project, and Norwich's City Council has agreed to lease the city's Dodd Stadium to CT United. The lease runs from 2027 to 2029, with options to extend.
The club
CT United was announced in January 2024 by Connecticut Sports Group, whose principal owners are André and Michelle Swanston. It is one of three independent clubs in MLS Next Pro; the other 27 are affiliated with MLS teams. U.S. Soccer lists MLS Next Pro as a Division III league. Head coach Shavar Thomas, a former Jamaica captain with more than 50 caps, was appointed in December 2025.
The club's page on this site has its record and the full Eastern Conference table, and the standings hub has every Connecticut club's league table in one place.
All 28 regular-season games
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 1 | at FC Cincinnati 2 | W 3-1 |
| Mar 8 | at Chattanooga FC | L 2-4 |
| Mar 15 | at Philadelphia Union II | W 2-1 |
| Mar 22 | at New England Revolution II | L 0-2 |
| Apr 11 | Columbus Crew 2 (Storrs) | L 1-3 |
| Apr 19 | at New York City FC II | L 1-2 |
| Apr 26 | Philadelphia Union II (Storrs) | L 1-2 |
| May 3 | New England Revolution II (Storrs) | 0-0, won 6-5 on penalties |
| May 16 | Toronto FC II (New Haven) | L 0-2 |
| May 24 | at Red Bull New York II | W 3-1 |
| May 30 | at Huntsville City FC | 2-2, won 3-0 on penalties |
| Jun 8 | at Columbus Crew 2 | L 1-2 |
| Jun 14 | at Toronto FC II | W 4-2 |
| Jun 18 | FC Cincinnati 2 (New Haven) | W 4-0 |
| Jun 26 | New York City FC II (New Haven) | L 1-4 |
| Jul 5 | Carolina Core FC (New Haven) | W 3-1 |
| Jul 12 | Toronto FC II (New Haven) | W 3-2 |
| Jul 19 | Red Bull New York II (New Haven) | W 2-1 |
| Jul 26 | Columbus Crew 2 (New Haven) | W 2-1 |
| Aug 1 | Orlando City B (New Haven) | W 4-2 |
| Aug 9 | New England Revolution II (New Haven) | L 1-2 |
| Aug 16 | at FC Cincinnati 2 | W 3-2 |
| Aug 19 | at Crown Legacy FC | W 2-0 |
| Aug 23 | at Philadelphia Union II | W 4-2 |
| Aug 29 | Red Bull New York II (Bridgeport) | L 2-4 |
| Sep 8 | at Atlanta United 2 | L 1-4 |
| Sep 13 | at New York City FC II | L 0-1 |
| Sep 20 | Inter Miami CF II (Bridgeport) | W 7-2 |
Scores are CT United first, and each result links to its match report. Home games show the town in brackets. A game tied after 90 minutes shows the score and the shootout result.
Sources
- 2026 MLS Next Pro season, Wikipedia (Eastern Conference table)
- Everything you need to know about the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs, U.S. Soccer, October 9, 2026
- First round playoff matchups set after Pick-Your-Opponent selection process, MLS NEXT Pro
- Atlanta United 2 falls 1-0 to CT United FC, Atlanta United
- Barnabás Tanyi statistics, Stats Crew
- MLS NEXT Pro's fifth season kicks off February 27, MLS NEXT Pro release, January 21, 2026
- Still in the playoff hunt, CT United FC release, August 31, 2026 (first game in Bridgeport)
- New minor league soccer team, stadium planned for Bridgeport, Connecticut Public, January 9, 2024
- After failed Bridgeport bid, Norwich stadium deal could be boon for Eastern CT, CT Mirror, May 8, 2026
- Norwich's Dodd Stadium to add professional soccer, undergo renovations, WFSB, May 1, 2026
- CT United FC appoints Shavar Thomas as first-ever head coach, MLS NEXT Pro
- Format finalized for the 2027 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer, September 2, 2026 (division levels)