Bridgeport Announce "CT United FC," MLS Next Pro's Newest Expansion Side
Connecticut United FC becomes the MLS developmental league's 29th club with a projected start date of 2025.
On the verge of becoming minority owners of a Major League Soccer franchise in 2021, lifelong Connecticut resident André Swanston and his wife, Michelle, had a last-minute change of heart. They wanted to a bring their own team to their home state.
Two years later, that dream became a reality. Come 2025, Connecticut will have a second professional soccer team.
It was announced Tuesday that Bridgeport-based Connecticut United FC would join MLS Next Pro as the league’s newest expansion side, aiming to begin play in 2025 as the fifth independent team in Major League Soccer’s developmental division.
Developed by Connecticut Sports Group and led by Swanston as a CTSG founding partner, the club will play at a waterfront soccer stadium in a developmental plan complete with a “premier family-friendly entertainment and sports destination,” according to league press release.
Approved unanimously by the City of Bridgeport’s Planning and Zoning Commission in November, the mixed-use location adjacent to the Pequonnock River will include retail and dining space, residential capacity, a hotel, parking garage, and a river boardwalk/park in addition to a brand-new soccer stadium. The plan is similar to Rhode Island FC’s Tidewater Landing project, which is set to be complete by the 2025 USL Championship season.
According to the original application, the building plan will utilize two phases: the first will involve a privately-funded stadium that ranges from 7,500-10,000 seats “to support a smaller minor league affiliate [team]”, along with a community green and a river walk, while the second phase would allow for expansion of the stadium infrastructure should the team be awarded a first-division MLS or National Women’s Soccer League expansion in the future.
While Swanston has invested heavily in the project himself, the source of projected public funding needed to complete the project is still unclear. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont confirmed that the state had not yet committed any public funds towards the project.
According to Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, an announcement on the development of the site could come as soon as this week.
In addition to the new facilities, the team announced the introduction of a free academy system, which will give a unique opportunity for young players through the MLS Next academy system at no cost. Prior to the announcement, Glastonbury’s Oakwood Soccer Club was the only MLS Next opportunity in the state for Connecticut youth prospects.
“I can’t imagine if our parents had to pay thousands of dollars a season, or thousands of dollars a year for us to get training as a youth, but that’s what happens, not just in Connecticut but all across the county,” said Swanston, who was a Division I track and field athlete at UConn. “Connecticut has the talent all over the state…to compete with any kids across the country, but not if so many of the kids here don’t even get the chance to get on the field.”
An emotional Swanston then announced the free academy plan to a vibrant applause: “It’s all about opportunity, you know?”
The club joins Carolina Core FC, Cleveland, Jacksonville Armada FC and Chattanooga FC as the only independent teams in MLS Next Pro, the latter two of which were announced just months ago in November 2023.
"Today’s announcement marks a historic milestone as André takes the helm as one of our youngest club owners and breaks barriers as one of only a few Black principal owners in U.S. sports history,” MLS Next Pro President Charles Altchek said.
Swanston’s plans to bring Major League Soccer to Bridgeport first surfaced in October 2023, and for him, the ceiling is higher than the third-tier league. His ultimate goal — bringing a top-flight Major League Soccer or NWSL team to the Constitution State, a goal he says is ambitious, but acheivable.
“All we can promise is that we believe we can build the infrastructure both literally in terms of the stadium, and figuratively in terms of the youth academy, the community engagement where we will be the most attractive market in the country for any league,” Swanston said. “We are going to do our best to become, over the next decade, one of the powerful clubs in all of North America.”
As for a potential phase two stadium expansion, Swanston unveiled the following renderings of what the club hopes it can achieve “once they crush it on the field” in MLS Next Pro.
Could MLS come to Connecticut in the next decade? Only time will tell, but Swanston is optimistic that the “some of the most loyal and passionate fans in America” will eventually have a top-flight club to call their own.
For now, excitement continues to grow with Connecticut United FC’s inaugural season just over a year away. Interested fans can watch the entirety of Tuesday’s announcement press conference on MLS Next Pro’s website.
If Bridgeport gets a team and a stadium, when is it Worcester's turn?