MLS Next Pro on Thursday announced that Jacksonville Armada FC will join the league as an independent club.
The Team in Jacksonville, Florida, will join MLS Next Pro, hopeful that 2025 will be their first year in the league. The Armada becomes the third team that will come into MLS Next Pro as an independent team alongside Carolina Core FC and Cleveland in the coming years. Once the US Soccer Federation approve the addition, Jacksonville will be the third MLS Next Pro team in Florida, alongside Inter Miami II and Orlando City B
Jacksonville has a deep-rooted history of professional soccer in the area, dating back to 1980. The current Jacksonville Armada was formed in 2013 and began playing professionally in the former NASL (North American Soccer League). The team was bought by the current owner, Robert Palmer, in July 2017.
The senior side of Jacksonville Armada last played professionally in 2018 after the NASL folded in 2017. They would play one season as a semi-professional team in 2018 in the NPSL (National Premier Soccer League) as a member of the Sunshine Conference. After one season, however, in 2019, they announced that their U23 side would play in the NPSL as they wanted to shift their focus to player development. The senior team would look for other options in the meantime.
Jacksonville Armada FC is also in the process of constructing a state-of-the-art, soccer-specific stadium. It will be placed in the Eastside community of Jacksonville and will break ground in January 2024.
