Soccer in Cleveland is entering a new phase. The city has long had youth clubs, amateur teams, college programs, indoor soccer history, and regional soccer communities, but it has lacked a stable, high-profile outdoor professional men’s club in the modern era. That is changing with Forest City Cleveland, a new professional men’s soccer club scheduled to begin play in MLS NEXT Pro in 2027.
Cleveland’s soccer identity is different from Cincinnati or Columbus because it is still rebuilding its modern professional platform. The city is not centered on MLS, and it does not have a traditional promotion-and-relegation pyramid. Instead, Cleveland’s soccer ecosystem is built around a developing professional project, pre-professional clubs, youth soccer, college programs, ethnic and community soccer traditions, and the broader Northeast Ohio player base.
Forest City Cleveland and the Professional Pathway
Forest City Cleveland gives the city a new professional focal point. MLS NEXT Pro announced the club identity in March 2026, with the team set to begin play in 2027 as part of Cleveland Soccer Group’s effort to build a broader soccer ecosystem in Northeast Ohio.
MLS NEXT Pro is not the top level of American soccer, but it is important because it sits inside the modern player-development structure. For Cleveland, that means the new club can become a bridge between local talent, professional competition, and the wider American soccer market. It also gives supporters a new civic soccer identity to organize around.
Cleveland Force SC and Pre-Professional Soccer
Cleveland Force SC is another important part of the local soccer structure. The club operates men’s and women’s senior teams, with the men’s side in USL League Two and the women’s side in the USL W League. Its official site describes USL League Two as a pre-professional platform for players pursuing professional opportunities while maintaining college eligibility.
That matters because Cleveland’s soccer pathway is heavily developmental. A player in the region may move through youth clubs, high school soccer, college soccer, USL League Two, MLS NEXT Pro, or other professional opportunities. Cleveland Force SC helps fill the summer and pre-professional space, especially for college-age players who need meaningful competition outside the NCAA season.
Local Soccer, Youth Clubs, and Northeast Ohio
Cleveland soccer is also shaped by the wider Northeast Ohio region. Suburban youth clubs, school soccer, college programs, adult leagues, indoor facilities, and community teams all contribute to the local base. The city’s soccer culture has often been more dispersed than centralized, with different parts of the region producing players and supporters without one dominant professional club tying everything together.
That is why Forest City Cleveland could matter. If the club succeeds, it can give the city a clearer soccer center while still relying on the youth and amateur networks that already exist. Cleveland’s soccer story is therefore about consolidation: turning a broad but scattered soccer region into a more visible professional and developmental market.
Cups, Community, and Future Growth
Cleveland’s future soccer identity will depend on how Forest City Cleveland connects with local supporters, youth clubs, community programs, and the existing pre-professional scene. The city has the population, sports culture, and regional player base to support more soccer than it has had at the professional level.
For now, Cleveland should be understood as an emerging professional soccer market with a strong local foundation. Forest City Cleveland gives the city a new forward-facing club, while Cleveland Force SC, youth soccer, college programs, and community leagues provide the base beneath it.
