New $25 million soccer stadium and MLS minor league team coming to Long Island
Professional soccer is coming to Long Island, and a new stadium is, too.
The Island F.C. — a new independent club that will compete in MLS Next Pro, the professional development league of Major League Soccer — was launched by principal owner and chairman Mitchell Rechler and team president Peter Zaratin at a news conference Tuesday morning at the Long Island Children’s Museum in Uniondale. They also revealed plans to build a privately funded 2,500-seat stadium (scalable to 5,000) at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale.
The team is set to debut in March 2027 with preseason games that begin in January, only six months after the 2026 FIFA World Cup concludes at MetLife Stadium. It is estimated to be a $25 million venture — about $20 million for the complex, which will also serve as a year-round training facility, and around $5 million to launch the club — that is backed by Rechler, Zaratin and several other partners.
The club unveiled a blue-and-white color scheme with a motto: “All for The Island.” The logo has yet to be revealed.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- A professional minor league soccer team -- called The Island F.C. -- will begin playing on Long Island in 2027. The team will play in Major League Soccer's developmental league, called MLS Next Pro.
- The club will have a new 2,500-seat stadium at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale. The stadium could eventually grow to 5,000 seats.
The complex will be the home of a developmental program that will start with boys and girls age 5. The plan also includes the eventual launch of a women’s pro team.
“I really view the launch of this team and the building of the stadium as an additional piece of improving the quality of life for all Long Islanders, giving them a professional sports team in the heart of Long Island,” Rechler, 65, told Newsday in a Zoom interview on Monday. “And creating, ultimately, a great entertainment product that they will enjoy. The demographics here on Long Island for soccer are incredible.”
Stadium renderings are expected to be released over the next few months with the intent of breaking ground in the spring.
The club will have a full development pipeline, coaching both boys and girls from age 5 through college and the pros. The plan includes the eventual launch of a women’s pro team.
“Creating a clear development pipeline is exciting to me,” Zaratin said. “And adding a pro team on top, now first with the men and then with the women, with a stadium that is fan-conducive to the sport, right? No track, enclosed stadium, starting with 2,500 seats, making sure it's full, and bringing that European feeling to a match. That's going to be fantastic.
“It's happening across the country in different venues, some successful, and it's great to now be able to bring that back to Long Island. We surely need it.”
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine were in attendance Tuesday.
Rechler, a third-generation real estate developer and co-managing partner of Rechler Equity Partners in Plainview, said they have been working toward this for at least 15 years. Zaratin, a former college and professional player and president of the semipro Long Island Rough Riders, has been involved in the player development business since founding Globall Concepts in 1998. That includes the operation of the Rough Riders and the Long Island Soccer Club, which is tied to MLS Next and the Girls Academy — the highest national youth soccer platforms in the country.
The Rough Riders will remain in action under their current name, with the men’s team in United Soccer League's League Two and the women’s team in the USL W League. The team will be part of The Island F.C. pipeline, and notable Rough Riders alumni – including former coach Alfonso Mondelo and former star player Giovanni Savarese – attended Tuesday’s event.
“What makes us unique is that most professional teams that come in start with the professionals, and then from the top they build down,” Rechler said. “We've already had the youth development foundation, and we’re using that to build up to the pro level.”
Rechler, originally from Dix Hills, and Zaratin, a Glen Cove native, became business partners in 2007. About seven years ago, they talked to New York City FC about being their Long Island youth soccer operation, though that did not come to fruition.
MLS Next Pro was founded in June 2021 and debuted in 2022. Rechler compared the league’s talent to Double-A baseball, “where the best prospects are playing before they usually take a very brief time in Triple-A” before jumping to MLB.
“The young people and a good majority of the players that will be playing in MLS Next Pro will inevitably be playing in Major League Soccer, and potentially the men's national team or other national teams, because there will be international players as well,” Rechler said.
The Island F.C. becomes MLS Next Pro’s 34th team and seventh independent club, meaning it will not be affiliated with any MLS franchise. NYCFC II plays at Belson Stadium on the St. John’s campus in Queens, and the New York Red Bulls II play in Montclair, New Jersey.
MLS Next Pro president Ali Curtis said the league looks at the ownership group, stadium plan and market in the expansion process, and The Island F.C. “checks all the boxes.”
“Long Island is one of the traditional and historical communities for soccer within the country,” Curtis said. “It has a really rich tradition. The community has really embraced the sport in so many ways, and it's produced several top players and coaches and teams, and so we're looking forward to welcoming the Island to MLS Next Pro.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
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