Championship Match to Air for Free on Apple TV and be Broadcast in Spanish for First Time
The 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Cup on Saturday, November 8, will feature Eastern Conference Champion New York Red Bulls II hosting Western Conference Champion Colorado Rapids 2 at Sports Illustrated Stadium (7 p.m. ET) and will air for free on Apple TV. This year’s finale in Harrison, NJ, will be the first MLS NEXT Pro Cup played in the Northeast region, following Frisco, TX (2024) and Columbus, OH (2023, 2022).
Saturday’s match will crown a brand-new champion with the winning Club becoming the fourth team to capture the title in as many years. The 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Champions, North Texas SC, were eliminated in the Western Conference Quarterfinals last month while the 2023 (Austin FC II) and 2022 Champions (Columbus Crew 2) did not qualify for this year’s Playoffs.
The Cup matchup will see first-year head coach and U.S. Soccer legend Michael Bradley (RBNY) face off against 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Coach of the Year Erik Bushey (COL) as both Clubs make their MLS NEXT Pro Cup debuts.
The 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Cup will feature an enhanced broadcast and will include Josh Eastern providing play-by-play and Calen Carr adding analysis. New this year, the championship match will also be broadcast in Spanish, available exclusively on MLSNEXTPro.com. Ramon Chavez will provide play-by-play commentary and Carlos Suarez will provide analysis. Sideline reporter Moises Linares will add insight and interviews on both broadcasts.
How They Got Here:
New York Red Bulls II (58 points, 17-6-5) entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and has utilized a keen offense to march to its first MLS NEXT Pro Cup appearance. The Club defeated Carolina Core FC, 5-1, in the Conference Quarterfinal and followed with a 5-3 victory over Chicago Fire FC II in the Conference Semifinal. New York Red Bulls II’s 2-1 victory over No. 2 seed Philadelphia Union II in the Conference Final saw the Baby Bulls outscore opponents 12-5 so far in the 2025 Playoffs.
No. 3 seed Colorado Rapids 2 (51 points, 15-8-5) meanwhile defeated No. 7 seed Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, 3-2, at home in the Conference Quarterfinals, upset No. 2 The Town FC on the road by a 4-2 scoreline in the Semifinals, and most recently came from behind to defeat No. 5 seed MNUFC2, 2-1, in the Western Conference Final.
Roald Mitchell (RBNY - 4G, 1A) recorded a brace in the Eastern Conference Final to help New York Red Bulls II come from behind to defeat Philadelphia Union II and is tied for most 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs goal contributions (5) with Colorado Rapids 2’s Alex Harris (3G, 2A).
New York Red Bulls II has four players, Playmaker of the Year runner-up Rafael Mosquera, Adri Mehmeti, Nate Worth and Matthew Dos Santos, tied for the most assists in the postseason (2) with Colorado Rapids 2’s Harris and Sydney Wathuta.
A 2025 Best XI honoree, Nehuén Benedetti (RBNY) has built on his 18 regular season goal contributions (11G, 7A) with three more in the Playoffs (2G, 1A). Zack Campagnolo (COL) currently has the second-most saves of the postseason (11) and is trailed by Austin Causey (RBNY) with the third-most (8).
Previous MLS NEXT Pro Cup Results:
2024: North Texas SC defeated Philadelphia Union II, 3-2
2023: Austin FC II defeated Columbus Crew 2, 3-1
2022: Columbus Crew 2 defeated St Louis CITY2, 4-1
