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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Midwest United FC and Michigan Rangers FC announced today a partnership at the academy level that will unite the two clubs and provide a clear pathway to MLS NEXT boys soccer and ECNL girls soccer platforms for players in Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and the surrounding areas.
“This groundbreaking partnership marks a significant milestone for youth soccer players in West Michigan,” said Lewis Robinson, Midwest United FC Executive Director. “By uniting our clubs with a shared commitment to enhancing and elevating the game, we are creating transformative opportunities for players at all levels. We firmly believe that when top clubs and dedicated professionals collaborate, extraordinary outcomes become possible. This partnership between Midwest United FC and Michigan Rangers FC represents the culmination of extensive effort, and we are thrilled to provide unmatched opportunities that will benefit every player in our programs.”
“We are thrilled to enter into this partnership with Midwest United FC,” said Stuart Collins, Michigan Rangers FC Executive Director of Coaching. “It is an exciting time for the clubs we represent and for the players we will serve in the highest national platforms of both boys and girls club soccer. This is an unprecedented move in our area and shows a willingness from both clubs to work together in order to maximize opportunities for player development, professional pathway and college recruitment. Our goal is to collectively develop the best possible academy environment while also continuing to serve our current club families through the many competitive levels of play we both offer. We are committed to placing every player within our club network in the appropriate environment based on their goals and aspirations as players and people.”
Midwest United FC and Michigan Rangers FC will continue to serve their respective communities under their existing names. At the MLS NEXT and ECNL levels, the clubs will share staff, facilities, and resources to create the state’s most-professional and most-competitive academy environment.
Commitment to player development is at the center of the partnership. Most elite youth soccer players aspire to continue their careers at the collegiate level, and Midwest United FC and Michigan Rangers FC are West Michigan’s top developers of college soccer players. Since 2018, the clubs have combined to place 450-plus alumni in college programs at various levels.
Now working together, the two 501(c)(3) non-profit clubs will continue to grow soccer in West Michigan by creating a stronger, unified development pathway for the area’s youth players.
This announcement comes less than one month after Grand Rapids-area-based Michigan Futbol Club (MFA) announced it had received a bid to join the MLS Next circles next year and will be adding teams in various age groups. Tryouts for MFA MLS Next team will commence in January.
On the boys soccer side, Michigan will now have the Midwest United-Michigan Rangers partnership to go along with the Michigan Wolves, Vardar SC, Michigan Jaguars and the newly-created MFA all having clubs in the Midwest ranks of the MLS Next Academy system.
In terms of girls soccer, Michigan will now feature the Michigan Hawks, Nationals SC and the Midwest United FC-Michigan Rangers partnership in the ECNL circles. The Michigan Jaguars and Sporting Michigan will remain competing in the U.S. Girls Academy League for their highest levels of club girls soccer.
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group, the Michigan Soccer Network and the National Soccer Network regarding club/youth soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with ties to a particular state or states, contact Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com or dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com, or call 248-525-2349. Dan Stickradt is a 32-year veteran of the Michigan Media circles and recently joined the staff full time at PMG in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/NSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at and jonathan@thepremiermediagrp.com.)
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