There were no shockers in the Eastern Conference Pick-Your-Opponent selections this year, with all top seeds taking the traditional route and choosing their opposite seed.
So, the surprises will have to take place on the field.
With storylines, stats, and standouts to dive into, let's get to it. Here's a closer look at the opening round matchups on the Eastern side of the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Cup bracket:
Stemming from a myriad of connections from the first teams on down, this is a battle between two sides who know each other very, very well.
The reigning Eastern Conference champions Union II have kept their elite pace in 2025, despite losing some key players through turnover, as well as elevating longtime assistant Ryan Richter to head coach.
FCC2, last year’s top Eastern Conference seed, had to come on strong at the end of the season with four-straight wins to sneak their way into their second postseason berth.
Season series:
Players to watch:
No surprise here. 15-year-old phenom Cavan Sullivan has been splitting his time between helping the Supporters’ Shield-winning Union in MLS and getting the majority of his minutes for Union II.
Early on in 2025, it was clear that New England Revolution II and Chicago Fire FC II were playoff bound.
In potentially the strongest head-to-head matchup of the round, it wouldn’t be a shocker to see the winner of this one march all the way to the final.
Add in two of the MVP candidates getting to play opposite one another, and it’s fair for fans on either side to be excited, anxious, and to expect fireworks.
Season series:
Players to watch:
23-year-old Brazilian Marcos Dias was crowned first-ever MLS NEXT Pro Playmaker of the year after breaking the all-time single-season assist record and ending the year with an elite 10g/13a line.
For Fire II, it's all about 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot winner Jason Shokalook, who finished with 20g/4a and rides the momentum of knocking in eight goals in his last five appearances.
New York Red Bulls II also opted for the traditional route in selecting eight-seed Carolina Core FC.
RBNY II carries the top seed in the East on a season built on stacking the most wins (17) in the conference, and that winning standard was maintained when American soccer icon Michael Bradley took the helm after former head coach Ibrahim Sekagya’s promotion to the RBNY first team staff.
Bouncing back from a 10th-place foray into the world of MLS NEXT Pro last year, Carolina Core promoted a legend of their own, longtime MLS and Jamaican international mainstay Donovan Ricketts, who navigated the club to new heights in his first year in charge.
Season series:
Players to watch:
There are many near-ready RBNY future first-teamers to choose from. Which way do you stare? 20-year-old Argentine midfielder Nehuén Benedetti and his 11g/7a debut in the league, while Panamanian international winger Rafael Mosquera’s 7g/10a have made for lots of mutual success between the two.
For CCFC, midfielder Facundo Canete has been the production leader for the second year in a row with his 9g/5a clip this season. Can he hit Tallisman status if he sparks an upset?
The natural matchup after the Pick-Your-Opponent dust had settled last week.
Safe to say, nobody wanted to pick Huntsville City FC for good reason, considering their three-game winning streak to close out the regular season.
But on the other side, Chattanooga FC landed the plane with an eight-game unbeaten run in which they outscored opponents 11-5.
These two have been on a collision course all year, and Chattanooga FC holds the edge in the season series and a strong home-field advantage with their Finley Stadium fortress.
Season series:
Players to watch:
On the back line, right-back Tate Robertson has been Chattanooga’s ace in 2025. Leading the team in the glory stats (9g/10a), the former Bowling Green Falcon has put together a Best XI-worthy year.
Similarly, the strength of Huntsville’s attack is midfielder Alan Carleton, who leads the scoresheet with 12g/6a. The 20-year-old Atlanta United Academy product has hit a new gear since moving to Rocket City, and if HCFC snag the win, things will likely move through him.
