MLS NEXT, Kitman Labs Build New System To Drive Operational Efficiencies, Optimize Player Pathways
For the MLS NEXT 2024 season, Kitman Labs will build out and launch their new League Operations Solution. Working together with a leading sports tech company enables MLS to adopt and then tweak the software as required to ensure the coaches and soccer players have optimized data and resulting insights regarding player performance by next year. This sports tech install is considered a next-gen implementation. MLS NEXT is adding company-wide consolidate of a variety of programs into one solution developed by Kitman Labs. Another resulting benefit of the proprietary technology is a more streamlined operations workflow across departments and programs. The ultimate goal is to continually build out evolving data sets per player, coach and games, at any level, during all football seasons. MLS NEXT users can access the hosted solution in the clouds and on the go using digital devices revealing deep analytical backed results and visualizations regarding searched criteria. The Sports Techie community blog virtually applauds this budding business sport partnership, especially after looking at the most recent Global Football Rankings and their Soccer Power Index scores. MLS began play in 1996 and now in 2023, is ranked at 40.86, earning the league a 16th ranking of all international soccer leagues even after the move by the worst team in the league, Inter Miami CF (30.3), to sign possible GOAT, Lionel Messi, to a new deal. Because Kitman Labs, the sports technology and analytics company setting an industry standard for how elite sports organizations use data, is partnering with MLS NEXT, look for the new system to improve operational efficiencies while also optimizing data-driven paths, per player and academy. One such opportunity is the ongoing MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs, a single-elimination competition featuring the best 128 teams across the U-15, U-16, U-17 and U-19 age groups.
“Kitman Labs is a world-class technology company, and by teaming up with them we are excited for the opportunity to utilize next generation technology to power our entire MLS NEXT operation,” said Justin Bokmeyer, General Manager, MLS NEXT. “The player pathway within the MLS ecosystem is of the utmost importance to us, and there is no better place to introduce this combining of forces than within MLS NEXT. We look forward to working alongside Kitman Labs and sharing their game-changing capabilities and software tools with academy directors throughout the U.S.”
MLS NEXT Player Performance Upgrades
Kitman Labs Intelligence Platform (iP: Intelligence Platform) is designed to provide high performance organizations such as the MLS with cutting edge technology and user specific tools to support data collection, advanced analytics, communication and collaboration across leagues and teams.
Trusting in Kitman Labs data and technology offerings, technologists, sports practitioners, data scientists, designers, and more, opens the pipeline to MLS NEXT’s instant access to revealing insights from football metrics covering where and how players are playing, how they are progressing through the League and how different teams are performing and who is coaching them. Consolidated MLS NEXT data can drive immediate improvements in the player pathway and experience.
MLS NEXT’s partnership enables access to data optimization and visualizations to empower decision-making and to assist in continuous program improvement are considered league-changing upgrades.
“As Leagues become increasingly more complex, the need to consolidate and streamline operations and logistics into a single platform, enabling collaboration, elevating the player and staff experience and providing the infrastructure to scale is paramount to future success,” said Stephen Smith, Kitman Labs Founder & CEO.
Kitman Labs’ key ability to assist with streamlining all of MLS NEXT’s daily operations, including the improvement of the quality of talent and play at every level while delivering an elevated experience for both staff and players, sets them apart from other leagues not using League Operations Solution. MLS NEXT is the first to launch the new League Operations Solution from Kitman Labs.
The Columbus Crew has a data deal in place with Kitman Labs. As does Danish Superliga Club FC Midtjylland, the fifth league SaaS Intelligence Platform user.
Read about – Kitman Labs and Syracuse’s Falk College Sign Research Partnership To Include NBA Performance Data
League Operations Solution Pioneers
Core capabilities within the solution include, but are not limited to:
- Player Registration
- Staff and Officials Registration
- Fixture Management
- Digital Match Rosters
- Match
- Discipline Management and Eligibility Tracking
- Registration Payments
- Waivers and Consents
- Competition Management
MLS Next Cup
Teams qualified for the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs based on results from league play or by winning their respective group at MLS NEXT Flex.
Fans can watch the following MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and Showcase matches on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Tuesday, June 20 – Quarterfinal:
Watch the MLS NEXT Cup Day 4 stream
- Highlights: U16s – Atlanta United vs. Weston FC
- 11:30 AM ET – U15s – New York Red Bulls vs. Seattle Sounders FC
- 2:00 PM ET – U15s – Real Salt Lake vs. CF Montreal
Wednesday, June 21 – Quarterfinal:
Watch the MLS NEXT Cup Day 5 stream
- 9:30 AM ET – U19s – TBD vs. TBD
- 11:30 AM ET – U17s – TBD vs. TBD
- 1:30 PM ET – U17s – TBD vs. TBD
Sports Techie, the current top ranked MLS team is the Philadelphia Union at 53.8. The top ranked league overall is the Premier League at 71.96 with the Best Team overall, Manchester City, ranked at 92.0. MLS at 40.86, certainly has room to improve and will, in part to their MLS NEXT relationship with Kitman Labs.
Keep your analytical sports mind trained on these international football league rankings come 2024, 2025 and 2026 knowing Kitman Labs is powering the MLS NEXT player performance technology upgrades into the near future.
The USA, Mexico and Canada are co-hosting FIFA World Cup 26 for men.
How will Kitman Labs influence MLS NEXT from 2023-2026 in terms of optimizing the player pathways of those playing in tournaments for their national teams, especially Team USA?
At MLS NEXT Cup, Match Evaluators will attend various games and assess the quality of play while pinpointing top-performing players at each age group. This sounds exactly like what Kitman Labs excels with.
Kitman Labs now players performance operations and path optimization assistance in all things, MLS Next.
See you later sportstechie in Seattle, Atlanta and around the world!
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