This Week In MLS Next

Philadelphia Union Vs Florida Opposition

The Philadelphia Union traveled down to Florida to take on Inter Miami and Orlando City this weekend. It kicked off with Anisse Saidi bagging a brace against Inter Miami U17s. Goals for him came in the 6th and 74th minute. Mateo Saja added a goal for Inter Miami, but it proved too little too late. The U15 matchup saw another 2-1 for Philadelphia Union. Tyler Gladstone bagged a goal in the 28th minute before Mattius Vieux tied it up. Gladstone bagged his second of the match and the winner late on in the 82nd minute.

The Philly boys then headed to Orlando where the U17s took on Orlando City first. A Deigo Rocio hat trick helped them see this one out with relative ease. USYNT midfielder Kellan Leblanc got his goal in the 81st minute before Gustavo Caraballo bagged a consolation goal for Orlando City. The U15 matchup was pretty much the opposite of this one. Orlando City showed some immense dominance picking up a 3-0 win and all 3 points.

Atlanta United Vs Charlotte FC

The Under-17s kicked off the first leg of this rivalry. Charlotte Fc opened up the scoring through Jayson Quintanilla, but after that it was all Atlanta . Atlanta United opened up their scoring through 2009 USYNT player Ethan Degny in the 33’ minute. Ayomideji Akintobi bagged his first of the match midway through the second half making it 2-1. In the 88’ minute Owen Kustos made it 3-1.

The Under-15 match was a must more cagey affair. A total of six yellow cards were handed out in this one, and the loan goal of the match was scored by Atlanta United left wing back Kai Martinez giving Atlanta the 1-0 win.

LAFC Vs Portland

Two exciting matches took place today at Providence Park. The first began fast when Max Eisenberg bagged his sixth goal in his past three appearances for the Timbers U17s. The Timbers went into halftime 1-0, but that did not last for long Adriano Samaya bagged a goal and drew a penalty in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Dempsey Resich scored from the spot, and in the 85’ minute he bagged a header. Noah Santos got one back in the 90’ minute, but the match ended 3-2.

The Under-15s kick off and it was all Portland Timbers. The scoring began in the 26th minute when Fransisco Sillas hit a beautiful bar down, but LAFC ended up answering through Ademar Chavez. Miguel Castillo answered that with a goal of his own before Elias Walker had two consecutive goals, and he provided the assist for goal number five. The match finished 5-1 to the Timbers.

Young Stars Debut In MLS

Match day one in MLS saw two young stars make their debut for their club. It began on Wednesday when Fidel Barajas subbed in for Real Salt Lake in the 74th minute. Barajas is a 2006 player who recently won USL Young Player Of The Year. Barajas is still just 17, and he recently represented Mexico at the U17 World Cup.

Nimfasha Berchimas is the second player aged 2006 and younger to make his debut on match day one. Berchimas is a 2008 born winger who started 2/4 games for Charlotte Fc in preseason. Dean Smith (Charlotte’s Head Coach) has also expressed very high praise for the youngster.

Julian Hall, Adam Beaudry, and Matai Akinmboni were all named to the squad for this weekends matches, but none were able to get on the pitch.

U17 MLS Next Power Rankings

1. Philadelphia Union

Philadelphia Union U17s have been on fire this season. The team was undefeated throughout the entire fall campaign, and only recently picked their first loss while any of their top players were with the first team. Guys like Neil Pierre and Peter Doran provide a solid foundation for the side in back and midfield. Philadelphia’s front four includes four national team players; Cavan Sullivan, and Jamir Johnson for the United States, Anisse Saidi for the United States and Tunisia, and Diego Rocio for the United States and Mexico.

2. FC Dallas

Fc Dallas U17s have some of the best talent in the entire country, including many stars who have joined the side this season. One of those players is Gabriel who came from Flamengo. Fc Dallas resides atop of the league table averaging 2.25 point per game.

3. Charlotte FC

Charlotte Fc just took a rough loss to their rivals yesterday, but that does not put a big taint on what they have accomplished. Charlotte went perfect at MLS Next Fest, and are joint top of their league.

4. New York Red Bulls

The Red Bulls have loads of star power on this side. They are one of the youngest teams in the league featuring many 2008 and 2009 players. They are currently fifth in the league, but they have been missing many stars.

5. Los Angeles Football Club

LAFC are another team who has a lot of their star power playing up wit the first and second teams. LAFC is currently first in the west division, and they picked up a massive win yesterday.

6. BW Gottschee

BW Gottschee is the only non-MLS academy team on this list. They are averaging 2.73 points per game in Flex this season and are in first by a mile. Gottschee will kick off its regular season later this spring.

7. Portland Timbers

The Timbers have been a tear as of late. Prior to this weekend they were undefeated in the spring season, and sit forth in the league. Still one of the most inform teams in MLS Next.

8. Atlanta United

Atlanta United just took down number three on this list, so maybe they should be higher. They have many younger players dominating this squad like Cooper Sanchez and Ethan Degny. As of now, they are fifth in their league.

9. NYCFC

NYCFC is one of those teams where if the players who are age-eligible play they could go all the way. NYCFC has five homegrown players on this squad. That just says enough on its own.

10. Orlando City

Orlando City are tied for first in the south division of MLS Next. They have many stars on the squad including Gustavo Caraballo and Justin Ellis.

U17 Girls ECNL Midseason Rankings

Following the stars in women’s youth soccer in the United States, we have compiled a list of the top 10 U17 ECNL teams.

NVA ECNL G07: Sitting atop the competitive Mid-Atlantic ECNL conference, this talented NVA squad is looking to make a run in the ECNL postseason. 

Michigan Hawks ECNL G07: With an astounding undefeated record, including 13 wins and zero losses, this squad is a force to reckon with. 

SUSA FC ECNL G07: With a strong start to the season, SUSA FC is averaging 2.33 points per game in the cutthroat New England ECNL Division.

PDA Blue ECNL G07: This squad has started the season comfortably with a 2-0 record, including 9 goals for and only 3 goals against. 

Bay Area Surf ECNL G07: Bay Area surf is currently ranked first in the Norcal division, with a strong 9-1-1 record. 

Seattle United ECNL G07: In the tough Northwest Division, this Seattle United Team has a 7-0 record, which has given them a comfortable first place spot. 

Portland Thorns G07: Coming up right behind Seattle United in the Northwest Division, the Portland Thorns have a 6-0-2 record, making them a strong opponent on the national level. 

FL Premier FC G07: Succeeding in the Florida conference is no easy feat, but Florida Premier has managed to rack up 7 wins in their first 8 games. There is much more to come for this team. 

Slammers FC HB Koge ECNL G07: In the Southwest conference, each game is a battle. However, Slammers have proven their class time and time again with an 11-1-1 record and a first place spot in their division. 

Solar SC ECNL G07: In their first 9 games, Solar SC has racked up 52 goals for with just 2 against. They currently have the largest goal per game ratio in the country. Having such strength on the offensive side of the pitch gives them the edge over almost any team in the Texas conference. 

LAFC Outside Back Training With Flamengo

LAFC left back Pedro Guimaraes is currently training with Brazilian giants Flamengo. The 2008 born player was a standout player at the 2023 U15 CONCACAF Championships. He featured in six of the seven matches for the United States at the tournament. Guimaraes has also been a top player for LAFC U17s this season. He is playing up, and LAFC remains as one of the best teams in the entirety of MLS Next. Guimaraes has citizenship to both the United States and Brazil, so this means that he is able to move to Brazil and play for Flamengo if offered. 

Guimaraes is among many LAFC youngsters that are in line to possibly receive a professional contract. Fellow 2008 player Decarlo Guerra has already signed for the LAFC organization. Guerra is primarily a holding midfielder who has already featured for both LAFC 2 and the Guatemalan U20s. Two more 2008s from LAFC to watch are Liam Lambert and Jude Terry. Both are central midfielders with an extremely high ceiling. Lambert and Terry have, like Guimaraes, made their debut for the USYNT. Terry has even been called into 2007 USYNT camp