Weekend Recap

There were multiple quality matchups this past weekend in the MLS NEXT Pro Player Pathway. Over 30 MLS Academies went to battle against one another as teams fight for better league positions this Spring. Below are a couple highlight games from a hard-fought March weekend.

MLS NEXT Matchups

On March 8th , the Inter Miami U16s defeated the Charlotte FC U16s by a score of 3-1. Yarlis Valdes opened the scoring in the 41 st minute, putting Inter Miami in the lead on the stroke of halftime. Zidane Cadet doubled Inter Miami’s lead shortly after the break, putting in a second in the 49 the minute. A two-nil lead can often be the most dangerous in football, and Charlotte FC quickly fought their way back into the match. Charlotte midfielder Carlos Gonzalez halved the deficit in the 55 th minute, bringing the team from North Carolina back into the running. Inter Miami weren’t going to let their lead slip away however, and in the 73rd minute, Yarlis Valdes secured his brace. Miami maintained their lead to the end of the game, securing a 3-1 win away from home. The Miami U16s currently sit second in their division, trailing Atlanta United on points per match. Charlotte FC sits in fourth, looking to gain momentum as the season continues. In the U19 league, LAFC and Seattle Sounders played in a shootout that resulted in a scoreline of 5-3. Erik Collins, a right winger for the Sounders, kicked the scoring off early, netting the first goal of the match in the 15 th minute. The lead held for just as long, as roughly 15 minutes later LAFC found their equalizer through their number 9, Dempsey Resich. The goal came in the 32 nd minute. Midfielder James Lane snatched the lead for LAFC soon after the first goal, making it a 2-1 game in the 39 th minute. The first half scoring did not end there, as Seattle Sounders found a tying goal through Edson Carli in the 43 rd minute. The teams entered the break deadlocked at 2- 2. The Sounders came out of the gates firing to start the second half, waiting only 10 minutes to regain their lead. Carson Yamada found the back of the net in the 55 th minute. James Lane would make his presence felt once again soon after, bringing the score to 4-3 in favor of LAFC thanks to his 2 nd and 3 rd goals of the match coming in the 62 nd and 65 th minutes respectively, which also completed his hat trick. The score remained close until the 88 th minute, when Lane’s midfield partner Gavin Zambrano double the advantage in the 88 th minute. The score would hold and LAFC earned a 5-3 victory. LAFC currently sits 2 nd in the U19 West Division, narrowly behind the Portland Timbers. The battle for top of the division remains wide open. The Seattle Sounders, also residing in the west division, currently sit in 6 th , looking to make a push into the top half of what is a very close group of teams from top to bottom.

A Pair of 07s Shine in the Opening Weekend of MLS NEXT PRO

The MLS NEXT PRO season kicked off over the weekend, with 24 teams taking part. Among the large number of players involved in a brilliant opening weekend, many young talents took the field. One of the first matches of the weekend was between Austin FC 2 and the Colorado Rapids 2 nd team. While Austin came home with a 4-2 win, there was a big story on the other side of the game. Homegrown academy player Colton Swan was introduced into the game to start the second half. He would make sure to leave a mark on the game. In the 73 rd minute, a ball towards the byline would be kept in, leading to a cross towards the near post. Swan made a darting run to the near post at the same time, connecting on a half volley and sending the ball just inside the far post. Just a minute later, Swan would again find the back of the net. A cross into the six-yard box was met by Swan, who towered above two defenders, heading the ball past the Austin FC keeper. Swan’s brace means that he currently has Colorado’s only 2 goals of the MLS NEXT PRO season. Ventura County FC, formerly LA Galaxy 2, went to battle with the Tacoma Defiance, an affiliate of the Seattle Sounders. In the 15 th minute of the match, a ball towards the back post was kept in by a Ventura County player, finding his teammate Dylan Vanney. Vanney, an LA Galaxy academy prospect, fired the ball into the back of the net from point-blank range, giving Ventura County the first lead of the match. The score became two-nil in the second half before Tacoma Defiance netted a goal to reel the game back in. With the score at 2-1, Dylan Vanney picked to ball up 40 yards from goal, driving and taking on a defender at the top of the box before rifling the ball past an outstretched Defiance keeper. Vanney completed his brace in the 71 st minute, giving VCFC a 3-1 advantage. Tacoma would try to fight back, with the score ending at 3-2. For his performance, Vanney was named MLS NEXT PRO rising star of the week. His efforts greatly helped Ventura County FC gain a big win to open the new season. Both Colton Swan and Dylan Vanney secured braces in their first games of the season, highlighting a large group of young players making their way into the professional game.