CHESTER, Pa.— The Philadelphia Union and Union II may be in their off season, but the Union Academy is getting ready for the MLS Next Fest in Mesa, Arizona December 4-15. Plus, former Union Academy midfielder Henry Bernstein is making a run in the NCAA Division I Championship playoffs with the University of Maryland Terrapins.
Union Academy at MLS Next Fest
Showcasing more than 30,000 players and touted as the largest youth soccer scouting and talent identification event in the United States, MLS Next Fest is the premier winter youth soccer showcase in North America. It will feature 1,474 teams from more than 250 clubs, and be attended by college, professional, and national team coaches.
It will include not only three matches for the teams, but also has a Player Pathway Speaker Series that will offer education for players, coaches, administrators, and parents in informational sessions led by experts.
“MLS NEXT Fest brings together the top youth teams from across the United States and Canada, and it continues to stand as the best winter recruiting event in North America,” said MLS NEXT Technical Director Luis Robles in the press release. “With the introduction of the MLS NEXT Academy Division this year, we are proud to make this the largest event in our program’s history. We expect more than 1,400 teams from both the Homegrown and Academy divisions to participate, along with nearly 500 college scouts representing approximately 250 collegiate programs in attendance.” Find out more on the official MLS Next website.
The Philadelphia Union are sending their U-15, U-16, and U-18 squads. They will compete at the U-16, U-17, and U-19 levels, respectively. The schedule is listed below, with all times at ET.
The U-15s, led by head coach Ben Moane, will play as follows:
12/10: San Jose Earthquakes, 4:15 PM
12/11: Austin FC, 1:30 PM
12/13: LA Galaxy, 12:00 PM
The U-16s, under head coach Peter McDonnell, have the following schedule:
12/6: LAFC, 1:15 PM
12/8: Real Salt Lake, 10:30 AM
12/9: Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 12:00 PM
The U-18s are led by head coach Chris Harmon, and will compete as follows:
12/4: Atlanta United, 11:00 AM
12/5: Nashville SC, 1:15 PM
12/7: Inter Miami CF, 10:30 AM
Henry Bernstein and the Maryland Terrapins making a run
Photo credit: Maryland Soccer
YSC graduate and former Union Academy/Union II midfielder Henry Bernstein is a freshman at University of Maryland where he has been a part of the Terrapins’ highly successful season that saw them as Big Ten Champions in an undefeated regular season. The 6’2″ native of Gladwyne, Pennsylvania has logged 338 total minutes this season in all competitions for the Terps, scoring two goals and logging one assist. He has recorded seven shots, with four on goal.
Most recently, Bernstein played 35 minutes against University of Connecticut in the the third round of the NCAA Division I playoffs. The Terps were victorious over the Huskies by a score of 3-0, Bernstein came off the bench late in the first half, was subbed off at halftime, and reentered the match later in the second half.
He did a quality job in his passing, defending, and creation, and showed the skill this writer observed during Bernstein’s time with Union II during the 2025 season before he departed for college. With Union II, he logged 376 minutes (four starts in seven games). He also converted on a penalty kick in the shootout versus Chattanooga on May 3 in his Union II debut. He was one of the players on the field for Maryland’s shootout against UNC in their previous match, though he did not end up getting to take a kick as they sealed their victory prior to his turn. One would think all the practice he had before college with the Union would have prepared him well for the task if called upon.
Bernstein was a part of the Philadelphia Union Academy since age six and came up through the various levels, and helped contribute to various team accolades, including being a part of the memorable 2024 Generation Adidas Cup Championship team.
Maryland will next face the University of Washington in College Park on Saturday, December 6 at 1:00 PM. Follow us on our socials for updates as The One Team We Agree On will be in attendance (X: @totwag, Jillian @silly__jilly, Kyle @coachalmoney; Instagram: @theoneteamweagreeon, @silly__jilly).
Main article photo credit: Philadelphia Union Academy/Union II
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