FRISCO, Texas— On a mission to secure qualification for the MLS Next Cup Playoffs in Salt Lake City next month, the Philadelphia Union Academy U-18, U-16, and U-15 squads traveled to the Toyota Soccer Complex in Frisco, Texas for the MLS Next Flex tournament. Coach Peter McDonnell’s U-16s had already qualified based on their standings in league play, but for the U-18s and U-15s, more was on the line.
U-18s
Making a return to Frisco after their Dallas Cup victory was Coach Chris Harmon’s U-18 squad, competing in the U-19 tournament. They would be without a few players, who stayed back with Union II, in Matheus De Paula, Willyam Ferreira, Nehan Hasan, and Charli Lorenz, but had plenty of talent on hand.
The first match, on April 23, ended up being a strong 3-0 performance for the victory over Michigan Futbol Academy. Sam Gallego, playing up from the U-16s, got the scoring started in the 8th minute. Erik Guzman followed with a goal in the 68th minute, and Theo Reed provided the third goal in the 74th minute.
The next day, the 18s faced off against Miami Futbol Academy Rush, where they were again victorious with a 2-1 result. John Ruf got the Union on the board early in the second half, and then a penalty kick by Lennon Harrington proved to be the deciding factor in the win.
The final match took place on April 26, and put the 18s to the test, though with the Red Bulls’ win that day, they did not technically need the victory to make the MLS Next Cup. The squad utilized some rotation as a result. After going down 1-0 to NEFC, Theo Reed found the equalizer on a header, and the match would go to penalty kicks.
The NEFC keeper did his part by forcing three misses by the Union, however, Union keeper Matthew White was excellent as well with four saves in the penalties. Nick Greer made the deciding goal from the spot to seal the victory for the Union, who won the group. It was also yet another showing of the talent of the Union goalkeepers at the Academy level, as both Alex Smith and Matthew White were tremendous, and a credit to Academy goalkeeping coaches Jamie Cleland and Chad Balback for their work with the keepers.
U-16s
While there was less at stake for the U-16s, having already qualified for the MLS Next Cup, keeping top form and getting good results were still important. Playing up in the U-17 group, the squad took on SoCal Reds on April 25, and came away with the 1-0 victory thanks to a goal by Jayden Kouadio.
On April 27, they faced Queen City Mutiny FC and had a 0-0 draw, but lost the penalty shootout 8-7. They wrapped up MLS Next Flex on April 28 against Cedar Stars Academy Bergen, whom they would need to defeat to win the group, but fell 1-0 and finished second. Still, it was a worthwhile tournament for many players to get minutes as they continue on their development pathway.
U-15s
Playing up at the U-16 level, Coach Ben Moane’s 15s started out with a tough 1-0 loss on April 23 to Lamorinda Soccer Club. They regrouped and got a 1-0 win the next day against Orlando City Soccer School via a penalty kick by Jude Larbi.
Looking to secure their MLS Next Cup berth in the final match on April 26, it was déjà vu as Larbi again converted from the spot to lead the 15s to a 1-0 victory over Michigan Wolves.
The squads will have one final league match against Toronto FC this Saturday, May 2, before heading off to the MLS Next Cup Playoffs, which take place 5/23-5/31 at the Regional Athletics Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2025, the Union’s U-15 squad took home the trophy in a thrilling match against Atlanta United.
Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union Academy.
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