Sporting Kansas City's U-18s, U-16s and U-15s will wrap up a busy beginning to the 2024-25 MLS NEXT season with three matches each at MLS NEXT Fest in Indio, California from December 6-11 at the Empire Polo Ground. The elder age groups of the Sporting KC Academy are amongst the more than 400 best youth soccer teams competing at the premier winter showcase event in North American youth soccer. The competition's fourth-annual edition features nearly 630 matches and over 7,000 players.
MLS NEXT Fest provides an opportunity for top talent within the program to be evaluated by college, national team and professional scouts. Sporting's U-18s kick off the tournament with matches on the first two day of the showcase, opening against Inter Miami before taking on Vancouver Whitecaps FC. They wrap up the event on Monday, Dec. 9 against the San Jose Earthquakes.
The U-16s and U-15s open up play on Sunday, Dec. 8 with the 16s facing Nashville SC and the 15s taking on Strikers FC. The U-16s will then play DC United on Tuesday, Dec. 10 and CF Montreal a day later. The U-15s take on the Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake in their final two matches of Fest.
Opponent | Date | Time (PT) |
|---|---|---|
Inter Miami | Friday, Dec. 6 | 10:15 a.m. |
Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Saturday, Dec. 7 | 10:15 a.m. |
San Jose Earthquakes | Monday, Dec. 9 | 12:30 p.m. |
Opponent | Date | Time (PT) |
|---|---|---|
Nashville SC | Sunday, Dec. 8 | 2:30 p.m. |
DC United | Tuesday, Dec. 10 | 10:15 a.m. |
CF Montreal | Wednesday, Dec. 11 | 10:15 a.m. |
Opponent | Date | Time (PT) |
|---|---|---|
Strikers FC | Sunday, Dec. 8 | 11:00 a.m. |
Portland Timbers | Tuesday, Dec. 10 | 1:30 p.m. |
Real Salt Lake | Wednesday, Dec. 11 | 1:30 p.m. |
For the full schedule of MLS NEXT Fest matches, please click HERE.
“We look forward to highlighting the best young talent in our program with more than 400 teams and hundreds of scouts attending this week’s event in California,” said MLS NEXT General Manager Kyle Albrecht.
The MLS NEXT Fest Showcase will have teams in four different age groups (U15, U16, U17, and U19) playing three games in four days. Matches are scheduled based on division, past event competition, and standings from the MLS NEXT regular season to allow clubs to play a variety of different teams from across the country. Players participating in MLS NEXT Fest are also eligible to be selected for MLS NEXT Fest Best Of matches, which consists of three games across the U15, U16, and U17 age groups from Dec. 8-9 in which top players compete against one another in front of evaluators.
Additionally, MLS NEXT will also feature two ‘Uncommitted Matches’ on December 8, which will provide a unique opportunity for college coaches to evaluate some of the top players in the U19 age group who have not yet made their collegiate decisions. The Uncommitted Matches will be held in an East vs. East and West vs. West format with 22 players per team.
On-site at MLS NEXT Fest will be five members of the second cohort of MLS Innovation Lab companies to test their pioneering concepts during the event. The new cohort is poised to enhance MLS’ key priority areas of fan engagement, on-field player performance, and media technology. The four companies testing their solutions all week will be – OLIVER Sports, Soccerment, Lubu Technologies, EDGE Sound Research, and Wicket – with more information about each available **HERE**.
TOCA Football (TOCA), the official soccer training partner of MLS, will also be activating at MLS NEXT Fest. TOCA provides players of all ages and skill levels the necessary soccer skills to develop their first touch, passing and shooting accuracy, movements, speed of play, and more through repetition and interactive training challenges. At MLS NEXT Fest, TOCA will offer players and fans an opportunity to test their training products and climb a dynamic leaderboard with prizes given to the top performer each day.
About MLS NEXT
Launched in 2020, MLS NEXT is the most elite platform for youth player development in North America. With a commitment to innovation and providing access and representation, MLS NEXT players receive the best training and coaching as they prepare for their futures, both in soccer and in life. Throughout a season, MLS NEXT hosts four marquee events across the country, including the Generation adidas Cup, which features MLS academies playing against the top international clubs. Membership for the 2024-25 season included 29 MLS academies, 122 Elite Academies (151 total clubs), 753 teams and over 16,000 players across the U.S. and Canada. Official partners of MLS NEXT include adidas, Allstate, and DoorDash. For more information about MLS NEXT, visit www.mlssoccer.com/mlsnext.
