The MLS Next Flex is in full swing after 3 days full of action in Boyds, Maryland. Today, day 4, will begin with several teams seeking qualification to the MLS Next Cup in June.

Lots of surprising results have occurred over the three days of the MLS Next Flex event 2024 where teams in the U15, U16, U17, and U19 age groups are seeking qualification to the playoffs.

On day 1, LAFC U16 fell 2-3 against New jersey side Cedar Stars Monmouth. The LAFC team took the lead in the 12th minute with a goal from Marius Aiyenero, minutes later Emmanuel Kambouris would tie the score at 1-1, and Marius Aiyenero would quickly score a brace to make it 2-1. Cedar Stars Monmouth would react in time and with scores from Luca Chiricolo in the 38th minute and Christian Mancheno in the 47th minute would make the final result 3-2.

Also at the beginning of matchday 1, Atlanta United fell 5-0 against Strikers FC. Atlanta United arrived in the MLS Next Flex being one of the U16 teams with the highest winning percentage but faced a very strong team in Strikers FC. It should also be noted that the Atlanta United U16 team is predominantly made up of players born in 2009 and 2010, with the majority being players 2 years younger than the rest. Strikers FC had no mercy and with a hat-trick from Justin Ojo and goals from Nathan Ramirez and Noah Bright, they sealed a heavy result for those from California.

On day 2, a high-level duel was presented. Philadelphia Union tied 1-1 against Weston FC U17 with a subsequent 3-1 penalty shootout victory for Philadelphia in what was a very close match between two of the best U17 teams in the nation. The recent champions of the Generation Adidas Cup took the lead in the 45th minute with a goal from central defender Andrew Craig. In the second half, both teams had opportunities and with a score by Omar Robbana in the 72nd minute, Weston FC achieved the tie. In the penalty shootout, it was Philadelphia Union who beat Weston FC 3-1 with an outstanding performance by goalkeeper Gavin Atkinson.

Baltimore Armour defeated LAFC U17 on penalties after tying 3-3 in regulation time in what was one of the most attractive games of matchday 2. James Lane would score a brace and Adrian Aguilar scored the remaining goal for LAFC while Baltimore Armour's Omar Medrano, Shalom Adja, and Nolan Wimbrough scored.

Yesterday, in the matchday 3, Columbus Crew U15 managed to beat CF Montreal 2-1 after a brace from Jamil Danjaji who had scored a goal on matchday 1 against Charlotte FC. With this result, The Crew leads the group with 5 points, playing their last game today against the Houston Rangers.

NEFC dominated the San Jose Earthquakes U15 in what was a lopsided 5-1 result. The Quakes are already classified while NEFC with yesterday's result managed to obtain 5 points and momentarily lead group B. The outstanding performance was from forward Jason Burney who scored 4 of NEFC's 5 goals, the remaining goal was scored by Everest Demaj while Samuel Winkel scored for the San Jose Earthquakes.

Check out all of the remaining results and who qualifies for MLS Next Playoff in our next newsletter!

Currex Insoles Improving The Game: US Women’s National Team Captain Lindsey Horan

Lindsey Horan joined the USWNT in 2013 and has had at least one goal every year since 2015, giving her the longest goal streak of any player currently on the team. She received several honors from her time with the Portland Thorns FC. The 2019 Women’s World Cup champion was named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year 2021. A two-time Olympian, Horan helped the US qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics. A member of the French club Lyon in Division 1 Féminine, she was recently named captain of the USWNT prior to her partnership with CURREX. 

Exclusive: Nate Worth Transferred to Tampa Bay Rowdies

In an exclusive reveal from Footy Access it was announced that highly rated midfielder Nate Worth would be transferring from FC Tulsa to Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USL Championship.

Now, his transfer has been made official. “We’re really happy to have Nate with us,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. “We think we can give him a good platform to develop, play meaningful minutes, and hopefully move forward in his career. We're trying to bring more young American talent into the team and trying to develop them. We've got a fantastic training facility here. “We want to maximize it by helping to develop young players and hopefully get them into the team.”

A native of New Jersey, Worth developed through the academy system of New York Red Bulls. At 15, he made his professional debut with New York Red Bulls II in the USL Championship. Internationally, Worth has made a handful of appearances for the U.S. U-15 and U-16 squads. He scored his first international goal while captaining the U-15s in a match against Portugal in May of 2022.

“I was really excited when I heard Tampa Bay was interested,” said Worth. “I've played here before on the other side of things, so I know it's a great atmosphere at the games and a great area to live. From just arriving this week, I can already tell the club has a great environment within the locker room. I'm really excited to be here and now I'm just eager to get to work. Coach Robbie told me I've got to work hard and earn my spot on the team. “I’m ready to do that.”

MLS Next Pro Weekend Recap

Matchday 9 saw the continued rise of several youth prospects, namely Stefan Chirila. Stefan Chirila managed to score the winning goal, his 2nd goal as a professional. The 2007-born prospect has been a prolific scorer at the academy level and is translating his great performances to the professional level. After 6 games played, Chirila scored 2 goals and started in the last 3 games. In the same game, Stiven Jimenez also started for FC Cincinnati 2 while Chase Adams entered in the second half.

Gallatin Sandnes made his debut in the Portland Timbers 2 game against Tacoma Defiance. The central defender started and managed to complete 60 minutes of play. In that match there was an outstanding performance by forward Noah Santos who scored his second goal of the season, having played in 8 matches so far.