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MLS Charlotte FC

Charlotte FC Academy's Jayson Quintanilla and Simon Tonidandel to Represent the Club in Columbus for Third Annual MLS NEXT All-Star Game Presented by Allstate

July 2, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Charlotte FC News Release


NEW YORK - MLS NEXT and the Charlotte FC Academy today announced Jayson Quintanilla and Simon Tonidandel will represent the Club for the third annual MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate. The game will showcase North America's top young players in an East vs. West matchup at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, July 23 at 11:30 a.m. ET and stream live on MLSSoccer.com. Admission to the game is free, as fans in Columbus can watch the future stars of MLS take center stage during MLS All-Star week

Among the 44 players who will compete in the match, more than half have played in MLS NEXT this season and progressed to sign Homegrown deals or appear in MLS NEXT Pro. Notable Homegrown players selected as 2024 MLS NEXT All-Stars include FC Cincinnati's Stefan Chirila, the Philadelphia Union's Cavan Sullivan, and St. Louis CITY SC's Tyson Pearce. Of the previous MLS NEXT All-Stars, more than 70% have gone on to be called up by their respective Youth National Teams and three have already made Senior National Team appearances - Inter Miami's Benjamin Cremaschi (United States), the New England Revolution's Esmir Bajraktarevic (United States), and Olger Escobar (Guatemala).

"Throughout the season, these 44 players from both MLS and MLS NEXT Elite Academies have consistently stood out as the best young prospects in our program," said MLS NEXT Technical Director Luis Robles. "The players and clubs should be proud of their accomplishments this year and we look forward to a highly competitive match in Columbus on July 23."

MLS NEXT and Allstate will provide the players with unique opportunities during MLS All-Star Week, which will include a full slate of programming events and activities in advance of the match. The players will be fully immersed in MLS All-Star Week festivities, which include team training, the All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T on July 23, and the MLS All-Star Game on July 24. Each MLS NEXT All-Star team will also conduct their own training sessions leading up to their match on Tuesday morning.

"We're proud to support North American soccer's top young talent," said Dan Keats, director of sponsorships and engagement marketing at Allstate. "This event provides a platform for these rising stars to showcase their skills and compete at the highest level."

The 44 players were selected following the conclusion of the 2024 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and Showcase. To be eligible for selection, players must have been born between 2007-2009, have competed in the MLS NEXT regular season, and played in at least one of the MLS NEXT premier events this season - MLS NEXT Fest, MLS NEXT Flex, Generation adidas Cup, or the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and Showcase.

East

Player Team Birth Year

Adyn Torres Atlanta United 2007

Sergey Balatsko BW Gottschee 2007

Stefan Chirila FC Cincinnati 2007

Jayson Quintanilla Charlotte FC 2007

Simon Tonidandel Charlotte FC 2007

Vitaliy Hlyut Chicago Fire FC 2008

Chase Adams Columbus Crew 2008

Tristan Brown Columbus Crew 2007

Liam Briscoe FC DELCO 2008

Michael Capretto FC DELCO 2008

Cai McLean Inter Miami CF 2008

Felix Samson CF Montréal 2007

Chris Applewhite Nashville SC 2007

DaMario McIntosh New England Revolution 2007

Drew Baiera New York City FC 2007

Colin Guske Orlando City SC 2007

Juan Rojas Orlando City SC 2008

Diego Rocio Philadelphia Union 2007

Cavan Sullivan Philadelphia Union 2009

Lucas Ferreira Players Development Academy 2007

Pablo Patrick-GalvezPablo Patrick-Galvez Toronto FC 2007

West

Player Team Birth Year

Anthony Boyadjian Albion SC LA 2007

Gavin Wolff Austin FC 2008

Joshua Sosa Barca Residency Academy 2007

Miguel Alvarado Colorado Rapids 2008

Zackory Campagnolo Colorado Rapids 2007

Leo Orejarena FC Dallas 2007

Isaac Mwakutuya Houston Dynamo FC 2007

Ian James Sporting Kansas City 2008

DeCarlo Guerra LAFC 2008

Pedro Guimaraes LAFC 2008

Jose 'Pepe' Magana Jr. LA Galaxy 2007

Owen Pratt LA Galaxy 2008

Mateo Tsakiris LA Galaxy 2007

Darius Randell Minnesota United FC 2007

Max Eisenberg Portland Timbers 2007

Luca Moisa Real Salt Lake 2008

Tomo Allen San Jose Earthquakes 2007

Rohan Rajagopal San Jose Earthquakes 2007

Etienne Veillard Seattle Sounders FC 2007

Tyson Pearce St. Louis CITY SC 2007

Skylar Kaplan Strikers FC 2007

Liam Mackenzie Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2007

The two teams will compete in an East vs. West format at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus Ohio on the day before the MLS All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 23. Nine clubs had multiple selections, including the LA Galaxy, which had a game-high three selections, who were all members of their U17 side that won MLS NEXT Cup in 2024. For the first time in the game's history, six different MLS NEXT Elite Academies will also be represented in Columbus: Albion SC Los Angeles, Barca Residency Academy, BW Gottschee, FC DELCO, Players Development Academy, and Strikers FC. FC DELCO has two representatives - Liam Briscoe and Michael Capretto - the first time an Elite Academy has had multiple selections in the same year.

MLS NEXT also advised on the selection of the coaching staff for both East and West teams. The head coach of the East team will be Columbus Crew director of player development Dan Lock. Lock joined Columbus in June 2022 and has served an integral role in the Crew's player development pathway that has resulted in a 2023 MLS Cup, 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Cup, and an appearance in the final of 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Cup. Prior to Columbus, Lock served as the academy manager and U17 head coach for Charlotte FC from 2020-22 as well as in a variety of coaching roles with Seattle Sounders FC from 2016-20.

The West head coach will be LA Galaxy U17 head coach Shaun Tsakiris, who recently became the first coach to win the U17 age group of MLS NEXT Cup twice (2023 and 2024). Through Tsakiris' leadership, he has helped develop young Galaxy talents like Harbor Miller, Ruben Ramos Jr., and the joint MLS NEXT-record three players in this year's game. Tsakiris was previously the U.S. U16 Youth National Team head coach from 2016-18 and is currently an assistant for the U.S. U20 Youth National Team.

Admission to the MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate at Historic Crew Stadium is free of cost. Fans are highly encouraged to park in the VIP lot (near Gate 4 and 5) and G Lot.

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