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MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs & Showcase Kicks off Saturday, June 25

June 24, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


NEW YORK - The second-ever MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and Showcase kicks off on Saturday, June 25, at the Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco, TX, and in the Dallas Metroplex with 128 teams competing to be crowned MLS NEXT Cup Champions in four age groups (U15, U16, U17, U19). Additionally, teams across all age divisions - including the U13 and U14 age groups - will participate in MLS NEXT Cup Showcase matches during the week.

The MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs is a single-elimination competition featuring the top 32 teams in each age group. Teams qualified for the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs based on their play in the regular season or by winning their respective group at the inaugural MLS NEXT Flex, which took place in May. The event caps off a successful season that included over 7,000 matches played across all age divisions.

During the playoffs, twenty-one matches will be streamed live on YouTube, with the four championship matches taking place at FC Dallas' Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX.

Teams that don't qualify for the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs, including all clubs in the U13 and U14 age groups, have the opportunity to compete in the MLS NEXT Cup Showcase, which provides an exposure platform for players to play in front of college, youth national team, and professional coaches and scouts. All clubs participating in the MLS NEXT Cup Showcase will have three matches in four days. Clubs who are eliminated in the first two rounds of the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs are eligible to participate in the MLS NEXT Cup Showcase.

The event will also have three MLS NEXT "Best Of" matches in which identified top players from MLS NEXT Showcase teams will compete at the U14, U16 and U19 age levels. These players are selected based on regular season and 2021-22 MLS NEXT event performances, including MLS NEXT Fest and MLS NEXT Flex.

In addition, MLS Greats, former MLS players, will serve as Match Evaluators for this week's event, assessing the quality of play and identifying top talent. The Match Evaluator program will run in two groups with the first group on-site from June 24-27 and participating in the event for the first time. This group is made up of former professional soccer players, coaching professionals, and MLS Greats, including Josh Gardner and Nelson Vargas.

The second group of Match Evaluators will be at MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and Showcase from June 28 - July 1 and consists of five evaluators - all MLS Greats that have gone through the program at a previous MLS NEXT event. These five Match Evaluators include former MLS All-Star Michael Farfán, MLS Cup winners Pablo Campos, Dasan Robinson, and Chris Seitz, and MLS Great and former LA Galaxy defender Kyle Veris.

MLS' first "Social Playmaker" and MLS NEXT mentor Noah Beck, who developed as a player in the Real Salt Lake academy and was a midfielder at the University of Portland before becoming a social media sensation with a combined 45 million followers, will be in attendance as a special guest at the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs, where he'll spend time with the next generation of MLS stars.

In anticipation of the tournament and showcase, all coaches took part in a week of virtual programming that prepared all individuals for their participation and provided valuable insight into what it takes to reach each of their maximum potential this week and beyond. Sessions included a coaching education webinar with MLS Vice President of Player and Youth Development Fred Lipka and Michaёl Bunel, the Le Havre Athletic Club (Ligue 2) Grassroot (U6-U12) & Preformation (U13-U15) Aca Director, and a coaching training with Philadelphia Union Director of Goalkeeping Phil Wheddon.

Additionally, players participated in a presentation from the MLS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department about situational awareness and communicating in soccer environments.

Champions of the inaugural MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs from the 2020-21 season include U15 Real Salt Lake, U16 Weston FC, U17 Orlando City SC and U19 Chicago Fire. For a recap of each of the 2021 championship matches and a listing of the end-of-tournament award winners in each age division, click here.

MLS NEXT will bring in key partner, adidas, to create an atmosphere of top-tier player development and competition. Connecting the industry-leading partnership between adidas and MLS to the next generation of talent.

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