Fall Season Wrap Up
The fall season has concluded in MLS Next, and now that sone time has passed since the final match of the season which saw the Cedar Stars qualify for Generation Adidas Cup, lets take a look at some of the top players, teams, and coaches in the fall.
Top Squads Of The Fall Season
Orlando City has picked up right where they have left off. Orlando has consistently been atop of the southeast division of MLS Next play. Their U19 stood atop of the Ga Cup mouton last season, and now they are first in the league and second in the nation-wide flex division only behind Fc Cincinnati. Their U17 sits in third in the Flex division, and they are st in the hardest league in the country for the U17 age group. Looking into the other squads, they have a very strong U15 squad, and they won the MLS Next Cup last year at the younger age groups.
Cedar Stars were the headline-makers at the end of the fall, earning their place at Generation Adidas Cup through disciplined performances and tactical maturity. What separated Cedar Stars was consistency — grinding out results while maintaining a clear identity built around organized defending and purposeful attacking transitions. Their qualification felt less like a surprise and more like the culmination of steady progress throughout the fall.
The New York Red Bulls U19s are currently in forth place in the Flex division. They picked up some big victories at MLS Next Fest over the likes of Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders. The Red Bulls have top talent in the 2009 and 2008 age groups at this level, but a lot of them are already integrated in the professional side.
We would also like to mention Toronto Fc’s U19 squad for a very solid fall campaign. Placing top three in their league as well as inside the top six teams in the nationwide flex division. This is one of the best averages in the entire country.
Top Players
The fall season concludes with many players breaking out of their usually form, and pushing themselves to the top level. There have been multiple examples of new rising stars that are on the verge of breaking out with the professional teams of their respective clubs. We took a closer look at some of the very best stars during the MLS Next Fest event. Pictured you can see our top players from the competition.
To break down this graphic even further let’s take a look at some of the academy players who we believe will really break ut in the spring. Edison “Eddie” Niles is one of the top attacking players in the entire country. He took home the MLS Next MVP last season, and has already been involved in the MLS Next Pro squad. Niles is one of the best talents in the entire St. Louis City SC academy. Robert Turdean is another top player to watch out for in the Spring season. He has really stepped up this year for the Chicago Fire U19 squad. Turdean has already signed a professional contract as well with the Chicago Fire. Vala Saghafi is the next player we want to touch on. Someone who has bagged loads of goals in the fall this season after recently rejoining the Timbers Academy. John Ruf is also one of the top players on the Philadelphia Union squad. Ruf is an attacker, and he is one of the top players at the U19 level. Finally, Peyton Presson, the former Philadelphia Union striker joined Inter Miami this season, and he is a player to look out for in the future. One of the top strikers in the entire country at the U19 level.