44 of the best young players across the U.S. and Canada will compete at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, July 23 at 11:30 a.m. ET and stream live on YouTube
Back in December, 2022, MF Luca Moisa became the youngest player (14y 7m 26d) to ever sign directly with Real Monarchs (MLS NEXT Pro). The 16-year-old playmaker has appeared in nine Monarchs matches so far this season, starting five and tallying one assist in his 432 minutes.
Born on April 20, 2008, the Las Vegas native made his professional debut on Sept 13, 2023 against Tacoma Defiance in an 0-3 loss, one of two MLS NEXT Pro contests during the 2023 season.
Moisa has been an integral part of the U.S. Youth National Team setup, winning the U15 CONCACAF Youth Championship with fellow Monarchs teammates & RSL Academy standouts Juan Gio Villa and Omar Marquez.
NEW YORK (Tuesday, July 2, 2024) – MLS NEXT today announced the player selections, details, and broadcast information 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 YouTube. 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, over 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.
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 | West | |||||
Player | Team | Birth Year | Player | Team | Birth Year | |
Adyn Torres | Atlanta United | 2007 | Anthony Boyadjian | Albion SC LA | 2007 | |
Sergey Balatsko | BW Gottschee | 2007 | Gavin Wolff | Austin FC | 2008 | |
Stefan Chirila | FC Cincinnati | 2007 | Joshua Sosa | Barca Residency Academy | 2007 | |
Jayson Quintanilla | Charlotte FC | 2007 | Miguel Alvarado | Colorado Rapids | 2008 | |
Simon Tonidandel | Charlotte FC | 2007 | Zackory Campagnolo | Colorado Rapids | 2007 | |
Vitaliy Hlyut | Chicago Fire FC | 2008 | Leo Orejarena | FC Dallas | 2007 | |
Chase Adams | Columbus Crew | 2008 | Isaac Mwakutuya | Houston Dynamo FC | 2007 | |
Tristan Brown | Columbus Crew | 2007 | Ian James | Sporting Kansas City | 2008 | |
Gavin Turner | D.C. United | 2007 | DeCarlo Guerra | LAFC | 2008 | |
Liam Briscoe | FC DELCO | 2008 | Pedro Guimaraes | LAFC | 2008 | |
Michael Capretto | FC DELCO | 2008 | Jose 'Pepe' Magana Jr. | LA Galaxy | 2007 | |
Cai McLean | Inter Miami CF | 2008 | Owen Pratt | LA Galaxy | 2008 | |
Felix Samson | CF Montréal | 2007 | Mateo Tsakiris | LA Galaxy | 2007 | |
Chris Applewhite | Nashville SC | 2007 | Darius Randell | Minnesota United FC | 2007 | |
DaMario McIntosh | New England Revolution | 2007 | Max Eisenberg | Portland Timbers | 2007 | |
Drew Baiera | New York City FC | 2007 | Luca Moisa | Real Salt Lake | 2008 | |
Colin Guske | Orlando City SC | 2007 | Tomo Allen | San Jose Earthquakes | 2007 | |
Juan Rojas | Orlando City SC | 2008 | Rohan Rajagopal | San Jose Earthquakes | 2007 | |
Diego Rocio | Philadelphia Union | 2007 | Etienne Veillard | Seattle Sounders FC | 2007 | |
Cavan Sullivan | Philadelphia Union | 2009 | Tyson Pearce | St. Louis CITY SC | 2007 | |
Lucas Ferreira | Players Development Academy | 2007 | Skylar Kaplan | Strikers FC | 2007 | |
Pablo Patrick-Galvez | Toronto 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 Academieswill 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, and more information on parking directions can be found HERE.
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 2023-24 season included 29 MLS academies, 114 Elite Academies (143 total clubs), 677 teams and over 15,000 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.
About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) protects people from life’s uncertainties with a wide array of protection for autos, homes, electronic devices and identity theft. Products are available through a broad distribution network including Allstate agents, independent agents, major retailers, online and at the workplace. Allstate is widely known for the slogan “You’re in Good Hands with Allstate.” For more information, visit www.allstate.com.
