One game down, and lots more to go. St Louis CITY2's victory in the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro game over Rochester New York FC set the tone for the league's opening weekend. Let’s take a look at the rest of the opening week action and remind you that you can watch all the games live on mlsnextpro.com.
Chicago Fire II at Orlando City B (3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT / 12 p.m. PT)
Emerging homegrown talent versus emerging homegrown talent. That’s what’ll be on display when Chicago Fire 2 take on Orlando City B. Chicago Fire 2’s roster is composed of several young academy players who won the U-19 MLS NEXT championship last year, notably MLS NEXT Championship Golden Ball and Golden Boot winners midfielder Sergio Oregel and forward Missael Rodríguez. Orlando City B also boasts a Golden Ball winner in forward Gonzalo Agustoni-Chagas, who won it last year for Orlando’s MLS NEXT U-17 team.
Columbus Crew 2 at Inter Miami II (6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. PT)
Columbus Crew 2 enters MLS NEXT Pro with one of the most diverse rosters in the league. The players come from seven different countries including Italy, Ghana, Canada, Senegal, Somalia, Sierra Leone and the U.S. It’s a young squad that averages an age of 20 with most of the players being drafted by Columbus within the last three years. Inter Miami 2 has eight players from its MLS NEXT team last season returning, giving it more experience as the squad averages an age of 21. Notable returning players include 2021 USL League One Young Player of the Year defender Noah Allen and finalist for the same award forward Shaan Hundal.
Whitecaps FC 2 at Houston Dynamo 2 (9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. PT)
Both Whitecaps 2 and Houston Dynamo 2 have an average age of 20 and look to develop mostly young academy players in MLS NEXT Pro. One of these young stand out players to look out for is defender and Houston’s 2021 MLS SuperDraft sixth overall pick Ethan Bartlow, who returns after missing last season because of injury. Both sides lost two preseason games but look to start their MLS NEXT Pro seasons on the right track. Read more about both sides here.
Minnesota United FC 2 at North Texas SC (9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. PT)
Youth versus experience is the major storyline coming into this match. The average age of Minnesota United FC 2’s squad is 23 while North Texas SC’s squad averages 19 years old, making one of the biggest age gaps this opening week in MLS NEXT Pro. North Texas SC has a rich history of producing young talent with the likes of Ricardo Pepi, Bryan Reynolds, Tanner Tessmann and more coming through the ranks. Minnesota is an older team but also boasts young talent such as 18-year-old goalkeeper Fred Emmings, who is the club’s first-ever homegrown player.
Philadelphia Union II at FC Cincinnati II (2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT / 11 p.m. PT)
An electric offense versus a sturdy defense sounds like the making of an instant classic. Philadelphia Union II comes into MLS NEXT Pro with four forwards, notably Stefan Stojanovic, who scored a brace against Queensboro FC’s U19 team, and Jose Riasco, who tallied five goals and three assists last season with Deportivo La Guaira F.C in his native Venezuela. On the other hand, FC Cincinnati II’s defense is no joke with new additions defender Avionne Flanagan and goalkeeper Nico Campuzano.
Real Monarchs at Tacoma Defiance (3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT / 12 p.m. PT)
Youth and exuberance will be on full display when Real Monarchs take on Tacoma Defiance as the two side’s average squad age is 17 and 19, respectively. With the Monarchs being the youngest squad in the league, expect its academy players to constantly push the ball up the field. Tacoma Defiance looks to counter the youth of the Monarchs with experience as it has eight players returning from last year’s USL Championship side.
New England Revolution II at New York City FC II (5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. PT)
While other MLS NEXT Pro teams have a mix of senior and academy players, New York City FC II’s whole squad consists of locals of the Tri-State area. The team has an average age of 20 with goalkeeper Alex Rando and forward El Mahdi Youssoufi standing out. New England Revolution II enters its third season under Head Coach Clint Peay and boasts a squad of homegrown talent and several international players.
Sporting Kansas City II at Colorado Rapids 2 (6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. PT)
Despite having an average age of 19, Colorado Rapids 2 has eight players on loan from the first team, including defenders Sebastian Anderson, Michael Edwards, midfielder Philip Mayaka and forwards Dantouma Toure and Darren Yapi. Sporting Kansas City II features seven academy players that look to make an impression against Colorado’s first team players.
San Jose Earthquakes II at Portland Timbers 2 (10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. PT)
Both sides average age is 21, but took different approaches when building the rosters. San Jose Earthquakes II consists of mostly local collegiate players from schools such as UC Davis and San Jose State University. Portland Timbers 2’s team is a mix of academy and senior players, the oldest being Dairon Asprilla at 29 years old.
