SAN JOSE, Calif. — A trio of San Jose Earthquakes Academy teams will head to the Nashville, Tennessee, area to compete in the 2025 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and Showcase from June 14-22.
The 2024-25 MLS NEXT season culminates in the 2025 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs as the best youth squads in the United States and Canada vie for an illustrious MLS NEXT championship. The single-elimination knockout tournaments will be held at Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, with two championship matches contested on Saturday, June 21, and the final four championship games on Sunday, June 22.
Teams that do not qualify for MLS NEXT Cup can also participate in the MLS NEXT Cup Showcase, which will also take place at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex. The Showcase provides MLS NEXT players an opportunity to compete in front of hundreds of collegiate, international, and professional coaches and scouts. All clubs participating in the MLS NEXT Cup Showcase will play three matches over a four-day span. Clubs who are eliminated in the first two rounds of MLS NEXT Cup are also eligible to participate in the Showcase.
The Quakes Academy’s Under-18 team, coached by Alex Covelo, qualified for the U-19 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and will face Cedar Stars Academy Bergen of New Jersey in a Round of 32 matchup that will stream live on MLS’ YouTube page on Sunday, June 15 (6:15 p.m. PT). San Jose’s U-15s, coached by Ivan Mirković, take on Total Fútbol Academy of Southern California, also in the Round of 32, on Saturday, June 14 (8:30 a.m. PT). The Quakes U-16s, coached by Erin Lycan Ridley, will see action in the Showcase facing the following teams - Queen City Mutiny FC, Toronto FC, and Intercontinental Football Academy.
The 2025 MLS NEXT Cup is the conclusion of the 2024-25 MLS NEXT season, featuring 32 of the top teams in each of the four different age groups (Under-15, U-16, U-17, U-19) that qualified for the competition based on results from league play or by winning their respective group at MLS NEXT Flex, a qualifying event that took place from May 9-13.
MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs matches will be 80 minutes in the U-15 age group and 90 minutes in the other three age groups. If the match is tied at the end of regulation, all games will head to penalty kicks, except for the four championship matches, which will feature two five-minute periods of extra time. If the championship matches are still tied after the extra time periods, they will then head to penalty kicks to decide a winner.
Nineteen MLS NEXT Cup games, including all four championship matches, will stream live on MLS’ YouTube page. Across the four age groups represented in the playoffs, five Round of 32 matches, two Round of 16 matches, four quarterfinal games and four semifinal contests will also be available to watch on MLS’ YouTube page. Jalil Anibaba, Calen Carr, AJ Ricketts and Evan Weston will be the broadcasters for the tournament from June 14-22 in Nashville.
Date | Time (in PT) | Age Group | Round | Home Team | Away Team |
June 14 | 3:30 PM | U16 | Round of 32 | NEFC | Chicago Fire FC |
June 14 | 6:15 PM | U16 | Round of 32 | Austin FC | Blau Weiss Gottschee Academy |
June 15 | 12:45 PM | U17 | Round of 32 | Weston FC | FC Greater Boston Bolts |
June 15 | 3:30 PM | U19 | Round of 32 | Queen City Mutiny FC | Houston Dynamo FC |
June 15 | 6:15 PM | U19 | Round of 32 | Cedar Stars Academy Bergen | San Jose Earthquakes |
June 16 | 1:30 PM | U17 | Round of 16 | TBD | TBD |
June 16 | 4:15 PM | U19 | Round of 16 | TBD | TBD |
June 17 | 6:30 AM | U15 | Quarterfinal | TBD | TBD |
June 17 | 9:00 AM | U16 | Quarterfinal | TBD | TBD |
June 18 | 6:30 AM | U17 | Quarterfinal | TBD | TBD |
June 18 | 9:15 AM | U19 | Quarterfinal | TBD | TBD |
June 19 | 6:30 AM | U15 | Semifinal | TBD | TBD |
June 19 | 9:00 AM | U16 | Semifinal | TBD | TBD |
June 20 | 6:30 AM | U17 | Semifinal | TBD | TBD |
June 20 | 9:15 AM | U19 | Semifinal | TBD | TBD |
June 21 | 6:30 AM | U15 | Final | TBD | TBD |
June 21 | 9:30 AM | U16 | Final | TBD | TBD |
June 22 | 6:30 AM | U17 | Final | TBD | TBD |
June 22 | 9:30 AM | U19 | Final | TBD | TBD |
The full schedule for MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs will be available HERE and the final 2024-25 final league standings are available HERE.
In 2024, two MLS clubs and two MLS NEXT Elite Academies took home the title in their respective age groups – U-15 Chicago Fire FC, U-16 FC DELCO, U-17 LA Galaxy, and U-19 Strikers FC. The LA Galaxy will look to become the first club to win three-straight championships with representation in the U-15, U-16, and U-19 age group. Notable standout players at MLS NEXT Cup who have gone on to star in MLS include Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF), Alex Freeman (Orlando City SC), Zavier Gozo (Real Salt Lake), Taha Habroune (Columbus Crew), Peyton Miller (New England Revolution), Sergio Oregel Jr. (Chicago Fire FC), and Andrew Rick (Philadelphia Union).
The event will also host two MLS NEXT ‘Best Of’ matches in which top players from MLS NEXT Cup Showcase teams will compete at the U-18 age range. These players are selected based on their performance in league play, at MLS NEXT Fest, and at MLS NEXT Flex. The ‘Best Of’ matches provide a unique opportunity for players to compete against one another as top collegiate, international, and professional coaches evaluate their performances.
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 2024-25 season included 29 MLS academies, 122 Elite Academies (151 total clubs), 753 teams and over 16,000 players across the U.S. and Canada. Official partners of MLS NEXT include adidas, Allstate, and Más+ by Messi. For more information about MLS NEXT, visit www.mlssoccer.com/mlsnext.
