Ten days. That's all that stands between these kids and the biggest youth soccer stage in the country.
The 2026 MLS Next Cup kicks off May 23rd in Salt Lake City, and before a single ball is kicked, here are the players worth tracking from the jump — across every age group.
U15
Luke Loftus — FC Delco. Top player on the top-ranked team in the bracket. Enough said.
Dominick Ber. — Sacramento Republic FC. Sacramento's standout in a group that's been turning heads all season.
Luca Staulo — Woodside SC. The kind of player who thrives when the pressure's off his team and entirely on him.
Xavi Rubio — Sockers FC Chicago. One of the more technically gifted players in this bracket. Hard to take the ball off him.
Chris Fitanidis & Derek Aguilar — Cedar Stars Academy. Two from the same club on the same list. Cedar Stars is No. 2 nationally for a reason — these two are it.
Mason Jackson — Barca AZ. Technical, composed, fits the Barcelona system and then some.
Martin Komitov — FC United. Under the radar club, can't-ignore player. The kind of profile that makes scouts take notes regardless of the badge.
John Barker — NEFC. New England's best-kept secret in this bracket. Won't be a secret much longer.
Hunter White — RSL Arizona. RSL won at this tournament last year. White is what their pipeline looks like at U15.
U16
Michael Caiazz — Blau Weiss Gottschee. Non-MLS club, national watch list. That's the story right there.
Jayden Pastuna — Barca AZ. Technical, dangerous, already playing like someone with something to prove.
Lorenzo Anania — Strikers FC. Southern California's best in this bracket. Don't sleep on him because of the geography.
Joseph Guastel. — Player Development Academy. PDA has a long track record of producing serious players. Guastelella is next in line.
Gabriel Jones — FC Cincinnati. Cincinnati is ranked No. 3 in U16. Jones is a big reason why.
Sean Martin — Bethesda SC. DMV's standout. Bethesda consistently produces college-level talent and Martin is this cycle's headliner.
Kai Simmonds — Philadelphia Union. From the most consistent youth development program in MLS right now. That environment shows in how he plays.
Reggie Bailey — San Jose Earthquakes. West Coast player with an MLS pedigree and a chip on his shoulder. Dangerous combination.
Edward Silva — TFA. Tampa program, national-level talent. Does his best work when the stakes are highest.
Diego Leon — Weston FC. South Florida club that doesn't get the exposure it deserves. Leon is the player that changes that.
U17
Diego Martinez — Inter Miami. Miami won U17 last year. Martinez is the player their next group is built around.
Landon Lucero — Seattle Sounders. Playing for the only program ranked No. 1 in two age groups. The expectations are real and so is his game.
Kaiden Park — Orlando City. Orlando is producing at every level right now. Park is their U17 headliner.
Alex Soria — FC Dallas. One of the best academy pipelines in MLS. Soria has the profile of a future professional — full stop.
Kike De La Cruz — Capital City Soccer Club. No MLS platform, no problem. Pure merit pick.
Dane Noren — Southern Soccer Academy. Another non-MLS player on a national stage. This is his moment.
Enoch Koleth — Philadelphia Union. The Union keep showing up. So does Koleth.
Jake O'Brien — Force Soccer Club. Most people haven't heard of his club. They'll know his name after this tournament.
Joshua Brown — Atlanta United. Atlanta is ranked No. 3 in U17. Brown is their guy.
Lucas Laitano — Weston FC. Weston appears on both the U16 and U17 lists. That's not an accident.
U19
Daniel Gaona — Sacramento Republic FC. Republic FC's investment in youth is real. Gaona is the proof at U19.
James Donald. — Atlanta United. Atlanta's headliner in a bracket stacked with MLS academy talent.
Eric Lodge — NY Red Bulls. No. 2 ranked team, their best player. He's been ready for this.
Owen Chapman — LAFC. West Coast's best in the U19 bracket. LAFC is No. 3 nationally and Chapman is why.
Clayton Hall — IMG Academy. Standing out at IMG means standing out against elite talent every single day. He's done it.
Liam Lambert — LAFC. Chapman and Lambert together give LAFC a genuine one-two punch in this bracket.
James Bilden — NYCFC. Technically polished, ready for a national stage. Watch him.
Jakob Garcia — Orlando City. Playing for the No. 1 seed with a target on their back. His response to that pressure is the story.
Chase Duke — Real Salt Lake. Playing in his club's own stadium, at his club's own tournament. That's a once-in-a-career situation.
John Ruf — Philadelphia Union. The Union's U19 headliner from the best-run academy in MLS right now. Fits the standard they've set.
Tournament starts May 23rd. We'll be covering every age group from day one.
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