Philadelphia Union Academy in conjunction with MLS NEXT, has announced its group opponents for the 2025 MLS NEXT Flex event that will take place May 9-13 at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Maryland.
The Union Academy will have two teams battling to secure their spots into the 2025 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs with the winner of each group securing their ticket to ultimate event held at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Nashville, Tennessee, June 14-22.
With the U-18s team in a firm spot for the postseason already, it will be the U-16s and U-15s looking to join them in the Music City with three games in four days to secure their postseason berths. The U-16s under the direction of Pedro Cavalcanti will being the event with a Saturday afternoon battle against the San Jose Earthquakes. The following day the squad will take on Total Futbol Academy before wrapping up the event with a Tuesday, May 13th, morning contest versus Sporting Kansas City.
The U-15s look to secure their first-ever trip to the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs on Saturday morning with a 10AM contest against Cedar Stars Bergen. On Sunday the face off against Los Angeles SC before wrapping up the event with an all MLS academy clash on Tuesday afternoon versus FC Cincinnati.
The culminating event of the season, the 2024-25 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and Showcase will feature thirty-two of the top teams from the regular season competing to win a championship in four different age groups (U15, U16, U17, U19). The event will be held from June 14-22 at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Nashville, Tenn. Teams who do not qualify for the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs along with those in the U13 and U14 age groups can participate in the MLS NEXT Cup Showcase, which will be held at the same venue.
Sixteen of the 32 teams will qualify for MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs based on their standings in the league table. League matches will be played on a regional basis from September 2024 to June 2025, featuring eight divisions – Florida, Frontier, Mid-America, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest. The other 16 teams will qualify for MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs based on their performance at MLS NEXT Flex.
