Philadelphia Union Academy's U-15 squad seeks its first trophy on Saturday morning as they take on Atlanta United FC in the 2025 MLS NEXT Cup Final. Don't miss the action starting at 9:30AM ET by clicking here.
Head Coach Ben Moane's side are into the final after big performances in the Semifinal that saw the Baby Snakes take down St. Louis CITY SC in a penalty kick shootout.
After the two sides scored on each of their attempts in the first four rounds, Union goalkeeper Kenan Livadic made a diving stop to his left to deny a left-footed shot from the Missouri side. The save set up Chris Thompson for the heroics with a smooth shot on the turf that went into the bottom corner and sent the entire Union fanbase and teams into a frenzy.
The two teams went to the shootout after playing to a 1-1 draw in regulation with the Union scoring off a free kick from Samuel Gallego.
The U-15s journey to the final came after a historic run to their first Semifinal courtesy of strong performances across the board. The Boys in Blue kicked off the tournament with a resounding 5-1 win over Strikers FC in the Round of 32. Less than 24 hours later, the U-15s dug deep for a 1-0 victory over a feisty Weston FC side.
After a rest day, Liam Holtzman earned MLS NEXT Cup Player of the Day honors for his Quarterfinal performance, scoring both goals in the club's 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids.
The Union will face off against an Atlanta United side that has been offensively dominant this postseason run with 14 goals scored in their four games. The Five Stripes kicked off the tournament with a 4-2 over Sporting Kansas City and followed it up with an impressive 5-1 rout of the Barca Residency Academy to advance to the Quarterfinals. Atlanta has been tested the last two games, grabbing a 3-2 win over FC Dallas before battling back for a 2-1 win over Nashville SC to advance to Saturday morning's final.
Fans can watch the U-15s MLS NEXT Cup Final from the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro, Tenn for free starting at 9:30AM ET on YouTube.
