The biggest event on the MLS Next calendar has arrived.
MLS Next Flex will run from Friday to Tuesday at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md. There will be 232 teams, including 12 from New England, qualified for the culminating event across the U-15 to U-19 age groups.
The stakes are high at MLS Next Flex. Teams qualified based on points-per-game rankings during the regular season. Each qualified team is then placed in a four-team group, and the group winners automatically qualify for the MLS Next Cup Playoffs from June 14-22 in Nashville, Tenn.
The New England Revolution, IFA New England, NEFC, FC Greater Boston Bolts, Bayside FC, Oakwood and Beachside of Connecticut all have teams competing at MLS Next Flex across the four age groups.
I am attending MLS Next Flex and will have takeaways and standouts on the website throughout the next few weeks. But in the meantime, here's a preview of the event, featuring teams, schedules and players to watch from the U-16 and U-19 age groups. We'll have a separate story previewing the U-17s.
