The Toronto FC Academy is set to compete in the Major League Soccer (MLS) NEXT Fest Showcase from Friday, December 6 to Wednesday, December 11, at the Empire Polo Ground in Indio, California. Three teams from the Academy are slated to compete, including the U-18 (playing in the U-19 age group), U-16 and U-15 teams. Each age group will play in three matches over the six days.
Prior to the top-winter showcase, MLS NEXT Fest and TFC Academy opened the 2024-25 MLS NEXT season in September. The U-18, U-16, and U-15 teams compete in both the League/Pro Player Pathway and MLS NEXT Flex competition divisions. These divisions run concurrently throughout the 2024-25 campaign.
The MLS NEXT Flex division games contribute to each team’s qualification for the MLS NEXT Flex Tournament, which will be held in Boyds, Maryland, in May 2025. In Boyds, the participating teams will compete to punch their ticket in to the 2025 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs.
The League/Pro Player Pathway division matches are also crucial, as sixteen out of 32 teams from each age group will qualify for playoffs based on their standings from the league table. For the U-18 and U-16 teams, points earned from MLS NEXT Fest will go towards each team’s League/Pro Player Pathway record.
The schedule for the showcase was released on Friday, November 15 and features TFC alongside 400 other teams playing in front of professional, national team scouts and college recruiters. More information on the MLS NEXT Fest Showcase and the full schedule can be found here.
TFC Academy’s U-18 team are scheduled to face three MLS-affiliated opponents including, LA Galaxy on Friday, December 6, at 1:15 p.m. ET, and Minnesota United FC on Saturday, December 7, with a start time of 1:15 p.m. ET. They will round out the showcase against FC Cincinnati on Monday, December 9, at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The U-16 team opens play on Sunday, December 8, against Columbus Crew at 1:15 p.m. ET before turning their attention to LA Galaxy on Tuesday, December 10, with a 5:30 p.m. ET kickoff time. They will face Los Angeles Football Club on Wednesday, December 11, at 1:15 p.m. ET to close out the showcase.
TFC’s U-15 team will kick off the showcase against St. Louis CITY SC on Sunday, December 8, with a 4:30 p.m. ET start time, before facing LA Galaxy on Tuesday, December 10 and the Portland Timbers on Wednesday, December 11, with both matches scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. ET.
