MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs are quickly approaching and the Philadelphia Union U15 and U17 teams are busy with preparations for the upcoming tournament in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. The U15 team is scheduled to kick off play on June 17th at 12:00 p.m. against Baltimore Armour.
2023 has proved to be a very fruitful year for the U15s thus far – the team closed regular season play with a 17-3-3 record, claiming victories against competitive European foes in Red Bull Salzburg, Bayern Munich, F.C. Südtirol, Arsenal and Real Madrid.
In April, the squad made an impressive run toward the Generation adidas Cup, falling just one penalty kick short of hoisting the trophy after a 1-1 draw against Austin FC in the finals. Now, the team is focused on the challenge ahead, with their eyes locked on the MLS Next Cup.
“Coming off of the GA Cup where they were pretty successful, and they finished the season really strong in terms of the league results, I think they're very excited for the next challenge and the next competition,” said Philadelphia Union U15 Head Coach, Henry Apaloo. “I think they’ll be ready once it comes.”
There’s no shortage of young and promising talent on the roster; in March, three players were called up to represent the U15 U.S. Men’s National Team. Along with the abundance of skill, Apaloo attributes a great deal of the team’s recent success to its unwavering competitive mindset.
“I think the strong suit for the group is individually, they all work really, really hard,” said Apaloo. “Collectively, they build off a really strong mindset to want to compete and play the best they can. That's what really gives them an advantage.”
The U15 squad finished second in the MLS Next U15 East (North) Division standings, sitting just below New York Red Bulls with 23 points. Similarly, their upcoming opponent, Baltimore Armour, finished second in the MLS Next Mid-Atlantic Division below FC DELCO. Baltimore is a familiar opponent for the Union U15s – the pair met in October, resulting in a favorable 6-0 win for the Baby Snakes.
The team will look to earn another dominant win over Baltimore to advance past the Round of 32.
“I think the big challenge is that we've fallen a bit short, maybe on a couple of goals,” said Apaloo. “We finished second in the league, we lost in the final of the GA cup on penalties. At this stage here, the biggest thing for us is that these guys are all developing individually. But as a group, they've set their own targets in terms of wanting to win and wanting to try and win a trophy. And so this will be the last chance to do that as a group.”
