The holidays are here, and with the cold weather and family gatherings, comes a break in MLS NEXT action. After a fall season that saw the MNUFC Academy teams challenge themselves against older opposition, MLS NEXT Fest was no different, with the U15s, U16s, and U18s playing in the U16, U17, and U19 divisions, respectively.

The challenges of playing up over the last few months are key pieces of each player’s individual and collective development, but don’t just take that from me. I sat down with all three of the club’s Academy coaches to discuss their experience at NEXT Fest in Mesa, Arizona earlier this month and to put this half of the season in context. 

U15

• 2-4 loss to Charlotte FC

• 4-1 loss to Real Salt Lake

• 3-5 loss to Orlando City SC

For the U15 squad, this tournament was the first of its kind. Prior to competing in Arizona, the group had never traveled far enough or long enough to make for a true team bonding experience; that changed on this trip. Not only did the boys grow closer as a team, they also challenged themselves against an older age group, exposing themselves to a higher standard and acquitting themselves well in the process. 

Where these young players have grown used to small crowds of parents and friends on the sidelines, this tournament gave the U15s their first chance to experience a more raucous environment. With so much activity in one spot, the sidelines were packed for every game, adding scouts, rival teams, and more to make for a louder crowd, increased level of pressure, and a greater intensity than any regular-season game could produce. Head Coach Amin Qasim noted the change he saw in his group across the tournament.

“You could see — especially in the first game — that it was all a bit disorienting,” Qasim said. “But the really good thing about the whole experience was seeing the group actually get used to the whole trip and everything as time went on. You could see it game by game, in the way they played, in the way they carried themselves. But then also when we came back to the hotel, it was night and day between the first day and the last day.”

In the grand scheme of player development, no one remembers individual results or who lifted what trophy at a certain tournament. That isn’t to say that winning each game and lifting the trophies available isn’t a valuable part of learning and a goal that every team aspires to, but rather that success is defined more accurately in this space by the level of preparedness each player walks away with. For the U15s, this tournament provided a chance to take huge leaps forward in that area of development. 

“Most importantly for this event, it was about giving that responsibility to some of the older guys that have been there to show the rest of the group the ropes and lead in a positive way,” Qasim said. “Obviously, for all of them there, we were hoping for this whole trip to be where they get used to being comfortable playing in front of a crowd, in front of so many other people that they don't know, that they've never seen, but still carry that. What we really want for all of them to kind of get used to is that it doesn't matter how old you are. If you show you know the work ethic, you do the things that we're asking you to do, and you represent the club well, you will get your opportunity. And then from there, you go on.”

U16

• 2-3 loss to Austin

• 2-4 loss to Barca Residency

• 1-2 win against Portland

The U16s came away from Arizona with the club’s lone win, and remained competitive in their other two matches. However, just like with the U15s, the measure of success was slightly different for this more experienced group of players. Head Coach Jamie Carroll-Rolfe provided some perspective on what this opening half of the 2025-26 MLS NEXT season has taught his side. 

“When we zoom out and take a 10,000-foot view of it, we're looking at where the guys were at the start of the season, and where they are now,” Carroll-Rolfe said. “Our job is to push guys through to the next level, to prepare them for what comes next. When we look where we we played soccer at the start of the fall, a 4-0 loss, it was a big slap in the face of the guys, like, look, this is hard playing a year up, and then you take it to the Barca Residency game, where you go up two goals in 10 minutes. We were competitive for large portions of that game, but you get reminded again that if you don't close the game out at this level, the result is going to be tough to swallow. That being said, it's a real positive to take away that the whole group really pushed forward. Eventually, the idea is that these kinds of experiences help them push through to earn second-team and, hopefully, first-team debuts and contracts.”

With a group that’s on the cusp of a major step forward, the U16 team is focused on bridging that gap between the jump to elite youth competition and the introduction to collegiate and professional soccer. Having seen what the next level looks like in their first season with the club, players at this age are looking to establish a consistent mental fortitude that can carry them into the challenges ahead. 

“When you're that age, you get so caught up in the record,” Carroll-Rolfe said. “It matters, but it doesn't. This environment adds a little bit of the pressure they're gonna hopefully feel if they step into a professional game. That kind of exposure is good, especially when it's challenging. We'd rather it be that way than easy wins, because it's not about results at the end of the day. We care about the result, but not too much. What matters is whether they’re getting better. Are they pushing for and challenging the next group? Do they keep getting challenged, keep developing? I think it’s clear that they are.”

U18

• 2-1 loss to Vancouver

• 5-3 loss to Portland

• 2-1 loss to San Jose

The same principles used by Qasim and Carroll-Rolfe applied to the oldest group of players as well, but Head Coach Alex Morawiecki’s U18 squad came into the tournament with different stakes in mind. He emphasized many of the same themes as his fellow coaches, adding in the unique challenges that his squad faced. 

“I think the thing about the U18 level that's maybe a little bit different than the others is that scouting has really taken off,” he noted. “So a lot of these guys are playing under that added pressure. College coaches are there. MLS scouts are there. Agents are there. On top of that, we don't often play at night or in front of larger crowds [during the regular season]. That all adds to the excitement, and I think just the overall joy of the competition for the group. But these are all the kinds of sidebar things on their minds that they’re learning to play through.”

After competing well in all three of their matches, the group was disappointed to walk away without any positive results to hang their hats on. But beyond the scorelines, the clearest takeaway from this year’s NEXT Fest was clear: the Academy is creating a culture that embraces challenges and revolves around supporting the collective. Nothing demonstrates that commitment more than the teams coming out to one another’s games to add to the atmosphere, celebrating successes and pushing their counterparts to hit new heights.

“We’re always building the culture around this being their club for life,” Morawiecki said. “They learn what it means to support each other through the process, and that’s part of being in the Minnesota United family; we're all there for each other. The way you look at the U15s coming in, a little wide eyed because it’s all completely new. Then they see the U16s coming out to support the U18s against San Jose. You’ve got these guys coming to support at the games, starting chants like they were sitting in the Wonderwall. We had guys coming up to us after — college coaches, other academies, scouts — saying how impressive it was that our club stands out in the way we support each other.”

Creating a Club Culture

By utilizing a young group of players and playing up an age group, the Academy teams have created an environment that is constantly challenging and pushing players to rise to the occasion. That kind of demand creates the conditions for meaningful growth.

“The younger guys are all having to jump up to the speed of things,” Carroll-Rolfe said. “When you look at the U16s, we have a couple of 2011s in there. Then we play against teams like Barca Residency that are a year older than us. Amin’s team has guys that are 12 years old starting games. I think it bodes well for the future that we're giving those guys these types of experiences, because they're really unique.”

Morawiecki added to his fellow coach’s comments, emphasizing the individual development component of the Academy. 

“We're constantly speaking about how individuals can grow and get to the next level because individuals are the ones who signed the contract at the end of it,” he said. “So how can we have more Kage [Romanshyn] moments, Devin [Padelford] moments, Darius [Randell] moments? We're trying to produce those kinds of moments by building a strong group mentality that separates us in our unique part of the country where we’re somewhat isolated. And that mentality in our academy has to be us versus everyone else.”

With plenty of games left in 2026 and several more large tournaments to look forward to (GA Cup, Flex, etc.), the Academy is ready to take their break, come back refreshed, and get back to work. The challenges will continue to come, and the support will remain right there with them.