This year’s Generation adidas Cup is nearly here.
Hosted once again at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, teams from around the world will descend on the Sunshine State to contest the 2025 edition of the tournament from April 12-20.
Here’s what to watch for as teams chase titles across the U16, U18 and Girls Divisions.
From overseas, teams from 14 countries and four continents will feature at the weeklong tournament. As always, MLS teams will be challenged against those clubs and hit another development milestone.
Among the sides returning is Toulouse. The Ligue 1 outfit finished as U15 runners-up at the 2024 tournament. With the 2009 age group competing again this year, plenty of returnees are possible for their U16s.
Also competing in the younger age group are German superpower FC Bayern and renowned sides KRC Genk (Belgium) and PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands). Ulsan HD FC will travel from South Korea, while FC Tokyo make the journey from Japan.
Big names dot the U18s, including a trio of Mexican sides: CF Monterrey, Club Necaxa and Santos Laguna. South American teams Club BolÃvar (Bolivia) and Palmeiras (Brazil) are inbound as well. Just two European sides are lined up in the older age group, with Leicester City (England) and Inter Milan (Italy) competing.
Four Elite Academy sides from MLS NEXT will join MLS Academy sides in the two age groups. Jacksonville Armada FC and Sockers FC will compete in the U18 age group, while Barça Residency Academy and Tampa Bay United will play in the U16s.
By age group, here are four domestic teams to watch.
Under-16
Chicago Fire won a U15 MLS NEXT Cup title last year and have several high-potential prospects they’ll call on. The group includes homegrown midfielder Robert Turdean, MLS NEXT Cup MVP Darris Hyte and US youth international standout Finn McCraney. Their group is tricky to navigate, but there’s the potential for fireworks in the final third.
LAFC have a 23W-5L-6D record in MLS NEXT action this season. Several players born in 2010 could feature, including US Youth National Team pool players Slate Collins and Lisandro Torres. LAFC are fresh off a 2-1 win against local rivals LA Galaxy, giving them a confidence boost heading into the tournament.
Atlanta have set out to win the Generation adidas Cup and their U16s will feature several of their 2009s to try and take home the title. Ignacio Suarez-Couri is one of several talented players who has received significant U18 minutes and will help fire the team’s attack. In net, James Donaldson is one of the best American goalkeepers at the Youth National Team ranks and was tremendous in the 2024 edition of the tournament.
One of the top performing MLS sides in the U15 age group last year, Toronto can lean on that experience. While youth academies feature a significant amount of changeover, players like Kervon Kerr, Matthias Olivares, Tristan Blyth and Ty Williams are a few of the holdovers. The club also has a fun connection as Joses Chukwu will compete with the U16s, while his brother Richard will star for the U18s.
Under-18
Cincy’s academy continues to mature, and their U18s have several talented players who could lead a deep run at Generation adidas Cup. Ademar Chavez is a promising dual-national who’s trained with the first team, and Will Kuisel is a 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star who’s among the most consistent outside backs in his age group. Also watch for defender Andrei Chirila, whose older brother Stefan is a homegrown forward with the first team.
Can last year’s winners run it back? Eight of last year’s starting XI from the 2024 final against LA Galaxy remain in the academy, though there has been shuffling of the deck. With standouts Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre making the jump to the first team, the next wave of stars will be relied upon like dynamic winger Jamir Johnson and key midfielder Kellan Leblanc. The next Union youngster to break out at Generation adidas Cup could be Malik Jakupovic, who is the only 2009-born player on the U18 roster and has enjoyed a terrific year in league play.
It was a huge 2024 for the ‘07 age group at the LA Galaxy. After reaching the Generation adidas Cup final and coming up short, they managed to secure an MLS NEXT Cup title. Expect familiar names to lead the charge to avenge their defeat, like Owen Pratt, Dylan Vanney, and Mateo Tsakiris. The difference-maker in 2025 for the Galaxy could be 14-year-old Vicente (Vinny) GarcÃa, who inked a homegrown deal in January.
Orlando have impressed this season, posting a 21W-3L-3D record and appearing to be the most dominant U18 side in MLS NEXT. The group has been led by creative talents who have continued up the pathway like Colin Guske, Justin Ellis and Gustavo Caraballo. However, the Lions’ defense has also been very strong and is led by Shawn Platts and Canadian youth international Clovis Archange. Orlando’s U18 group is certainly one to watch as it features some of the best clubs in the age group – Columbus Crew, LAFC and UEFA Youth League quarterfinalists Inter Milan.
In the wake of this season’s strategic alliance with the Girls Academy, this year’s tournament features a Girls Division for the first time.
Four teams will compete this year. Two are All-Star teams composed of top players from Girls Academy clubs. They’ll take on each other, as well as academy teams from Manchester City and Bayern Munich. After the round-robin competition, the top two teams will play in a championship match on Sunday, April 20.
The Girls Academy All-Star rosters, announced on Wednesday, include players with US youth national team experience like Delaney Fraser (Lamorinda United), Bristol Kersh (Tophat SC), Cali Hejduk (Columbus United), Maddie Freeman (FRAM SC), Kendall Conway (Lamorinda) and Isabella Ortiz (Florida United).
