The FC Cincinnati Academy is set to compete at the 2026 MLS NEXT Cup, presented by Allstate, in Salt Lake City, Utah in what serves as the culminating event of the season and crowns a champion in each pf the age groups within the MLS NEXT Homegrown Division. The Young Garys will be represented by their U13, U14, U15 and U18 teams.
MLS NEXT Cup matches will be played from May 23-31 at the Regional Athletics Complex with the age group finals to be held at Real Salt Lake’s America First Field. Each of the 32 teams competing in each age bracket qualified through MLS NEXT league results, the Pro Player Pathway, MLS NEXT Flex or through MLS’ .
The U15s qualified through both league play, where they were unbeaten. The Young Garys also won their group at MLS NEXT Flex in April, earning six points through three matches, including a 3-0 win against Cedar Stars Bergen and a 5-1 win against Real Salt Lake.
The U18s qualified through MLS NEXT Flex, winning the group with an unbeaten record. The U18s opened their MLS NEXT Flex run with a 5-0 win over City SC San Diego before earning a 1-0 win against Charlotte Independence and closing things out with a shootout win against Baltimore Armour.
Both the U15s and U18s will play one age group up in MLS NEXT Cup, with the U15s playing in the U16 age bracket and the U18s playing in the U19 age bracket.
The U13s and U14s each qualified for MLS NEXT Cup through the league’s Quality of Play metric, which places teams based on match performance and actions rather than results. The U13s finished with the second highest QoP score out of 15 teams in their division. The U14s topped their group with the highest QoP score of 16 teams in their division.
The U15s kick things off for the Young Garys on Saturday, May 23 against Real Futbol Academy (New Jersey). The U18s follow up on Sunday, May 24 against IMG Academy (Florida). The U13s and U14s begin their schedule on Thursday, May 28 against FC Golden State (California) and Springfield SYC (Virginia), respectively.
22 matches, including the U15s match against Real Futbol Academy, will stream live on MLS’ YouTube page. The FC Cincinnati Academy’s full MLS NEXT Cup schedule is listed below. For more information on MLS NEXT Cup, including full results and schedule, visit mlssoccer.com/mlsnext.
FC Cincinnati Academy 2026 MLS NEXT Cup Schedule
U15
Round of 32: Saturday, May 23 vs. Real Futbol Club – 2:45 p.m. ET/12:45 p.m. MT (WATCH: MLS' YOUTUBE)
Round of 16: Sunday, May 24 (TBD)
Quarterfinal: Tuesday, May 26 (TBD)
Semifinal: Thursday, May 28 (TBD)
Final: Saturday, May 30 (TBD)
U18
Round of 32: Sunday, May 24 vs. IMG Academy, Round of 32 – 7 p.m. ET/5 p.m. MT
Round of 16: Monday, May 25 (TBD)
Quarterfinal: Wednesday, May 27 (TBD)
Semifinal: Friday, May 29 (TBD)
Final: Sunday, May 31 (TBD)
U13
Round of 32: Thursday, May 28 vs. FC Golden State – 11 a.m. ET/9 a.m. MT
Round of 16: Thursday, May 28 (TBD)
Quarterfinal: Friday, May 29 (TBD)
Semifinal: Saturday, May 30 (TBD)
Final: Sunday, May 31 (TBD)
U14
Round of 32: Thursday, May 28 vs. Springfield SYC – 11 a.m. ET/9 a.m. MT
Round of 16: Thursday, May 28 (TBD)
Quarterfinal: Friday, May 29 (TBD)
Semifinal: Saturday, May 30 (TBD)
Final: Sunday, May 31 (TBD)
