Difference-making Texas midfielders at the MLS Next Fest

<p>After months of playing inside their own conferences, the best MLS Next academies in the country will have the opportunity to test themselves against opponents from other regions over the next few days, at the MLS Next Fest event, in Indio, California.</p>   <p>From December 6-11, teams from all over the country will be in action at the Empire Polo Ground and the state ofTexas will have 31 teams getting on the field in event, with AC River, Austin FC, Capital City SC, Dallas Hornets, FC Dallas, GFI, Houston Dynamo, Houston Rangers, GFI and Idea Toros all represented.</p>   <p>There will be plenty of talent from the Lone Star State competing in California and we're taking the week to feature some of the most interesting names. These midfielders can make a difference for their teams:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Serna and his Houston Rangers U15 team will compete against Breakers FC, RSL Arizona and San Francisco Glen SC. A lefty, he's easily the team's most creative player and almost everything the Rangers do offensively goes through him. Serna is very dynamic on the ball and can hurt defenses in a variety of ways. He's an elite passer, combining vision and precision, and is also very difficult to stop when progressing the ball, be it by beating opponents off the dribble or combining with his teammates. Serna is fantastic in set pieces and turns every dead-ball situation into a goalscoring opportunity for his team.</p>    <blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@houstonrangersmedia/video/7358077990313430315" data-video-id="7358077990313430315" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px"> <section> <a target="_blank" title="@houstonrangersmedia" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@houstonrangersmedia?refer=embed">@houstonrangersmedia</a> What a baller [player_tooltip player_id='211226' first='Sebastian' last='Serna'] <a title="fyp" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp?refer=embed">#fyp</a> <a title="viral" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/viral?refer=embed">#viral</a> <a title="mlsnext" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/mlsnext?refer=embed">#mlsnext</a> <a title="mls" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/mls?refer=embed">#mls</a> <a title="houstonrangers" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/houstonrangers?refer=embed">#houstonrangers</a> <a title="viralvideo" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/viralvideo?refer=embed">#viralvideo</a> <a title="soccer" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/soccer?refer=embed">#soccer</a> <a title="u14" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/u14?refer=embed">#u14</a> @MLS NEXT <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - Houston Rangers Page" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7358078126175292202?refer=embed">♬ original sound - Houston Rangers Page</a> </section> </blockquote>    <p class="text-gray-700">With Reyes in midfield, the Houston Dynamo U16 team will play against the Seattle Sounders, the San Jose Earthquakes and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Playing as a central midfielder, he helps his team control the pace of the game alongside teammate [player_tooltip player_id='148002' first='Matthew' last='Hinds']. Reyes is the most technical of the two and has the most freedom to support the offense. His passing is excellent as he has great vision and doesn't need much time on the ball to move it from one side to the other. Reyes, who was recently in a training camp with the Mexican U15 national team in Spain, has added more bite to his game lately as is growing as a defensive player.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9573.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-269868" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Houston Dynamo U16 vs. Austin FC U16</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Cayama will be in action with the GFI U17 team in their matches against SC Del Sol, South Florida Football Academy and FC Westchester. A hard-nosed defensive midfielder, he does an excellent job of protecting the team's backline with his high-energy game. Reading the game is one of Cayama's main strengths and he uses it very well to intercept passes and get first to long balls. He can also play as a central defender and is very good at covering his teammates. Cayama also thrives in igniting transition plays, winning the ball back and quickly finding a teammate in the attacking half.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki2CtguXTk0 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Cavalcante's Austin FC U19 side will play the New England Revolution, Inter Miami and CF Montreal in California. A defensive midfielder with solid physical tools, he uses his big body to win duels and dominate the center of the field. Cavalcante is strong in the air but also has good mobility to step away from the central region and cover teammates in wider spots. He gets involved very often in possession and does a good job of keeping the ball in the center of the field and connecting good passes.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/IMG_9472.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-269808" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Houston Dynamo U18 vs. Austin FC U18</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Luccin will feature for FC Dallas U19 in their matches against Atlanta United, D.C. United and Barça Residency Academy. The son of former FC Dallas interim head coach Peter, he first appeared as a box-to-box midfielder, but has been playing in a more advanced role recently, either in the center or the left. Luccin dribbles the ball efficiently and is good at making quick decisions in tight spaces. He has the passing skills to operate more centrally, feeding the forwards, but can also create problems out wide with his pace and dribbling ability.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/IMG_8162.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-263709" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Houston Dynamo U18 vs. FC Dallas U18</figcaption></figure>

After months of playing inside their own conferences, the best MLS Next academies in the country will have the opportunity to test themselves against opponents from other regions over the next few days, at the MLS Next Fest event, in Indio, California.