NY/NJ 2027 Class: Six Future Stars You Can’t Ignore

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From the recent MLS Next Showcase, the club teams from the New York/New Jersey area in the 2009 age group found a lot of success. From this group, there were some individuals that shined brightly in front of the college, profession, and youth national team scouts in attendance. Below is a scouting report on six of the standouts from the event from those teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='271380' first='Christopher' last='Yoon'], PDA - Yoon was one of the top players for PDA during the recent MLS Next event. There is a lot to like about his game. He is a well-rounded player who impacted the game in a variety of ways. He's strong in the press and created chances for his team with his defensive work including a couple of excellent slide tackles in the open field. He did well in the final third with his creativity. He was rewarded with some goals and assists from the event. [player_tooltip player_id='271382' first='Patric' last='Cui'] was also a breakout star for PDA.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emile Cartwright, BW Gottschee - Cartwright is a center back. He's five-foot-11. He's everything scouts look for in a center back. He's light on his feet and quick to react. He's athletic enough to matchup with smaller center forwards, and strong enough to hold off target forwards. His best attributes are on the ball though. He makes good decisions in possession and can hit an excellent ball over distance. Cartwright has been big-time potential and could develop into one of the best defenders in this age group. His play at the MLS Next event was a good showcase of his elite ability.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-CyiPsxwto","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <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=V-CyiPsxwto </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='159517' first='Tiago' last='Nieto'], CSA Monmouth - Nieto is a midfielder on the CSA U16 MLS Next team. He ended the event in Southern California with five assists from three games. There was more to his contributions than the key passes too. He was all over the midfield and helped support the defense as well with his endless energy and consistent effort. Nieto was a key player for his side's success recently.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kevin Elezi, BW Gottschee - Elezi is a center midfielder. He can play as a box-to-box midfielder or a defensive midfielder. He's left footed, stands at five-foot-seven. It's impossible to watch the BW Gottschee U16 MLS Next team and not remark on his play. He does everything for his team. He's a dog in the midfield - boundless energy, tenacious tackler, and sublime passer. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and goes into every tackle with a bite. Elezi is the type of player who makes any team better because of the effort and competitiveness he brings.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Julian Lopez, TSF Academy - Lopez is an attacking midfielder/forward from the TSF Academy U16 MLS Next team. He had five goals in three games during the MLS Next Showcase. He has quick feet, good skill, and excellent finishing instincts. He is a capable finisher with either foot. Lopez's dribbling ability stands out against his peers in his position. He is more comfortable having the ball at his feet away from the goal and taking on players on the dribble, which could suggest a future on the wing as well. Lopez's breakout spell suggests a bright future for the 09 talent.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Parviz Melikov, CSA Monmouth - Melikov is a forward on the CSA Monmouth MLS Next squad. He is a five-foot-10, right footed. He is a strong on the ball and defenders bounce off of him. The strength on the ball and soccer smarts resulted in the CSA star scoring in every game during the MLS Next Showcase. He has excellent technique in ball striking. He uses body feints better than most youth players. He made a few defenders look like they needed a map after trying to stop him during the Showcase event.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->