Texas Goalkeepers to Watch at 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'll take the week to feature some of the most interesting names, starting with the goalkeepers:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Hart will be in goal for the Houston Rangers U15 team when they face Breakers FC, RSL Arizona and San Francisco Glens SC. The team has another elite goalkeeper in Ty Ledford and the two split time between the posts, giving the Rangers one of the strongest combos in the position. Hart combines some very interesting skills from a very young age, being extremely physical and explosive, but also technical and has firm hands that rarely give up rebounds. He's a vocal leader of his team, consistently communicating with his teammates and keeping them engaged. The goalkeeper also has a strong and precise right leg, which gives him the ability to connect accurate long passes out of the back.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/11/IMG_2193.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-271979" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Houston Rangers U15 vs. Houston Dynamo U15</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Falcon and his Dallas Hornets U16 team are set to play against Bayside FC, Charger Soccer Club and Sporting Athletic Club at the MLS Next Fest. The team's captain, the goalkeeper is one of their pillars, showing a strong game every time he goes on the field. Falcon is not very tall, but thrives with his positioning and his technique and handles well most of the shots and crosses that find him inside the penalty box, displaying solid reflexes. A lefty, he also has quality on the ball and is very active in the team's buildup, making good choices and distributing the ball well.</p>    <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DB7jTZVu1Hr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DB7jTZVu1Hr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"> <div style="flex-direction: row;align-items: center"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px"></div> <div style="flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0"></div> <div style="height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px"> <div style="color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0"></div> <div style="flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px"></div> <div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto"> <div style="width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px"></div> <div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent"></div></div></div> <div style="flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px"></div></div></a><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DB7jTZVu1Hr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by alex (@alexfalcon01)</a></p></div></blockquote>    <p class="text-gray-700">Burchfield is the goalkeeper of the Austin FC U16 team that will be faced with the San Jose Earthquakes, Connecticut United FC and the Seattle Sounders in California. He's one of the most exciting goalkeepers emerging in the state, he has a unique skill set, combining a massive 6'6" frame and solid technical foundations into his game. His length plays a big role in his shot-stopping, but Burchfield is extremely agile too, and makes saves people wouldn't expect from a goalkeeper of his size. He's also very strong mentally, being capable of handling long periods of pressure.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Lynch and the FC Dallas U19 team will have a tough schedule in California, meeting Atlanta United, DC United and Barça Residency Academy. He joined the Dallas academy back in 2023 coming from Sacramento and immediately became the top goalkeeper in his age group in the state. A player with plenty of experience in semi-pro leagues, Lynch masters every aspect of the game, but is particularly strong when catching crosses inside the penalty box and stepping up to challenge opponents in 1v1 situations. He's also very calm and efficient with his feet, giving his teammates the confidence to pass him the ball when they are under pressure.</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=P49M74_cXS4 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Versari will represent GFI U19 in the event - the team is set to face the Sacramento Republic, Strikers FC and City SC San Diego. He has been a staple for his A&M Consolidated high school team and has earned a reputation as one of the top goalkeepers in his class in the Houston area. Versari is very explosive between the posts and often makes some incredible saves. He's also very quick off his line and thrives in 1v1 situations at a very high rate. His distribution is elite and his accurate punts and long passes are often used to ignite quick transition plays.</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=-HIXqUu7mNI </div></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.