MLS Next U16: Hernandez stars in Austin’s 4-0 win over the Dynamo

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The MLS Next League season continues to progress across the country, with multiple matches being held every weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This season, we at Prep Soccer Texas have been following the matches involving the teams from the state very closely. On Saturday, March 29, we were on the sidelines when [program_tooltip program_id='283612' first='Austin' last='FC']'s U16 team secured a massive 4-0 road win over the [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] at the Houston Sports Park.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2025/04/mls-next-u16-houston-dynamo-vs-austin-fc-photos-2/">Photos: [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] U16 vs. [program_tooltip program_id='283612' first='Austin' last='FC'] U16</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite playing on the road, Austin had control of the match from the start and hit the post twice, on both occasions with forward Lucas Hernandez, before scoring their first goal. It was Hernandez who did it, beating the Dynamo's keeper with a low shot after he got an assist from midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='148169' first='Christian' last='Ayala']. He was also involved in the team's second goal, passing the ball to fellow forward Nicolas Rojas, who cut it to his left foot and fired a powerful shot into the back of the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even after making some changes, the visiting side continued to dictate the rhythm of the match and they counted on two substitutes to get two more goals in the second half. Forward Jacob Peale, scored the first of them, getting the ball into the box and calmly sending it into the lower corner. Assisted by Ayala, fellow midfielder Tiano Vela determined the final score with a beautiful left-footed shot from outside the box. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Austin now have 23 points (seven wins, two losses, two ties) and appear in second place in the MLS Next League Central (South) Division standings. The Dynamo sit at the bottom of the standings with four points (one win, eight losses, one tie).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Lucas Hernandez","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"103","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='283612' first='Austin' last='FC']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67ec217be257f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Playing the striker role, Hernandez led Austin's offense in a very productive match in which his team not only scored four goals, but also created many other chances. His movement off the ball was very intense and intelligent as he consistently found space in the opposing backline to get on the ball while also attacking the space behind them well. Hernandez wasn't afraid to fire shots on target and should probably have left the field with more goals to his name as he hit the post twice in the first half, one of them after making it past the opposing goalie but getting into a difficult angle to send the ball into the back of the net. He finished very well to score the team's first goal and was always part of their offensive plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":283928,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0164.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-283928" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["148169"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67ec217be25fa"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">If Hernandez led Austin up top, Ayala was instrumental for their dominant performance from his central midfielder position. He was very active during the match, keeping a strong level of play for all 90 minutes and getting heavily involved in the team's chance-creation. Ayala roamed very well on the field and appeared in all sorts of different spots, from dropping deep to get the ball from the center backs to drifting wide to make plays on the wings. He also displayed great vision in the final third and delivered assists in two of the team's four goals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":283925,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0158.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-283925" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["146769"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67ec217be2648"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Chamberlain operated extremely well next to Ayala in midfield, bringing a lot of intensity and quality on the ball to the game. He was very active defensively, winning many duels in the center of the field and forcing the Dynamo to play wide to get into attack. Chamberlain was also very comfortable when he had the ball, distributing it well and displaying impressive quality to dribble through traffic, beating opponents with quick moves as he progressed on the field. The midfielder consistently stepped into the attacking half and connected intelligent passes, finding teammates in great spots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":283941,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0196_8c456e.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-283941" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Nicolas Rojas","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"103","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='283612' first='Austin' last='FC']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67ec217be270b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Rojas had a solid shift playing on the left side of Austin's attack and was a reliable offensive weapon for the team. He used his pace to explore the space out wide and was very strong in 1v1 plays, but also created problems when he brought the ball inside to work more centrally and create an overload there. Rojas was very skillful to score the team's second goal as he got the ball on the left side of the box, cut it to his left foot and fired a powerful shot to send the ball into the back of the net. He also helped the team win possession in the attacking half on a couple of occasions, beating opponents for second balls.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":283932,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0172_85b3c0.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-283932" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["148225"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67ec217be277c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Gonzalez helped Austin produce a clean sheet by playing with tremendous efficiency on the backline and shutting down every Dynamo attempt. Fellow center back [player_tooltip player_id='148170' first='Jonathan' last='Ayala'] and him thrived with her positioning and were always in the right spots to stop plays - the two also displayed great mobility to deal with long passes and track runners. Austin has a very methodical and efficient buildup and much of it is due to the calm and quality of their center backs, who don't rush things and rarely put a foot wrong when in possession.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":283936,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0182.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-283936" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["210657"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67ec217be27cc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">In a difficult match for the Dynamo, Reyes was one of the few players on the team to display some clarity when on the ball. Typically a defensive midfielder, he played in a more advanced role because of the absence of some of the team's playmakers and took good care of the ball, rarely wasting possession and leading his team's efforts when they wanted to circulate the ball. Recently called up for the U15 USYNT, he also made some significant defensive contributions, getting tackles around his team's penalty box that prevented what could have been dangerous shots from the Austin side.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":283923,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0151_ec58c0.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-283923" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->