Five Texas MLS Next underrated outside backs

<p>The MLS Next 2024-2025 season was officially concluded on Monday, when the league's All-Star Game was held in Austin.</p>   <p>Over the last ten months, Prep Soccer Texas got to follow many of the matches played across the U14, U15, U16, U17 and U19 age groups held in Texas, getting to watch first-hand most of the highly talented prospects from the Lone Star State compete and develop with their teams.</p>   <p>While MLS academies tend to feature the top players in the region and receive more attention and interest from those watching, we were able to shortlist interesting players from all over the state, highlighting the elevated level of play in the Lone Star State.</p>   <p>Now, with no matches scheduled until September, we'll take some time to feature prospects from non-MLS academies who displayed tremendous potential throughout the last season. Today we'll look into the outside backs:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Ahrens captained the [program_tooltip program_id='283658' first='Houston' last='Rangers'] U15 team for most of the season and was one of the team's standouts. A terrific all-around player, he contributed in many different spots and ways in their campaign, but spent most of the time playing in wider spots, be it in midfield or as a wing back. Ahrens is very aggressive in possession and is excellent at taking the ball to the end line, but can also make a difference with his goalscoring ability and his passing vision. He also makes an impact on defense, playing with great determination and keeping opponents under pressure. His great play was recognized during the season as he moved to the [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] in March and continued to stand out there. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DHjH0pnubl_/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Lares captained the GFI U15 team last season, but also played some matches with the club's U16 squad. He can play as an outside back or a wide midfielder on the left and brings quality and consistency to the field in both spots. He's a relentless and dedicated defender, who works very hard to win the ball back and doesn't hesitate if he has to make a hard tackle to win possession. Lares has great quality on the ball, too and is excellent at making quick decisions to break pressure and find solutions to difficult situations. He hits the ball very well with his left foot, which makes of him a threat in set pieces and long-distance shots, while also contributing to his passing efficiency.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DJx6tKQO9px/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Reyes had a solid season appearing on the left side of [program_tooltip program_id='283624' first='Capital' last='City SC']'s U16 backline. Very consistent and efficient, he gave the team a lot of stability from the left back position. Reyes handles his defensive duties extremely well, being very tough to beat in 1v1 duels out wide, thanks to his impressive quickness, and always getting into the right spot to defend the far post in crosses that came from the right side of his team's defense. The outside back also has tremendous quality on offense, picking the right moments to push forward and often getting into good spots, from where he can make crosses or find teammates with accurate passes.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/04/2J4A0116.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-285215" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Canada played right back for the IDEA Toros U16 team last season. A player with solid technical skills and a tremendous work rate, he was one of the standouts on the team with his consistent play on the right side of the field. Canada likes to push forward and does it in a very efficient way, consistently appearing in good spots on the right side, sending accurate crosses into the box and, at times, even getting into it to finish chances. He has the energy to run the field up and down for entire matches and is very energetic when playing defense, making aggressive plays and constantly challenging attackers that get into his zone.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/05/2J4A0061_d78a71.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-287093" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Medina was the left back for the [program_tooltip program_id='283639' first='Dallas' last='Hornets'] U19 team. A very solid defensive player, he's very good at shutting opponents down out wide, remaining patient as he waits for the right moment to tackle and keeping the away from the penalty box. Medina also offers an interesting alternative to his team going forward as he connects very efficiently with his teammates in combination plays and is capable of delivering accurate crosses into the penatly box. The outside back is also an excellent passer, and that allows him to support the team's offense by coming inside and operating as an additional playmaker as well.</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=5CFcraklr7g </div></figure>

The MLS Next 2024-2025 season was officially concluded on Monday, when the league's All-Star Game was held in Austin.