MLS Next Flex U17 Essential Midfielders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The city of Frisco, Texas, recently staged six action-packed days of soccer, with Toyota Soccer Center hosting the 2026 MLS Next Flex tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The event featured 304 teams from all over the country and qualified 76 of them for the MLS Next Cup Playoffs, which will be held from May 23-31 in Salt Lake City, Utah.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Soccer was in North Texas for two days, and I got to watch many of the most loaded and talented teams in the country in action. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2026/04/mls-next-flex-saturday-photos-u17/">MLS Next Flex: Friday U17 Photos</a></strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>During our time there, many prospects delivered standout performances and showed tremendous potential for the future of their careers. Now, with the event completed, we're going over several of them. We continue to focus on the U17 Division, and this time, it will be the midfielders getting their well-deserved shoutouts:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["338651"],"_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-69f8b1399d6dc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Hall and the GFI Academy were in top form in Group Q, winning all three of their matches to qualify. A box-to-box midfielder, he has a strong presence in the center of the field for them and stands out for covering a lot of ground both on and off the ball. Hall is very active defensively, goes hard in his tackles and has a very high success rate in his challenges, coming out with the ball more often than not. He also adds a lot offensively, contributing with his runs on the ball and intelligent distribution, and is very consistent and reliable with his production.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["270289"],"_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-69f8b1399d714"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Padgett played for the Colorado Rapids team that ended up in fourth place in Group S with three losses. An attacking midfielder, he has an excellent work rate and impresses with the ability to make things happen offensively. Padgett is extremely versatile offensively, being capable of dropping back to initiate plays and to get into the box to finish them. He makes strong runs on the ball through the center, drifts wide to combine with his teammates, is creative with his dribbling in tight spaces and also delivers well-weighted final passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["10114"],"_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-69f8b1399d738"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Mellecker captained the Orlando City team that emerged undefeated out of Group C with two wins and a tie. A defensive midfielder, he has a central role in the team's playing system with his ability to consistently get on the ball and dictate the pace of their offense. Mellecker moves very well off the ball and is always around it, offering a constant passing option to his teammates. He has excellent vision and knows exactly when to move the ball laterally and keep possession and when to try more direct, vertical passes into the final third.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["286481"],"_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-69f8b1399d758"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Lara Quintana was with the [program_tooltip program_id='283624' first='Capital' last='City SC'] side that ranked fourth in Group J with a win and two losses. A defensive midfielder, he's a key piece for them with his high-energy, high-efficiency game in the center of the field. Lara Quintana covers a lot of ground and is very active defensively, doing a good job of dispossessing opponents and often being the first to get to second balls. He also makes an impact in possession, moving the ball well with either quick, lateral, or long, direct passes, and also thrives at taking it into the attacking half with strong runs through the center.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":356304,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/04/2J4A0138_61ae5a.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-356304" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["332674"],"_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-69f8b1399d778"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Shannon played for the [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] team that ended up in third place in Group A with a win, a loss and a tie. He's very intense and consistent in his box-to-box role and leads their midfield trio on both sides of the ball. Shannon does well defensively, making an impact with his clean, well-timed tackles and managing to stop attacking plays from opponents. He also appears well when he steps into the attacking half to make plays, distributing the ball intelligently and firing shots on goal. Shannon is very accurate with his penalty kick shots, converting the vast majority of them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":356311,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/04/2J4A0189_dac6ac.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-356311" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->