MLS Next Flex U17 High-Level Goalkeepers

<!-- 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. Today, we begin to look into the U17 Division and the goalkeepers are the first ones we'll talk about:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- 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":"Joel Lang","_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":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"100","_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_program":"Miami Futbol Academy Rush","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"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-69f8a07288915"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Lang and his Miami Futbol Academy Rush team sat in fourth place in Group T with two losses and a tie. He showed interesting skills between the posts, most notably his excellent positioning and solid technique. Lang is also very mobile and does well when he needs to leave his spot to get to passes behind the backline. The goalkeeper is typically very accurate with his long passes and has the ability to initiate quick transition plays with them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["280134"],"_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-69f8a07288989"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Williams was with the Inter Miami team that ended in third place in Group Q with a win and two losses. He's a very tall goalkeeper who uses his length extremely well, but also has impressive reflexes to make stops between the posts - he's very good at using his legs to make stops, as well. Williams has great command of the penalty box, communicating well with his teammates and being very effective when he goes out to claim crosses. He also has good accuracy with his passes and is very efficient with his distribution.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- 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":"Robert McFarland","_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":"100","_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_program":"[program_tooltip program_id='283624' first='Capital' last='City SC']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"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-69f8a2ebd0cfd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">McFarland played for the [program_tooltip program_id='283624' first='Capital' last='City SC'] team that ranked fourth in Group J with a win and two losses. He does a good job of using his length and great movement to dominate the penalty box, being very effective at claiming crosses and corner kicks. McFarland also thrives between the posts, showing great reflexes and reaction time to get stops. His game in possession is also efficient, as he picks and executes his passes well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":356306,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/04/2J4A0154_0a5b01.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-356306" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["349071"],"_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-69f8a2ebd0d3d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Sellers and the [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] were third in Group A after getting a win, a loss and a tie. A goalkeeper with solid technical skills and excellent decision-making, he rarely puts a foot wrong and is consistently reliable between the posts. Sellers is very good at controlling the penalty box and is capable of making impressive saves, especially in 1v1 situations. His game on the ball has been constantly improving, and his current level allows him to efficiently distribute the game out of the back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":356307,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/04/2J4A0171_34ec96.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-356307" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["349230"],"_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-69f8a2ebd0d62"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Richardson helped [program_tooltip program_id='283612' first='Austin' last='FC'] qualify out of Group O with a campaign of two wins and a tie. A tall goalkeeper, he makes the most of his length, doing well at claiming crosses and when he needs to fully stretch to get to shots in the upper or lower corners. Richardson likes to play a little bit higher when his team has the ball and shows great mobility to step up and intercept long passes behind the backline. The goalkeeper is also very clean on the ball, picking his passing options well and intelligently keeping the ball moving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":356320,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/04/2J4A0229_570b73.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-356320" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->