MLS Next U16: Dynamo top the Rangers with Cottle's debut goal

<p>The MLS Next League season continues to progress across the country, with multiple matches being held every weekend.</p>   <p>This season, we at Prep Soccer Texas have been following the Frontier Conference matches very closely. On Sunday, February 9, we were at the Houston Sports Park, where the Houston Dynamo U15 team defeated the Houston Rangers U15 1-0 in a match of limited goalscoring opportunities.</p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2025/02/mls-next-u16-houston-dynamo-vs-houston-rangers-photos/">Photos: Houston Dynamo U16 vs. Houston Rangers U16</a></li> </ul>   <p>The Dynamo had control of the match in the first half and got close to scoring twice. In the first few minutes of the match, midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='210655' first='Matthew' last='Arana'] 's shot hit the crossbar. The same repeated later during the half, this time with outside back Pierce Le Denmat being stopped by the post. The Rangers also had their opportunity to get the ball into the back of the net when a nice combination play found midfielder Patrick McHugh inside the penalty box, but his shot was stopped by Dynamo's goalkeeper [player_tooltip player_id='148209' first='Eamon' last='Schorzman'].</p>   <p>The pattern continued the same in the second half, with the Dynamo dominating possession. The team connected quick passes out of the back and found Arana in the final third. He went at a defender and fed midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='148174' first='Tristan' last='Cottle'], who scored in his first match with the team with a beautiful right-footed, curled shot. The Rangers pushed for an equalizer, but couldn't get one before the final whistle blew.</p>   <p>With the victory, the Dynamo got to 21 points (seven wins, four losses) in the MLS Next Flex Frontier Conference standings, appearing in fourth place. The Rangers are seventh, with 13 points (four wins, four losses, one tie).</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Playing his first match for the Dynamo after recently moving from GFI, Cottle decided the match with a perfect finish in a quick play and showed how impactful he can be on the team. He wasn't at his best at the start of the match, as he seemed to be looking for the best spot on the field, but once he got settled, he started appearing well - he made a beautiful play in the first half, but his teammates couldn't finish it. Cottle played on both sides of the Dynamo's attack and also spent some time centrally, connecting well with the players around him and moving very well off the ball to give them passing options. After his goal, with the Rangers pushing forward, he had more space to go at opponents in 1v1 duels and he was successful in most of them, creating other chances. Cottle also helped the team on defense until the end, despite clearly being tired.</p>    <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DF4BeZ_th1F/?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/reel/DF4BeZ_th1F/?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/reel/DF4BeZ_th1F/?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 Tighe Cottle (@tighecottle)</a></p></div></blockquote>    <p class="text-gray-700">Playing in front of a back three, the left wingback had the freedom to push forward and he appeared well in the attacking half on multiple occasions. Le Denmat almost scored in the first half, when he came inside to finish a play just outside the penalty box, but his shot stopped in the crossbar. He repeated that move a few more times, showing up in dangerous spots near the penalty box and finding good passes, but also took the ball to the end line to cross it. Despite his offensive-minded play, Le Denmat was also extremely solid defensively, winning the duels on his side of the field and blocking the vast majority of the Rangers' attempts from that side. He also dropped back to support the team's buildup on some occasions and was able to make an impact with his intelligent passing. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/02/2J4A0263_4bf5a0.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-279077" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">The Dynamo's main playmaker, Arana was again decisive, setting up Cottle for his game-winning goal with a perfectly-timed assist. Playing more centrally than usual (he typically appears on the left), the midfielder was heavily involved in the team's playmaking and nearly scored early in the first half, with his shot hitting the crossbar. He was even more impactful in the second half, when he had more space to make plays and feed his teammates with great last passes into the final third. Arana was also very strong in 1v1 plays and did an excellent job of getting wide to get on the ball and keeping possession in the attacking half. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/02/2J4A0257.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-279075" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Originally an outside back, Perez played in the center of the Dynamo's back three on Sunday and had a very solid performance. Despite his limited size, he was very strong at defending the team's penalty box in the air and on the floor, even when matched up with more physical opponents. Perez also made some critical interventions, blocking shots inside the penalty box and using his pace and positioning to cover teammates out wide. He did solid work in possession too, helping his team move the ball from one side of the backline to the other with quick passes.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/02/2J4A0115.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-279023" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">A member of the Dynamo's U15 team, Shannon was called to play up and delivered a solid performance as a defensive midfielder. He paired well with center midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='210657' first='Dylan' last='Reyes'], embracing most of their defensive duties and providing coverage for his teammates to attack. Shannon covered a lot of ground to shut plays down and was very efficient at covering the team's backline. He appeared very well in the final third near the end of the match and could have scored a goal, but had his shot go a few inches wide.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/02/2J4A0253_a34b5d.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-279074" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">With his consistent game and versatility, Montiel was one of the standouts for the Rangers in the match. He started in central defense and was very good at winning duels, while also contributing to the team's buildup. At the start of the second half, Montiel moved to right back, where he continued to defend well, but also make an offensive impact for the team, appearing well in the attacking half to connect in combination plays and make nice diagonal passes. Near the end, he moved to the left wing and also showed quality to play there, going at defenders and displaying good vision to connect passes.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/02/2J4A0187_660617.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-279050" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Castillo had a strong start to the game, appearing well in midfield for the Rangers. Playing more to the left side of their midfield, he consistently appeared in good spots to get on the ball and was involved in most of their plays in the first half. His movement off the ball was excellent and allowed him to connect well with his teammates. Castillo showed great vision in the final third and attempted some dangerous shots in what was his team's best moment in the match.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/02/2J4A0160.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-279039" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">The Rangers' physical center back had a solid shift, dealing well with the Dynamo's attackers for most of the match. Heredia was frequently matched up with striker Kiam Walsh and did a good job of containing him, protecting the penalty box with great efficiency. In the second half, when the match became more open, the center back was asked to defend in space on some occasions and he did a good job, getting nice stops. Heredia was also calm and efficient in possession, displaying confidence on the ball. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/02/2J4A0131_ddce81.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-279031" /></figure>

The MLS Next League season continues to progress across the country, with multiple matches being held every weekend.