GA Cup: Key Players in the Houston Dynamo U16 team

<p>One of the most anticipated tournaments in the boys club soccer season is coming up shortly, as the MLS Next Generation Adidas Cup is set to take place at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, from April 12-20.</p>   <p>The tournament will feature 80 teams from 14 countries across the U16 and U18 age groups, including the MLS academies and some international heavyweights, such as Italy's Inter Milan, Germany's FC Bayern, the Netherlands' PSV, Brazil's Palmeiras and Mexico's Club America.</p>   <p>The three MLS clubs from Texas will send their teams down to Florida and we'll preview each of them in the days leading up to the event.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] U16</h2>   <p>The [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] will play against fellow MLS teams CF Montréal and LA Galaxy and Mexican side Toluca FC in Pool C. The team's campaign in the 2024-2025 MLS Next season has nine wins, 12 losses and one tie.</p>   <p>With many of the Dynamo's top U18 players joining their Dos team in the MLS Next Pro League, some of their best U16 players moved up to their U18 team, leaving them with a very young squad. Eamon Schorzmann and [player_tooltip player_id='210675' first='Marcelo' last='Rossetti'] are their main options in goal, but Rossetti has been injured, so Schorzmann should get most of the minutes there. [player_tooltip player_id='211229' first='Dami' last='Samuel'], [player_tooltip player_id='280654' first='Jackson' last='Bowman'] and Jose Mena should take the minutes in central defense, with the versatile Jaizhiño Perez and Jose Menjivar appearing at outside back. [player_tooltip player_id='210657' first='Dylan' last='Reyes'] will anchor their midfield, most likely helped by Ekco Yurong and Matthew Shannon. The versatile [player_tooltip player_id='210663' first='Maddox' last='Choate'] should lead their offense, supported by Fernando Gutierrez and Alex Munoz on the wings.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Key Players</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Schorzman has emerged as a promising goalkeeper in the Dynamo Academy a few years ago and continues to develop his game. Standing at 6'4", he's very comfortable at getting to shots fired in the upper corner, but is also agile enough to get to the ground and deal with low shots very efficiently. The goalkeeper also performs very well when faced with 1v1 situations, as he leaves his spot very quickly, does a good job of stretching his arms to take up space from attackers and can still perform last-second reaction saves. He is also very reliable with his feet, moving the ball intelligently and connecting accurate long passes out of the back.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Bowman was recently with the U15 USYNT, having even scored a goal in one of the two friendlies against Mexico. A left-footed center back, he plays up the Dynamo's U16 team and has earned himself a starting spot through the season, pairing with [player_tooltip player_id='211229' first='Dami' last='Samuel'] in central defense. Bowman is a complete defender, who can be dominant in the air, also serving as a weapon in attacking set pieces, reads time and space very well and does an excellent job when defending in transition. He also has an excellent passing range and has been getting more and more comfortable at connecting long passes out of the back.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Mena was injured at the start of the season and has been gradually getting more minutes with the team, increasing his role and showing he can be an interesting piece in the squad. In Florida, he should offer great coverage for Samuel and Bowman with his reliable presence in the backline. Mena has good size and is a physical defender who does solid work when protecting the penalty box. He also defends in space with tremendous efficiency, keeping pace with opposing hitters and timing his defensive actions and sliding tackles extremely well to come out with the ball in a clean way.</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/C9IZm2dxyop/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">A standout central midfielder, Reyes has earned call-ups for both the US and Mexico's U15 national teams over the last few months. He's an excellent passer, who makes a difference with his ability to organize the game and initiate offensive plays with his excellent vision. Reyes operates as more of a deep-lying playmaker, a role that gives him more time on the ball to see the game and pick the best passing options, but he also likes to step into the final third, from where he can punish opponents with perfectly-weighted through balls and shots from distance. He developed the defensive side of his game in a significant way over the last few months and is more active and effective when playing defense, stepping up on the right moments to make plays.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Choate is a dynamic attacking player who can play different roles for the Dynamo and is a constant threat in the final third with his ability to create and finish chances. When playing the striker role, he stands out for the excellent timing of his runs behind the backline, his great positioning inside the penalty box and his calm in front of the goal. Choate is also very good at dribbling the ball and can also be a threat on the wings, especially when used on the left, where he can cut inside to his preferred right foot to finish. He always plays with a lot of energy and is very committed and disciplined, fulfilling his defensive responsibilities with great determination.</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=1juzE1v1DvE </div></figure>

One of the most anticipated tournaments in the boys club soccer season is coming up shortly, as the MLS Next Generation Adidas Cup is set to take place at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, from April 12-20.