MLS Next Flex U16 Standout 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-friday-photos-u19-u16/">MLS Next Flex: Friday U19/U16 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'll go over several of them. We start with the U16 division, and today, we'll check out the goalkeepers who were tough to beat between the posts:</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":"Sol Buckingham","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'4u0022","_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":"Bowie","_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-69f3588086be6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Buckingham played for the [program_tooltip program_id='283624' first='Capital' last='City SC'] team that finished second in Group K with a win, a tie and a loss. A tall goalkeeper, he is very reliable in the air, moving well in the penalty box and using his height to claim the ball at a very high point. Buckingham makes the most of his wingspan to perform saves between the posts and also has excellent reflexes, reacting very quickly to shots fired from close range and deflections. He doesn't take many risks with his passing and distributes the ball efficiently out of the back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":356189,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/04/2J4A0203_4be545.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-356189" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- 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":"Jacob Modersohn","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_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='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas']","_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-69f3588086d0c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Modersohn was in goal with the [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] team that ranked second in Group F after getting two wins and a loss. A very technical goalkeeper, he is extremely reliable with his actions between the posts, standing out for his positioning and agility. Modersohn reads the game very well and does a great job of providing coverage to his backline by stepping up and clearing passes in behind. He is very precise with his throws when putting the ball back in play and also uses his feet well in possession. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["349100"],"_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-69f3588086d96"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Karlsson helped GFI Academy qualify in Group D with an undefeated campaign of three wins. He played every minute for them and conceded only two goals in three matches, the fourth-best mark in the entire division. He has great hands, is very firm with his actions, and is always well-positioned to make stops and intervene inside the box. Another of Karlsson's main traits in goal is his calm and colleted attitude, which allows his to deliver in big plays and efficiently handle moments of pressure.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["295648"],"_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-69f3588086e0e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Nielsen and the [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] ended up in third place in Group T with a win, a tie and a loss. He typically plays with their U14 team, but was pulled two age groups up and responded well, showing quality between the posts and a fantastic personality to lead the defensive system. A very tall goalkeeper, Nielsen handles crosses very well, but is also very quick to get to the ground to make stops. He reads the game incredibly well and organizes everything from the back, determining players' positionings in attacking and defending set pieces and barking instrucitions the entire time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":356215,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/04/2J4A0327.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-356215" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- 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":"Matt Gonzalez","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_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":"Los Angeles 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-69f3588086f42"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Gonzalez played for the Los Angeles SC team that finished third in Group D with a win and two losses. He's very explosive between the posts and uses his athleticism to make impressive saves by getting to difficult shots into the corners. Gonzalez also does well 1v1, picking the best moment to leave the goal and doing a good job of extending his range with his arms and legs. The goalkeepers is very precise with his long passes and can send the ball well into the attacking half, having the ability to initiate counterattacks in no time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":356227,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2026/04/2J4A0376.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-356227" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->