MLS Next Cup Texas Team Preview: Houston Dynamo U14

<p>The culminating event of the 2025-2026 MLS Next season is coming up shortly, as the MLS Next Cup is set to take place at the Regional Athletics Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah from May 23-31.</p>   <p>The playoffs will reunite the best teams from the regular season, with 32 sides that qualified either via the MLS Next Flex event or league play in the Homegrown Division competing in a single elimination format in Utah.</p>   <p>Fifteen teams from the state of Texas will be in contention for the titles after achieving significant results in their seasons. We're now previewing each of them:</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] U14</h2>   <p><strong>How did they qualify?</strong> The [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] benefited from their success in league play to book their tickets to the MLS Next Cup. They topped the standings in the Frontier Division after securing 15 win, two losses and three ties.</p>   <p><strong>What is their squad like?</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='295648' first='Thor' last='Moeller Nielsen'] is the goalkeeper in the [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] squad. The backline had Seeyad Hasnine, Manuel Vasquez, Imisi Amodu and Ryland Rios taking up the outside back spots and [player_tooltip player_id='353427' first='Samuel' last='Skillern'], Michael Vasquez and Percy Singleton in central defense. Federico Knupfer, Jesus Munoz, Kevin Juarez, Eduardo Iglesias, [player_tooltip player_id='341676' first='Dyland' last='Cardenas'] and Ryu Roberts are the options in midfield, with Lucas Moscon De Oliveira and [player_tooltip player_id='295641' first='Aariz' last='Syed'] playing up top for them.</p>   <p><strong>Who do they play in the first round of the playoffs?</strong> California's Total Futbol Academy, on May 28, at 11:00 AM MT.</p>   <p><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Skillern is a center back for the [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo']. Despite being very young, his game is very mature and reliable, and he consistently comes up with good plays in the defensive half. Skillern stands out for his excellent positioning and the impeccable timing of his tackles, but is also a very good athlete, who has good size and power to win duels inside the box and solid mobility to defend higher up on the field. He's becoming more comfortable on the ball by the day and has been improving his ability to make an impact with his passing.</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/DXKSWvkjtqA/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Iglesias is a center midfielder for the [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] and has played with their U15 team during parts of the season. He's a highly impactful player who's always very involved in the team's game and produces at a high level in many areas of the game. Iglesias is extremely well-rounded on the ball, passing it intelligently, being very difficult to stop when he gets going on runs, and showing good positioning inside the box and finishing skills. He also contributes on defense, working hard to control the center of the field and being very successful at winning duels.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/11/2J4A0110.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-336771" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Ryu is a dynamic offensive player who can be used more centrally, as an attacking midfielder, or wider on the wings. His ball control is truly amazing and allows him to beat defenders with unpredictable moves in tight spaces. Ryu's first touch is excellent, and he's very quick in his mind, keeping opposing defenders under constant pressure when facing him as they simply can't read his next move. He's very good at creating chances in 1v1 duels and can repeatedly beat the same defender in a variety of different ways, while also showing excellent finishing skills and accurate deliveries in set pieces.</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/DX4UdTiuHwS/ </div></figure>

The culminating event of the 2025-2026 MLS Next season is coming up shortly, as the MLS Next Cup is set to take place at the Regional Athletics Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah from May 23-31.