Previewing MLS NEXT Week 3 — So Cal

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This weekend should be every bit as exciting as the first two weeks of the MLS NEXT season. KS Sports Network will be back on the road, heading to Long Beach on Saturday and Norco on Sunday as we continue expanding our scouting coverage across Southern California.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've got two matchups on our radar: <strong>ALBION LA vs. [program_tooltip program_id='283757' first='Total' last='Futbol Academy'] (TFA)</strong> on Saturday and <strong>Albion SC vs. FCGS</strong> on Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In all honesty, FCGS is the program I'm least acquainted with entering this weekend. However, I've extensively followed the other three programs and many of their players, so for this preview, I'm going to focus on three prospects from TFA, ALBION LA, and Albion SC.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are only three players on this list, and that's intentional. These are three prospects I'm specifically looking forward to evaluating this weekend and potentially writing about afterward based on their performances.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prospect No. 1 — Norvin Crespin | TFA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Norvin Crespin enters this season as one of the players I'm most interested in watching for [program_tooltip program_id='283757' first='Total' last='Futbol Academy'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He was an <strong>MLS NEXT Cup champion last season</strong> and a major contributor in the final against Barça Residency Academy. With [player_tooltip player_id='335017' first='Daniel' last='Carmona'] departing for Real Salt Lake, I expect Norvin to take on an even bigger role and emerge as one of the leaders of this U17 team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>TFA is coming off an extremely successful season, but success also brings change. Players move on to MLS academies and new opportunities, which creates openings for the next group of prospects to step forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For me, Norvin is one of the players with an opportunity to do exactly that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prospect No. 2 — [player_tooltip player_id='335020' first='Eli' last='Millner'] | ALBION LA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season, I only had the opportunity to watch ALBION LA a handful of times, but [player_tooltip player_id='335020' first='Eli' last='Millner'] was the player who impressed me the most from their player pool.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A former [program_tooltip program_id='283671' first='LA' last='Galaxy'] Academy prospect, Eli immediately caught my attention with his attacking ability. One performance that particularly stood out came just before last year's playoffs against [program_tooltip program_id='283754' first='Strikers' last='FC'], when he scored an unbelievable goal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heading into this weekend, he's someone I expect to be a focal point of the <strong>ALBION LA U17 attack</strong> as they take on [program_tooltip program_id='283757' first='Total' last='Futbol Academy'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This matchup should give us another opportunity to see how he performs against one of the stronger non-MLS academy programs in the region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prospect No. 3 — [player_tooltip player_id='335396' first='Will' last='Gingery'] | Albion SC</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last but certainly not least, we've got [player_tooltip player_id='335396' first='Will' last='Gingery'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Will is a U15 forward who has been extremely consistent over the last three years that I've known and followed him. I believe this could be a breakout season for him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He's a really good kid, smart, vocal, and consistently finds ways to score or contribute to goals. He has shown the ability to impact games in different ways, and I'm excited to see what the next stage of his development looks like.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In my opinion, <strong>Will may be one of the most promising prospects in Albion SC's player pool right now</strong>, and this weekend gives us another opportunity to evaluate his progression.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Another Weekend of Scouting</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've really enjoyed having the privilege of writing and scouting on behalf of Prep Soccer. It has also added more purpose and deliberation to <strong>where, what, and how we film content for KS Sports Network</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This weekend presents another perfect opportunity to turn our attention toward the non-MLS academies in Southern California.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Through the first couple of weeks, we've already had the opportunity to scout and create content around programs including <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='283671' first='LA' last='Galaxy'] Academy, LAFC Academy, Barça Residency Academy, and VC Fusion</strong>. This weekend brings four additional programs onto our scouting radar: <strong>TFA, ALBION LA, Albion SC, and FCGS</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of those programs, I probably have the highest expectations for [program_tooltip program_id='283757' first='Total' last='Futbol Academy'] based on the success they had last season. At the same time, it's impossible to ignore the departure of [player_tooltip player_id='335017' first='Daniel' last='Carmona'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In many ways, that's a positive reflection on TFA. When one of your top prospects moves on to an MLS organization like Real Salt Lake, it speaks to the development taking place within the program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But it also creates a new question:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Who steps up next?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's one of the biggest things I'll be watching this weekend—not only with TFA, but across every age group and every program we cover.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 3 gives us another opportunity to identify new players, evaluate familiar prospects, and continue expanding our scouting radar throughout Southern California.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We'll see who makes a statement this weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->