Academy Update: 2023 MLS NEXT Flex Preview

It’s a big week for the Inter Miami CF Academy presented by Baptist Health as our U-15, U-16 and U-17 teams are set to compete in MLS NEXT Flex in search of clinching postseason spots. The teams will compete at MLS NEXT Flex from May 12 to 16 at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md., in which they look to earn one of the 16 spots made available to each age group in the 2023 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs.

The teams will be broken up into 16 groups of four. The winners of each respective group will then move on to the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs. The U-15s will play 80-minute matches while the U-16, U-17, and U-19 age groups compete in 90-minute matches. The matches which are still level by the end of regulation will head to penalty kicks. The winner of penalty kicks will earn two points; the loser will take home one point.

Last year, our own Inter Miami CF Academy U-15s and U-17s qualified for playoffs, where the U-15 team took it a step further as MLS Next FLEX group winners. Ultimately, our U-15 squad won the whole thing & finished their season as MLS NEXT Cup National Champions.

A total of 18 MLS NEXT Flex games will be streamed live on MLS Season Pass and will be available in more than 100 countries and regions. Currently, Inter Miami CF is slated to make an appearance on the MLS NEXT Flex Broadcast Schedule on May 12 at 2 p.m. ET when Inter Miami CF’s U-16 team takes on San Francisco Glens.

The 2023 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs will then mark the conclusion of the MLS NEXT season. The action will take place from June 17-25, 2023 in Dallas-Fort Worth at Toyota Soccer Center and MoneyGram Soccer Park. For the teams who do not qualify for the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs, there will still be an opportunity to participate in the MLS NEXT Cup Showcase. This showcase will be hosted at the same venue.

We wish all of our age groups the best of luck! For additional coverage of our team, you can follow our academy’s journey online by following our Twitter @InterMiamiAcad and Instagram @InterMiamiCFAcademy accounts.