Atlanta United announced on May 23 that four of its Academy teams have qualified for the postseason at the 2026 MLS NEXT Cup presented by Allstate, marking a club record. The U-13, U-14, U-16, and U-18 squads will begin their tournament runs this weekend.
This development highlights continued growth in Atlanta United’s youth program and reflects increased competitiveness across multiple age groups. The event is considered the conclusion of the 2025-26 MLS NEXT season and features top teams from each age group.
The U-16 team, coached by Colby Childress, will play Cedar Stars Academy Bergen U-17 on Sunday morning after finishing second in its division and earning a postseason spot through an undefeated performance at MLS NEXT Flex. Steven Turek leads the U-18 squad as it faces Indy Eleven U-19; this team also secured qualification with a strong showing at MLS NEXT Flex. The younger squads—the U-13s under Skyler Schmidt and the U-14s under Bruno Ramos—qualified for top-bracket play based on their Quality of Play scores from regular season matches.
Twenty-two matches from the tournament, including all eight championship games, will be streamed live on the MLS YouTube channel. Matches for older age groups (U-15 to U-19) are scheduled for 90 minutes with penalty kicks deciding ties except in finals, while younger groups (U-13 and U-14) play shorter matches with similar tiebreaker rules.
Atlanta United FC operates out of Atlanta, Georgia and participates as a Major League Soccer team in the Eastern Conference; it has achieved notable wins including an MLS Cup victory in 2018 as well as triumphs in both the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup in 2019, according to the official website.
The club’s success at various levels signals ongoing investment into player development. Observers may look to see how these academy teams perform against national competition during this year’s tournament.
