COLUMBUS – MLS NEXT today announced that Crew Academy forward Chase Adams and midfielder Tristan Brown have been selected to take part in the third annual MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate. Columbus Crew Director of Player Development Dan Lock will also serve as head coach of the East, as MLS NEXT advised on the selection of the coaching staff for both teams.
Hosted at Historic Crew Stadium, the first professional soccer-specific stadium in the United States, the MLS NEXT All-Star game will showcase North America’s top young players in an East vs. West matchup on Tuesday, July 23 at 11:30 a.m. ET and will be streamed live on MLSSoccer.com. Admission to the game is free, as fans in Columbus can watch the future stars of MLS take center stage during MLS All-Star week. Fans are highly encouraged to park in the VIP lot (near Gate 4 and 5) and G Lot, and more information on parking directions can be found HERE.
MLS NEXT and Allstate will provide the players with unique opportunities during MLS All-Star Week, which will include a full slate of programming events and activities in advance of the match. The players will be fully immersed in MLS All-Star Week festivities, which include team training, the All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T on July 23, and the MLS All-Star Game on July 24. Each MLS NEXT All-Star team will also conduct their own training sessions leading up to their match on Tuesday morning.
Adams joined the Crew Academy in January 2023, at the U-15 level. He was selected to compete with the U-15 United States Youth National Team in the 2023 U-15 Concacaf Championships, where the United States were ultimately crowned champions. In the Final, Adams recorded a brace in the 4-2 win over Mexico. In 2024, Adams signed an MLS NEXT Pro Amateur Agreement with Columbus Crew 2 where he has logged a team-best five goals, one assist, and 647 minutes through 10 appearances.
Brown, a member of the Crew Academy since August 2022, signed an Amateur Agreement with Crew 2 ahead of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season, and has recorded 648 minutes through 10 appearances. Internationally, Brown has participated in the U-17 USYNT camps in October 2023 in Portland, Ore. and March 2024 in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Lock joined the Club in June 2022 as the Head of Individual Development and Coaching for the Columbus Crew and Crew Academy and was elevated to the role of Director of Player Development in 2023. During his tenure, Lock has been integral to the Crew’s player development pathway and the Club’s recognition with the 2023 Academy of the Year Award, as selected by its peers.
Among the 44 players who will compete in the match, more than half have played in MLS NEXT this season and progressed to sign Homegrown deals or appear in MLS NEXT Pro. The players were selected following the conclusion of the 2024 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and Showcase. To be eligible for selection, players must have been born between 2007-2009, have competed in the MLS NEXT regular season, and played in at least one of the MLS NEXT premier events this season – MLS NEXT Fest, MLS NEXT Flex, Generation adidas Cup, or the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and Showcase.
Homegrown rookie midfielders Taha Habroune and Cole Mrowka represented the Crew in the 2023 MLS NEXT All-Star Game. Habroune became the first player to progress through the player pathway from the Crew Academy to Crew 2 to the First Team. The two are currently second and third youngest in Club history to make their MLS debut. After leading the Crew Academy U-17 team to the 2022 MLS NEXT Cup final, Giorgio De Libera and Stanislav Lapkes were selected as the Club’s All-Stars in the inaugural MLS NEXT All-Star Game in 2022. Both players would go on to sign with Crew 2 the following year.
East
Chase Adams, Columbus Crew, 2008
Chris Applewhite, Nashville SC, 2007
Drew Baiera, New York City FC, 2007
Sergey Balatsko, BW Gottschee, 2007
Liam Briscoe, FC DELCO, 2008
Tristan Brown, Columbus Crew, 2007
Michael Capretto, FC DELCO, 2008
Stefan Chirila, FC Cincinnati, 2007
Lucas Ferreira, Players Development Academy, 2007
Colin Guske, Orlando City SC, 2007
Vitaliy Hlyut, Chicago Fire FC, 2008
DaMario McIntosh, New England Revolution, 2007
Cai McLean, Inter Miami CF, 2008
Pablo Patrick-Galvez, Toronto FC, 2007
Jaysen Quintanilla, Charlotte FC, 2007
Diego Rocio, Philadelphia Union, 2007
Juan Rojas, Orlando City SC, 2008
Felix Samson, CF Montréal, 2007
Cavan Sullivan, Philadelphia Union, 2009
Simon Tonidandel, Charlotte FC, 2007
Adyn Torres, Atlanta United, 2007
Gavin Turner, D.C. United, 2007
West
Tomo Allen, San Jose Earthquakes, 2007
Miguel Alvarado, Colorado Rapids, 2008
Anthony Boyadjian, Albion SC LA, 2007
Zackory Campagnolo, Colorado Rapids, 2007
Max Eisenberg, Portland Timbers, 2007
DeCarlo Guerra, LAFC, 2008
Pedro Guimaraes, LAFC, 2008
Ian James, Sporting Kansas City, 2008
Sylar Kaplan, Strikers FC, 2007
Liam Mackenzie, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 2007
Jose ‘Pepe’ Magana Jr., LA Galaxy, 2007
Luca Moisa, Real Salt Lake, 2008
Isaac Mwakutuya, Houston Dynamo FC, 2007
Leo Orejarena, FC Dallas, 2007
Tyson Pearce, St. Louis CITY SC, 2007
Owen Pratt, LA Galaxy, 2008
Rohan Rajagopal, San Jose Earthquakes, 2007
Darius Randell, Minnesota United FC, 2007
Joshua Sosa, Barca Residency Academy, 2007
Mateo Tsakiris, LA Galaxy, 2007
Etienne Veillard, Seattle Sounders FC, 2007
Gavin Wolff, Austin FC, 2008
Columbus and Historic Crew Stadium have hosted Major League Soccer’s midsummer showcase event twice (2000, 2005), but the match and MLS All-Star Skills Challenge come to Lower.com Field for the first time since the stadium’s opening in July 2021. In addition to Crew home matches, Lower.com Field – recognized as a premier international venue and features first-rate premium and suite hospitality spaces, including terrace decks introduced in 2023, as well as a safe-standing Nordecke supporters’ section – has hosted the 2023 MLS Cup, multiple U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Team matches, the 2021 Campeones Cup and the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Cup, when Crew 2 claimed the league’s inaugural title.
