All Barça Residency Academy MLS NEXT teams were officially back in action this weekend, with the Homegrown teams opening their 2026-27 season in Los Angeles while the Academy teams continued their season at home in Arizona.
The Homegrown teams kicked off their 2026-27 campaign with a weekend doubleheader against LAFC and LASC in the Los Angeles area. Meanwhile, the Academy teams entered their second week of play, hosting City SC Utah on Saturday at Grande Sports World, home of Barça Residency Academy.
Homegrown Teams Open Season in Los Angeles
The Homegrown teams opened their season Saturday morning at Jesse Owens Stadium, taking on MLS academy side LAFC.
The U17s highlighted the day with a thrilling victory, battling LAFC to a 3-3 draw through regulation before earning the win in a dramatic 8-9 penalty shootout. Marcus Momousse scored twice, while Luca Martins added the third goal in regulation.
The U19s also found themselves in a tight contest, ultimately falling 1-2 to LAFC. Leiston Stoddard scored Barça’s lone goal of the match.
The U16s were unable to secure a result in their season opener, falling 4-2 to LAFC. Nico Villanueva and Alfred Cruz found the back of the net for Barça.
Academy Teams Continue Season at Home
Back in Arizona, the Academy teams continued their second week of play Saturday at Grande Sports World, hosting City SC Utah. Barça’s U17s secured a 2-2 draw with goals from Myles Kounkel and Alon Koschitzky. The U15, U16, and U19 teams were unable to secure a result vs. City SC Utah.
Barça Earns Positive Results Against LASC
Sunday morning brought a new challenge for the Homegrown teams as they faced LASC in their second match of the weekend. After getting their first games of the season under their belts Saturday, Barça responded with two wins, one draw and one loss.
The U15s opened the day with their first action of the season, battling LASC to a 3-3 draw behind goals from Aiden Nickson, Cruz Fisher and Drew Miazga.
The U16s bounced back from Saturday’s loss with a commanding 1-5 victory over LASC, with Emojong, Nico Villanueva, Alfred Cruz, Dimov and Leon all finding the back of the net.
The U17s continued their strong start to the season, earning their second victory of the weekend with a 1-3 win over LASC. Marcus Momousse continued his impressive weekend by scoring his third goal, while Zach Eynon converted from the penalty spot and Troy Montanez added Barça’s third. The result gave the U17s six points from their opening two matches.
The U19s closed out the weekend with a tough 4-2 loss to LASC, with Stoddard and Fekete scoring for Barça.
Looking Ahead
The Academy teams will look to bounce back next weekend when they host Monarchs Arizona on Saturday at Grande Sports World.
The Homegrown teams will return to action Sunday, hosting City SC San Diego as they continue their 2026-27 season campaign.
