It was a week of big wins and bigger celebrations for Barca Residency Academy, as the U19 Elite Academy squad punched their ticket to the 2025 EA National Championships, and the U19 MLS Next team topped their group at the high-stakes MLS Next Flex event.
The U19 Elite Academy team, led by Head Coach Cesar Cambisaca, clinched their spot in the 2025 EA Playoffs with an impressive second-place finish in the Southwest Division—a competitive group featuring 20 teams from Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. Barca closed out the regular season with a strong 16W-4L-2D record and will now set their sights on the national title, with the Elite Academy National Championships slated for June 19–25 at the Creve Coeur Soccer Complex in St. Louis, Missouri.
On the MLS side, the U19s added another highlight to their outstanding season by winning their group at the MLS Next Flex event in Boyds, Maryland. After a narrow 2-3 opening loss to Jacksonville Armada FC, the team bounced back with back-to-back victories over MLS academies New England Revolution (3-2) and St. Louis City (3-2), securing the top spot in their group. The group win reinforces their momentum heading into the MLS Next Cup Playoffs, for which they had already qualified by winning the Southwest Division.
In addition to the success at the U19 level, all four of Barca Residency Academy’s MLS Next teams (U15, U16, U17, U19) have officially qualified for the 2025 MLS Next Cup Playoffs. The highly anticipated season-culminating event will occur June 14–22 at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Nashville, Tennessee.
