Minnesota United and MNUFC Academy, along with MLS NEXT, today announced today that U17 forward Darius Randell has been selected to play for the West Team during the third annual MLS NEXT All-Star Game, presented by Allstate. The game will showcase North America’s top young players in an East vs. West matchup at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, July 23 at 11:30 a.m. ET and will be live streamed on MLSSoccer.com.

Darius Randell, a 16-year-old forward, was born in Monrovia, Liberia and has been raised in Minnesota. The young Loon joined the MNUFC Academy in the 2022-23 season at the U15 level, and most recently competed with the club’s U17 and U19 squads during this 2023-24 MLS NEXT season. Prior to his time with the MNUFC Academy, he played for Twin Cities-based Boreal Football Club. Randell is now the third Loon to represent the MNUFC Academy in the MLS NEXT All-Star Game. See below a list of young Loons to earn the academy-level All-Star honor, with their year and All-Star Game location:

• U19 defender Carlos Leatherman (2022 in Blaine, Minnesota)
• U19 midfielder Kage Romanshyn Jr. (2023 in Annapolis, Maryland)
• U17 forward Darius Randell (2024 in Columbus, Ohio)

Additionally, Randell has consistently developed, trained and played with MNUFC2, the MLS NEXT Pro team for Minnesota United. With MNUFC2 in the 2024 season, the 16-year-old has made 12 game appearances (10 starts), mostly at the winger position, and has provided two assists, to-date.

Randell is among the 44 players across the academy-level league who will compete in the match, played at the former home of the Columbus Crew, which is notably the very-first soccer-specific stadium built in the United States and across MLS.

MLS NEXT and Allstate will provide Randell and his fellow All-Stars 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.

The 44 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.

MLS NEXT also advised on the selection of the coaching staff for both East and West teams. The head coach of the East team will be Columbus Crew director of player development Dan Lock. Lock joined Columbus in June 2022 and has served an integral role in the Crew’s player development pathway that has resulted in a 2023 MLS Cup, 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Cup, and an appearance in the final of 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Cup. Prior to Columbus, Lock served as the academy manager and U17 head coach for Charlotte FC from 2020-22 as well as in a variety of coaching roles with Seattle Sounders FC from 2016-20.

The West head coach will be LA Galaxy U17 head coach Shaun Tsakiris, who recently became the first coach to win the U17 age group of MLS NEXT Cup twice (2023 and 2024). Through Tsakiris’ leadership, he has helped develop young Galaxy talents like Harbor Miller, Ruben Ramos Jr., and the joint MLS NEXT-record three players in this year’s game. Tsakiris was previously the U.S. U16 Youth National Team head coach from 2016-18 and is currently an assistant for the U.S. U20 Youth National Team.

Admission to the MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate at Historic Crew Stadium is free of cost. More information on parking directions can be found HERE.

About MLS NEXT

Launched in 2020, MLS NEXT is the most elite platform for youth player development in North America. With a commitment to innovation and providing access and representation, MLS NEXT players receive the best training and coaching as they prepare for their futures, both in soccer and in life. Throughout a season, MLS NEXT hosts four marquee events across the country, including the Generation adidas Cup, which features MLS academies playing against the top international clubs. Membership for the 2023-24 season included 29 MLS academies, 114 Elite Academies (143 total clubs), 677 teams and over 15,000 players across the U.S. and Canada. Official partners of MLS NEXT include adidas, Allstate, and DoorDash. For more information about MLS NEXT, visit www.mlssoccer.com/mlsnext.