ORLANDO, Fla. (June 29, 2023) — Orlando City Academy defender Tahir Reid-Brown has been selected for the second annual MLS NEXT All-Star Game, presented by Allstate, it was announced today. The match is slated for Wednesday, July 19 at 10:30 a.m. ET at the Naval Academy’s Glenn Warner Soccer Facility in Annapolis, Md., with Reid-Brown set to represent the East.
“We’re thrilled for Tahir to have this opportunity to compete with and against the best in his class at the MLS NEXT All-Star Game,” Orlando City Technical Director Ricardo Moreira said. “His selection shows, yet again, the work that our Academy is doing to produce some of the top young talent in the country and we’re excited to see him play in the nation’s capital later this summer.”
Reid-Brown, 16, appeared 13 times in MLS NEXT action for the Lions this past campaign as the side reached the Semifinals of the MLS NEXT Cup for the third time in as many seasons, finding the back of the net one time in that span. The defender has also been a member of MLS NEXT Pro side Orlando City B for the last two seasons, totaling 12 appearances with four starts in that span.
At the international level, Reid-Brown was most recently called up to the U.S. U-17 Youth National Team in April.
Reid-Brown follows in the footsteps of fellow Academy products Alejandro Granados and Favian Loyola, both of which were selected for the inaugural contest a year ago, with Loyola eventually being named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
The 44 players were selected by MLS NEXT personnel following the conclusion of the 2023 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and Showcase. To be eligible for selection, players must have been born between 2005-2007, 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.
The two teams will compete in an East vs. West format at the Naval Academy’s Glenn Warner Soccer Facility in Annapolis, Md. on the day of the MLS All-Star Game. All 29 MLS academies had at least one player selected to the roster. Five non-MLS academies will also be represented in Annapolis: BW Gottschee, FC DELCO, Real Colorado, Strikers FC, Total Futbol Academy.
The match will be streamed live from MLS NEXT’s (@mlsnext) TikTok account with multiple access points in the app. Admission to the MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility is free of cost.
