2024-07-18 20:40:01
Major League Soccer and TOCA Football are partnering to bring a special All-Star experience to four youth soccer stars from across the United States. Each young athlete will take the field alongside the 2024 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T.
Through this summer’s TOCA Skills Showcase, a national competition held at dozens of participating TOCA Centers from May to June, the winners were announced in early July. Driven by TOCA’s state-of-the-art technology and soccer training programming, winners were selected by their scores based on their “baseline sessions” – including goals scored, best streak, and average speed of play.
After two months of intense competition, a winner from two separate age brackets (7-12 years old, 13-18 years old) will represent the East and West regions in an on-field exhibition during the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge between the brightest stars from LIGA MX and MLS.
TOCA – the official soccer training partner of MLS – provides players of all ages and skill levels the necessary soccer skills to develop their first touch, passing and shooting accuracy, movements, speed of play, and more through repetition and interactive training challenges.
“I will never forget my experiences as a player in MLS, especially being named an All-Star in 1999 when I played with San Jose,” said TOCA founder Eddie Lewis, a former player in MLS, the English Premier League and with the US men’s national team. “When I was a professional player trying to be my best, I used the same training philosophies and routines that TOCA uses now. To see and celebrate TOCA players on the same field as the MLS All-Stars nearly 25 years later, I can’t even begin to describe how amazing it is.”
UNDER-12 PLAYER PROFILES:
EAST: Caden Valdez, TOCA Nashville, Aris FC
- Birth Year: 2014
- Favorite MLS Team / Player: Nashville SC / Lionel Messi
- Position: Defender
WEST: Chance Tobin, TOCA Redmond (Seattle), Eastside FC
- Birth year: 2014
- Favorite MLS Team / Player: Inter Miami / Lionel Messi
- Position: Central Attacking Midfielder
“Being named to my first MLS All-Star team was such a great achievement for me as a young player,” said Chicago Fire and USMNT midfielder Kellyn Acosta, who was announced as a TOCA stakeholder and ambassador in June. “I played against Arsenal in 2016, and it’s so special to be named one of the best but also to play against the best in the world. If I was a young player like these winners, this opportunity would be unforgettable – it’s so important to me as a player to have good preparation and training, and that’s what TOCA provides. You practice how you play, which means getting the touches and repetitions to better yourself.”
“I can’t wait to cheer our TOCA stars on during the MLS All-Star events,” Acosta added.
UNDER-18 PLAYER PROFILES:
EAST: Cameron Neigh, TOCA Richmond-Bedford Heights (Cleveland), Cleveland Force SC
- Birth year: 2011
- Favorite MLS Team / Player: Columbus Crew / Jordi Alba
- Position: Left Winger
WEST: Ishan Singh, TOCA Redmond (Seattle), PacNW FC
- Birth year: 2009
- Favorite MLS Team / Player: Seattle Sounders / Jordan Morris
- Position: Midfielder
Each winner will earn the All-Star treatment, flying to Columbus to participate in the All-Star celebration with stops at the 2024 MLS All-Star Concert presented by Target, fan experiences and community-focused events, the MLS All-Star Soccer Celebration, and 2024 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target. Headlining the entire experience will be the on-field head-to-head competition between the East and West winners in front of a packed Lower.com Field – the home of the reigning MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew.
Earlier this year, TOCA introduced its technologies in the FC Dallas Performance Center, and actively participates alongside clubs like Atlanta United, Nashville SC and Colorado Rapids for soccer camps and youth development activities. The TOCA training experience is deeply entrenched at every level of MLS – including rising stars like CF Montréal’s George Campbell and Mason Toye, Atlanta United’s Caleb Wiley, FC Dallas’ Omar Gonzalez, St. Louis CITY SC’s Dida Armstrong and Jay Reid, and many more.
“The sky’s the limit for the TOCA and MLS partnership,” Lewis said. “This year has already brought new experiences and growth for both of us, and we can’t wait to continue building on those successes.”
