Philly Leader

Eastern Conference Champion Philadelphia Union II is set to face North Texas SC in the MLS NEXT Pro Cup 2024 on Saturday, November 9th. Union II displayed a strong performance against Columbus Crew 2, with three different players scoring and limiting their opponents to just one shot. Markus Anderson scored twice for Union II, including a goal in the 16th minute that gave his team an early lead. Cavan Sullivan, aged 15, scored his second impressive goal of the season in the 42nd minute.

In the second half, Frankie Westfield added another goal before Anderson completed his brace. Meanwhile, North Texas SC achieved the best overall record in MLS NEXT Pro with 62 points and a regular season record of 16-4-8. They had a strong home performance with a 9-0-5 record. Goalkeeper Michael Collodi was recognized as the league's Goalkeeper of the Year after contributing significantly to his team's success.

Collodi led all MLS NEXT Pro goalkeepers in wins (13), tied for first in clean sheets (6), ranked second in save percentage (73.1%), and was third in games played, games started, and minutes (23gp, 23gs, 1991 mins). He conceded only 28 goals during the year and was named MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Month for May. Nico Gordon also received Best XI honors alongside Collodi as North Texas SC advanced through postseason victories over Whitecaps FC 2, Tacoma Defiance, and St Louis CITY2.