ORLANDO, Fla. (July 2, 2024) – A pair of Orlando City Academy products have been selected to the 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate, with goalkeeper Juan Rojas and midfielder Colin Guske being named to the East roster.
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 stream live on MLSSoccer.com.
MLS NEXT and Allstate will provide the players 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.
Rojas, 15, featured 25 times this past season for the Academy’s U-15 side, starting in 17 of those matches. Throughout his appearances in net for the young Lions, the Valencia, Venezuelan native conceded just 13 goals all season and kept clean sheets in seven matches.
Guske, 17, signed his first professional contract at the beginning of this year, joining Orlando City B in MLS NEXT Pro. The Jacksonville, Florida native has made 13 appearances, starting in all 13 of those matches, across the past few seasons for the Lions, scoring one goal and providing one assist in that span.
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.
Guske and Rojas’ selections represent the third consecutive year that an Orlando City Academy player has been named to the MLS NEXT All-Star Game, joining the ranks of Academy products Favian Loyola and Alejandro Granados, who featured in the 2022 All-Star Game, and Tahir Reid-Brown, who played in last year’s edition.
