Making it here means ensuring winning wasn't overlooked as a factor in the development process in an uber-competitive 2025 season. After celebrating their respective conference trophies last week, it's time for New York Red Bulls II and Colorado Rapids 2 to battle for the big one: a lift the winning players will remember for the rest of their lives.
MLS NEXT Pro Cup 2025 might be the biggest and best yet.
RBNY II play host after a dominant regular season that saw them finish first in the East.
Visiting Rapids 2 finished third in the West with another strong campaign that consistently placed them in the conference heavyweight category.
With so much to dive into ahead of Saturday's kickoff at Sports Illustrated Stadium, let's get to it.
How to watch
What to know
Red Bulls and American soccer icon Michael Bradley took over as RBNY II's coach in June and quickly wound up in his first final on the other side of the touchline.
His opposite, 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Coach of the Year Erik Bushey, has been part of the lifeblood of the Rapids development department since 2017, helping them be one of the most consistent teams in MLS NEXT Pro, spanning results and development, since their inaugural season in 2022.
Both sides feature several elite prospects that could be key players battling at the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs level this time next year.
Players to watch
Looking at the Conference Final round, it's clear that each side found their cape-wearer.
For New York Red Bulls II, striker Roald Mitchell sparked a heroic 2-1 comeback with a brace of daring goals in the second half.
The 22-year-old Homegrown is a shining example of the club's professional pathway to go from academy prospect to signing a first-team contract. The Cup Final is a milestone moment after coming off a lengthy injury suffered in April 2024 that kept him sidelined until June of this year, where he's put up a whopping six goals in 538 regular-season minutes in his return. In the postseason, he's scored in each of RBNY II's wins.
20-year-old Rapids 2 winger Alex Harris also carries a three-game scoring streak into Saturday's finale.
The former Cornell Big Red wonderkid was selected by Colorado in the first round of the 2025 Superdraft and has thrived in a breakout professional debut campaign that put up 5g/3a in the regular season. Quickly rising in the Rapids' ranks, Harris made seven first-team appearances across all competitions this year, including a 90-minute start against reigning CONCACAF Champions Cup holders Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup group stage.
Matchup to watch
It'll be a battle of the midfields with both sides flashing a 4-3-3 in recent weeks, and the middle three on both sides playing very well together.
RBNY II's midfield unit of captain Adri Mehmeti, 2025 Best XI selection, Nehuén Benedetti, and Nate Worth can all slide into different roles seamlessly to adapt to all situations that unfold over 90-plus minutes.
The same can be said about Rapids 2's midfield of Sam Bassett, Daouda Amadou, and Sydney Wathuta.
Who wins that battle? Tough to tell.
Mehmeti, a gifted midfielder, will likely have his hands full with Wathuta, who is incredibly dangerous when he moves into the final third. Like any good cup final, this will come down to thin margins. If one can get the better of the other, it could prompt the moment that changes everything.
Coaches corner
MLS NEXT Pro is just as much a proving ground for coaches and technical staffers as it is for players. For the first time, the MLS NEXT Pro Cup Final is played between two sides with head coaching vacancies at the first team level, adding an additional wrinkle for fans to think about.
When Bradley received the RBNY II assignment earlier in the year, it was natural to wonder if it was a precursor to the first-team show. After last week's Conference Final win, he remarked on his passion for his early coaching journey.
“The part of it being even more about the group and more about doing everything you can to help others, help the players, help make it all with how you lead, with how you engage them, with how you talk, with how you push them,” he explained after Saturday’s win. “Trying to make it all better every single day, that part of it.
“I'm still a young coach, but I'm loving every second of it.”
On the other side, Rapids 2 boss Bushey is one of the original coaches from the inaugural season. Not often linked to the MLS coaching carousel, he cast the spotlight toward his staff when asked about the opportunities that come with all the eyeballs of being in a final.
“The league, what it fosters, what it opens up as we look to develop players, there's no doubt we look to develop staff (too),” he said postgame Sunday. “...I want to push those coaches. I want to push those people. Their success is selfishly mine and ours, and I think our club can offer up that opportunity. So, I'm excited for them as much as I am for the players.”
The path here
Regular season record: 17W-6L-5T (2 SOW), Home: 10W, 1L, 3T (1 SOW)
Playoff results:
RBNY 5-1 CCFC | Highlights
RBNY 5-1 CHI | Highlights
RBNY 2-1 PHI | Highlights | Recap
History: Before the MLS NEXT Pro era, RBNY II won the USL Championship in 2016 with a star-studded lineup featuring US men's national team regulars Tyler Adams and Aaron Long among a host of talents that went on to have successful MLS and international careers. Could this be another golden generation of Red Bull youth?
Regular season record: 15W-8L-5T (1 SOW), Road: 8W-3L-3T (0 SOW)
Playoff results:
COL 3-2 VAN | Highlights
TTFC 4-2 COL | Highlights
COL 2-1 MIN | Highlights | Recap
History: Saturday's final is a full-circle moment for Bushey and Co. After having the most dominant season in MLS NEXT Pro history in 2023, Rapids 2 fell short in the Western Conference Final to eventual champions Austin FC II. Before and after last week's WCF, he spoke much about the importance of overcoming that disappointment. Would a Cup win wash those thoughts away?
More
RBNY II
WATCH: Michael Bradley on advancing to MLS NEXT Pro Cup Final
WATCH: Roald Mitchell on RBNY II's ECF comeback
WATCH: Coaches Corner - Michael Bradley, New York Red Bulls II
WATCH: Player Profile - Nehuén Benedetti, New York Red Bulls II
WATCH: Player Profile - Adri Mehmeti, New York Red Bulls II
READ: From Captain to Coach: Michael Bradley begins new chapter with Red Bulls II
Colorado Rapids 2
