Another week of MLS NEXT Pro action is in the books, bringing us one step closer to knowing which teams will punch their ticket to the 2025 postseason.
Carolina Core FC made it back-to-back weeks earning Team of the Matchweek after another positive performance that helped them rise above the Eastern Conference playoff line.
NYCFC II’s Sebastiano Musu put on a performance for the ages, scoring a second-half hat-trick and adding an assist in a 5-4 victory over Chicago Fire II to earn Player of the Matchweek honor.
To round out the awards, Red Bulls II academy forward Dennis Nelich scored his second goal of the season to claim the Rising Star of the Matchweek award.
Let’s take a closer look at all the winners :
MLS NEXT Pro Team of Matchweek 26: Carolina Core FC
This team just doesn’t give up.
Carolina Core FC rallied from an early deficit to take down Atlanta United 2 at home with a 4-2 victory on Saturday night.
The Foxes have now won four straight matches, moving into eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and have moved into playoff position with just three games left in the regular season.
The match swung back and forth after Patrick Weah’s scorpion kick opener, with both teams trading goals before Kai Thomas and Facundo Canete put the game away for the Foxes late in the second half.
The performance earned Carolina Core FC Team of Matchweek 27 honors, with Canete once again leading the way for the Foxes, scoring twice and providing an assist. The Argentinian midfielder now sits at nine goals and five assists for the season, with the 25-year-old delivering five goal contributions in his last two games.
With three games left, Carolina Core FC knows the job isn’t finished, but their current momentum has them looking like one of the most dangerous teams in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
MLS NEXT Pro Player of Matchweek 27: Sebastiano Musu, NYCFC II
For much of the match between Chicago Fire II and NYCFC II, it looked like Chicago would walk away with all three points. They were playing at home, Jason Shokalook was relentless in front of goal (ultimately bagging a hat trick), and 2024 MLS NEXT Pro MVP David Poreba showed his quality, scoring his second goal of the season.
But after the break, the match turned into the Sebastiano Musu show. The kind of chaos worthy of a #MLSNEXTProAfterDark hashtag.
With NYCFC II trailing 2-1 at the half, Sebastiano Musu took over.
He struck in the 54th and 72nd minutes to pull NYCFC II level, then earned and converted a penalty in the 76th to complete a 22-minute second-half hat trick.
Shokalook’s third goal of the night briefly tied things at four apiece, but Musu responded once more, setting up teammate Juan Ponce for the 89th-minute match winner.
His performance in the dramatic 5-4 victory earned Musu the Player of Matchweek 27 award, and also helped get NYCFC II to 34 points - just one point shy of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
MLS NEXT Rising Star of Matchweek 27: Dennis Nelich, NY Red Bulls II
Seventeen-year-old striker Dennis Nelich earned the Rising Star of Matchweek 27 honors after making an instant impact off the bench in Red Bulls II’s 3-2 road victory over Huntsville City FC.
Subbing on in the 68th minute, Nelich needed just seven minutes to put his stamp on the game. After recovering the ball in Huntsville's half, Nehuén Benedetti slipped a ball to the Red Bulls academy prospect at the top of the box, and Nelich curled a perfectly placed shot for his second goal of the year.
The strike showed Nelich's technical quality in front of goal and helped keep Red Bulls II atop the Eastern Conference standings.
