Major League Soccer announced on Wednesday that Austin FC Academy goalkeeper Nico Aristizábal and midfielder Christian Ayala were selected to compete in the 2025 MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate, taking place on Monday, July 21 (7:30 p.m. CT) at Parmer Field at St. David’s Performance Center.
Aristizábal and Ayala will compete with the MLS NEXT Western Conference All-Stars against a team of MLS NEXT Eastern Conference All-Stars.
The match will stream live on the MLS YouTube channel. Admission to the MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate at the Parmer Field is free of cost. Fans may register for free tickets by clicking HERE.
Aristizábal, 17, joined the Austin FC Academy in 2021. He signed an amateur agreement making him eligible to appear for Austin FC II in March 2025 and at the youth international level has made three (3) appearances for the Puerto Rico U-17 national team.
Ayala, 16, joined the Austin FC Academy in 2021. He excelled for the program’s U-16 team this season with 12 goals and six (6) assists and served as a team captain.
Austin FC U-16 Head Coach Jason Shackell will coach the Western Conference All-Stars, along with fellow Austin FC Academy coaches Conor Shanosky and Nedin Tucakovic. This past season, Austin FC’s U-16 side reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 Generation adidas Cup and the Round of 32 at MLS NEXT Cup in June. The U-16 squad also topped their division in the 2024-25 regular season with a 9-2-3 record.
MLS NEXT personnel selected all players for the MLS NEXT All-Star rosters following the conclusion of the 2024-25 regular season and 2025 MLS NEXT Cup. To be eligible for selection, players must have been born between 2008-10 and have competed in either the MLS NEXT regular season or in at least one of MLS NEXT’s premier events – MLS NEXT Fest, MLS NEXT Flex, Generation adidas Cup, or MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs.
