A busy MLS NEXT Pro Matchweek 16 offered no shortage of heroics.
Chicago Fire II remained the hottest team in the league (no pun intended) in the face of a double-fixture week as they continue their climb in the Eastern Conference, picking up a third Team of the Matchweek honor in the process.
The Tacoma Defiance headlined the Western Conference action with a 3-2 win over LAFC 2, and 18-year-old midfielder Snyder Brunell came up clutch twice to earn his first Player of the Matchweek selection.
He wasn’t the only youngster leading the way to wins, though. Toronto FC II can thank 16-year-old TFC Academy midfielder Antone Bossenberry, who played the hero in their 2-1 road win at Orlando City B. His efforts earned this week's MLS NEXT Rising Star of the Matchweek honor.
Read more about Matchweek 16’s winners below.
MLS NEXT Pro Team of Matchweek 16: Chicago Fire FC II
Fire II impressed yet again in Matchweek 16 by stacking five more points in a busy double-fixture week.
They started the week with a 3-1 win on the road at Inter Miami II, where Italian newcomer Claudio Cassano completed a gentleman’s hat trick with three assists, co-starring with Fire Academy product Trip Fleming, who got on the end of two of them for a brace.
Then, a return home saw them stand tough to Crown Legacy FC, who threw the kitchen sink at the Fire II defense with a whopping 20 shots.
Homegrown Dylan Borso got them on the board with a Goal of the Matchweek entry golazo in Fire II’s 1-1 tie and ensuing shootout win.
In the bigger picture, the performances extend their unbeaten streak to eight games and closes out two consecutive months without a loss.
It’s also their third Team of the Matchweek honor of the season after taking the spoils in Matchweek 8 and Matchweek 12.
MLS NEXT Pro Player of Matchweek 16: Snyder Brunell
The good times keep rolling for 18-year-old Snyder Brunell.
Fresh off helping the US men’s national team U-18s win the UEFA Friendship Cup in Switzerland, his goal and game-winning assist in Tacoma Defiance’s 3-2 win over LAFC 2 make him the MLS NEXT Pro Player of Matchweek 16.
Brunell opened the scoring in the 40th minute by rifling in a loose ball at point-blank, and calmly delivered the assist for Danny Robles in the 83rd to end the Defiance's five-game winless skid.
A Seattle Sounders Academy product, Brunell signed his first pro contract with the Defiance in 2023 and has racked up five goals and seven assists in MLS NEXT Pro across three seasons.
MLS NEXT Rising Star of Matchweek 16: Antone Bossenberry
An instant impact was needed, and one was made.
With a four-game unbeaten streak on the line, Antone Bossenberry dramatically notched his first pro goal. The 16-year-old Toronto FC Academy midfielder rewarded head coach Gianni Cimini for calling on him in TFC II’s 2-1 win on the road at Orlando City B.
His first touches of the match were executed perfectly when TFC II forced a turnover in OCB’s box in the 80th minute. The frantic setup ended with Bossenberry’s chest trap to set up a right-footed shot past five OCB defenders.
Bossenberry has made 11 appearances, including three starts, for TFC II so far in 2025, helping the Young Reds complete an unbeaten month of June. On the international stage, he's represented Canada at the U-15 and U-17 levels.
