The U16 group in the MLS Next is interesting due to the fact that the MLS academy teams merge the U16 and U17 boys together to create one U17 team. So for these rankings you'll notice there are no teams from MLS academies listed.
We want to note that the preseason rankings in the U16 age group could be extremely volatile over the coming weeks as players who were previously with MLS academy teams may be returning or moving to clubs outside of the MLS academy system.
Now let's get started with listing the preseason Top 25 teams in the U16 age group within MLS Next:
| U16 - MLS Next Top 25 - Week 1 (preseason) | ||
| Team | State | |
| #1 | Strikers FC MLS Next | California |
| #2 | FC Delco MLS Next | Pennsylvania |
| #3 | FC Bay Area MLS Next | California |
| #4 | BW Gottschee Academy MLS Next | New York |
| #5 | LA United FA MLS Next | California |
| #6 | Barca Residency Academy MLS Next | Arizona |
| #7 | Sockers FC MLS Next | Illinois |
| #8 | Miami Rush Kendall SC MLS Next | Florida |
| #9 | Tampa Bay United MLS Next | Florida |
| #10 | Alexandria SA Alex MLS Next | Virginia |
| #11 | Players Development Academy MLS Next | New Jersey |
| #12 | FC Boston Bolts MLS Next | Massachusetts |
| #13 | Cedar Stars Academy Bergen MLS Next | New Jersey |
| #14 | Southern SA MLS Next | Georgia |
| #15 | Springfield South County Youth Club SYC Soccer MLS Next | Virginia |
| #16 | South Florida Football Academy MLS Next | Florida |
| #17 | Silicon Valley SA MLS Next | California |
| #18 | San Antonio FC MLS Next | Texas |
| #19 | Weston FC MLS Next | Florida |
| #20 | Metropolitan Oval Met MLS Next | New York |
| #21 | De Anza Force MLS Next | California |
| #22 | Solar SC MLS Next | Texas |
| #23 | Albion SC San Diego MLS Next | Texas |
| #24 | Tormenta FC Academy MLS Next | Georgia |
| #25 | TSF Academy NU MLS Next | California |
* The Top 25 uses information from the RANKINGS app by USA Sports Statistics. Download your copy of RANKINGS on the App Store.