COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - Colorado Rapids Academy’s Zackory Campagnolo and Miguel Alvarado have been selected for the 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate, the league announced today. Campagnolo, a Rapids U-17 goalkeeper, and Alvarado, a Rapids U-17 defender, will compete as a part of the 22-man roster representing the West on July 23 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Kickoff is set for 9:30 a.m. MT and the match will be streamed live on YouTube.
MLS NEXT and Allstate will provide the selected players with a once-in-a-lifetime experience during MLS All-Star Week, with a full slate of events and activities in advance of the match. The players will be fully integrated into MLS All-Star Week festivities, which include team training, the All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G on July 23 and the MLS All-Star Game on July 24. Each MLS NEXT All-Star team will also conduct their own training sessions leading up to the game on Tuesday morning.
“We are honored to be one of nine clubs to have multiple players representing the organization during this year’s MLS NEXT All-Star Game,” said Chris Cartlidge, Rapids Academy Technical Director. “Both Zackory and Miguel have had an outstanding year training and playing with both our academy and our MLS NEXT Pro team, Rapids 2. A selection to the All-Star roster will be a nice reward for the hard work the players have put forth over the course of the 2024 season.”
Campagnolo joined the Colorado Rapids Academy as a U-17 player at the start of the 2022-23 MLS NEXT season from Orlando City’s Academy program. During his time with the club, Campagnolo has climbed the ranks, often training with both the First Team and the club’s MLS NEXT Pro side. During the 2023-24 MLS NEXT season, Campagnolo recorded three clean sheets in 16 appearances with the U-17 side. The goalkeeper’s performances helped the U-17 team finish second in the West Division in the MLS NEXT Pro Pathway, earning a berth in this year’s MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs. In addition to his time with the Rapids Academy, Campagnolo has also appeared on the Rapids 2 roster for six matches during the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season.
Campagnolo’s success has also reached the national team level with the Florida native being called into the U.S. U-17 Youth National Team’s training camp in March. In November 2023, Campagnolo accompanied fellow Colorado Rapids’ keeper Adam Beaudry at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia where the team advanced all the way to the Round of 16.
Alvarado is a long-standing member of the Rapids organization, having joined at the U-12 level from local affiliate Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club. The defender has been an integral member of the U-17 team this season, logging 24 starts with the team and helping his side to a spot in the playoffs. At the MLS NEXT Pro level, Alvarado has been a recent addition to Rapids 2’s backline. The Colorado native has recorded six starts with Rapids 2 this season and has trained in over 50 sessions with the club’s second team.
Alvarado is no stranger to the big stage as he has spent time with the U.S. U-15 and U-16 Youth National Teams, most recently joining the U-16 squad for a domestic training camp in California. In August 2023, Alvarado was called into the U-15 national team for the Concacaf Boys’ Under-15 Championship in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where the team captured its first-ever Concacaf title in a 4-2 win over Mexico at the Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez. Alvarado was a key player during the tournament, recording four starts across the group and knockout round stages.
