Jude Terry Looking To Lead LAFC2 To Historic Victory In Chattanooga
It is shaping up to be a jam-packed sports weekend in Tennessee. The Volunteer State will host several enticing matchups. The Memphis Grizzlies face the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the Nashville Predators host the St. Louis Blues in an NHL Central Division clash and the Tennessee Titans take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC South showdown. However, only one championship will be decided in Tennessee this weekend: the MLS Next Pro Cup.
With all 30 MLS teams playing their regular-season finales on Saturday, attention in American soccer will turn on Sunday to Finley Stadium. There, Chattanooga FC will become the first independent club to compete in the MLS Next Pro Cup final. Standing in its way is LAFC2, which is looking to cap a historic playoff run by lifting its first title. For 18-year-old midfielder Jude Terry, Sunday’s title game is more than an opportunity to win silverware. It is also a chance to repay the faith of a coach who has guided him from the academy to the professional ranks.
“At any level, a final is super important. Especially for this club, it being the first opportunity to win the MLS Next Pro title, that’s something really special for me, for the players, and for the staff,” Terry said in an exclusive interview with Ratings. “I’ve been with [LAFC2 manager] Favian [Sandoval] since as long as I can remember in the academy. He was one of the first guys who gave me an opportunity at the U-17 level. Not only for me, but to win it for him would be really special; it’d be special for all of us. It would be a great way to top off the year, and to also continue the year with the first team after that; hopefully we could do something special and win both [the MLS Next Pro and the MLS Cup].”
Born Oct. 8, 2008, Terry grew up in Chula Vista, California, just five minutes from the Mexican border. His grandfather Carlos played in Argentina’s second division, while his father Diego represented Mexican indoor side Monterrey La Raza. Jude frequently crossed the border to compete in 11v11 and 5v5 tournaments, sharpening his skills in a less structured environment. After developing at Legends FC, Terry traded San Diego County for Los Angeles County in 2021, joining LAFC’s academy. It wasn’t long before his precocious talent began attracting attention beyond Southern California.
Terry won a Manchester City skills competition that earned him the opportunity to train at the English club’s facilities and rub shoulders with first-team stars like Sergio Agüero. He also tasted silverware in Barcelona, where none other than Gerard Piqué presented him with a trophy following a youth tournament at La Masia. Terry later recalled feeling as though he’d won the Champions League when the legendary Spanish defender handed him the trophy.
From Chula Vista To The Captain’s Armband
Despite being eligible to represent Argentina and Mexico, Terry has represented only the United States at the youth international level. He emerged as a cornerstone of the U.S. U-15 setup. He was one of just two players, alongside Cavan Sullivan, to take part in all five training camps between October 2022 and the 2023 Concacaf U-15 Championship. In the Dominican Republic, Terry justified his manager’s faith by scoring against Haiti and captaining the Americans to their first title in the competition, becoming the first player to lift the trophy in Santo Domingo. Yet despite his early introduction to leadership, he insists that wearing the armband has never changed his approach.
“I try not to be a guy who switches between whether I have the armband or not,” Terry said. “I just try to help the team in the way that I always have, and that’s by leading by example. Obviously, when you get the armband, it’s a big honor, whether it’s for club or for country; you always want to be leading your guys into a war. Getting the armband is an honor, but I don’t think it’s ever changed who I am, and I try not to be different whether or not I have it.”
Terry signed his first professional contract at the end of 2024, committing his future to LAFC through 2027, with club options for 2028 and 2029. The following year brought another milestone as he represented the United States at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar. He opened the scoring in the round of 32 against Morocco, only for the Atlas Lions to snatch a late equalizer and eventually win on penalties. Nevertheless, Terry had established himself as one of the team’s standout performers. He ranked in the team’s top three for key passes and scoring frequency, further enhancing his reputation as one of the country’s most promising midfielders.
Several of his World Cup teammates have already taken the next step. Matthis Albert, Cavan Sullivan and Julian Hall all progressed from competing in Qatar to making their senior USMNT debuts during the September and October international windows. They then earned further call-ups under Mauricio Pochettino in November, and Terry will be hoping to follow in their footsteps.
His performances have not gone unnoticed internationally, either. In October 2025, Terry was named to The Guardian’s prestigious Next Generation list, which highlighted 60 of the world’s most promising players born in 2008. “Central midfielders are not always the flashiest players, so it speaks to Terry’s quality in this position that he is widely considered to be one of the finest talents in the US pipeline,” Alexander Abnos wrote. “The Chula Vista native joined the LAFC academy at age 12 and has already made a handful of appearances with the club’s second team, showing a maturity beyond his years in dictating the pace of play in the centre of the park.”
A Thunderbolt Introduction To MLS
After registering three goals and four assists in 29 appearances in 2025, Terry has enjoyed another breakthrough campaign in 2026. He made the leap from LAFC2 to the first team without completely leaving the reserves behind. One month after making his senior debut against St. Louis CITY, Terry was handed his first MLS start against the Portland Timbers. It took him just 49 minutes to announce himself, as he unleashed a thunderbolt from distance that flew into the top-right corner.
“Obviously, when you hit the ball like that, you always hope for it to go into the top corner,” Terry said of his debut goal. “To be honest, I just hit it, and after that, I kind of blanked. It was a beautiful goal, and it was a great way to start my journey in MLS. We didn’t win that game, but it was a great goal, and it was a great moment for me.”
Having started his career as a center forward and attacking midfielder, Terry moved into central midfield as he approached his teenage years. That positional switch has helped him develop into one of North America’s most intriguing young prospects, combining the vision of a playmaker with the attacking instincts of a forward. Terry’s ability to dictate possession and carve open defenses has been particularly evident in the postseason. His nine key passes are the most of any player in the MLS Next Pro playoffs, two more than his nearest competitor. Yet while creativity remains his bread and butter, he is equally capable of finishing attacks himself.
That versatility has earned him the trust of LAFC manager Marc dos Santos. Dos Santos has handed him 17 first-team appearances, including five starts, across MLS, the Concacaf Champions Cup and the Leagues Cup. Terry needed just three minutes to assist Denis Bouanga’s equalizer after coming off the bench against Portland. Two weeks later, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by scoring at BMO Stadium. He timed his run to perfection before unleashing another spectacular strike past New York Red Bulls goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.
He was rewarded with a second consecutive start against Sporting Kansas City on Sept. 12, but was substituted at halftime with the visitors trailing by two goals. Bouanga pulled one back after the break, but Jacob Bartlett scored to secure a 3-1 win for Sporting. After remaining on the bench against San Jose, Terry returned to international duty. He featured in the U.S. U-19 team’s friendlies against Wales, England and Norway before rejoining LAFC2 for its postseason campaign.
Unfinished Business In Chattanooga
Rather than following a traditional seeded bracket, MLS Next Pro uses a “Pick-Your-Opponent” format, which allows the highest-seeded teams to select their quarterfinal opponents. That system produced a matchup between fourth-seeded Houston Dynamo 2 and sixth-seeded LAFC2. Terry wasted little time making his presence felt in the Space City, breaking the deadlock after just 12 minutes. Although he was substituted before extra time, LAFC2 prevailed 4-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw.
Despite not scoring, Terry delivered an even more impressive performance in the next round against top-seeded Austin FC II. He registered five shots, three key passes and six progressive carries while winning seven of his nine ground duels. That helped LAFC2 secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory courtesy of Sebastian Nava’s extra-time winner. After back-to-back wins in Texas, LAFC2 returned to Southern California for the Western Conference final against Ventura County FC. This time, there was no need for extra time or penalties. Marius Aiyenero’s second-half strike secured another 1-0 victory and booked LAFC2’s place in Sunday’s championship match.
Having spent the past two months primarily with the reserves, Terry is hoping to return to the first team for the MLS Cup playoffs, with LAFC on course to finish sixth in the Western Conference. But before turning his attention to the senior postseason, he has unfinished business in Chattanooga. For all his accomplishments at the youth international level, Sunday’s final offers Terry a different kind of challenge. Chattanooga is a more experienced side, and the midfielder knows that LAFC2 cannot afford to be bullied by its opponent.
“We’ve obviously seen what Chattanooga can do, they’re a good team, they’re a mature team with older guys that have experience, so we know that it’s going to be physically demanding for us,” Terry said.
“We just have to work on the second balls; I think that’s really important. We’ve discussed that second balls are going to be important for us, and that if we win that side of the game, we’ll have a good chance of winning the game. We’re just going to go into the game how we always do in every game, and hopefully we win.”
From lifting the Concacaf U-15 Championship as captain to scoring spectacular goals in MLS, Terry has already packed plenty of milestones into his young career. Now, he has the opportunity to add another: delivering LAFC2’s first championship alongside the coach who believed in him long before his professional breakthrough.