Fansided

Every MLS teams’ best player aged 20 or under

By Harrison Hamm

May 20, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta United forward Andrew Carleton (30) runs on the field against the Houston Dynamo in the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
May 20, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta United forward Andrew Carleton (30) runs on the field against the Houston Dynamo in the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 17, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York City FC midfielder Jack Harrison (11) plays the ball against Seattle Sounders FC during the second half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 17, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York City FC midfielder Jack Harrison (11) plays the ball against Seattle Sounders FC during the second half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

NYCFC: Jack Harrison

New York City FC have some competition here. 19-year-old Venezuelan midfielder Yangel Herrera is pushing Andrea Pirlo out of the starting lineup, and he captained his country’s U-20 World Cup team in South Korea in May, leading them to the final. 20-year-old third-overall draft pick Jonathan Lewis is a very talented winger who has been pushed out of the starting lineup by the 20-year-old who makes this list.

Jack Harrison, an Englishman who was drafted with the first-overall pick in 2016, was starting and starring for NYC last season, and could have won the Rookie of the Year award had he not spent the first three months of the season injured. He scored four goals and picked up seven assists in 17 starts last year, playing off David Villa and using his skill to move in off the wing and fire blistering shots early into his run.

This season, through 15 appearances and 14 starts, he already has six goals and three assists, helping NYCFC take their spot in the upper-echelon of the Eastern Conference. Villa continues to make a great case for MVP while Harrison rips up opposing full-backs from his position on the wing. He will make himself a solid case for the English national team in the near future.

While Harrison, Herrera and Lewis are three very, very good young players, they aren’t emblematic of developmental success out of NYCFC, who have yet to bring out a Homegrown player and are far behind in the youth academy aspect of developing players. The draft and Manchester City loanees (which Herrera is) are solid resources, but it’d be nice if NYC start doing some developing themselves to keep up with their red counterparts.

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