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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Jul 28, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; MLS Homegrown Players defender Erik Palmer-Brown (2) during the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game in advance of the 2015 MLS All Star Game against Club America U-20s at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 28, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; MLS Homegrown Players defender Erik Palmer-Brown (2) during the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game in advance of the 2015 MLS All Star Game against Club America U-20s at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Sporting Kansas City: Erik Palmer-Brown

Sporting Kansas City signed center-back prodigy Erik Palmer-Brown in 2013, when the Ohio native was just 16, as a Homegrown player. A product of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and, from the age of 13, Sporting KC’s academy, Palmer-Brown was then a member of the U.S. U-18 national team, and was already getting training sessions with both SKC’s first team and the U-20 internationals.

He played in 10 MLS games in 2014 and 2015, including six starts. A wanted commodity from the beginning — Juventus reportedly offered $1 million to Sporting for Palmer-Brown in 2014, only to be rejected — he was sent on loan to top Portuguese club FC Porto in 2016, where he played for Porto’s reserve side, Porto B.

Since returning to his longtime club after 2016, Palmer-Brown, now 20, has spent most of his time with the U.S. U-20s. He captained the squad during the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tournament in Costa Rica, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. Featuring prominently as a defensive midfielder rather than in central defense, EPB also was a big part of the U-20s’ run to the World Cup quarterfinals in May.

Backed up on SKC’s center-back depth chart — Matt Besler and Ike Opara have likely been the best pairing in MLS — Palmer-Brown will find immediate playing time hard to come by, but as the season goes on, he’ll get in at some point given Besler’s USMNT duties. And even if playing time is scarce with the first team, he can play with Sporting’s USL reserve club, Swope Park Rangers.

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