A look at the best MLS players under the age of 24, including Cyle Larin, Jack Harrison and Kellyn Acosta.
MLSsoccer.com will unveil their 24 Under 24 list next week, a ranking of the top 24 MLS players under the age of 24. The 51-player shortlist was revealed this week, which you can see here.
I don’t get a vote in this project, but before the official list comes out (having been voted on by a panel of national MLS writers/pundits/former players), I am prepared to put out my list, waiting eagerly to see how it compares with the official one.
The only players I am considering for this are from that shortlist. They have to be 23 and younger as of Oct. 22. For the purposes of this article, I’ll give a brief tidbit on how they play and their role for their club, rather than writing a bunch about why they ranked ahead or behind others. If you disagree with a player’s ranking, you may not get a ton of reasons why I ranked them there besides their individual strengths and weaknesses.
Players are ranked mostly on their ability right now, with potential taken into consideration — as described in MLS’s criteria in the link above. That’s why non-established MLS players like Paxton Pomykal and Andrew Carleton are (spoiler alert) not included.
With these things in mind, here is a ranking of the top under-24 MLS players as the main feature of this week’s preview:
24. Alphonso Davies (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Still just 16, Davies scored three goals for Canada at the 2017 Gold Cup and has made a first team appearance in seven straight matches for the red-hot Whitecaps. He is playing on the wing right now, using his never-ending energy and stamina to get up and down the field and constantly make slashing runs both in transition and inside the final third. The final ball is still lacking (he has only one assist in 1148 career MLS minutes), but he is very willing to take on defenders and generally is a sufficiently calm passer. His primary improvement points are his first touch, technical ability in tight areas and spacial awareness, particularly closer to the final third.
23. Diego Fagundez (New England Revolution)
New England’s whirlwind of attackers has made it tougher for Fagundez (who despite over 11,000 MLS minutes over seven seasons is still only 22) to find starts recently. He’s still shown flashes, though, even with newly-fired manager Jay Heaps’s lack of tactical identity and a set position for Fagundez. The Uruguayan can play on the wing or as an outside midfielder (depending on the formation) and can also function as a second forward or even as a central attacker with a focus on final third combination play. His technical ability is as promising as ever and he continues to put goals on the board, with four plus seven assists in 27 games.
22. Emmanuel Boateng (LA Galaxy)
One of the few bright spots in an otherwise disastrous LA season, Boateng has quietly risen towards the upper tier of MLS attackers. His diminutive frame and low center of gravity, to go along with tremendous ball skills and change of direction, make him tough to track for bigger defenders. Despite this, he has just two goals and four assists this year, likely dropping him out of others’ lists and generally lowering his stock among league observers. I’m still high on the Ghanaian, though, and his ridiculous ability to beat guys to the touchline puts him ahead of others.
21. Jefferson Savarino (Real Salt Lake)
While still on loan from Venezuelan club Zulia, Savarino has emerged as a charter member of RSL’s youth movement, and has been a key piece of their current out-of-nowhere push for the playoffs. He has five goals and four assists in 17 starts this season playing as a creative winger coming off the right side, acting as a brilliant secondary creator alongside Albert Rusnak and adding vital attacking distribution as well as notable goal-scoring touch.
20. Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas)
Gonzalez is the starting goalkeeper in Dallas after stealing the job from Chris Seitz early in the season, and has performed like a top-tier MLS keeper. His positioning and shot-stopping fundamentals are above-average, and they complement off-the-charts reflexes and strong, durable hands. Coming off his line for crosses and set pieces is not nearly as much of a weakness as it is for other North American goalies.
19. Jack Elliott (Philadelphia Union)
A fourth-round SuperDraft selection out of West Virginia, Elliott wasted no time in winning a starting role in the Union’s central defense. He’s gone 90 minutes almost every game since April 14 (twice getting subbed out) and while Philly have not had an ideal season, he has been great, using his height as a noticeable advantage and complementing veteran partner Oguchi Onyewu well.
18. Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes)
Yueill, another rookie, has shown himself to be a very, very capable future central midfield marshall for both San Jose and even the USMNT. He is willing to possess the ball a lot and dictate the tempo and angles of the game, attempting to gradually pull apart the opposition with calculated passing and perfect execution. He’s a smart player, and someone Earthquakes manager Chris Leitch appears to be high on.
17. Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders)
It’s been kind of a disappointing club year for Morris, waiting until August to score his third Sounders goal and battling a nagging ankle injury before going down with a hamstring recently. He remains a talented attacker with a role on the national team, though, and once he figures out his best position (either on the wing or up top), he could be a very good player. His speed is high-caliber, and he constantly finds himself in goal-scoring positions.
16. Brandon Vincent (Chicago Fire)
Vincent, a starting left-back for the Fire, experienced a similar sophomore slump this season, but has completely rebounded since, developing into one of the league’s best at the position. He is capable and calculated going forward and closes down opposing wingers well out on the flanks, preventing quick balls in and forcing them to the touchline.
15. Carlos Gruezo (FC Dallas)
He may not be as high on our list of potential sell-on guys anymore, but Gruezo is still incredibly talented, and a frequent contributor to a solid Ecuadorian national team. Despite a slight decline this season, he has still shown his qualities as a defensive midfielder, which include calm distribution, defensive awareness and an ability to condense lanes through the channel. Turnovers have haunted him this season.
14. Alberth Elis (Houston Dynamo)
More frequent appearances and production would do a lot for Elis’s ranking here. International games with Honduras and Wilmer Cabrera’s squad rotation have often held him out of Houston’s lineup. Still, he has seven goals and four assists for the Orange in 15 starts, an impressive tally that only gets more impressive when considering his wide array of skills, which include elusiveness on the ball, breakaway speed and underrated aerial prowess.
13. Albert Rusnak (Real Salt Lake)
Another of RSL’s youth brigade, the 23-year-old Rusnak has been exceptional as a No. 10 this year, recording seven goals and 12 assists in 25 starts and leading his club out of their early-season rut. A creative and mobile attacker, Rusnak has great touch on his forward ground-passes, peppering opposing gaps and opening lanes for Real goals.
12. Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake)
Glad missed a large portion of the early part of the year due to an injury and US U-20 duties, but since entering the lineup on June 17, he hasn’t missed a single minute. His abilities in distribution and decision-making off-the-ball are incredible for a 20-year-old, even if he does need to gain some weight to prevent being muscled off the ball by bigger center forwards. Glad is mature beyond his years on the field, making him an enticing USMNT prospect.
11. Marky Delgado (Toronto FC)
Rising to a starting role this season for TFC, Delgado is a remarkable central midfield link between the ball-dominating Michael Bradley and interchanging attack headed by No. 10 Victor Vazquez. He likes to touch and move the ball, although without a ton of forward distribution, and he is an unheralded vital element of the Toronto FC Machine due to his “never turn the ball over” attitude and his always-perfect passing.
10. Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
Roldan only slightly beats Delgado here. A US Gold Cup call-up this summer, the box-to-box Roldan has been given the freedom to advance forward much more recently to help support a somewhat stagnated attack. Along with his usual responsibilities of calm passing and ground-covering next to Ozzie Alonso, Roldan often drifts into the final third and makes late runs that have given him some goals and added another gravitational effect to the Nicolas Lodeiro-run attack.
9. Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting KC)
EPB will join Manchester City after this season, but he remains eligible for this list and he will be ranked accordingly. The US U-20 captain and starting center-back has proven himself to be the best young defender in the national team’s player pool, given his ability to step out of the backline to stop attacks as well as calmly and efficiently distribute. This is a real, legit talent, and one that could eventually break the first team of Man City, if all goes well.
8. Yamil Asad (Atlanta United)
With 12 assists on the season for Atlanta, Asad would be in serious contention for the Newcomer of the Year award if not for a ton of other players (including two on his own team). He is one of the best passers from the wing in MLS, and he delivers one of the most effective open-play crosses in the league.
The brigade of Atlanta attackers begins now, by the way.
7. Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls)
Adams, an 18-year-old Red Bulls prodigy, is a guy who never stops running, rarely loses the ball and covers all sorts of ground both defensively and offensively. He projects as a No. 8, but is playing right wing-back in whatever Jesse Marsch’s formation is now. We’ll probably be seeing him in a senior national team uniform sooner rather than later, perhaps even for the November friendlies after the US qualify for the World Cup (*crosses fingers*).
6. Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas)
Despite a subpar Gold Cup and some dreary recent performances for FC Dallas, Acosta is still really, really good. He’s a workhorse No. 8 with above average touch (including free-kicks, which he can nail), solid passing skills and the ability to change a game’s direction in a split second. He’s a dominating presence for Dallas even if he doesn’t lead the league in touches.
5. Hector Villalba (Atlanta United)
The stats are there for Hector Villalba: 11 goals and nine assists in 2,252 minutes, starting every game for Tata Martino. But his real effect is shown when a tiny gap opens for Josef Martinez in the box, or when Miguel Almiron sees an open passing lane, or when Julian Gressel notches another goal or assist. Villalba’s gravity is often unseen, and that’s what makes him impressive for ATL.
4. Jack Harrison (NYCFC)
How Harrison (nine goals and eight assists this season) is not a consistent member of England’s youth national teams is beyond me. The former Wake Forest standout creates opportunities by cutting in from the wing and either chipping a beautiful ball into the box or firing a perfect shot on goal. His ability to strike a ball is incredible, and somehow the most impressive part of his game even considering his 1v1 prowess from the flank.
3. Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC)
Last year’s 24U24 No.1, Larin’s had kind of a rough year. High-money European interest seems to be dwindling after a DUI arrest, and Orlando went out and paid a ton of money for a like-for-like striker, Dom Dwyer. One would think he’ll be moving this winter, because if Jason Kreis thinks Dwyer and Larin are a capable long-term forward partnership he is dead wrong. Larin is still playing well this season, though, with 12 goals in 23 starts thanks to “do it all myself” hold-up play, strength on the ground and in the air, and an impressive poacher’s instinct.
2. Yangel Herrera (NYCFC)
Like Erik Palmer-Brown, we’ll be seeing Herrera on the books of Manchester City soon enough. For now, he remains on loan with NYCFC, and he continues to dominate. Herrera covers all sorts of ground as a No. 8 and passes with eloquence, intelligence and intention, parlaying his club form into a starting role with the Venezuelan national team. It’d be nice if he laid off the yellow cards, though.
1. Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United)
MLS’s best player under 24 has to be Almiron, the Paraguay NT starter and dominant Atlanta United force. In 28 appearances, he’s accumulated nine goals and 13 assists while becoming arguably the league’s best central creator. He dominates games with winding runs, quick and accurate distribution to the flanks, and tireless movement, constantly dragging defenders around and opening room for others to score. Even with secondary assists taken into account, it’s hard to immediately measure the amount of goals Almiron has singlehandedly created, given his early passing. But it’s hard to doubt just how talented he is.